Last night, the Escambia County Commission took a significant step toward enhancing local sports facilities and creating more tourism assets.
In a unanimous 5-0 vote, the commissioners approved $25 million in TDT funding to expand and upgrade John R. Jones Park.
- Additionally, commissioners approved $2 million to support the University of West Florida (UWF) Stadium Construction project, to be paid from TDT Public Facility reserves funding. The Tourist Development Council had previously approved both projects at its April 15 meeting.
Commissioners Debate District Priorities
Once again, the commissioners came together for a project outside their individual districts.
During the discussion, Commission Chair Mike Kohler expressed initial hesitation about supporting the project due to the lack of multi-use fields in his own district, but ultimately voted in favor.
- “It’s hard for me to support 20 turf fields when there’s not one multi-use field in district two,” Kohler noted, but added, “I’m going to support it because I think the county needs things all over the county.”
Commissioner Steven Barry, a strong advocate for the project, pointed out that the return on investment would be quick, stating, “The ROI on this is something we can deploy relatively quickly…and we’re going to see the impact of it relatively soon.”
Tourism and Economic Impact
The commissioners emphasized the project’s importance for diversifying the county’s tourism economy. Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger noted, “It adds another spoke in the wheel of everything that makes Escambia County great. And it’s great to have a win for the community and the economy.”
Parks & Recreation Director Michael Rhodes confirmed that the upgraded facilities would attract significant tourism, positioning Escambia County as a competitive destination for sports tournaments. When asked about the tourism impact,
- Rhodes expressed confidence: “I’m pretty confident that Pensacola Beach and the tourism here… I’m pretty sure we can compete very well against those competitions.”
Community Access and Management
A key point of discussion was ensuring that the upgraded facilities would remain accessible to the entire community. Commissioner Lumon May specifically questioned whether the facilities would be controlled by parent organizations or by the county.
Michael Rhodes assured the commission that the facilities would be managed directly by the Parks and Recreation Department: “This will be a tag team approach where it will not affect the current recreation leagues. We’ve got full support with the existing Ensley Football League, with the existing Northeast Pensacola Baseball League, with the Miracle League, along with our adult leagues.”
Rhodes confirmed that the county would coordinate all events, ensuring the facilities would be available to anyone who wanted to use them, not just specific parent associations.
The commissioners also discussed how the project would affect existing programs, particularly the Miracle League for children with disabilities. Commissioner Barry assured that the Miracle League would continue operations uninterrupted on their three fields, with 250-300 young people currently participating.
Rhodes highlighted that approximately 1,000 youth are currently playing recreational sports at the facility this season, including spring baseball, Miracle League, and lacrosse, with football registration starting soon. “The local youth are going to be the beneficiaries as well for this.”
Commissioner Hofberger took the opportunity to clarify the county’s financial position, stating, “We have the bonding capacity of about a hundred million dollars from the LOST. This is taking $25 million. So we have $75 million left for the Bay Center.”
Commissioner Barry committed to supporting the remaining bonding capacity for the Bay Center project, emphasizing the importance of balancing investments across the county.
Conclusion
The commissioners’ unanimous support, despite initial concerns about district priorities, demonstrates a collective vision for county-wide development and diversification of tourism opportunities beyond Pensacola’s traditional beach attractions.