Pensacola City Hall
With Mayor D.C. Reeves out of town, City Administrator David Stafford ran Wednesday’s press conference, covering the Mardi Gras route, new downtown parking rules, the tree ordinance and a long list of construction projects.
The downtown parade route is going back to Palafox Street. City Administrator David Stafford told reporters Wednesday that the city received a letter Tuesday from the Downtown Improvement Board (DIB) asking that parades return to Palafox now that the street has reopened, and that the city will follow that recommendation.
“And barring any major hiccups, that route will return to Palafox.”
What happens next. The city will first review the route with its public safety partners. Stafford said the Pensacola Police Department told the city early on it had no preference between Palafox and Jefferson Street and could safely handle either.
- The DIB polled residents and downtown businesses, and Stafford said a clear consensus came back for Palafox.
The new hurdles. A reporter noted that Palafox now has speed bumps. Stafford said the city will rely on parade organizers to tell participants that floats must clear the traffic tables and any raised crosswalks. He said organizers have already started looking at clearances, and that Parks, Emergency Management and PPD will work together on safety.
- The Christmas parade will be the first test, since it happens before next year’s big parades. He wants everything settled “as soon as possible.”
Paid Parking Returns October 5
The new rate structure approved by the City Council takes effect Monday, October 5, ending the suspension of paid parking downtown.
The new rates
- Sunday and Monday: free (Monday is the added free day)
- Tuesday through Friday: $1 an hour, no increase from the rates in place before the suspension
- Friday night and Saturday: $1.75 an hour, the highest-demand periods
- Jefferson Street garage: $1.75 an hour at all times
Two discount programs. So far 223 people have signed up for the senior pass and 355 for the resident discount. Sign up at parkpensacola.com or call the parking department at 436-5641.
- Senior pass: $10 flat monthly fee for anyone 65 or older, wherever they live. It covers any city-owned spot for as long as you like and is tied to your license plate, so no app is needed.
- Resident discount: $5 annual registration, then $0.75 an hour through the ParkMobile app. That is 25 cents off during regular hours and $1 off during high-demand periods.
Fines. The city cut the reset period for escalating fines for repeat offenders from every 12 months to every six months. It also added a 20% discount for fines paid within the first 72 hours.
Where the money goes. Stafford said 1,600 city-owned spaces downtown stay free and that the city controls less than 15% of total downtown parking. Council approved $442,863 last week for repairs and maintenance to the Jefferson Street garage. The city is working through the contract now and hopes to start next month.
Know the signs. City-owned spots have blue signs marked “City of Pensacola” with a two-digit zone number. Anything else is a private lot, where the city does not control rates or enforcement. Private lots must post a city-designed template sign identifying them as private.
Tree Ordinance and Land Development Code
- Land Development Code: second reading at the first October council meeting, with amendments approved at the last meeting.
- Tree ordinance: the Planning Board hears it again October 13. It has been before the board three times. Council holds the public hearing and first reading October 22, with a second reading in November.
- Purpose: the ordinance, developed by the mayor and Councilman Jared Moore, is meant to increase protections, especially for the largest heritage trees.
Projects on the Calendar
- Fricker Center playground: The city will seek public feedback on two designs. Both include shaded play areas, ground-level pieces, inclusive swings and turf, which would make it the city’s first turf-surfaced playground. Posters with QR codes are at Cobb and Woodland Heights centers. The goal is to order equipment by the end of October, with delivery in early 2027.
- Dunwoody Playground (Cowboy Park): groundbreaking is on track for November, date not final.
- The Bluffs Boardwalk assessment: Consultant HDR is nearly done with the topographical work. Geotechnical and structural reviews run through October. Preliminary findings show damage mostly confined to the lower areas, with railings needing replacement and decking mostly solid. The city expects to review findings by mid-November and hold community input sessions between late November and early January.
- Reverb by Hard Rock project at Community Maritime Park: The city and the Dawson team still have legal work to finish, and it must go before council. The first visible sign would be temporary parking in November, with foundation work possible as early as January 2027.
- Hollice T. Williams Park: Construction is expected to begin in November, starting with stormwater and underground work. Fencing will keep the tennis and basketball courts open as long as possible. The award for a multi-use trail, a little over $1 million for a 12-foot concrete path of about 1.31 miles, is on the first October council agenda.
- Peachtree Park gas project: Pensacola Energy is investing $4 million to install 5.6 miles of gas mains, service lines and meter sets, replacing aging pipe. An open house is October 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the downtown library. Construction runs from fall 2026 to spring 2027. It is the first of two projects funded by a $10 million federal grant, and the Greenhunt Court neighborhood follows in late spring or early summer 2027.
Other Updates
- Cobb Center: Council will consider renaming the multipurpose room for Myra Williams at the October 5 meeting. The Parks and Recreation Board approved it unanimously.
- Employee awards: The Pensacola Police Department received a merit award for its investigation of the July 5 shooting incident.
- SYSA ribbon cutting: The city praised the privately funded Rafferty Center, with Doug Baldwin among the speakers. Reeves spoke before leaving town.
- Mayor’s cleanup: The last one of 2026 is October 24, covering parts of Cordova Park and Woodland Heights. The most recent cleanup collected 75.37 tons of waste, 69 tires and 617 gallons of paint.
- Civic Dialogues: Residents have cast 76,393 votes on 1,354 ideas [CONFIRM COUNT]. The deadline is October 12. A panel of 100 residents will meet live in November to discuss the ideas with consensus. Stafford said the initial input could not be limited to city residents, so organizers will screen out items outside municipal government and make sure the panel is made up of city residents.