
Chappie James Foundation prez’s racially-charged post backfires
The president of the General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. Memorial Foundation, Inc., Cris Dosev, posted a photo of Black girls on Spring Break to call out the Escambia County Tourist Development Council for allegedly discriminating against veterans. The photo is from the Sun, not of anything happening on Pensacola Beach but actually at Daytona Beach. Read more.
USL eyes Pensacola for Professional Soccer franchise
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves announced this morning that the city has entered into an exclusive agreement with the United Soccer League (USL) to explore bringing men’s and women’s professional soccer teams to downtown Pensacola. The announcement marks another significant step in Pensacola’s growth as a destination sports city. Read more.
Henderson sets the record straight on Town Center plans for OLF-8
Chad Henderson, one of the partners with Tri-W, has clarified misconceptions about the group’s plans for developing OLF-8, 540 acres owned by Escambia County in the Beulah area. After citizens expressed concerns at a recent county commission meeting about the potential abandonment of OLF-8 Master Plan’s town center concept, Henderson quickly addressed those worries in a phone interview. Read more.
Escambia BCC opposes Yenor appointment to UWF Board
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) has formally opposed Governor Ron DeSantis’ appointment of Scott Yenor to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees. In a strongly worded letter dated March 14, BCC Chairman Michael Kohler urged the Florida Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections to reject Yenor’s appointment. Read more.
Gay Valimont: A Different Kind of Democrat for FL-01
With the April 1 special election fast approaching, I interviewed Democratic candidate Gay Valimont and asked her to make her case to voters across Northwest Florida’s First Congressional District. Read more.
Daily Outtakes: Community rallies against threat to UWF
A passionate crowd gathered at a town hall meeting to discuss concerns about recent appointments to the University of West Florida’s Board of Trustees. The event, organized by Save UWF, brought together community leaders, business executives, former trustees, and students to address what many see as a politically motivated takeover of UWF’s leadership. Read more.
INWEEKLY
People Who Look Like Me
Fighting for Community in Anti-Immigrant America with Grace Resendez McCaffery
On a Wednesday evening in her hometown of El Paso, Texas, Grace Resendez McCaffery sits in her parked car and looks into the distance across the U.S.-Mexico border. For a woman whose life’s purpose is advocating for Hispanic Americans, the view is a bittersweet reminder of what she fights for every day. Read more.
Outtakes—Tale of Two Communities
The stark contrast between how county commissioners and mainstream media engage with Beulah versus Englewood reveals a troubling pattern of inequity in community development decisions. Residents in both communities want to have a say in the projects tied to public dollars that want to go in their neighborhoods, but only one gets deference. Read more.
Quality, Not Quantity
Stop by any retail store or restaurant in Escambia County, and you will likely see a “Now Hiring” sign posted on the door or window. Scan the Indeed or ZipRecruiter apps, and dozens of jobs in the county pop up. There is no shortage of job opportunities in the county, just a shortage of jobs that pay enough to live comfortably. The unemployment rate is a mere 3.2%, but about 14% of county residents live in poverty. So what is the remedy? Read more.
I am disappointed at clear push polling which occurred to essentially chalk up a portion of the side of the sidewalk by the art museum to try and deter persons from voting for our Democratic nominee for Congress, Gay Valimont.
All will recall I have constantly been a loyal Democrat as an active Democrat, always supporting the nominees of the party, I did so for Agriculture Commissioner nominee Naomi Esther Blemur and did likewise for Charlie Crist in 2022, even though I had in that race favored Nikki Fried in the primary.
I thusly do so again for Valimont, Valimont is a centrist and the effort on the sidewalk there was meant to try and turn off centrist voters to the Valimont campaign, and I think it is unfortunate that Republicans stoop to these levels rather than engage in real discussion of the issues.