In August, we broke May’s record for most page views by 22.7%. August 2025 was the busiest month for the blog in the past five years. Thank you.
Here are the most-read posts for the month:
Salzman’s Mouth
The late Fred Levin said no publicity is bad publicity. State Rep. Michelle Salzman tested the great attorney’s theory when she took to Facebook to brag that she asked Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia to audit Escambia County, paying close attention to the Escambia Children’s Trust and the Escambia County School Board. She tried to wiggle out of it by telling WEAR-TV that she had invited them to come to a Blue Wahoos game and maybe check the county’s book.
- DOGE didn’t. Instead, the auditors visited the City of Pensacola, possibly proving how little juice Salzman has in Tallahassee.
Read Salzman sics FL DOGE on Children’s Trust, Public Schools.
Open Season on LGBTQ+
The University of West Florida didn’t waste much time after President Martha Saunders left to begin dismantling services and protections for LGBTQ+ students and staff. This has become a national story. UWF is quickly becoming out of step with the community.
Read UWF Wants To Make It Okay to Harass LGBTQ+ Students
Bye, Tim
We were the first to break the news that City Administrator Tim Kinsella was leaving the city to work for Navy Federal Credit Union. We had received word that Navy Fed employees had received an email announcing the hire. Kinsella confirmed and sent us his resignation letter to the mayor and city staff. Sometimes, the little guys win on news stories.
Read Daily Outtakes: Kinsella Leaving City for Navy Federal Job
DOGE Visits City Hall
Mayor D.C. Reeves had visitors from Florida DOGE. Though many of the items reviewed were similar to what other municipalities were asked to provide, some seemed to be specifically targeting Reeves. The mayor shrugged it off. We will find out what the auditors found in about 60 days.
Read Florida DOGE Targets City of Pensacola – Rick’s Blog
PLT Refund
No one was supposed to find out that the Pensacola Little Theatre refunded $65,632 check to the Escambia Children’s Trust this summer, reimbursing grant funds that the 90-year-old cultural institution now admits were spent “in error.” The Trust held a board meeting without mentioning the check. No one made a motion to stop funding PLT. However, after we published our story, the Trust announced it would ask the Auditor General to review the matter.
Read PLT Repays $65,631 in ‘Errors’ to Escambia Children’s Trust
The Firing of LGBTQ+ Leader
Interim President Manny Diaz fired UWF General Counsel Susan Woolf for standing up to UWF Board of Trustees Chair Rebecca Matthews. Her public records coordinator was put on leave for fulfilling my public record request and later quit. Then, we got word that the firings were moving post just those who upset Matthews.
Aurora Osborn, the University of West Florida’s Senior Director of the Office of Campus Culture and Access (OCCA), has been fired. By the end of the week, OCCA had been abolished. And the webpage link is now redirected to the Dean of Students Office.
Osborn has led the Stamped Film Festival and is a vice president of Sunday’s Child.
UWF Purge Continues; Targeted Administrator Fired
Retaining Talent
Not all news from City Hall was negative. Readers enjoyed this post about Mayor D.C. Reeves’ response to questions about young people leaving Florida for more affordable opportunities. Mayor D.C. Reeves outlined a two-pronged strategy focusing on “investing in place” and addressing childcare access.
Read Mayor Reeves on Retaining Talent, Young Families
Whose Poll?
An expensive political poll made the rounds in Pensacola, raising eyebrows. The anonymous survey, conducted via both phone calls and text messages, appeared to be designed to damage Mayor D.C. Reeves while simultaneously testing potential challengers for the 2026 mayoral race.
Read Mystery Poll Takes Aim at Mayor D.C. Reeves – Rick’s Blog
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