Nearly 2,000 Pensacola residents weighed in on the future of the 6.86-acre parking lot adjacent to the Pensacola Bay Center, and the message was clear: build a convention center.
- Background: The City of Pensacola commissioned WT Partnership to evaluate three development options for the site at 201 E. Gregory Street: a new convention center, a year-round ice rink, and an indoor sports complex. As part of that study, a resident survey ran from Feb. 11–20, with a three-day extension added at the City’s request. A total of 1,907 people completed the questionnaire.
Survey Says
The convention center generated the strongest and least polarized support of the three options. Respondents checking “strongly support” or “support” formed a clear majority, with very little strong opposition recorded.
- By contrast, the ice rink — while drawing significant enthusiasm from a passionate skating community — also drew nearly 30% opposition or strong opposition, making it the most divisive option of the three. The indoor sports complex landed in the middle, with more neutral sentiment than either of the other two choices.
When asked what type of development would best benefit Pensacola overall, nearly 40% of respondents favored mixed-use development — live, work, play — followed by community activities at just under 23%.
On the ice rink specifically, 67% said they would use a year-round rink only a couple of times per year or less. Only 11% said weekly, and 9% said daily. That’s a thin usage base to justify what consultants estimate would be a $29.8 million facility.
The indoor sports complex fared similarly on the usage question. About 37% said they’d attend events there a couple of times per year, while 31% said they would never use it. Across all three options, residents shared the same top two concerns: traffic and congestion, and the risk of underutilization.
Mayor Touts Survey
At Tuesday’s press conference, Mayor D.C. Reeves said the survey results were clearer than he expected.
- “The conference center was a clear number one, the sports facility a clear number two, and a distant third was the ice rink,” Reeves said. “I thought it might actually be closer, but the significance of the difference surprised me.”
The mayor said he also looked at the favorability spread — the gap between those who support and oppose each option — and found the convention center equally decisive on that measure, with a spread of roughly 71 points.
Reeves acknowledged questions about whether to combine the convention center and sports facility into one multipurpose venue, noting that WT consultants were “pretty bullish” on that approach. He added that a multipurpose facility would also be more attractive to a private hotel partner, since more programming means more occupied dates.
“If it was only a conference center or only sports, that’s just naturally going to be less dates that are actually full,” Reeves said, summarizing the consultants’ advice.
Demographically Accurate?
I asked the mayor about the demographics of survey respondents — specifically whether the results truly reflect the broader community. Reeves acknowledged the survey was not a scientific poll, but it was open to anyone with an interest in the Bay Center rather than limited to city residents.
- “This is a survey of 1,900 people that we asked publicly if they had any interest in the Bay Center,” he said. “They’ve got enough interest to have filled it out.”
Why this matters: It’s a fair point about sample size, but the methodology matters. The survey reflects who chose to respond, not necessarily a representative cross-section of Pensacola. That caveat shouldn’t overshadow the findings, but it’s worth keeping in mind as the City and County head into a joint meeting on April 16 to begin charting next steps.