Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves revealed this morning that the city’s new red light cameras caught 1,477 violations between January 1-27, with the intersection at 9th and Bayou being the top location for infractions.
The mayor emphasized that each violation undergoes human review by Pensacola Police Department officers, who rejected 38 citations, or about 2.3% of the total violations captured. At the 9th and Bayou intersection alone, cameras documented approximately 35 red light runners per day.
“When you look at the examples on camera, we’re talking about people blowing through red lights that have been red for several seconds,” Reeves said. “Thirty-five cars a day are potentially hurting or killing people going across while we have cameras in place.”
In other city business, Reeves provided updates on several key projects:
The demolition of the former Baptist Hospital site, known as the Legacy Campus, is moving forward with five companies conducting mandatory walkthroughs today. Bid proposals, delayed by recent winter weather, are now due Feb. 26 with final selections scheduled for April 3.
- The city is also progressing on negotiations with the police sergeants union, with a tentative agreement reached in December that would increase starting pay from $64,985 to $75,000 and maximum pay from $85,176 to $101,000.
Regarding recycling initiatives, Reeves announced the city has received a $263,000 grant from the Recycling Partnership. A comprehensive education campaign will begin soon, with residents receiving direct mail communications about opting into the program. The mayor expects to offer two options for residents – one for those wanting garbage and recycling cans and a less expensive rate for those only wanting one garbage pick-up weekly.
The mayor also addressed downtown parking concerns, noting that current plans for Palafox Street modifications will result in a net gain of three parking spaces. Recent survey data indicates about two-thirds of residents prefer free parking within two blocks over premium parking directly in front of destinations. Baskerville-Donovan is finalizing the design for Palafox 2.0, which will be revealed in the coming weeks.
At the Port of Pensacola, Mayor Reeves said that Shep Coggin is interim port director while the city conducts a national search to replace Clark Merritt, who resigned last month.
“We have a unique asset in that it’s an important part of our economy, but it’s also a very small port in the heart of a downtown, and there are those other aspects that come with it,” the mayor said. “We are going to be looking for someone that has not just port experience overall, but more of someone you’ve got to manage things.”
- Reeves continued, “You’ve got a limited number of puzzle pieces to use, and so it may not be that someone who’s worked at a big large cargo port is going to have as relevant experience as someone that might have other unique challenges within the operation of the port.”
The previously postponed MLK parade has been rescheduled to June 19th, coinciding with Juneteenth celebrations. Additionally, the mayor’s neighborhood cleanup, originally scheduled for January 25th, will take place this Saturday.