CITY UPDATES

the port of its intention to lease Warehouse 4 for indoor sports. Mayor Reeves said staff has been working with a group led by Robert Fabbro, the president of WhitesellGreen, Inc., on the last nuances of the deal.

"I feel really good about it, and I know the operator is optimistic and ready to get going," Mayor Reeves told Inweekly. "We're both motivated to get this thing done and before the city council in April."

BRUCE BEACH'S POOP PROBLEM

The city is waiting on test results to confirm the fecal problem in the waters off Bruce Beach has been resolved.

"We're waiting on the official FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) results, but the preliminary tests found that bacteria levels were acceptable. However, we want the official results to confirm and provide additional assurances."

In today's news cycle, reporting is constant, and, frequently, topics and issues get forgotten. Inweekly recently caught up with Mayor D.C. Reeves to get updates on three issues that made headlines in 2022.

Streamline Boats

For months, city officials have waited to see what Streamline Boats would do with Warehouse #10 at the Port of Pensacola. The waiting is over.

On WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen," Mayor Reeves said, "We have notified the lessee that we have terminated the lease as of March 16, which was the deadline for the organization to have a CO (Certificate of Occupancy) for the building."

He continued, "They had requested an extension, and we have denied that. At this juncture, there is no leaseholder for the warehouse."

least 45 jobs at the port. The warehouse sustained significant damage from Hurricane Sally, and the city agreed to reimburse the boat manufacturer for repairs on the building. Port officials were told the work would be finished by the end of 2022.

Last week, Clark shared with the Inweekly that work on the warehouse had tapered off in recent months. "They were working sporadically on and off to get that facility, and then things started slowing down. We were assured it would be shortterm and that we could expect them to start back on the repairs. Unfortunately, one month led to another month, led to another month, and now it's been sitting idle for an extended period."

Project Pickle

The city is edging closer to creating a pickleball facility in downtown Pensacola on the edge of the Port of Pensacola. Last month, city officials notified businesses and homeowners near

Former Mayor Grover Robinson first presented Project Pickle to the Pensacola City Council in November 2022. The project would transform the warehouse into a facility catering to pickleball but also capable of hosting games and tournament events for volleyball, basketball and indoor soccer. For Mayor Robinson, the project fit his vision for diversifying port tenants and looking beyond more traditional industrial uses.

Robinson told the council, "The parking lots are already in place, and the building is already there, so you don't create a big footprint insofar as what it is and the existing space."

The initial drawings called for taking the shell of Warehouse 4, located near the ferry terminal, and creating 10 pickleball courts indoors and adding another 10 outdoor courts next to the building. The courts could be repurposed to accommodate other sports as needed.

"This project really does fit well into the strategy of the north side of the port that we've been talking about since I was sworn in," Mayor Reeves said. "When it comes to something like this and American Magic, the type of impact that these projects can have transcends any market-rate rent. It's about what kind of catalytic economic impact these projects can have when you're only 50 acres in the heart of downtown."

In 2021, Dr. Jane Caffrey, a professor within the University of West Florida's Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, her students and Barbara Albrecht of the Bream Fishermen Association conducted water sampling and testing. Initially, tests were conducted at three sites at Bruce Beach, with sampling later expanded to the areas downtown within the stormwater drainage area.

The sampling found high levels of enterococci, an indicator of the presence of fecal material.

Last year, ECUA and the city began testing downtown sewer lines to determine how human waste was getting into the city's stormwater system.

In October, a damaged wastewater line was discovered beneath Spring Street near Garden Street. Following repairs to the line, city and ECUA officials indicated that the damaged line may have largely been responsible for the contamination issue at Bruce Beach.

In an email earlier this year, ECUA Public Information Officer Nathalie Bowers told Inweekly, "Yes, we do believe this was the major source of contamination of Bruce Beach, which has been addressed."

She said that the water samples taken shortly after the repairs indicated no presence of human waste. The agency was confident that a major contamination source had been stemmed.

"However, while this point source may be a significant contributor, the ECUA, city of Pensacola and FDEP team will continue to monitor the water quality in this vicinity," Bowers added.

Last week, Mayor Reeves said, "Since that repair, testing has been showing acceptable bacteria levels, and this follow-up testing from FDEP should really galvanize that. We'll continue to keep you updated." {in}

PYP LEADERSHIP CHANGE The Pensacola Young Professional held its change of command at its PYP Annual Meeting on Wednesday, March 30. President Ebony Cornish, the organization's first Black president, passed the gavel to Justin Oswald before a sold-out crowd at 5eleven Palafox.

Before the transfer of power, Cornish handed out several awards, including Member of the Year, Anna Goretski; Leader of the Year, Dani Woods; Alumni of the Year, Kristine Rushing; and Four Core Award, Lydia Lucius.

While giving Cornish her presidential plaque, Oswald said, "You led us this year with grace and poise. I appreciate everything you've done with PYP. I appreciate your friendship, and I look forward to all your success in everything you do in the community."

Addressing the PYP members, the incoming president said, "I don't know that it's the president's responsibility to come in and every year have a new vision for the organization because what makes PYP great is we have a mission and a vision."

Oswald continued, "The thing that galvanizes us is so many different kinds of people that represent so many different kinds of industries and rallies us around this thing that we all want to be a part of making Pensacola better than what it is. It motivates us all to want to be a part of that."

He later added, "We don't have to change Pensacola, but we do get to serve. The world around us is changed by our example, not our opinion. We change the world not by what we say or do but the consequence of what we have become."

CEMEX EXPANSION Cemex officials were in Pensacola last month to meet with Mayor D.C. Reeves, Port Director Clark Merritt and other city leaders about their future at the Port of Pensacola.

"The port had a banner year on Cemex's import of bulk cement, which comes in on a sealed ship and is transferred into their facility pneumatic," Merritt told Inweekly. "Then it goes into a train or a truck to concrete batch plants across the region, of which Cemex owns 25, to feed the concrete needs of construction projects."

The port director said the concrete industry has been allocating cement and concrete to its customer for several years. "There's tremendous pent-up demand, and we continue to see vessels about every other week coming in and bringing in more bulk product use regionally."

Merritt added, "We had some great meetings updating the city council and mayor's office on their expansion plans moving forward."

"In light of this bill passing, if we're not careful in the way we sell this property, it appears to me and staff that developer could potentially build a lot of affordable housing there, and we would have no say whatsoever," said the commissioner.

"I spoke with several county lawyers yesterday and other folks involved in this," said Bergosh. "We believe there's a method whereby we can put a declaration of restrictive covenants on the deed to the property before we sell it, which could prevent that. But I want to make sure before we vote on a sale."

SOUL ROYALS REUNION A popular band from the '60s and '70s, The Soul Royals are reuniting for a reunion show at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, at the Pensacola High School Auditorium. Tickets are $20 in advance on eventbrite. com and $35 at the door.

Charles Thornton founded the group with his friend Willie Johnson when they met at a Heaven & Hell Party in 1967.

"I played trombone in middle school and high school, and I played in the church for about two or three years and wanted a way to get out of the house and get out of playing at the church, even though I was making $3 a night," Thornton told Inweekly. "Willie and I formed a band, recruited other members, and before we knew it, we had an aggregation of about six or seven guys."

Rafferty law firm. "That's how my grandfather always did everything."

The free community event promotes the services of Northwest Florida nonprofits through family activities, including inflatable games, face painting, live music and an exotic car show. Over 50 nonprofit organizations will showcase their services at the festival.

The nonprofits will distribute free essential items to attendees. Items include backpacks, blankets, body wash, books, deodorant, diapers, first aid kits, food, hygiene kits, pet food, school supplies, soap, socks, thermometers, toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, underwear, water bottles and wired earbuds.

"We got great feedback from nonprofits that people they were able to meet at the festival were able to come to them for help," Goodman said. "The nonprofits were even able to get individuals who didn't need help but were willing to contribute once they found out about what our nonprofits were doing for the community."

Bring HOPE Now, Inc. is returning to the festival after participating last year. Its Bring HOPE SQUAD offers peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs for students in schools throughout the region. The nonprofit organization will hand out journals and encourage attendees to express their feelings in words rather than bottle up their emotions.

AFFORDABLE

Housing

VS.

OLF-8

On Wednesday, March 29, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a $711 million plan to make housing more affordable. The Live Local Act doubles funding for housing and rental programs, provides incentives for investment in affordable housing and encourages mixed-use developments in struggling commercial areas.

However, the bill has a downside for cities and counties because it pre-empts local government rules on zoning, density and building heights in certain circumstances. Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh shared with Inweekly that he is concerned it may impact future light industrial development on Outlying Land Field (OLF) 8 in the Beulah area.

"There are about 60 lines on pages three and four that really pre-empt our ability to do any kind of zoning on commercial properties," Bergosh said. "If a builder wants to build affordable housing, these folks can just do an end around our zoning and planning department, which is very, very concerning because of the very long-running dispute over housing on OLF 8.

In 2020, consultant DPZ presented a master plan for most OLF 8 to be developed as a town center and residential housing. Four of the commissioners objected, and Commission Chairman Robert Bender negotiated a hybrid plan with more room for light-manufacturing facilities.

Since February, the county has received several offers from homebuilders to buy OLF 8 with the understanding the approved master plan would be followed. Bergosh is concerned the Live Local Act may give the buyer a loophole to build more residential than what is in the plan.

The Soul Royals played pep rallies and school functions and, at one time, was a house band at Abe's 506 Club in Belmont-DeVilliers. "But we wanted to take the music off the blocks and take it out to the streets. We are about 15 or 16 years old and started playing at the Cobb Center, Pensacola High School and all around the Gulf Coast at different places."

Thornton added, "We were playing actually good music at that time because we had a ninepiece band. We had three singers, and it was just an awesome thing."

He wanted the public to know the reunion concert is "just not going to be a bunch of old men up there, doing nothing." Thornton said, "It's going to be real live music. If you want to pop your hands, even get up and dance, you'll be able to do it."

FRED FEST RETURNS Ideas on how to pay tribute to the late Fred Levin birthed a festival that synced perfectly with the mission of the Fred & Marilyn Levin Family Foundation to fund nonprofit organizations that provide services and programs to children, families and animals in Northwest Florida.

The inaugural Fred Levin Way Fest attracted a crowd of about 4,000 last year, and thousands dined on free meals, took home essential items such as toothbrushes and learned what services nonprofits offer to better their lives. The festival returns Sunday, April 16, kicking off at 11 a.m.

"When my grandfather passed away, and they named the street after him, we thought we wanted to do something big," said Brenton Goodman, an attorney for the Levin Papantonio

"What a gift it is to the community and to the nonprofits who have the opportunity to share the support we each bring to the area," Bring HOPE CEO Peggy Brockman said. "It is a beautiful way to honor the memory of Fred and Marilyn Levin, who always gave so much back to the community. All of the families will walk away with so many wonderful gifts."

The festival will include free admission to the downtown museums and access to the YMCA courts and pool. The Blue Wahoos will pay tribute with a Fred Levin Bobblehead Day and by passing out flyers about the festival during their game against the Montgomery Biscuits on Sunday, April 9.

"It really is the community getting behind a free festival," Goodman said. "That's what the family wanted, and we think that's what my grandfather would have been extremely proud to have his name attached."

City Welcome Sign

The City of Pensacola is hosting a design contest for artists to create a three-dimensional welcome structure, which will greet as many as 100,000 visitors daily on the Pensacola side of the Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. Bridge.

"What do we want the welcome to be as people come in from Gulf Breeze?" Mayor D.C. Reeves told Inweekly. "We have a lot of talented people here, and we want the sign to be something the community can embrace, not just picking something at random."

The city has partnered with Dalrymple Sallis Architecture for the contest. The Florida Department of Transportation will help fund the sign through a Joint Participation Agreement. The city will fabricate and install the selected design between Bayfront Parkway and Gregory Street facing south-southeast, near where the city's five flags display stood for decades.

All interested artists are encouraged to submit their designs for consideration to submissions@cityofpensacola.com using the requirements outlined in the application packet found on cityofpensacola.com. The submission deadline is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26. Interested artists can ask questions via the above email address through Friday, April 7.

A panel will review submissions and select the best design using a scoring rubric. Artists are asked to take into consideration the location's aesthetics, physical limitations, Pensacola history and cohesiveness when creating their design.

2023 PACE AWARDS The Greater Pensacola Chamber held its annual Pensacola Area Commitment to Excellence (PACE) awards banquet on Pensacola Beach on Tuesday, March 28.

The winners were Business Leader—Kara Cardona, Navy Federal Credit Union; Community Leader—Sheriff Chip Simmons; Professional Leader—David Deliman, Cox Communications; Spirit of Pensacola—Grover Robinson; Pioneer Award—Belle Bear; Advocate Leader— Connie Bookman, Pathways for Change; Leader in Education—Dr. Kim Thomas, C.A. Weis Elementary; and Emerging Leader—Nicole Stacey, Visit Pensacola.

"It's always an honor for the Chamber to celebrate the best of our community," said Chamber President Todd Thomson. "On behalf of our board of directors, I congratulate all of tonight's winners."

PEPPLER RESIGNS City Attorney Charlie Peppler has announced his resignation. The city posted the job opening for an interim city attorney position on Friday, March 31. Peppler was appointed city attorney by former Mayor Grover Robinson in July 2021.

In a written statement to the media, Mayor D.C. Reeves said, "I have accepted the resignation of Mr. Peppler as City Attorney. I have a lot of respect for Charlie and his time spent representing Pensacola. I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."

In his resignation letter, Peppler said, "In line with your statement to me on March 2, 2023, that you desire "to go in a different direction" as to my being the City Attorney, I am resigning effective April 30, 2023."

He added, "It has been my great honor and privilege to serve as City Attorney, and I will always cherish my time serving in that role."

NAME STREET SWEEPERS The city of Pensacola has launched a contest to name its three newest street sweepers. Name ideas must be submitted via the online form on cityofpensacola.com. Mayor D.C. Reeves and city staff will review submissions, and the public will vote on the top names to determine the final three selections. The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. on Friday, April 14.

"Other cities have had a lot of fun with this, and I'm excited to do this contest to name our streets sweepers," Mayor Reeves told Inweekly. "I'm looking to see our Pensacola creativity."

The city's fleet of eight street sweepers removes an average of more than 4,700 tons of leaves, debris and trash from city streets each year. Street sweepers provide a significant environmental benefit by helping prevent debris from entering stormwater systems and eventually discharging into local waterways.

City PIO Kaycee Lagarde told Inweekly that she received over 450 submissions in the first two days of the contest. The suggestions included Sweeping Beauty, Fleetwood Vac, No Sweep Til Brooklyn, Bruce Springsclean and Kevin.

She added, "Since we have three street sweepers, some people are going with a theme for all three of them—Louie, Huey and Dewey; Larry, Moe and Curley; and Snap, Crackle and Pop."

After the suggestions have been narrowed by staff, the city may use March Madness-type brackets to determine the top three names. Lagarde shared, "We were originally going to just pick out six and then let the public vote, but because we've gotten so many great submissions, the mayor and I have discussed doing like a bracket kind of March Madness style. We may have a couple of our favorite names face off and see who makes it to the final round."

CARING FOR BAKER ACT PATIENTS Florida Hospital Association recently surveyed over 82 facilities to assess access to involuntary psychiatric beds, a critical component of caring for Baker Act patients. In recent years, the number of involuntary beds in Florida has decreased due to a reduction in the number of beds in state psychiatric facilities and recent reductions by private organizations.

In Escambia County, Baptist Hospital, LifeView Group and HCA Florida West have worked on plans for two central receiving facilities to care for adults and children brought in under the Baker Act. Last August, HCA Florida West let law enforcement and health care providers know that it would stop accepting Baker Act patients but later relented when the central receiving facilities were presented as possible solutions.

FHA study found that psychiatric patients require a one-to-one staff ratio, which presents a challenge with more nurses and health care professionals leaving the field after struggling with the pandemic and due to "increased incivility from patients and their families."

The association recommended an increase in the current Medicaid reimbursement rates to reflect better the high costs of maintaining and supporting involuntary psychiatric beds. The data showed that the reimbursement rates were less than half of the actual cost of care.

Let's hope the Mental Health Task Force of Northwest Florida discusses the report at its next meeting. {in}

'Tis the season for homestands, grand slams and rooting for the home team.

Baseball is back, and in Pensacola that means the Blue Wahoos are about to get down to business.

The Blue Wahoos—a Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins—wrapped up last season on a high. For the first time in the team's 10-year history, it won the Southern League championships.

Ahead of the Blue Wahoos' April 7 season opener Friday night, players began rolling into town. Some of these players, about 20 of them, are returning from last season's championship team.

Also, back for another season in Pensacola are several members of the coaching staff, as well as team manager Kevin Randel, who actually began his professional baseball career with eight seasons as infielder in the Marlins' system.

Randel began leading the Blue Wahoos in 2021, with a 57-54 winning record for that season. Then, last year, he guided the team to its Southern League championship, and now he's back for another go.

"I'm very excited to return to Pensacola in 2023," Randel said back in January. "The fans in Pensacola are unbelievable, and we play great at home because of the support of the fans. It's a fun place to play with a beautiful stadium and great clubhouse and amenities for the players. The ownership, staff and fans make us feel right at home, and there's no place I'd rather be than Pensacola." {in}

Blue Wahoos 2023 Home Opener

W HAT: Blue Wahoos vs. Montgomery

WHEN: 6:35 p.m. Friday, April 7

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W. Cedar St.

DETAILS: bluewahoos.com @bluewahoosbball

For their 11th season, the Blue Wahoos will play 69 regular season home games across 12 homestands.

The team is starting off the season this weekend, April 7-9, with a three-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits. On Opening Day, the first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive a replica 2022 championship ring.

There are a few exceptions throughout the season, but the majority of the games will follow this game time schedule: 6:35 p.m. first pitches on Mondays-Fridays, 6:05 p.m. on Saturdays and 4:05 p.m. on Sundays. Visit bluewahoos.com for additional details and ticketing information.

2023 Home Game Schedule

April

Friday, April 7 vs. Montgomery

Saturday, April 8 vs. Montgomery

Sunday, April 9 vs. Montgomery

Tuesday, April 18 vs. Birmingham

Wednesday, April 19 vs. Birmingham

Thursday, April 20 vs. Birmingham

Friday, April 21 vs. Birmingham

Saturday, April 22 vs. Birmingham

Sunday, April 23 vs. Birmingham

May

Tuesday, May 2 vs. Mississippi

Wednesday, May 3 vs. Mississippi

Sure, baseball is the main reason to make your way to Wahoos Stadium, but there are a few other things you might want to plan your ballpark outings around. Here's a rundown of this season's promotional schedule.

Daily Promotions

Doggone Tuesdays

Fans are allowed to bring their pups to the ballpark every Tuesday (except July 4, due to the post-game fireworks).

One-Price Tuesdays

All box, reserved and standing-room tickets will be the same price ($18) and include a hot dog, chips and a soda.

Thursday, May 4 vs. Mississippi

Friday, May 5 vs. Mississippi

Saturday, May 6 vs. Mississippi

Sunday, May 7 vs. Mississippi

Tuesday, May 16 vs. Tennessee

Wednesday, May 17 vs. Tennessee

Thursday, May 18 vs. Tennessee

Friday, May 19 vs. Tennessee

Saturday, May 20 vs. Tennessee

Sunday, May 21 vs. Tennessee

June

Tuesday, June 6 vs. Montgomery

Wednesday, June 7 vs. Montgomery

Thursday, June 8 vs. Montgomery

Friday, June 9 vs. Montgomery

Saturday, June 10 vs. Montgomery

Sunday, June 11 vs. Montgomery

Tuesday, June 13 vs. Mississippi

Wednesday, June 14 vs. Mississippi

Thursday, June 15 vs. Mississippi

Friday, June 16 vs. Mississippi

Saturday, June 17 vs. Mississippi

Sunday, June 18 vs. Mississippi

July

Tuesday, July 4 vs. Biloxi

Wednesday, July 5 vs. Biloxi

Thursday, July 6 vs. Biloxi

Friday, July 7 vs. Biloxi

Saturday, July 8 vs. Biloxi

Sunday, July 9 vs. Biloxi

Tuesday, July 18 vs. Rocket City

Wednesday, July 19 vs. Rocket City

Thursday, July 20 vs. Rocket City

Friday, July 21 vs. Rocket City

Saturday, July 22 vs. Rocket City

Sunday, July 23 vs. Rocket City

August

Tuesday, Aug. 1 vs. Biloxi

Wednesday, Aug. 2 vs. Biloxi

Thursday, Aug. 3 vs. Biloxi

Friday, Aug. 4 vs. Biloxi

Saturday, Aug. 5 vs. Biloxi

Sunday, Aug. 6 vs. Biloxi

Tuesday, Aug. 15 vs. Montgomery

Wednesday, Aug. 16 vs. Montgomery

Thursday, Aug. 17 vs. Montgomery

Friday, Aug. 18 vs. Montgomery

Saturday, Aug. 19 vs. Montgomery

Sunday, Aug. 20 vs. Montgomery

Tuesday, Aug. 29 vs. Chattanooga

Wednesday, Aug. 30 vs. Chattanooga

Thursday, Aug. 31 vs. Chattanooga

September

Friday, Sept. 1 vs. Chattanooga

Saturday, Sept. 2 vs. Chattanooga

Sunday, Sept. 3 vs. Chattanooga