The City of Pensacola’s Strategic Initiatives Officer, Adrianne Walker, has sent an update on the communication plan for The New Palafox project to downtown business and property owners.
- “We are working diligently with Hatchmark Studio, in collaboration with the DIB team, to roll out a strong, coordinated marketing effort,” Walker wrote. “A new website, rack card, and construction fence banners are in development now, and we are working to finalize the marketing schedule, including routine opportunities to highlight businesses along Palafox.”
Note: Yes, another city website is in the works.
A Communications Group has been established. Walker wrote, “If you’re interested in joining the small communication group that will meet on a regular basis, please let me know. I will reach out soon to schedule our first meeting.” Her email is AWalker@cityofpensacola.com.
The current Communications Group includes Walker Wilson, John Peacock, Autumn Blackledge, Allison Patton, Peton Blackledge, Caron Sjoberg, Deborah Dunlap, Bubba Peters, Teri Levin, Chris McKean, John Walsh, Samantha Breedlove, Caleb Pierce, Lisa Long and Katie Bosso.
- As I reported last week, an alternate parade route has been determined via PPD in coordination with city staff and parade organizers: Staging will remain on Spring Street; parade route will follow Spring—Garden—N. Palafox—Garden—Jefferson—end at Main Street.
Gallery Night & Palafox Market are working on alternate plans/adjustments during construction.
- Please note that delivery trucks must make alternate arrangements during construction; intersection tunnels will be pedestrian-only. Tunnels on Palafox?
Outdoor Seating
In January, city staff will request that the Pensacola City Council waive Outdoor Seating Arrangement (OSA) fees for the year, including refunds for those who have already renewed.
Walker wrote, “We are continuing to explore options for temporary outdoor seating. As of 1/2/26, any existing furniture should be removed from the right of way until we have a clearer understanding of space limitations and can ensure the required 6’ pedestrian path is maintained.”
Dates of Importance:
- 1st content creation opportunity with Hatchmark Studio – 12/22/25 (tentative, time TBD)
- Construction fence staging will begin 1/2/26 but the road will not be closed until 1/5/26
New Palafox Project
The New Palafox Project (also branded as “Reimagine Palafox”) is the City of Pensacola’s multi-million-dollar redesign and reconstruction of downtown Palafox Street, focused on making the corridor safer, more walkable, and more resilient while upgrading underground infrastructure. The street from Garden to Main streets will closed on Jan. 5. The project is scheduled to be completed by May 24. Some sections may open earlier.
Key elements include widening sidewalks to improve walkability and outdoor dining space, adding or tightening crosswalks (including several raised mid-block crossings), and installing brick or decorative pavers at intersections to calm traffic and improve drainage. The plans also call for dozens of new street trees, new ADA-compliant curb ramps and designated handicap spaces, and substantial new stormwater structures and piping under South Palafox.
Free Downtown Parking
In an interview on Nov. 26, Mayor Reeves said the city plans to implement 24-hour free parking in approximately 414 spaces during construction, in response to business owners’ preferences expressed in a recent survey.
The communication strategy he discussed is consistent with what Walker sent to downtown businesses:
- A dedicated website and logo for the project
- Banners with QR codes at Palafox Market
- Rack cards distributed to beach hotels
- Regular mayor’s office hours at downtown locations
- Coordinated social media updates with the Downtown Improvement Board
The mayor emphasized the administration’s commitment to maintaining business vibrancy during construction: “We are absolutely giving our 110% best effort to help businesses down there, to help our residents and our visitors know that we’re open for business.”
Still need to know why the CRA’s Urban Core Redevelopment Board and the City’s Architectural Review Board and Downtown Improvement Board were not allowed to review the Reimagine Palafox and provide their input. Online records for those three boards show none of them reviewed the plan. City staff told me (and earlier an ARB member too) that the City has exempted itself from the requirements of the Pensacola Historical Business District described in Section 12-3-27 in the City Code first approved by the City Council in 1994 and last updated in 2017. I’m told this is a “City of Pensacola” project. The Pensacola CRA is governed not by the City Charter but by state law. What state law authorizes the Pensacola City Council to take $7.1 million from the Pensacola CRA – a separate legal and political entity – and spend it on a “City” project? This seems the end result of the unwise decision by the City Council to also make itself the CRA Board, in which role their title is “commissioner.” The City Council should have opted for the primary method of appointing a separate body of citizens not subject to browbeating by the Mayor who now also hires and fires the CRA’s staff, likely in violation of law, a point City Attorney Bowling made before she was fired. It’s a mess. The good news is that either the City Council “or” voters can abolish the CRA by ordinance. Needs to be done.