Twenty-five years ago, we wanted to create a unique opinion column that would attract readers and prick the comfortable politicians and power brokers.
Winners & Losers fit the bill and has become one of our most popular columns. It lets us weigh in on several political issues and make note of achievements in a concise way.
To produce this annual issue, we examined all of our Winners & Losers of 2024 and selected those that stood out on both sides of the ledger. We did a good job this year of looking for less obvious winners. However, many of the losers weren’t difficult to pick.
We appreciate your support. Remember, everyone starts with a clean slate in 2025.
American Magic Pensacola and New York Yacht Club’s entry in the 2024 America’s Cup mounted a valiant comeback against Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup. Down 4-0, American Magic won the next three races and went into the final race day needing two more consecutive victories to win the bracket. Unfortunately, the team’s luck ran out. The team faced every challenge courageously and never quit. We are proud our city’s name adorned American Magic’s sail.
Shigeko Honda The University of West Florida (UWF) Japan Center and Japan House director has been awarded the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays. Honda, who has been the center’s director for 26 years, was recognized at UWF’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Japan House. The Order of the Rising Sun, established in 1875, is awarded to individuals for their service to the Japanese nation or public.
K-9 Streeter Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons presented K-9 Streeter with the Medal of Courage Award. ECSO K-9 Streeter bravely jumped over the Highway 90 bridge June 24 while pursuing three homicide suspects. The Sheriff’s Medal of Courage is awarded to members of the agency for heroic achievement or service in the line of duty. The dog is named in honor of Corporal Eric Streeter, who was killed in the line of duty in March 1984. His family attended the ceremony.
Chandra Newman During a change of command last month, Capt. Newman made history as NAS Pensacola’s first female commanding officer. She received her wings of gold in August 2004, serving with Helicopter Sea Combat squadrons. Capt. Newman most recently served as the Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) Leadership, Education, Growth, Advocacy, Culture and Youth Outreach director.
Rally Foundation Its Rally on the Runway raised more than $755,000. Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research raises awareness and funds for childhood cancer research to find better treatments with fewer long-term side effects and, ultimately, cures. Young girls battling cancer were the stars of the event.
James Calkins Santa Rosa County voters sent the commissioner packing despite him and his America First Alliance PAC flooding the county with mailers and text messages. Calkins tried to tie opponent Rhett Rowell to Black Lives Matter and Aaron Dimmock, the congressional candidate backed by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, while using photos of Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz on other mailers. The incumbent commissioner was third in the GOP primary behind Rowell and Jerry Couey.
Environmental Protection Agency The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General has determined the EPA’s plan for the clean-up of the American Creosote Works Inc. Superfund site on J Street near the Pensacola Yacht Club and Sanders Beach did not have sufficient oversight and controls to prevent potential exposure to contamination. In a report released April 15, the Inspector General wrote, “Without strong institutional controls and effective communication, the public remains at risk of exposure to residual contamination in the groundwater and soil from the ACW Superfund site.” This is very disappointing because the EPA placed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in 1983.
Moms For Liberty Two former Santa Rosa County chapter officers of Moms for Liberty performed poorly in the Aug. 20 primary. Chapter founder Mariya Calkins finished last in a three-person race for the District 2 school board seat, receiving less than 22% of the votes. Brenda Stephens stepped down as the chapter’s treasurer to run for superintendent of schools. She also finished last behind incumbent Karen Barber (49%) and David Godwin (38%). Stephens garnered only 13% of the vote. Only three of the 14 school board candidates backed by Moms for Liberty won their primaries in other parts of Florida.
Town of Century In April, the town council voted unanimously to allow Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. to hire Clear Water Solutions for a period not to exceed one year for a monthly fee of $19,464 — up to $233,568 in one year—to take over the operations of the town’s water and wastewater departments. The event happened during the final minutes of the council meeting without providing the public an opportunity to review and comment on the agreement. In October, Gomez violated the town charter by exceeding his spending limit by $161,590, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection notified the Town of Century water system that the utility failed to properly monitor for disinfection byproducts as required over a three-month period. There were also several reports of Florida Sunshine Law violations.
U.S. Highway 90 The highway’s stretch in Escambia County contributed to the county being ranked No. 20 by Convoy Car Shipping for traffic fatalities among counties in the U.S. with populations of 150,000-499,999. The nationwide car delivery service based the list on data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatalities Analysis Reporting System. From 2017-2021, U.S. Highway 90 had 52 fatalities—the most for any Florida county in the top 20 on the list.
Featured Photo by Jelly Dollar on Unsplash