Inweekly: Best of the Coast Voting Opens & More

Issue — April 30, 2026

The Best of the Coast ballot is open, Escambia schools face an $18 million shortfall, the Hard Rock TIF gets rejected, and Quint Studer buys a storied baseball franchise. Here’s what you need to read this week.

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Cover Story

Best of the Coast 2026 Ballot Is Open

For the 26th year running, Inweekly is asking Pensacola to play favorites—and this time your vote on everything from best sushi to best bar could shape what defines this community.

Voting is open now through May 21. The ballot is entirely write-in—no multiple-choice, no predetermined winners—so anyone has a shot. Categories span Community, Media and Culture; Services; Health and Wellness; Retail; Weddings; Restaurants; Food; and Bars, Drinks and Nightlife. Paper ballots run in the April 30, May 7 and May 14 issues for readers who prefer the old-fashioned way.

A few reminders from the rules: you can only vote once per category—not once a day, not once a week. All completed votes are subject to verification by Inweekly staff, and any business or individual involved in voter fraud will be disqualified. Results will be announced in late August.

“So make sure you make it good.”

—Inweekly, on the one-vote-per-category rule for Best of the Coast 2026

Vote in Best of the Coast 2026

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Opinion

Winners & Losers

Winners Ed MeadowsThe Pensacola State College president announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31, ending an 18-year tenure that added 72-plus credentials, secured $36 million in Triumph Gulf Coast funding and earned PSC an NSA designation as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. UWF Day of GivingThe University of West Florida raised $278,554 from 1,078 donors during its eighth annual 24-hour campaign—exceeding its goal by more than $100,000 and, for the first time, drawing contributions from all 50 states. Gulf Winds FoundationRaised more than $100,000 at its third annual Chip in Fore Charity golf tournament, benefiting Manna Food Pantry, Council on Aging, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Rally Foundation, among others. Read the FULL column

Losers UWF StonewallingThe university refused to provide digital copies of Board of Trustees meeting documents, directing Inweekly to drive to campus—then quietly posted the materials online after the visit. Documents withheld included a proposed athletic fee increase tied to Division I. Hit-and-Run ReportingThe Pensacola News Journal rushed to frame Commissioner Mike Kohler’s fender mishap as a hit-and-run. The story fell apart when police confirmed Kohler’s unattended truck rolled into a pole—earning him a $116 ticket, not criminal charges. Lori Chavez-DeRemerThe Labor Secretary resigned amid a federal investigation into allegations of misconduct, spending abuses and workplace harassment by both the secretary and her husband.

News

By Tom St. Myer

Escambia Schools Face an $18 Million Shortfall

Florida’s voucher program is sending money to schools students no longer attend—and Escambia County Public Schools is absorbing the cost while its enrollment bleeds out.

This academic year, Escambia County Public Schools is providing roughly $3.2 million in services to students whose scholarship voucher rolls show them enrolled elsewhere. Superintendent Keith Leonard identified 335 students in that category this year alone—a number that has grown each of the past three years. Operating at an $18 million deficit, the district is freezing non-essential hiring and curtailing travel. Board member David Williams warned that belt-tightening alone won’t close the gap and called on the board to begin planning for school closures now. State Sen. Don Gaetz’s reform bill passed the Senate with full support but stalled in the House.

Read the full story

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The Buzz

Hard Rock TIF Rejected The Pensacola CRA formally rejected Inspired Communities of Florida’s application for a roughly $58 million, 20-year TIF rebate tied to the proposed REVERB by Hard Rock development at Maritime Park, citing overstated revenue projections, insufficient equity and failure of the “But For” test. The developer may resubmit.	Studer Buys the Monarchs Pensacola Blue Wahoos founder Quint Studer has purchased the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association—a franchise whose name honors one of the most celebrated clubs in Negro League history, having produced Jackie Robinson, Buck O’Neil and Ernie Banks.
PSC President Retiring Dr. C. Edward Meadows announced his retirement effective Dec. 31 after 18 years leading Pensacola State College through recession, hurricane, two floods and a pandemic. PSC named a top-200 finalist for the 2026 Aspen Prize under his tenure.	UWF Diversity Dilemma An internal UWF faculty workgroup found that 71% of speakers invited by the Office of Public Policy Events this academic year have identifiable conservative affiliations—and that all 15 speaker appearances were by men—potentially running afoul of the Florida statute that created the office.
Bay Center Update Mayor Reeves called the April 16 joint city-county meeting the most productive Bay Center discussion in a decade. City and county staff must now align on what was agreed before returning to their boards—a formal vote is still targeted for June. Read the full story	Flight Adventure Deck at 30 The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation is marking 30 years of the Flight Adventure Deck, a STEM program that has served more than 125,000 middle school students from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties since 1996, with up to 5,000 students participating annually.

Arts & Entertainment