The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has issued a warning to the City of Pensacola, demanding immediate action to address “noncompliant” pavement markings on North A Street. The August 21, 2025, letter from District Three Secretary Tim Smith gives the city just two weeks to comply or face state intervention and financial penalties. See City_Amin_-_City_of_Pensacola_Final_Letter_-_No_Response_or_Commitment_(1)
- According to the formal notice sent to City Administrator Tim Kinsella, the pavement markings violate state and federal traffic control standards, including FDOT’s Design Manual, the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, and Florida’s 2023 Greenbook standards.
Pensacola has until Sept. 4 to either remove the noncompliant markings or contact FDOT about its compliance intentions. If the city fails to respond, FDOT will remove the markings and bill Pensacola for all costs. More significantly, the state threatens to withhold funding if the city refuses to comply.
- Not the First Warning: This isn’t Pensacola’s initial notice. The city was previously warned through “Engineering and Operations Memorandum No. 25-01” about traffic control compliance requirements. FDOT notes that “many local jurisdictions received this Memorandum and immediately began undertaking actions to ensure compliance,” but they haven’t heard back from Pensacola.
While the letter doesn’t specify the “Black Lives Matter” street mural as what’s “wrong” with the North A Street markings, traffic control standards exist for public safety. The violations could involve improper lane markings or incorrect signage that might confuse drivers or create hazardous conditions.
City’s Options
Pensacola can file for an administrative hearing under Chapter 120 of the Florida Statutes within 14 days. However, FDOT makes clear this wouldn’t be about getting permission to keep the nonconforming markings—they’ve already determined the markings cannot remain.
Black Lives Matter
On June 27, 2020, local artists came together for what they hoped would make history in Pensacola. The artists painted the words “Black Lives Matter” on A Street.
- “At the end of the day, there’s one race – humans,” said artist Anwon Johnson. “They say all lives matter, but all lives can’t matter until black lives matter.”
The community was embracing diversity and inclusion.
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Beloit Snappers jointly hired V. Randolph Brown Consulting, an organization that specializes in helping companies evaluate their diversity, inclusion, and equity. Brown evaluated the inclusiveness of the organizations, identified areas for improvement, and developed action plans to help both teams eliminate bias and become more equitable to fans and staff.
- “We do many things well. We measure employee engagement, provide lots of development opportunities, are transparent, include peers in staff selection, and did not lay off any staff during the ongoing pandemic,” Quint Studer, owner of the Blue Wahoos and managing partner of the Snappers, said. “However, I am convinced we can and must be better in the areas of eliminating bias and becoming more diverse and inclusive.”
In its July 2, 2020 issue, Inweekly had an exclusive interview with Kimberly Henderson, partner of Tymar Crawford, who had been shot to death by Pensacola Police Daniel Siemen after a traffic stop in front of his home with his family watching.