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MATT GAETZ’S TUMULTUOUS YEAR
Where to begin? The former U.S. representative made national headlines in July when he taunted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the GOP convention floor. Bad blood between the two boiled over after Gaetz led the coup that cost McCarthy his speakership. McCarty retaliated by using his PAC to back challenger Aaron Dimmock against Gaetz for his congressional seat and running brutal attacks against Gaetz, specifically his relationship with Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges.
Gaetz still easily won reelection, and the negative publicity cooled until President-elect Donald Trump formally nominated him to serve as his attorney general. Gaetz accepted the nomination and resigned from his House Seat, but with the House Ethics Committee about to release findings from its damning investigation, he withdrew himself from consideration for the Senate-confirmed post. Gaetz filed an unsuccessful lawsuit to halt the release of the report, which stated, “From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women, including a 17-year-old girl, that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.”
Gaetz chose X to defend himself. Five days before the Ethics Committee released the report. Gaetz posted, “In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated – even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court – which is why no such claim was ever made in court. … It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now. Gaetz returned to X on the day the report came out and posted, “Giving funds to someone you are dating – that they didn’t ask for – and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!? There’s a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.”
SWEET 16
Gaetz’s resignation from the House opened the floodgates for wannabe U.S. representatives to enter their hats in the ring. Sixteen candidates qualified for the special election. One notable absentee from that list is State Rep. Michelle Salzman. She announced her candidacy but withdrew six days later after President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis (R) for the vacancy. Salzman posted on X, “Politics is an ever-changing chessboard. Our first priority as elected officials should be our constituents. If we put them first, we all win! Jimmy has been endorsed by the leader of our party, and that should be enough for us to get behind him. Congratulations @JimmyPatronis.” State Rep. Alex Andrade, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves and former State Rep. Frank White joined Trump and Salzman in endorsing Patronis. The Republican Party primary is scheduled for Jan. 28. Only one Democrat, Gay Vallmont, qualified for the ballot. The general election will be April 1.
RETURN OF THE DON
Don Gaetz is back in the Florida Senate after an eight-year hiatus. He filled the vacancy left by Doug Broxson, who termed out. Gaetz assumed office on Nov. 5 after easily defeating Democrat Lisa Newell in the general election. He captured nearly 65% of the vote. The former Senate president (2012-14) is as influential as any politician in the panhandle, and his return comes on the heels of Gov. Ron DeSantis cutting over $60 million in funding requests for Escambia and Santa Rosa County initiatives. Gaetz will chair the Ethics and Elections Committee—a fitting role considering he served on the Florida Commission on Ethics from 2020-24. His tenure on the Commission included making the motion to remove Doug Underhill from the Escambia County Commission for numerous violations. His motion passed, and Gov. Ron DeSantis let Underhill complete his term, which ended in less than a month.
SLASHING OF THE FINE ARTS
Gov. Ron DeSantis left the fine arts community reeling after he axed state funding completely in the cultural and museum grants category. He vetoed all $32 million in funding for programs across the state, including $1.3 million in Escambia County. No one felt the sting of his veto locally more than the Pensacola Little Theatre. His veto cost the organization nearly $500,000 in funding, including $430,000 in the budget to reconfigure an area of the historic theatre. Local organizations already set their budgets counting on the state funding and sought all viable options to handle the budget cuts, including raising ticket prices, increasing dues and cutting down on the number of performances.
AMERICAN MAGIC
The city of Pensacola basked in the international spotlight during the America’s Cup. New York Yacht Club American Magic fell short of qualifying for the Louis Vuitton Cup Final, losing to Circolo della Vela Sicilia 5-3 in the semifinals, but an international audience was introduced to Pensacola. The word “Pensacola” was etched in white letters on the American Magic black sail and will continue to be a fixture in future races. In February, the City of Pensacola and American Magic signed a 10-year lease for the Port of Pensacola to be home for the yacht racing team. American Magic Skipper Terry Hutchinson said Pensacola is the “Sailing Capital of the United States of America.”
PROJECT TITAN’S THIRD HANGAR
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves broke ground with city, county, state, and business leaders on Project Titan’s third hangar at the Pensacola International Airport. Project Titan represents the continuation of a commercial aircraft MRO Aviation Campus at the airport that began under Mayor Ashton Hayward’s administration. Project Titan consists of two to three additional hangars (Hangers 2, 3, and possibly 4), support services centers, administrative offices, taxiways, aprons, and roadways. The total cost for the project is $210,120,000. Airport Director Matt Coughlin welcomed the dignitaries. He said, “It’s been a long road that dates back to the eighties, believe it or not, with the property we’re sitting on today. So, it’s huge. It’s huge for the city, huge for the community, huge for the region. Thank you for coming out and recognizing that today.”
ESCAMBIA COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS ON THE RISE
Maligned for decades, Escambia County Public Schools is finally making inroads. The school district earned another “B,” but its overall performance improved dramatically in the 2023-24 Florida Department of Education accountability report. Sixteen schools improved their grades; only one earned worse than a “C.” Four schools earned D’s, and four earned F’s in the previous school year. Another indication of their improvements came in November when the East Coast Technical Assistance Center recognized Bellview Elementary, Global Learning Academy, L.D. McArthur Elementary, Reinhardt Holm Elementary and Warrington Elementary as “Rising Stars.”
UNCERTAINTY FOR OLD BAPTIST CAMPUS
What will happen to the old Baptist campus in the E and Moreno Street neighborhood dominated discussions during the weekly Mayor D.C. Reeves’ press conferences. Reeves opened 2024 by signing a letter of intent for the campus on the condition that Baptist will donate the properties to the City if the City obtains funding to demolish and remediate the properties. The City secured $7 million from the Florida Legislature for the project, but Reeves said the demolition costs would exceed that by a significant amount. Assessments show that the properties, including the hospital, medical tower and odd assortment of buildings, are unsalvageable. Reeves said, “We are aggressively moving towards what we wanted to do in step one, which is before we get into a full-blown agreement and saying we are taking this property. I have to do right by the taxpayers and say, ‘I need to know everything I can about that property before we take it on.’”
INDOOR SPORTS FACILITY AND BAY CENTER
Movement for an indoor sports facility and upgrades to the Pensacola Bay Center took a significant step when the Tourist Development Council recommended the County issue up to a $90-million bond for the projects. The proposed upgrades for the Bay Center project would cost $30 million in TDC collections and $43 million overall. The upgrades include adding seating capacity and luxury suites to position the Bay Center to attract better events. The TDC recommended $60 million for an indoor sports facility with eight basketball courts that could be converted to 16 volleyball courts. The group led by Pensacola Sports zeroed in on Ashton Brosnaham Park as the site, but that is no longer a certainty. Another issue is that $60 million will only cover a portion of the expense. Pensacola Sports CEO Ray Palmer suggested community leaders explore options, including grants, tourist development initiatives and special taxing districts.
ESCAMBIA CHILDREN’S TRUST TO PAY UP
The Board of County Commissioners ordered the Escambia Children’s Trust to pay $1,134,025 in Community Redevelopment Agency dollars owed from 2021-23. The County plans to invest the money in public safety measures. The Children’s Trust board authorized payment of tax increment revenues owed for the 2023 tax year in the principal amount of $443,341 but declined to pay the remaining balance into the county’s nine CRA districts. The Children’s Trust sought an interlocal agreement similar to what has been discussed with the City, but County Commissioner Mike Kohler vehemently opposed the request and the Nov. 7 meeting adjourned without a vote. The Children’s Trust owes the City of Pensacola CRAs $1.8 million and about $500,000 annually. Mayor D.C. Reeves has recommended creating an interlocal agreement with the Children’s Trust and Escambia County Public Schools to ensure the money is spent on Title I schools inside city limits. An interlocal agreement has yet to be finalized.
Illustration licensed under the Unsplash+ License
