City Hall
Pensacola mayor covered a full agenda at his Wednesday, Aug. 5 press conference—from a first-read teen curfew ordinance to the next steps on the Baptist campus, affordable housing and the county-city Bay Center Interlocal Agreement.
Pensacola Village incident: Mayor D.C. Reeves opened by confirming the city is aware of an incident at Pensacola Village and that the investigation is continuing. He said Pensacola Police Department spokesman Mike Wood would have an update later Wednesday and deferred most details to PPD, but noted none of the injuries were life-threatening.
Teen Curfew Ordinance Gets First Read
The curfew ordinance headed for the city council’s August meeting will get its first read at that meeting, with rules largely pulled from existing state statute that the city needs to codify locally in order to enforce it.
Because the council only meets once in August, two reads would push adoption to September, with the ordinance taking effect roughly five days after the September meeting — pending confirmation from PPD on enforcement readiness.
“I like to decouple the idea of the shooting and this being a knee-jerk reaction to the shooting. No, this is a reaction to a heavily burgeoning conversation.” — Mayor D.C. Reeves
Reeves pushed back on the idea that the ordinance is a direct response to the July 4 shooting near Pensacola Village, saying officers had already flagged 12- and 13-year-olds out unattended past midnight that night, separate from the shooting itself. He said the trend of unsupervised minors out late is showing up statewide and nationally, which is why state statute already defines the hours being codified locally.
On why penalties are civil rather than criminal, Reeves said the goal is deterrence balanced with fairness, not putting a permanent record on a teenager caught out after curfew, while still building in parental accountability.
Baptist Redevelopment Feasibility RFP Moves to Review
The city’s second run at a Baptist Redevelopment Feasibility Advisory Service RFP drew seven firm proposals. The selection committee received proposals and evaluation materials on Aug. 3.
- Aug. 14, 10 a.m. — public selection committee meeting to discuss rankings, determine a shortlist, and possibly recommend a contract award
- Sept. 3, 10 a.m. — oral presentations, if needed (Reeves said with seven firms, that’s likely)
Selection committee members: Cliff Collins, Adrian Walker, Captain James Reese, Jewel Canada Wynn and Michelle Press. Reeves noted it’s unusual for the city to have two outside voters on a selection committee — a structure he credited to Councilman Delarian Wiggins’ push for more outside involvement after concerns with the first RFP process.
Separately, demolition work continues on the Baptist campus. A public forum for surrounding neighbors is set for Thursday, Aug. 6, at 5:30 p.m. at the Lakeview Activity Center.
Malcolm Yonge Site: Nine Permanently Affordable Homes
The city expects to close with Habitat Community Land Trust (CLT) in mid-August, tentatively around Aug. 17 — on the old Malcolm Yonge site at 925 East Jackson Street.
The project will create nine housing units permanently affordable within city limits — the city’s first multi-family project to carry that permanent affordability designation.
Funding combines the city’s donation of the property with an additional $590,000 city contribution, made up of about $240,000 in CRA TIF dollars and roughly $350,000 from the housing homebuyer assistance program. Habitat CLT will build the homes and cover main project costs, using a ground-lease model to keep them affordable long term.
Asked why the project took two and a half years since the gym’s March 2024 demolition, Reeves said coordinating four separate organizations—a land trust, a nonprofit, the city and the CRA — on a first-of-its-kind project added time, but said lessons learned should speed up future projects.
Veterans Memorial Park Restrooms: Purchase Approval Sought
After roughly 12 years of discussion, the city is seeking council approval to purchase — not yet install — a permanent, climate-controlled, ADA-accessible two-unit restroom facility for Veterans Memorial Park. Read agenda item.
- Restroom unit cost: $204,455
- Installation cost: roughly $380,000, driven up by wetland conditions at the site
- Delivery expected early 2027 upon approval, with installation to follow
- Reeves said the installation would be on the Admiral Mason parcel, pending confirmation
Reeves said the approval sought now is a budget approval to get the restroom into fabrication, with a separate installation approval to follow. He said no state regulatory approvals, including from DEP, are outstanding.
Bay Center Interlocal Agreement with the County
Reeves addressed a pending interlocal agreement (IA) between the city and Escambia County over the future of the Pensacola Bay Center, saying it demonstrates to the market — owners’ reps, construction and design firms — that the city and county are formally aligned as they pursue the project.
“It’s we from this point forward for the next five, five years or maybe less, I hope.” — Mayor D.C. Reeves
When I pressed on whether the agreement reaffirms city veto power over the county on the project, Reeves said the IA came out of a mutual discussion rather than a demand from the city, and reiterated the city holds the lease on the property. He said the next tangible step is a county RFP for an owner’s representative or construction program manager with experience on projects in the $150 million range.
Economic Development Funding and PEDC
Asked about County Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger’s suggestion to defund the Pensacola/Escambia County Chamber’s economic development arm (PEDC/FloridaWest) in favor of an in-house county economic developer, Reeves declined to weigh in on the county’s approach but praised the city’s own economic development office.
- The city’s budget proposal moves its PEDC/Florida West funding from the general fund to LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) dollars, which can legally be used for economic development. Reeves said he would not support moving that funding back to the general fund given pressure from union negotiations and the threat to property tax revenue, but said the ultimate funding decision is the council’s to make at the Aug. 11 budget workshop.
Workforce Pipeline for Burdon, ST Engineering and American Magic
Reeves previewed a statewide workforce summit the city is hosting on Aug. 26, with Florida’s education commissioner and Secretary of Commerce among the invited guests, followed by a CareerSource Florida board meeting the morning of Aug. 27 at UWF. Invitees include UWF, Pensacola State, ST Engineering, American Magic and Burdon.
Reeves framed the city’s challenge not as a lack of job opportunity for local residents, but as building a large enough training “funnel” to fill the volume of jobs coming from Burdon and its expected ancillary contractors, plus growth at ST Engineering and American Magic.
- Roughly 530 jobs averaging about $112,000
- Roughly 1,500 jobs averaging about $68,000
- Florida was recently awarded $40 million for shipbuilding workforce development
He pointed to Pensacola State’s aviation maintenance program at Hangar Three near the airport, run with Georgetown, as an example of the kind of funnel the city needs more of, and said the city is in the final stage of lease negotiations with Burdon, which has said it wants to start this fall.