Pensacola Beach Advocates President Rhonda Dorfman has submitted the following requests to the Emerald Coast Regional Council, District 4 County Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger, and Ronnie Rivera of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Read Traffic on the Beach.
The Current Situation
According to Dorfman, every sunny weekend now averages “more people than on Blue Angels weekend.” The Casino Beach parking lot and main intersection routinely become gridlocked, particularly during peak hours between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Several factors complicate the congestion:
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- Hotel check-ins for 3,000 rooms between 3-4 p.m. on Saturdays
- Short-term rental changeovers
- Morning beach visitors departing around 3 p.m.
- Gridlock extending to Fort Pickens and Via de Luna
Despite the traffic light at the main intersection being monitored, the continuous flow of people arriving and departing creates a challenging situation for traffic management.
Specific Requests
Dorfman, speaking both as a beach resident and as the president of Pensacola Beach Advocates, said, “As taxpayers in Escambia County, we feel that a priority should be given to us when it comes to being able to come and go on the beach and moving the traffic in an efficient manner.”
She requested:
- Additional law enforcement presence: More sheriff deputies to manage traffic at the Casino Beach parking lot and the main intersection during peak times.
- Clarification on monitoring: Please provide information about whether the beach traffic light is being monitored 24/7 and, if not, details on the active monitoring timeframe.
- Annual traffic analysis: Given the importance of tourism and increased local traffic, a request to analyze the traffic situation annually rather than every five years.
- Improved accident response coordination: Better communication protocols between 911, state troopers and deputies to manage traffic during accidents.
- Extended public transportation: Trolleys to run all day long on weekends, not just starting at 4 p.m.
Future Considerations
She added: “We must begin to think like Disney World when it comes to moving people out to the beach.”
Dorfman encouraged the following long-term solutions:
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- Congestion pricing for toll booths
- High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane implementation when the Bob Sykes Bridge is rebuilt
- Park-and-ride services from downtown Bay Center, UWF, and PSC
- Special bus rates for residents to encourage mass transit use
Conclusion
“I realize that agencies must work with other agencies, and this needs to be a multifaceted approach, but I am here to tell you that just monitoring the light on the beach does not work.”
DIG DEEPER: In December 2023, the Board of County Commissioners approved a Casino Beach Changing Rooms project ($570,130). However, the work was canceled after Gov. DeSantis appointed Hofberger to the District 4 seat, which includes Pensacola Beach. According to an email received via a public request, the official statement for the cancelation was:
“The Casino Changing Rooms Project was reevaluated as part of an initiative by the District 4 Office (Hofberger) to realign our priorities on Pensacola Beach. The funding will go towards a new gateway project on Pensacola Beach, which will replace the existing toll booths at the Bob Sikes Toll Plaza. The gateway project is still in the preliminary stages and will need to be reviewed by the Tourist Development Council…”
Five months later, Commissioner Hofberger has yet to present her gateway project to the TDC. Pensacola Beach will not have changing rooms for families on Casino Beach this summer.
Photo by Joshua Burdick on Unsplash