Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves announced today a major parks and recreation initiative dubbed “Direction 25,” committing $21.7 million to repair and maintain city parks and recreational facilities across all seven districts over the next two years.
- The initiative, which echoes a similar program from 40 years ago called “Direction 85,” will impact at least 54 of the city’s 94 parks. The funding comes from multiple sources, including grants and Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenues. Notable projects include $9.4 million for the Fricker Center, $2.4 million for Bay Bluff Park, and $1.4 million each for Sanders Beach and Wayside Park.
“It is fun to cut ribbons,” Reeves said, “but I’m more excited and motivated to be proud and to have our citizens not go to a park and assume the water fountain doesn’t work, but they assume it does.”
RED LIGHT VIOLATIONS: The mayor also provided an update on the city’s new red light camera program, revealing that 509 violations were recorded in just nine days at nine approaches across two major intersections. The most problematic locations were East Gregory at Ninth Avenue, with 143 violations, and Bayou at Ninth, with 123 violations. Warning letters are being sent during the grace period, with actual citations set to begin Feb. 1.
- “We have a problem flat out,” Reeves emphasized. “We’re putting our neighbors and our visitors and our residents’ lives in danger and this is why we have to address it even when it’s not comfortable.”
PUBLIC SAFETY: Regarding the upcoming MLK parade, Reeves discussed enhanced security measures in response to evolving threats. The city will implement visible security measures, such as additional barricades, and other undisclosed safety protocols. The mayor also warned about expected cold weather during the parade and urged parents to ensure children are appropriately dressed for the conditions.
NEW POST OFFICE: The mayor wouldn’t confirm the rumor that we’ve heard that the new downtown post office location will be the old Sluggo’s across from Southtowne. But he didn’t deny it. Stay tuned.
- Mayor Reeves joked, “I don’t know if they’ve made it public, and maybe they have, and I didn’t see it. But I could tell you that it feels like a location’s been picked. I want to make sure I get my mail on time, so I’m not going to share where.”
UWF TRUSTEES: When asked about recent changes to the University of West Florida’s Board of Trustees, Reeves expressed hope that local input would be maintained in any strategic changes, praising President Martha Saunders’s leadership.
I think she’s done a phenomenal job. I think. Where do you want to look? Just at every metric you see, I think UWF is doing an amazing job. We have a great working relationship with Martha. And so I think Martha’s done an awesome job, and it’s left for you guys to decide what changes mean. Again, I’m not going to speculate on what is or isn’t going to happen, but to answer your question, I very much appreciate Martha Saunders being at UWF. I think they should be proud of the accomplishments that had under her leadership.
OTHER: In other developments, Reeves announced he will be attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington D.C., where he will serve as chair of the mayors’ committee on jobs, education, and workforce development. He also reported positive growth at Pensacola International Airport, with December traffic up 7.3% year-over-year and significant increases in cargo traffic.
The mayor concluded by highlighting recent grant successes, including $5 million in additional funding for the Hollice T. Williams Park project, bringing total funding to $35 million for the long-planned greenway and stormwater project.