New construction showing up in city property valuations

According to the latest estimates from Property Appraiser Chris Jones,  property valuations in the city of Pensacola have increased $234 million (6.9 percent) over last…

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City Interactive Financial Transparency Platform never updated

In February 2017, the City of Pensacola launched the Interactive Financial Transparency Platform module of its OpenGov software. It would revolutionize how taxpayers could track city revenue…

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District 2 produces most property taxes for city

Escambia County Property Appraiser Chris Jones provided us with the 2017 City of Pensacola, Certified Roll values by city council district. The District 2, which…

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Barker lost the council when he stretched ‘facts’

Last week, the City of Pensacola’s chief financial officer, Dick Barker, tried to use his 38 years of experience in the city’s finance department and…

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Other financial trouble spots for city of Pensacola

The city’s Osceola Golf Course continues to lose money, even the the taxpayers subsidizing the facility. In his report, CFO Dick Barker tried to explain…

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City outside legal fees top $600k for second consecutive year

The outside legal fees for the first six months of FY 2018 once again topped $600,000. They were down from the same period last year,…

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Various Codes of ethics for the City of Pensacola

The 2010 City Charter mandated the establishment of a code of ethics. Mayor Ashton Hayward and his staff drafted a code that was approved by…

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City voters overwhelmingly want ethics reform

In a poll last month, City of Pensacola voters said they support ethics reform in local government. The News Journal reported on the survey conducted…

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What now for Bruce Beach

The city of Pensacola has an opportunity to “activate” its waterfront at Bruce Beach if the Pensacola City Council agrees with Mayor Hayward and will…

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Pensacola Recycling Cover-up

The City of Pensacola’s Sanitation Services Department has an annual goal for recycling: “Recycling percentage (by tonnage) of the total garbage & recycling collection –…

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Transcripts give insights into Bayview Center budget hike

Pensacola citizens and the city council had only three opportunities to discuss the budget of the Bayview Community Resource Center before the council voted to…

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Hayward will spend a third of LOST funds before November election

  The collections of the Series IV Local Sales Tax Fund began on Jan. 1, 2018.  The total anticipated collections through Dec. 31, 2028 are…

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Hayward spending 12 percent of LOST IV project allocations on Bayview Center and Boathouse

The Local Option Sales Tax – Series IV Plan covers all of the city of Pensacola’s capital projects through Dec. 31, 2029. The project allocations…

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Should City of Pensacola give sanitation customers rebates

Since Oct. 1, 2017, the City of Pensacola’s Sanitation Services has collected its customers recycling every week and dumped the recyclables at the Perdido Landfill…

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Hatchery Headache: It does not comply with city code or comp plan

The City of Pensacola and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission may have bigger issues with their fish hatchery than the standing of the citizens…

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Community input period extended for CRA design criteria

The City of Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency has extended the Community Input period for the draft Urban Design Standards Overlay to include additional Public Input…

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Buchanan announces candidacy for mayor

Press Release: Veteran and small business owner Drew Buchanan announced Wednesday that he would run for Mayor of Pensacola. “I’m running for mayor because we…

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Fish hatchery hearing set for April 3

City Attorney Lysia Bowling today notified the Pensacola City Council that its motion to dismiss the lawsuit concerning the construction of a fish hatchery on…

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Poll: District breakdown on raising pay for mayor

  In 2014, I suggested the Pensacola City Council considered a charter amendment that would tie the mayor’s salary to that of the county’s constitutional…

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Grover asks City Council not to raise salary for mayor

Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson, who is the only candidate that has pre-filed to run for mayor of Pensacola, has sent an email to the…

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