Inweekly July 8 2021 Issue

Independent News | July 8, 2021 | Volume 22 | Number 27

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winners & losers

outtakes

4

5

news 6, 7, 9

Why can’t I just be good?

feature story

buzz

14

10 publisher Rick Outzen

graphic designer Tim Bednarczyk

editor & creative director Joani Delezen

contributing writers Gina Castro, Savannah Evanoff, Jennifer Leigh, Jeremy Morrison, Sydney Robinson, C.S. Satterwhite

contact us info@inweekly.net

best of the coast ballot 20

Independent News is published by Inweekly Media, Inc., P.O. Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591. (850)438-8115. All materials published in Independent News are copyrighted. © 2018 Inweekly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

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July 8, 2021

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winners & losers

Summer Jimmerson / RMHC Northwest Florida

winners SUMMER JIMMERSON Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida announced its current development director has been promoted to executive director. Jimmerson became part of the Ronald McDonald House family when she joined the board of directors eleven years ago and has served as the development director for the past nine years. As executive director, Jimmerson will work closely with the board of directors and staff to continue to move the mission of Ronald McDonald House forward. She succeeded Judy Burns, who retired at the end of May after 10 years of leading the House.

HUNT FAMILY The Hunt family commit-

ted $250,000 to support the new Baptist Health Care campus at Brent Lane and I-110. The family has a long-standing history with Baptist. Ann Hunt served as a volunteer in the Baptist Women's Center for 25 years. Her husband, William, was a Baptist Health Care Foundation board member and served during the mid-1980s when Gulf Breeze Hospital was built. All six of their daughters were born at Baptist Hospital. Two of their daughters also became volunteers at Baptist while in high school, and one of their grandchildren was born at Baptist Hospital. Upon learning about a new health campus plan, Ann knew she wanted to honor her special years as a volunteer by making a family gift to support the Family Birth Center on the new campus.

JENNIFER ST. GEORGE & SAVINA WALTERS GPS Hospitality, a franchisee

with nearly 400 Burger King restaurants, announced St. George, an Escambia High graduate, and Walters, a Milton High graduate, were among 270 students in 10 states who received the Burger King Foundation scholarships this graduation season. Since 2013, GPS Hospitality has supported 1,388 scholars, totaling nearly 1.4 million in giving. Scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors based on their grade point average and the impact the applicants have on their schools and communities through volunteerism and work experience.

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Steve Heap / Shutterstock.com

losers JUUL LABS INC. The electronic cigarette manufacturer will pay $40 million to the state of North Carolina to settle a lawsuit that claimed the vaping start-up targeted teenagers. Juul agreed not to sell sweet and fruity flavors as part of the settlement.

The company had stopped selling those flavors in the U.S. voluntarily in 2019. The settlement funds will support scientific research on how to end youth vaping. The Escambia and Broward school district are the two Florida bellwether cases among the 10 Florida school districts that have filed lawsuits against Juul.

BP CLEANUP WORKERS U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers of the Northern District of Florida dismissed 238 cases filed for cleanup workers who blame their medical problems on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In a May 20 court filing, BP identified the plaintiffs who had not responded to discovery and included emails about a missed discovery deadline sent to their attorneys.

On May 26, Rodgers ordered the plaintiffs to show cause why their cases shouldn't be dismissed. The law firm didn't respond, telling the media that its clients should be covered by a $2 billion settlement that designated $60,700 for each class member. In November, Judge Rodgers dismissed another set of bellwether cases, citing insufficient evidence that the oil spill caused the plaintiffs' chronic health problems.

PARTISAN NEWS Since President Joe

Biden was sworn in, news outlets that depend on partisan news and views have seen their audiences plummet, according to a recent report by Axios. A group of farright outlets, including Newsmax and The Federalist, saw aggregate traffic drop 44% from February-May compared to the previous six months, according to Comscore data. Liberal left outlets, such as Mother Jones and Raw Story, experienced a 27% drop. Meanwhile, mainstream, such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Reuters, dropped 18%. However, experts anticipate traffic to conservative websites to start rising next February as the 2022 mid-term elections approach. Duh. inweekly.net

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TALE OF TWO ADMINISTRATORS Janice Gilley was the second administrator to be terminated in the past nine years.

The other dismissal happened in October 2012, when Randy Oliver lost a 3-2 vote after serving at the helm of county operations for two years. Both administrators were axed with a year remaining on their contracts.

Unlike Gilley, who never worked in county or city operations, Oliver was an experienced municipal chief executive officer with a master's in Civil Engineering and Public Administration. He was a certified public accountant and registered professional engineer, as well as a member of the International City-County Managers Association.

Gilley had to deal with the pandemic and Hurricane Sally. Oliver helped the county recover from the BP oil spill, real estate market collapse and shrinking revenues. He came on board after Bob McLaughlin and interim Larry Newsom had run the county. Gilley followed Jack Brown and two brief interims, Amy Lovoy and Matt Coughlin.

Both Oliver and Gilley were brought on to change the culture of county government.

Oliver succeeded, while the jury on Gilley is still out, as issues in the human resources have surfaced since May. Gilley was chosen unanimously to lead Escambia County. Oliver never had that luxury, winning the post by a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Wilson Robertson and Gene Valentino opposing the hire.

Oliver's tenure depended on the three-vote coalition of Grover Robinson, Marie Young and Kevin White. Adding to his tenuous position was former County Administrator George Touart aggressively undermining Oliver's decisions and lobbying community leaders for a return to county government.

Gilley had a commission that often voted 4-1 on issues, with Commissioner Doug Underhill as the outlier. Strangely, she seemed to be more politically aligned with Underhill than the other four commissioners, even though Commissioner Steven Barry had championed her getting the job.

Gilley saw revenues increase during her tenure, as property values and new construction rose and CARES Act, FEMA and

BP settlement funds flowed to the county.

During Oliver's two-year tenure, county revenues continued to shrink. He had to cut the budgets of his direct departments by $3.86 million. He refinanced nearly $100 million in bonds and eliminated the bonds on the Pensacola Bay Center, which freed up millions of bed tax dollars.

Despite his successes, Oliver saw his three-commissioner coalition fall apart in the summer of 2012. Commissioner White stopped coming into the office and talking with the county administrator. White had decided not to run for a third term and had applied for a supervisor position with county code enforcement, which he did not get. It was White who pushed for the evaluation of Oliver's contract before Commissioners Barry and Lumon May took office. Then Tourat was hired as an interim administrator.

Gilley's stock began to fall during the pandemic. The board repeatedly instructed her to make testing available to jail inmates, only to see it take months to implement.

This year, we've seen one revelation after another. Several residents received notification they would receive CARES Act checks, only to be told later the funds had run out, though the county had over $25 million available. Then, we learned that the staff had not implemented the Covenant for the Community, which required contractors to have 70% of its workers on county projects live in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties. Minority inclusion had been one of Gilley's priorities.

The board found out that Public Safety had not been following HR policies and maintained separate personnel folders; Pensacola Bay Center's management company had been told not to apply for CARES funds; and substantial change orders, sometimes greater than the contract approved by the board, were being signed by senior leaders without the commissioners' knowledge or approval. And as problems surfaced, Gilley offered little explanation.

Oliver took a difficult situation and made the most of it, leaving the county stronger.

Gilley had a golden opportunity and blew it. {in} rick@inweekly.net

Both Oliver and Gilley were brought on to change the culture of county government.

Oliver succeeded, while the jury on Gilley is still out.

July 8, 2021

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TITAN BREAKS GROUND BEHIND THE SCENES

Photo Courtesy of City of Pensacola

By Rick Outzen Some dreams take time. The maintenance, repair and overhaul facility (MRO) at the Pensacola International Airport began with conversations during the early days of Mayor Ashton Hayward's administration. The mayor saw the opportunity to create much-needed jobs in an economy walloped by the BP oil spill.

On Thursday, July 1, he sat in the audience while city, county and state officials joined ST Engineering Aerospace to break ground on what will be the first of three more MRO hangars at the airport. Smiling after the ceremony, Hayward told Inweekly, "It's really exciting. Building the right team around you and getting after it paid big dividends for Pensacola and Escambia County."

When Mobile won the Airbus contract, he saw an opportunity to create an aerospace corridor along Interstate 10. Lewis Bear, chairman of the chamber's economic development committee, and Scott Luth, who then was the chamber's vice president for economic development and now CEO of FloridaWest, traveled to Mobile to visit ST Engineering's MRO and came back convinced Pensacola could also have such an operation.

"I traveled to Singapore three times with Scott and got to know the people and the corporation that was the largest MRO in the world," said Hayward. "I knew that we were the third largest state in the union.

And why not Pensacola? And why not Northwest Florida?"

ST Engineering Aerospace's MRO may have been the most significant accomplishment of Hayward's administration. With 66

the help of then-Gov. Rick Scott, Triumph Gulf Coast and FloridaWest Economic Development Authority, the mayor completed the first hangar three years ago and created a new industry for Northwest Florida.

During his last months as mayor, Hayward announced the $210 million Project Titan that would add three more hangars and increase jobs to 1,700. Pulling together the same group of partners, he secured commitments for $180 million but left office with his successor needing to find another $30 million.

Mayor Grover Robinson accepted the challenge and convinced the Pensacola City Council and Escambia County Commission to contribution $5 million each in February 2019. The commitments gave Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation the signal they needed to pledge an additional $20 million for the project.

At the groundbreaking, Mayor Robinson said, "This is a great day, but this is not just a great day for Pensacola. This is a great day for Escambia County and Northwest Florida."

He touted Project Titan for its collaboration. The mayor said, "People talk about it all the time. But what does it really mean?

What it means is, when you have a federal government, a state government and two forms of local government, as well as a corporate partner, come together to figure out how to pool $210 million to create pretty tremendous assets that will provide for nearly 1,300 jobs."

The MRO facility has also helped the Pensacola International Airport expand its direct flights. Mayor Robinson said, "I grew up here in the '70s and remember we had

two airlines, and they both flew to the same place, Atlanta. Today, you can go to 30 different destinations."

He continued, "This is not an accident.

This is not magic. This is collaboration.

This happens when you can work together across government lines and find a willing corporate partner to work with you and do great things. That's what we've accomplished today in Northwest Florida."

County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh called the MRO facility "the manifestation of leadership." Pointing to the hangar completed in 2018, he said, "Leadership brought all the stakeholders together, put aside the naysayers, collaborated and put together all the money necessary and resources to build that. And now, three years later, you look over there, we've got jets coming in, jobs happening, and now we will move onto the next stage, Project Titan."

Jeff Lam of ST Engineering said, "Here in Pensacola, we received a warm and supportive welcome from the community.

From our first time we became operational, three years ago, we have been so truly impressed by the support that we wish to do even more."

Lam talked about the positive outlook for the MRO market, which is expected to double over the next six years. He also stressed his company's commitment to the Pensacola-based Aviation Training Academy that will train the next generation of aviation maintenance technicians.

"I wish sincerely on Pensacola much success in the further building up of its aviation industry," said Lam, "and I am sure that these hangars, for which we are laying the foundation today, will further advance our shared goals."

In December 2019, Mayor Robinson and Bill Hafner, chief integration officer for ST Engineering Aerospace in Pensacola, announced that Project Titan would begin in 2020.

"We're glad to have hangar one, but we're ready to get two, three and four going," Robinson said. Pointing out the promising projections surrounding the aviation industry, particularly the MRO sector, Hafner added, "We need this space; we need this growth; the opportunity is there."

Then, COVID-19 hit, putting the expansion on hold.

Inweekly sat down with Hafner and Scott Luth before the groundbreaking to learn more details about Project Titan.

"Today is a real groundbreaking," said Hafner. "It's not just shovel; there's actually equipment out there."

Most of the site preparation has been done and the construction area fenced off.

Permits have been acquired for all the TSA requirements. He said, "It's expected that we'll be complete in September 2022, and we should be occupying the building before the end of the year."

The new hangars will be large enough to hand A300 wide-body planes, which will require the hiring of a greater density of employees. On the day of the groundbreaking, the first hangar had four UPS planes and a fifth parked on the tarmac. The larger MRO hangars will be able to work on two wide bodies at the same time.

The second hangar will complete Element 1 on the east side of the field. Hafner said, "The two hanger bays, which are actually four bays, two large hangars cojoined, will be backed up by a large support services building—support services center, we call it, and an admin building as well, all integrated into one large structure."

Element 2 involves two more hangars to be built on the other side of the airport, near 12th Avenue. When both elements are completed, Hafner said, "This will be the largest MRO campus in the country. I mean, you're going to be very near in the neighborhood of a million square feet under roof.

I'm not aware of a larger one in the United States than that."

He said Pensacola has an advantage because the Pensacola airport offers carriers "revenue in and revenue out," meaning the planes don't have to be ferried empty to the MRO. Hafner added, "We're getting a tremendous amount of interest from our customer base. Everybody that tours this facility and sees the airport. All of our customers, United, American and others, are very interested in being here."

He added, "I got to give your leaders credit. I mean, they really are thinking ahead.

It's not just us; there's a lot of other things they are doing that make a lot of sense." {in} inweekly.net

BUDGET NEXT UP FOR COUNTY

By Rick Outzen

budget "absolutely" is the administrator's responsibility. He described the process during his tenure with the county.

"Basically, you have your department heads put together their budgets and say what they want," said Brown. "And you talk to the commissioners about needs and whether they're looking at supporting a tax increase or not. Then, you start trying to figure out your priorities about what you can spend money on and what you can't spend money on."

He said the departmental meetings took place in February and March. Then, he and his budget director began putting them together with the other constitutional officers' budgets in April and May. Brown said that Gilley should have been "pretty close" to having the budget completed by June 17, when she was fired. The week following Gilley's termination, the budget director took a scheduled vacation, indicating that both Gilley and McClure were comfortable the budget preparation would be completed by mid-June.

On July 15, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and the public will see the administration's proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. In mid-June, County Budget Director Amber McClure presented a series of financial indicators that were inconclusive regarding the county's financial condition.

We will see how former County Administrator Janice Gilley planned to improve the financial indicators when the budget is delivered this month. Some might question whether she had time to complete the budget since she was terminated on June 17, but the county's budget process listed in the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) shows the budget preparation should have been finished no later than July 1.

Interim County Administrator Wes Moreno may have to make a few adjustments, but McClure and her Budget Services staff had been working on the budget with Gilley since at least February. The last missIn reviewing newspaper archives, ing element should have been the certified Inweekly came across a different budget taxable values for properties, which Property process that the county followed in 1993.

Appraiser Chris Jones told Inweekly were The individual department heads made their delivered to the county on Thursday, July 1. budget requests directly to the board in a At the Committee of the Whole on day-long workshop on the last day of June.

June 10, McClure described the budget as During the session, County Administrator the county's lesson plan—"it tells us what Bob Koncar appealed to the commissioners our plan is going to be." However, she didn't for an assistant administrator and secretary. clarify that the "teacher" that draws up the The planning department fought for five new "lesson plan" is the county administrator. hires and a computer system.

The commissioners' role is to amend, if Fortunately, by the end of the decade, the necessary, and approve. drafting of the proposed budget had been put The proposed budget is the responsientirely into the administrator's hands. The bility of the administrator, not the board. process was done openly in the spring. Several It's why the budget always has a message of Gilley's predecessors had public discussions from the county administrator and not the about budget challenges, such as shrinking commissioners. Gilley's contract required revenues and rising costs, long before July 1. her to prepare and submit an annual budIn April 2004, County Administrator get, which also includes a capital budget George Touart had to deal with the state legand capital program. islature mandating the county having to pay Former Escambia County Administrafor detaining LB0245 MchUltraOrgSeltzer INW Final 041521.pdf 2 juvenile 4/7/21 offenders 8:48 AM before their tor Jack Brown told Inweekly the proposed court appearances, an estimated $2.5 million

BUDGET BATTLES

A S RE AL A S IT TA S TE S July 8, 2021

expense. Touart told the board, on which Gilley served, that the county might have to make budget cuts in other areas to cover.

"It doesn't require a long explanation," said Touart. "I don't have a money tree out there."

In March 2012, Escambia County was hit with a $6 million bill for a 10-year backlog of disputed Medicaid claims. County Administrator Randy Oliver had to figure out how to cover a nearly $4 million deficit (Inweekly, "Balancing Act," 5/3/12). He pitched to the board pulling the county's $3.7 million from the West Florida Public Library System and possibly closing the building inspections office in Molino. Oliver negotiated with the constitutional officers and other county boards to reduce their budgets by 3.1%.

An early budget discussion in 2013 led to Escambia County taking control of the county jail from Sheriff David Morgan.

The sheriff had annual fights with County Administrators Oliver and Bob McLaughlin over his budgets. When Touart was brought back as interim administrator, the rancor went to another level.

For four years, the U.S. Department of Justice had been investigating the sheriff's office for alleged violations under Morgan's predecessor, Ron McNesby. In the spring of 2013, Sheriff Morgan got wind that a report was about to be released that would call for expensive changes to the Escambia County Jail. On April 30, he requested a $95 million increase, primarily to hire 83 detention deputies and 12 detention assistants and to bring up starting detention deputy pay to match the county's road camp deputy pay.

The daily newspaper, Touart and Commission Chairman Gene Valentino blasted the sheriff. PNJ columnist Shannon Nickinson called Morgan's budget "outrageous."

Then, the DOJ report was received on May 21, giving the county 49 days to respond.

Valentino and Touart were put in charge of the negotiations with Sheriff Morgan. To no one's surprise, the meetings achieved no agreement. In a letter dated June 13, 2013, the sheriff wrote that the

decades of underfunding the facility had left a staff level that inadequately met the Constitutional and security standards.

"Should the county have a change of heart and decide to honestly and sincerely negotiate in good faith to identify the funds necessary for the sheriff to properly administer the jail, I may consider revisiting this issue," Sheriff Morgan said. "However, at this time, it appears that transfer of the jail to the county will be necessary, to the detriment of the jail, its fine officers and staff and the citizens of Escambia county as a whole."

The following year, the Central Booking and Detention facility exploded due to a natural gas that went unreported, resulting in two deaths and hundreds of injuries.

BUDGETING ELSEWHERE

Manatee County is similar to Pensacola in population and is often used to benchmark Escambia's government operations.

However, its administrator deals with its budget much earlier than Escambia. Manatee's proposed budget has been available on the county's website since June 8.

Manatee's Financial Management Department received all budget requests from county departments and constitutional officers before May 1. The requests were reviewed, analyzed and discussed by the finance director and then the county administrator.

The proposed budget was submitted to the Manatee commissioners on May 28.

Public work sessions were conducted with the commissioners, staff and public after the administrator completed the proposed budget.

On July 15, the budget is updated to reflect the certified taxable values. Any budget amendments are discussed in public hearings in September before the final board approval.

Before McClure's presentation on June 15, Gilley had no public discussions on the budget. She didn't attend the June 15 meeting. We have no idea of her concerns or budget plans, making the July 15 proposed budget a mystery. {in}

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inweekly.net

Speaking Up, Out and With Cecile Scoon

Cecile Scoon / Courtesy Photo

By Gina Castro 2021 has been a year of changing tides.

Juneteenth is now a federal holiday. Kamala Harris became the first woman U.S. Vice President. Sarah McBride became the first transgender state senator. Change has reached Florida, too. Cecile Scoon recently made history as the first Black woman to be elected president of the League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL).

In her 36 years as an attorney, Scoon has received not only statewide accolades but also national recognition. The Florida Bar Association awarded Scoon with a President's Pro Bono award in January. The Harvard graduate and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority fought tirelessly in 2018 to restore voting rights to Floridians with felonies. Scoon spoke with more than 500 people and attended numerous events to collect signatures for a petition in support of Amendment 4. Her opinion piece on the subject was published in the Washington Post. Earlier this year, Scoon also made history as the first Black woman to practice law privately in Bay County.

Inweekly spoke with Scoon about her previous work with LWVFL and her goals as president.

INWEEKLY: During your three years as vice president of LWVFL, what were some initiatives or projects that you worked on?

SCOON: I was given the position to be the action chair for health care expansion, Medicaid expansion. I worked really hard on that, and we almost got it done. A few years back, the Senate agreed, and the House dragged their feet, and it was not approved. That was a great heartache. But we had many letters to editors; we had many forums in the community, hearing what the citizens wanted; July 8, 2021

we communicated with a lot of businesses, chambers of commerce throughout the state that wanted the health care expansion.

After that, I was given the responsibility of working on restoration of voting rights of persons who had had felony convictions. We refer to them as returning citizens and worked really hard to build up our petition gathering process, our education piece, our outreach to the community. So we got out there like many other groups—went to football games, we went to concerts, we went to parades, and we had our little clipboards and information about Amendment 4. We were really gratified to see across the board, people really supported giving people a second chance. Then once it passed, we quickly saw that the legislators wanted to put some restrictions on it. They added that people had to pay all these legal fines and fees before they could vote. We were in disagreement with that. They put in a provision where people can go to court to get modifications of their sentences to allow them to vote. I was the lead person to develop continuing legal education for lawyers so they could learn about this new provision and, on a pro bono basis, assist people in getting their voting rights back. We're working on that program right now.

INWEEKLY: That sounds like a lot to juggle at the same time as being an attorney in Bay County. How are you able to manage?

SCOON: That is always a struggle. It turned out that I have three children who are now young adults, so I had gotten accustomed to always juggling activities with the children.

In fact, as they were maturing and finishing college, that's when I got more involved with the League [LWVFL]. I'd always been a due-paying member for over 20 years, I believe. I've been accustomed to juggling, like many, many women. That's a role that a lot of professional women have—monitoring our families and being involved in family time and juggling our work responsibilities. In the last 10 years, I've cut way back on the number of cases that I'm taking. Going forward, I plan on basically not taking any new cases.

INWEEKLY: LWVFL focuses on several issues, including election reform, education, juvenile justice and many more topics. Are there any issues that you intend to focus on as president?

SCOON: Well, there are two things that I am very committed to. I think my background and who I am facilitates that kind

of work, but I'm also in the presidency, so I need to be responsive to what's happening in the world. And a lot of that is not my personal agenda. It's just being in that seat.

Those kinds of issues are like dealing with limitations on voting and things that we perceive to be voter suppression or legislation when there was no need. We had such a great election. Everybody agreed it was such a great election, yet the citizens seem to be being punished by having such a great election by having the restrictions we see in SB 90. It's very confusing and concerning. So we'll be spending a lot of our energy doing education.

We're in litigation on SB 90. We also have a sharp eye on HB 1, which is the civic disorder statute. We feel, again, that's an infringement on our First Amendment rights and is a particularly threatening tool.

In terms of my personal viewpoint and my personal desires for the league, I would like us to reach out to marginalized communities where people are struggling to put food on the table; they're struggling to maintain their jobs and their families. So many families and individuals are in that situation, especially coming off of COVID. We would like to listen to what the citizens are saying are their concerns and work with them to show them pathways to have an impact on that concern by their vote, by advocacy, by meeting with their representatives and by having their voices heard.

One of the things I plan to do, that's maybe a new concept, is as I travel around the state, visiting the 29 Leagues starting from Pensacola all the way down to Key West, we will be having special outreach events, whether it be a tea or lunch with a local group, whether it be a church or an interest group that's interested in the environment or different communities, and just like actually meet with them and say, "What are you interested in? What are your concerns?

And how can we be part of that?"

INWEEKLY: There was a lot going on in Florida this past legislative session such as HB 1, SB 90 and then also the anti-trans bills the governor signed into law. With all that considered, what kind of role is LWVFL intending to have in the governor's race coming in 2022?

SCOON: Our role is to speak up and speak out. We have spoken out and sent letters to the editor. We've written to the governor on HB 1. We've been involved with a lot of testimony against some of the worst parts of Senate Bill 90. Some of those parts that we objected to were withdrawn. Many of the objectionable parts of the statute are still there. So we will continue to have a voice on matters that pertain to all citizens being welcomed. We have made a statement with regards to the rule on limiting critical race theory. The pathway of Americans has been a difficult pathway. It's been harmful to the

oppressed, and it's been harmful to the oppressor. It's a burden to subjugate another person and to treat them differently. Not only are you harming that person; you are harming your own soul and your own spirit. There's been a lot of recent discussion about how oppressive oppression is to all. We're just all better off being welcoming and listening to all of our voices. It's the best of the American values and concepts. [LWVFL] is committed to encouraging all citizens' voices.

INWEEKLY: 2021 has been a pretty incredible year for AKA [Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority], with Kamala Harris' achievement of being the first woman vice president to your many achievements. What kind of impact do you believe these achievements will have on Black women today and the generations to come?

SCOON: Well, that's an interesting question.

I think that all eyes are on Harris. She has a tremendous opportunity and responsibility being the first woman, being a person of color, being a person of Asian descent and African American descent. She brings so much intersectionality and so much blended experiences to her voice and her vision. I also have varied experiences that influence my vision as a leader for the League. My father was an immigrant from the Caribbean and came to the states for an education and then became an American and went back to the Caribbean, as a Peace Corps director. So I was raised in the Caribbean, and I came back to the States when I was 15.

I have a sense of what it's like to live in a country where the majority of the owners and leaders in the nation are Black and brown. It is hard to imagine, but you don't think about your race when you're in an environment like that. So I have a little bit of an understanding, maybe empathy, for people of European descent in America because they don't have to think about race. I think my experience, being on both sides of the fence, so to speak, has definitely informed me that we all have to be patient with each other and compassionate with each other as we ask everybody to look at what life looks like from the other person's perspective.

I am going to work on those connections—at the same time sharing some hard truths and sharing the reality that our nation began with women not being able to vote and people of African descent being considered objects to be possessed. So that's a rough start. But what we should congratulate ourselves on is that there are tools placed in our Constitution and our style of government to allow our government to evolve and be more inclusive. We're seeing the fruits of that most recently with the LGBTQ community, which I think is amazing. {in} For more with LWVFL: lwvfl.org facebook.com/lwvflorida 9

acknowledgment of the area's Black history, activation of the waterfront for water activities and dedication of a large area for passive conservation.

The Bruce Beach planning process is about a third complete, with the finish line set for the end of this year. The project is split into two phases—essentially an eastern and western half—but Forte hopes to run the construction portion of the projects somewhat in tandem.

NEW MUSEUM NAME The T.T. Wen-

Public input session for Bruce Beach plans / Photo Courtesy of City of Pensacola

BRUCE BEACH UPDATE Saved from be-

coming the site for a fish hatchery three years ago, Bruce Beach may become an urban oasis west of the Community Maritime Park.

"It's going to energize downtown; it's going to energize the Tanyards," said District 7 Pensacola City Councilman Delarian Wiggins during a public input session at Maritime Park's amphitheater.

Bruce Beach once served as a shipyard and then as a public beach and pool area for Pensacola's Black community during the segregation era. Under Mayor Grover Robinson's leadership, the Pensacola City Council approved an $18 million refinancing of bonds associated with Maritime Park to fund the Bruce Beach project and the Hashtag streetscape.

Under the Hayward administration, the city council had approved a $50-per-year lease for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to build a fish hatchery on Bruce Beach. Dan Lindemann and Jerry Holzworth filed a lawsuit questioning the validity of the lease. Though the suit was dismissed in April 2018, FWC decided to cancel the lease due to a "lack of community support."

Mayor Robinson took over in November 2018 and made Bruce Beach a priority.

Improvements to the site moved closer to reality in late June when the city hosted two public workshops to review the HDR Engineering's drawings on implementing the concepts mapped out a couple of years ago by the New York City-based landscape architectural firm SCAPE. The city brought aboard HDR Engineering. HDR's team and city staff have met regularly with SCAPE to ensure that the plans align with the original vision for the 010 1

project. During 2019's public input sessions, that original vision took shape and, David Forte says, has remained relatively intact.

Laid out across tables on the amphitheater's stage were renderings for Bruce Beach. Improvements include a boardwalk through a preserve of oaks and palms, a bridge linking the area to Maritime Park, a restroom facility, as well as natural and historical interpretive exhibits, a picnic area, a sand volleyball court, a kayak launch, lawn terraces and overlooks, a bus drop-off and shade structure.

Missing is an African American history facility, in which the story of the local Black community would be relayed. At present, that telling will be limited to historical exhibits on the property, with an open area reserved for a physical facility once funding for that aspect of the project can be secured.

"This is the time for us to get this right and tell that story," said Councilman Wiggins, who represents the area around Bruce Beach.

At his weekly press conference on June 28, Mayor Robinson admitting pleasing everyone with the final design for the park was nearly impossible. He told reporters, "I think it's a challenge whenever you have a small space and you have a lot of people that want to get a lot of different things accomplished."

The mayor wasn't bothered by the variety of comments the drawings have received. He said, "I know some people were very passionate about what they felt.

And I think to an extent, I told them, take the drawing; mark it up. The team that we have with HDR and SCAPE is very willing to look at it."

Robinson said he wanted to accomplish four main themes with Bruce Beach— beach accessibility for the disabled,

tworth Jr. Florida State Museum has officially been renamed the Pensacola Museum of History at the University of West Florida, and the installation of the new signage for the building was completed on Wednesday, June 30.

Last summer, papers from the T.T. Wentworth revealed the man, known as Pensacola's "Mister History," was also the Exalted Cyclops of Escambia Klan No. 57, Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

LOWERY WINS ROUND 2 ATU Union 1395 President Mike Lowery has moved one step closer to winning back his job at the county's Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT).

Last year, Lowery was fired by the county when he went on WEAR-TV to complain about the lack of COVID safety precautions on the ECAT buses. Ironically, the county later adopted most of his recommendations. Since April 2020, Lowery has been fighting for his job.

On Tuesday, June 29, Lowery's attorney received a letter from the county "converting" his three-day suspension to a written reprimand—"The grieving (Lowery) will be compensated for the three-day term of the suspension."

The county canceled an arbitration hearing that had been set for Sept. 21.

"This essentially eliminates the progressive disciple policy and will hurt the county's case regarding my termination," Lowery told Inweekly.

Earlier in June, the county lost its arbitration hearing on a one-day suspension of Lowery for alleged insubordination when he took a day off to complete annual forms required for the union to remain the bargaining unit for ECAT workers.

Lowery said his attorney believes the county will come back next month or early August with a settlement offer for his firing and reinstate his employment.

MORE JOBS COMING At his Monday, June 28, town hall, District 5 County Commissioner Steven Barry announced a new employer might be coming to Escambia County—which he couldn't name because of confidentiality agreements—if the commission approves a letter of intent for

a new facility on 75 acres in the Central Commerce Park, north of Cantonment.

"I'm extremely excited about the prospect of 150-200 jobs and $20 million of private capital coming to the heart of District 5," Barry told Inweekly after the meeting. "I hope this will be the start of real economic development moving into the geographic center of Escambia County."

He continued, "I want to thank Scott Luth and FloridaWest for successfully navigating competitive waters and bringing this major project to us. I can't wait to discuss the project in-depth with my colleagues on July 8, and I look forward to securing their support at that time."

CHILDERS RAGES ATU 1395 Union president Mike Lowery shared Escambia County Clerk of Court Pam Childers' bizarre appearance at the ECAT ATU 1395 collective bargaining session on Friday, June 25.

The clerk's office usually sends a representative to the bargaining sessions who only observes. Childers has never shown up.

Lowery said Childers loudly and aggressively complained to a union representative before the meeting about Lowery and his role in the firing of County Administrator Janice Gilley. When the negotiation teams arrived, Childers said she needed to speak her mind but was cut off by Interim County Administrator Wes Moreno, according to Lowery.

"When they started the meeting and turned on the recorder, Ms. Childers sat on the side, glaring at me," said Lowery. "Really weird."

Childers campaigned in the media for Gilley to keep her job as it became clear that the majority of county commissioners had lost confidence in Gilley's leadership and ability to run county operations. The ATU Union 1395 unanimously voted that the commissioners remove Gilley.

PRAISE FOR MORENO At his weekly

press conference, Mayor Grover Robinson introduced his selection of Assistant County Attorney Charlie Peppler to replace City Attorney Susan Woolf, who is leaving for a job with the University of West Florida.

He said, "We think we have a great opportunity to slide somebody in here that knows a lot about public law and has practiced for a significant amount of time here in local government."

The mayor also gave a shout-out to Wes Moreno, who has been named the interim county administrator, calling him "an incredibly solid guy."

"I worked with him for 12 years at the county," said Mayor Robinson. "The guy just is a quiet guy who just wakes up every day and thinks about how he can make Escambia County better. " Robinson continued, "He certainly has my support while he's there as interim, inweekly.net

anything we can do to help him. He'll do a great job, and I have all the confidence in the world in him."

GAETZ LOSING VOTERS According to a recent Panhandle Politico/Listener Group/ Political Matrix poll, Republican voters in Florida Congressional District 1 still love former President Donald Trump (82%) but not so much Congressman Matt Gaetz.

In April, as stories surfaced that the federal government was investigating Gaetz for alleged sex trafficking of a minor, 68% of the D1 Republicans polled said Rep. Gaetz represented their values.

Gaetz has aggressively denied all charges. However, the recent survey of 654 likely GOP voters found that only 24% now say the congressman's behavior reflects their values. Yikes.

ANOTHER TOOL The leaders of the Lotus

Campaign met with two dozen community leaders on Tuesday, June 29, as a follow-up to the previous night's CivicCon event. The organization celebrates its third anniversary in Charlotte, N.C., on July 19. Over that period, the 501(c)(3) organization has helped 325 people find apartments.

Lotus co-founder Philip Payne said the program is an "economically driven" model that connects the nonprofits who help homeless people find housing with landlords. He sees not as the solution for homelessness but as "another tool in the toolkit."

"We're the cream in the Oreo," said Payne. "We're taking the people on one side, or the private sector, and we're joining them with the public sector to fight this together."

Lotus's landlord participation program focuses on removing barriers that make it difficult for the homeless to rent. It guarantees the rent and pays landlords $1,000 a year in place of a deposit.

"The standard model is a for-profit owner will not rent to a person who's been homeless, primarily because there are

July 8, 2021

five tests they have to pass before signing a lease—income, employment, rental history, credit check and criminal record," said Payne. "First of all, those are all purely economic issues that are very easy to get over. And what we do is we have a system of guarantees and payments, removing the financial cliffs."

Service providers, such as United Way or Catholic Charities, identify the best prospects for the program and provide the caseworkers to help the families. Lotus vets the providers and the landlords. It also provides funds to help with utility deposits and other fees. Over three years, only six people have "washed out" of the program.

Lotus has paid $500 in lost rents and a little over $2,000 for damages.

How much would it cost to start the program in Escambia County? It will depend on who will be the local champion for the landlord initiative and how many people the organizers want to help each year. Payne estimated it could cost as much as $250,000 to launch it here.

GIVE 65 From July 13-16, the Council on Aging of West Florida is participating in the sixth-annual Give65 Event, a 65-hour online giving event exclusively for charitable organizations serving aging adults presented by Home Instead Charities and the local Home Instead office. This year, the funds will be for its Foster Grandparent program, which serves both older adults and at-risk youth. Gifts can be made at give65.org/coawfla.

Home Instead Charities will match donations given up to $5,000. Council on Aging has an overall goal for this campaign of $10,000.

The event begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 13, and concludes at 1:00 a.m. on Friday, July 16.

To learn more, visit give65.org.

STUFF THE BUS On July 1, United Way

of West Florida, along with the local school districts and its media partners, kicked off

Stuff the Bus. Since 1999, this initiative has helped ensure that local students head back to school with the tools they need to succeed in the upcoming school year.

"We are thrilled that we are going to be able to welcome the community to assist us in person once again," said Wanda Kotick, coordinator of Community Involvement, Escambia County School District. "Our neighbors, friends and members of the community-at-large provide an invaluable service to the families and students of the Escambia County School District by their participation in Stuff the Bus. We could not do what we do without their support."

Monetary donations can be made by texting SCHOOL850 to 41444 or visiting uwwf.org/stb.

Donations of school supplies may be dropped off on July 15 and 22 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, respectively.

For a list of items requested by the school districts, visit uwwf.org/stb.

In Escambia County, the primary dropoff site will be from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. at Cordova Mall, 5100 N. Ninth Ave. The secondary sites are Ferry Pass Elementary, 8310 N. Davis Highway, and Warrington Elementary, 220 N. Navy Blvd., from 8 a.m.- 6 p.m.

NEW PARTNERSHIP Studer Commu-

nity Institute (SCI) has a new partnership with Pensacola Pediatrics and Community Health Northwest Florida to provide The Basics to more families with children ages birth to 5.

Pensacola Pediatrics and Community Health Northwest Florida have 17 clinics and offices that serve more than 22,000 children under five each year. The two medical providers have joined the Studer Community Institute's Basics Pensacola network. They will offer The Basics video lessons and the chance to sign up for Basics Insights text messages to their families.

The Basics uses video lessons and a texting service around a curriculum to

help parents learn and use these concepts to boost the time and the quality of the interaction they have with their children.

Insights sends twice-a-week texts to a parent or caregiver's phone, based on the child's age.

"We are excited to partner with the Studer Community Institute by offering The Basics to our pediatric patients here at Community Health Northwest Florida," said Sandra Donaldson, chief advocacy officer for CHNWF. "(We) are committed to connecting our patients to our community's most valuable resources."

The Pensacola Pediatrics group will offer programs at its six locations. At Community Health, Dr. Michelle Grier-Hall will be rolling it out at Community Health's Airport Pediatrics location later this summer.

Its other 10 pediatric practice locations will offer them in the fall.

HELP FOR HOMELESS Opening Doors Northwest Florida has received the green light to administer the Emergency Solutions Grant CARES Act award provided by the state, in the amount of $3,500,652.

Opening Doors, the Selection Committee and several nonprofit agencies have formed a coordinated plan that will stand up critical services to bring relief to hurting families and individuals who have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus.

Using a scoring application, community agencies were chosen based on capacity, need, past collaboration and experience.

The CARES Act provides funding in five areas—Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Homeless Prevention, Rapid Rehousing and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

The launch was Tuesday, July 6. The end date of the grant is June 30, 2022, for HMIS, Street Outreach, Rapid Rehousing and Homeless Prevention. Temporary Emergency Shelter and Emergency Shelter operations will end Jan. 31, 2022. {in}

11

Studer Community Institute’s

Early Learning Calendar Our passion and purpose is to make sure that every child in our community has the best chance for a great start at being ready for kindergarten.

S

M

Shape of the month: Oval Color of the month: Purple

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Let’s write

Writing is a fundamental part of your child’s life. Writing is also a way to build their fine motor skills.

Make writing fun!

July T

5

W

T

1

F

2

S

3

Spell your child’s name on a piece of paper in marker. Have your child trace letters in crayon or pencil.

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9

10

13

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15

16

17

22

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Choose an alphabet book to read with your child. Go over the letters that are in your child’s name.

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Spread shaving cream on a flat surface. Encourage your child to write letters in the cream.

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Write out numbers in marker.

Have your child trace over the numbers.

Also, help them count.

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Encourage your child to write their name on their own. Help along the way.

The Studer Community Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

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inweekly.net

What is Building Blocks?

The SCI early learning parenting magazine, “Building Blocks,” is now available.Thanks to our partners at Arc Gateway’s Pollak Industries, the magazine will be included in our Brain Bags for new mothers.

GET YOUR FREE COPIES Bodacious 407 S Palafox St. SCI Building 220 W. Garden St.

Bodacious Bookstore & Cafe 110 E Intendencia St. City Community Centers Pensacola

Become a drop site for Building Blocks Email: snickinson@studeri.org

The Basics offer video lessons and educational text messages.

Sign up at studeri.org

PENSACOLA The Basics campaign of Pensacola are simple but important ways that every family can help children from all backgrounds.

Pediatricians are joining The Basics Pensacola family.

The 16 doctors at Pensacola Pediatrics, Dr. Michelle Grier-Hall and Community Health Northwest Florida also have joined.

These partners account for 17 clinics and offices that annually serve more than 22,000 children under 5.

REGISTER FOR Register your 4-year-old today for Voluntary Prekindergarten enrollment.

Registration deadlines are determined by each provider.

Receive free help to enroll and find the best VPK provider for your family.

The Early Learning Coalitions in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties: Escambia County ..............(850) 741-8304 Milton office .......................(850) 983-5313 Gulf Breeze office ..............(850) 916-5422

Shannon Nickinson Director of Early Learning snickinson@studeri.org (850) 525-2116

studeri.org

Reginald T. Dogan Project Manager rdogan@studeri.org (850) 529-6485

Brittani N. Hunter Community Outreach Coordinator bhunter@studeri.org (850) 501-5152

220 W. Garden St. #506 I Pensacola, FL 32502 The Studer Community Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

July 8, 2021

13

Al Armin, Aspen Martin, Carla Biglione, Devan Dunlap and Shelby Lands / Photos by Devan Dunlap

ALL LEVELS, ALL STOKED, ALL THE TIME PENSACOLA GRRRLS SKATE SOCIETY ON CREATING A COMMUNITY

BY SAVANNA H EVANOFF

Don't add a disclaimer.

If you decide to compliment one of the Pensacola Grrrls Skate Society's skaters' abilities, don't make it backhanded with a clause like, "for a girl."

"Never in my life do I ever want to hear somebody say I'm good for a girl," said Shelby Lands. "I get that all the time. Why can't I just be good?"

Probably because the sport isn't equal— not even close, Al Armin points out.

The skate community for women in Pensacola has meager origins, starting with Aspen Martin and "a bunch of dudes," said Devan Dunlap. It gradually grew to what it is today.

But Dunlap senses a shift.

"I think that comes with society in all things," Dunlap said. "Now, it's women's turn for things. A year ago, we were at Waterboyz and there were so many of us girls there that I was totally floored. I realized, 'Holy crap.

This is like an actual community here.'"

Waterboyz houses the largest indoor wooden skate park in Pensacola. It also doubles as a surf and skate shop, café and overall hang-out space for the community.

Noticing more female skaters reminded Dunlap of a female skate community in Jacksonville that she saw on social media and inspired her to create the Instagram handle @pcolagrrrls—for networking purposes, mainly, she said.

She loves skate photography too—so the account is a great way to showcase that.

"It's so lonely out there sometimes as a 414 1

female skater because you are surrounded by men pretty much all the time," Dunlap said. "You're definitely treated differently when you're at the park. There's a thing called snaking, when someone will kind of take your turn. Normally, it's not a big deal, but it definitely happens a lot more when it's just one of us at the park."

"We could take up more space if there's more of us," she said.

"THERE'S MORE OF US" Armin has noticed an insurgence of female skaters just since she has started.

She moved to Pensacola during quarantine and got a job at Waterboyz.

Making friends was her main motive.

"There's all these girls who are actually cool, and I can talk to them," Armin said.

"They always asked me to go skate and I didn't skate, so I decided I had to learn how to skate if I wanted all these cool friends."

Hosting Girls Skate Night on Tuesdays was the game-changer. The night, which is just for the girls, was a gateway to skating on other nights for Carla Biglione and many others.

"It gives us a safe space to just be ourselves, to feel like we're not being judged or watched or looked at or saying, 'Can she do that?'" Biglione said. "I was like, 'I'm just gonna keep going every Tuesday until I feel like I have the confidence to go any other day.' I did eventually start going outside of Girls' Night."

The demographic has changed, too.

Armin has seen kids as young as 7 teaching themselves how to skate.

"I've watched girls, they came there first night on a longboard trying to go in the bowl, which is silly; you're gonna die," Armin said. "They started doing something like that and now they're dropping in and doing cool transitions and all sorts of stuff.

So it's really just building itself."

One of the young girls, who goes by the name of Jersey, is a dedicated attendee of Girls Skate Night. Dunlap still remembers when a man gave Jersey a new skate deck.

He came into Waterboyz and asked Dunlap if she would gift it to a young girl in need.

"I was like, 'Why don't you give it to her?' and he said, 'Well, I'm a big scary guy, and that would be weird, so I'm just going to give this to you and then I'm going to leave," Dunlap said. "I found Jersey trying to skate on a really old, crappy board. She was really trying her hardest in the bowl, so I gave it to her. She was so psyched on it."

Everyone cheered.

A few weeks later, Jersey tried to drop in on that board.

"She was so scared to do it," Dunlap said. "She kept putting her foot on it, taking it off, putting it on, taking it off. Finally, when she decided to go for it, she did it perfectly."

The next time, Jersey did it with confidence.

"She looked at everybody and she stomped her foot down and she went all the way down the ramp and she pulled it off," Dunlap said. "She rode away and

everybody cheered again. That was just a really, really, really great moment."

Jersey's mother recently inquired about the possibility of forming a junior girl's skate team, Martin said. She can't wait to see Jersey's future as a skater.

Martin started young, too, skating since age 10—often as the only girl skater at Waterboyz and X-Park Phoenix Crossing, a former Pensacola skate park on Palafox.

Eventually, another girl came along, Martin said. The two would skate at contests, where the hosts would create a girls division exclusively for the two of them.

"That was one thing I always thought was super cool," Martin said. "I love competing with other girls, and now there is no competition, but there's more of us."

Watching the group go from just her to being surrounded with girls and women on skateboards on a Tuesday night is emotional for Martin. The group has become her family, she said.

"I'm tearing up right now while I'm talking about it," Martin said. "To see that many people coming out to support each other and just push. It's about more than skateboarding; it's about making yourself a better person. It's meditative, for sure.

And the people that are around you also understand that, so it's a spiritual connection with other people."

Skateboarding makes you address yourself and your fears, Martin said. She says it without saying it. Skateboarding empowers her. inweekly.net

"You really have to break through your own bars and yourself, essentially, to even attempt a skate trick, honestly," Martin said. "But follow through with it 100 times, 200 times, it really takes a lot of perseverance and dedication, and also gives you a sense of self, who you are and what you will tolerate and won't tolerate with yourself."

Biglione feels the same. Her favorite part about skating is pushing past what she thought were her limits.

"When you land a trick, even if it's super simple and basic, it gives you a really big sense of accomplishment and you want to keep chasing that feeling of like, 'I can do this; I'm gonna try again,'" Biglione said. "You just keep chasing that feeling like after you land the trick. It's an amazing feeling, and you want to keep trying to feel that way.

Dunlap calls skateboarding an addiction.

"I was walking into the grocery store today, and I just was suddenly overcome with how mad I was I couldn't skate into the store and around the store and back out to my car," Dunlap said. "I feel more natural now with a board under my feet than just my feet."

"A GROUP THING" Skateboarding is individual, but it is also a group thing, Martin said.

"Everybody has their own individual differences and styles," Martin said. "But when you go to the skate park, you can see everybody vibing. It doesn't matter where you come from; doesn't matter if you're rich, poor, girl, boy—for the most part."

Martin added that disclaimer because she has faced discrimination in the sport. She remembers going to skate once in Tallahassee with Dunlap and Armin.

"We pull up and Al (Armin) asks kindly, 'What is the protocol—like how do we skate around, in terms of like directions?'" Martin said. "These three guys with short shorts on and no shirts all decided to mansplain us how to skateboard, literally how to bend our knees and stand on the board. We were just staring at each other like, 'These fools don't know,' so, of course, we just dropped right in, proved 'em wrong.

They thought that we didn't know anything, and we know quite a bit."

Aspen is one of their strongest skaters, Armin said.

"Aspen is pretty sick nasty compared to all of us," Armin said. "Aspen is the best skater here and probably out skates most of the men in our community, too."

Of course, some of the people in that community don't get why something like Girls Skate Night is important.

"We love our whole Waterboyz family, all the girls and guys, or anything in between, but we have friends that still come up and complain and ask, 'Why do girls need their own night? Why do they need a safe space if the quality is here?'" Armin said. "I think they don't really get that it's not equal yet, even close."

Women are used to it. Male-dominant sports or workplaces are no new concept. But skating is vulnerable, Armin explained.

"You're falling and you're all over the place and you're bleeding and you're probably crying and you're swearing and you ripped your pants," Armin said.

"Shit happens and you don't always feel so comfortable when there's guys. You fall on the ground and a boy tries to ollie over you. It sucks. Every day."

How they look and how they perform are two different things. But men don't always separate the two, Armin said.

"If you don't fit the stereotypical male gaze, like if they don't look at you and they don't see what they want to see as far as attractiveness, or what you're wearing, or how you're skating or whatever it is, they don't care," Armin said. "If you're a pretty girl on a skateboard who can land a kickflip, hell yeah, they want you there because they think that's hot. But if you're a girl with a shaved head, or baggy pants, or a girl who's just learning, they don't give two shits about you."

Spatial misogyny is commonplace, she said.

"Guys will say, 'Yeah, we're for girl skaters. We love girl skaters and want girl skaters around; they're part of the community,'" Armin said. "But the second a queer girls step into the scene, or girls who aren't so feminine—like most of us are tomboys. Like, we're doing a sport that you shouldn't be wearing short shorts all the time; you're gonna scrape your knees up a bit. If you're not fitting that perfect ideal, you're not always as welcome."

They changed how they refer to Girls Skate Night recently to address the issue. They now call it "Girls, Gays and Theys Night." Queer men have the same issue of feeling like outcasts in the skate scene, she said, not to mention non-binary skaters.

"They go to a skate park and are treated like garbage—or our trans friends for the same thing," Armin said. "It's a lot more than just being female skaters."

"MORE THAN A HOBBY" As an adult, there is hardly enough time in a day.

Why fill up spare time with a hobby as hard as skateboarding? Lands couldn't tell you.

Well, she kinda can.

"I've broken my ankle numerous times, and yet I'm still skating," Lands said. "I've met so many cool people through skateboarding. The adventures I've been on through skateboarding have just been crazy. Stupid. Wild."

"You gotta know, I guess about skateboarding particularly like, you're gonna eat shit hard," Armin said. "It doesn't matter if you've just started skating or if you've been skating your whole life. It's a confidence that once you get past it, you're past it, and it becomes kind of fun."

And it's more than a hobby.

Skateboarding will make its debut appearance at the Summer Olympics in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, Martin said. The U.S. has a men's and a women's team.

"That's like a huge deal," Martin said. "They already have the team and people are like competing now. I just think that's super awesome."

While skateboarding can seem intimidating, Lands has some advice for girls and women who are interested—Do it.

"It's a big, great world out there, and I hope that every female who wants to endure skateboarding and experience all the things outside of skateboarding, they should do it regardless of what anyone else has to say," Lands said. "Skateboarding has brought me so much besides skateboarding." {in}

PENSACOLA GRRRLS SKATE SOCIETY instagram.com/pcolagrrrls

July 8, 2021

AL ARM IN Age: 21 Homebase: Portsmouth, R.I. Stance: Regular Favorite trick: Nollie front shuv ... I like all the shuvs Started skating: 7 months ago Why I love skateboarding: Skating has become a meditative practice for me. It keeps me in a present moment, focused and not worrying about life's anxieties. The skate community has also become such a big part of my social life, providing me with a family of other like-minded individuals and creatives who support, uplift and challenge you constantly, on and off the board.

ASPE N MARTIN Age: 27 Homebase: Pensacola Stance: Regular Favorite Trick: That's a tie between a fakie big spin or a smith grind Started skating: 17 years ago Why I love skateboarding: TikTok @aspenmartinshreds

CARL A BIGL IONE Age: 24 Homebase: Pensacola Stance: Goofy Favorite trick: Axle Stall Started Skating: 6 months ago Why I love skateboarding: It challenges me to push my limits. It has also brought me an amazing community and a liberating hobby I can do anywhere.

DEVA N DUNL AP Age: 28 Homebase: Pensacola Stance: Regular Favorite trick: Backside tail slide Started skating: 5 years ago Why I love skateboarding: I have been afraid of things my whole life—looking stupid, being hated, failing at something, rejection, getting hurt. The first time I fell off my board, I realized two things—I am much more resilient than I thought, and I love skateboarding. It gave me strength. Not only was I excited to get up and try again … I was excited to fall again. I couldn't believe how strong and capable I was. Skateboarding freed me from the prison I put myself in.

SHELBY LANDS Age: 19 Homebase: Pensacola Stance: Goofy as hell Favorite trick: No comply 180s Started skating: 5 years ago Why I love skateboarding: Skating is therapeutic; it puts my mind at ease and it teaches me to persevere. The skate community gives me the opportunity to meet other oddballs in Pensacola.

15

a&e happenings ESCAMBIA COUNTY 200TH ANNIVERSARY

VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR THE 1821 SAMPLER The website for the mosaic

is now live at 1821sampler.com. From the sampler homepage, click on a photo to get a quick view and then "Visit Full Entry" to see more information.

There are still plenty of people from 1821 who haven't been represented yet. To participate in the 1821 Sampler, simply fill out the form at 1821: A Pensacola Sampler under "Submit Your Photo" on the website and upload your photo to represent a member of the 1821 Pensacola community (use an uncluttered background, clearly showing face and shoulders. No hats please. Names are optional).

Researchers with the West Florida Genealogical Society have identified more than 2,000 individuals who were here when Florida passed from Spain to the United States.

By honoring a member of the 1821 community, you are participating in this celebration of our rich and diverse Florida heritage.

INTERACTIVE TOUR OF ST. MICHAEL'S CEMETERY To commemorate Florida's Territorial Bicentennial and Escambia County's 200th Anniversary, the UWF Archaeology Institute and St. Michael's Cemetery Foundation have partnered to create an interactive tour of the cemetery. The project is titled They're Still Here: The People of 1821.

The story map includes a "walking tour" that can be taken from the comfort of home or on a mobile device on site at the cemetery.

The tour features more than 60 surviving gravesites of the people who were in Pensacola in 1821. The story map can be found at bit.ly/1821TourSMC.

PENSACOLA ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY LECTURE SERIES Dr. Brian Rucker, profes-

sor of History at Pensacola State College, will present the Historical Context for Pensacola 1821 for a virtual lecture on Tuesday, July 13, from 7-8 p.m. To sign up, visit pasfl.org.

A JACKSONIAN DINNER Celebrate

Florida's Territorial Bicentennial with a special five-course meal from Chef Irv Miller and a selection of Spanish wines. Dr. Judy Bense

and UWF's Margo Stringfield will also have a historic presentation. The dinner will be Thursday, July 15, at 5:30 p.m. Cost is $75 per person. Reservations are limited. Call (850) 469-9898 to reserve your spot. Visit jacksonsrestaurant.com for more information.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY'S BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION At sunrise on July

17, the Santa Rosa Creek Tribe will offer a blessing in Museum Plaza to kick off the day. It is a moment to pay respect for all people and to honor those who came before us. Filming, recording and photography is not allowed. Later that morning, a formal program will take place in Museum Plaza (Historic Pensacola Village), exactly 200 years after the exchange of Spanish and American flags.

The UWF Symphonic Band will play "The Star-Spangled Banner" and provide a medley of Spanish, British, French and American music. For many in Pensacola that day, it was the first hearing of our national anthem. Hispanic musicians will drift through the Village and, just as they did 200 years ago, performers of African descent will dance in the plazas. Spanish and English military reenactors will mingle with the audience, and Historic Pensacola Village will be open to the public at no charge. Additional programs and performances will take place throughout the Village. Programing is structured to reflect the community's rich and diverse heritage and the collective influences that make our community what it is today. For more information, visit visitpensacola.com/200th.

WSRE COMMEMORATES FLORIDA'S TERRITORIAL BICENTENNIAL In part-

nership with the 200th Anniversary Commission Commemorating Florida's Territorial Bicentennial, the City of Pensacola and Escambia County, WSRE will broadcast an "inStudio" series commemorating this historical event at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 15.

Hosted by Sherri Hemminghaus Weeks, the four one-hour episodes will reflect on the region's role in establishing Florida's statehood and provide information about bicentennial celebrations and opportunities for community involvement "1821

Sampler Project Linking Past to Present" airs July 1; "St. Michael's Cemetery: At the Crossroads of Pensacola's Past" airs July 8; and "The Dinner Tables of 1821 and 2021: The Diversity of Our Culinary Heritage" airs July 15.

All four episodes will be available for streaming on their premiere dates at wsre. org/instudio.

WAYS TO GET TO PENSACOLA BEACH

The Pensacola Bay Bridge is now open, which is perfect timing for beach season.

Escambia County reminds eager beachgoers of the various ways to get to the beach.

Live Pensacola Beach traffic video and beach conditions are available at myescambia.com.

ECAT BUS Escambia County Area Transit discontinued service for the Route 61 detour across the Garcon Point Bridge with the Pensacola Bay Bridge opening. Normal schedules for Route 61 and Route 64 Beach Jumper will restart.

Note the following schedules: REGULAR SERVICE: •Routes: 1, 2, 32, 44, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 55, 57, 58, 59X, 60, 61 and 64 Beach Jumper MODIFIED ROUTES: •Route 31, 43, and 63: Runs Monday-Saturday, every two hours (Saturday Schedule) •Route 45: Runs Monday-Saturday, only every hour, 6 a.m.-5 p.m.

UWF TROLLEY: •(Summer Schedule) UWF Express Service runs Monday–Saturday Schedules are located on goecat.com and the ECAT Ride guide.

FREE TROLLEY SERVICE The Santa Rosa

Island Authority (SRIA) will have free openair trolley service along Pensacola Beach.

The service runs Monday-Sunday, 4 p.m.midnight, through Labor Day weekend.

FERRY Pensacola Bay Cruises Ferry Service offers daily service, seven days a week, between Downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. Ferry trips last approximately 50 minutes, and all-day free parking is available at each of the departure sites.

DRIVE, BIKE OR WALK OVER THE BOB SIKES BRIDGE When you drive over the Bob Sikes Bridge to Pensacola Beach, there is an electronic toll in place. Cash and coins are no longer collected in person. The county encourages motorists to plan ahead and use electronic toll collection devices (i.e.

SunPass, E-Pass, Annual Pass, NC Quick Pass, Peach Pass, E-ZPass), tolling apps (i.e.

PayTollo) or TOLL-BY-PLATE from SunPass.

PENSACOLA BEACH TRAFFIC HOTLINE Residents and visitors can report beach

traffic issues via the Pensacola Beach Traffic Hotline at (850) 595-0862 or by emailing traffic@myescambia.com, offered by the Escambia County Transportation and Traffic Operations Division.

NONPROFITS + FUNDRAISERS

CAT AND KITTEN ADOPTIONS Animal

Allies will be at Pet Supermarket, 6857 N. Ninth Ave., in Pensacola on Saturdays, July 10 and 24, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Everett Animal Welfare Group will be at PetSmart, N. Davis Highway, on July 10, 17, 24 and 31 from noon-4 p.m. Many cats and kittens will be looking for their fur-ever homes. All cats are up to date on shots and tested negative for leukemia, and adoption fee includes spay or neuter with microchip and flea pill. For more information, visit aaflorida.com.

"FRIEND OF FOO" APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN The Foo Foo Festival Committee is now accepting applications from nonprofit and for-profit entities who are interested in playing a part in this year's events as a "Friend of Foo." Nonprofits in the Pensacola area who recently applied and did not receive a grant for this year's festival but would still like to participate, or local for-profit businesses such as hoteliers, restaurants and bars who are interested in participating and benefitting, are encouraged to apply. To review the application process, visit foofoofest.com.

"Friend of Foo'' participants will receive local, regional and national visibility during the 12-day event via the festival's regional marketing campaign. When applying, entrants should be prepared to provide the name and title of their prospective event; the date, time and location for the event; its

It’s Pet Pic Time!

Inweekly is working on our 10th annual Pet Issue and we want to include your pets.

Please send pictures of your furry, scaly &/or feathered friends to joani@inweekly.net by Wednesday, July 21 for a chance to be featured in the issue.

Make sure you include the pet and owner(s) names.

616 1

inweekly.net

a&e happenings respective category; and details and imagery to support the concept. The deadline to submit to be a "Friend of Foo" is Friday, Oct. 1, by noon.

The Pensacola Foo Foo Festival will take place Nov. 4-15, 2021.

LIVE MUSIC

BANDS ON THE BEACH Bands on the Beach is back. The free concert series features shows each Tuesday night, from 7-9 p.m., from April to October at the Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach.

UPCOMING DATES: •July 13: Reunion Band •July 20: Pearl and the Rhinestones BLUES ON THE BAY The Blues on the Bay

Restaurant, located at 1504 W. Intendencia St., on the first Friday of every month from 6-9:30 p.m.

CURT BOL JAZZ QUARTET Visit Five

Sisters Blues Café, located at 421 W. Belmont St., Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and listen to Curt Bol Jazz Quartet. Visit curtbolband.com for more information.

OPEN JAM AT ARTEL GALLERY Artel

Gallery is open from 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays for open jam with Pensacola Folk Music Society. Feel free to visit and listen to music. Artel Gallery is located at 223 S. Palafox.

KARAOKE AT MUGS AND JUGS Sing

free concert series continues at Community Maritime Park, located at 351 W. Cedar St. Concerts are 6 p.m. on select Sunday evenings.

Bring your coolers and lawn chairs and take a spot in front of the Hunter Amphitheater.

•July 11: Memory Lane

your heart out Sundays at Mugs & Jugs, 12080 Scenic Highway, or just enjoy drinks friends with $4 Smirnoff and $6.50 domestic pitcher drink deals from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/mugsjugs.

YARD LIGHTS Yard Lights will be playing at South Market, located at 232 E. Main St., at 6-9 p.m. Friday, July 9. Visit facebook.com/ yardlightspcola for more information.

LIVE MUSIC AT HUB STACEY'S Sit back with good food and live music at Hub Stacey's, located at 312 E. Government St. For a full calendar of bands, check hubstaceys.com.

TOWN AND COUNTRY BEN BELL Ben

MONDAY NIGHT BLUES AT SEVILLE QUARTER Seville Quarter and the Blues

Bell will be playing tunes at Dolce & Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave., at 5 p.m. Friday, July 9. Visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola for more information.

JASON TREUMAN AT GARY'S BREWERY & BIERGARTEN Jason Treuman will be performing at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, located at 208 Newman Ave., at 6 p.m.

Friday, July 9. For more information, visit facebook.com/garysbrew.

SHIP & SHORE AT GARY'S BREWERY & BIERGARTEN Ship & Shore will perform

at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 10, at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, located at 208 Newman Ave. For more information, visit facebook.com/ garysbrew.

THE LUBBEN BROTHERS IN CONCERT The Lubben Brothers will perform at

The Gordon Community Art Center, located at 306 N. DeVilliers St., from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Friday, July 16. Tickets are $18-$30.

LIVE MUSIC FOR RECORD STORE DAY Shop for records at Revolver Records and listen to live music at Dolce and Gelato all in one place at 2050 N. 12th Ave. For more information, visit facebook.com/revolverfl.

LIVE MUSIC AT RED FISH BLUE FISH PENSACOLA BEACH Head to Red Fish

Blue Fish for live performances from local bands Fridays and Saturdays all day. For musician lineups, visit facebook.com/redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.

SAXOPHONIST JIM ANDREWS AT ALICE'S RESTAURANT Saxophonist Jim Andrews will be performing at Alice's July 8, 2021

Society of Northwest Florida bring the "Blues" back to the Seville Quarter Entertainment District, located at 130 E. Government St. every Monday night in End O' the Alley starting at 7 p.m. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com.

TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ AT SEVILLE QUARTER Enjoy smooth jazz with Melodi-

ous Allen and The Funk Heads every Tuesday night at Lili Marlene's in Seville Quarter, located at 130 E. Government St. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. Visit sevillequarter.com for more information.

ARTS & CULTURE

HILL-KELLY MOVIES IN THE PARK The

Hill-Kelly Drive-In Movie Series returns to Community Maritime Park Friday, July 9, with Disney's "Soul."

Bring your blankets and chairs to watch a family-friendly movie underneath the stars. Movies begin at sunset and free event parking is available at Community Maritime Park and City Hall. Concessions are available from local food trucks.

book sale, with hundreds of books on sale for just a buck. The sale will be at the store, located at 1040 N. Guillemard St., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, July 10, and Sunday, July 11.

Unleash your creativity with PMA's Open Studio. On Saturday, July 10, participants can create their own Art Nouveau poster inspired

by Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist Alphonse Mucha. Open studio hours are from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tickets are $10-$12.

To purchase yours, visit the Facebook event at facebook.com/pensacolamuseum.

BOOK SIGNING WITH BEN BEARD Pensacola writer Ben Beard will be signing copies of his latest book, "The South Never Plays Itself," at Dolce and Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave., from 3-6 p.m. Saturday, July 10.

Visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola for more information.

909 N. 12th Avenue

pensacolapopcomics.com FREE CONCERT SERIES TUESDAYS 7  9 PM | GULFSIDE PAVILION

2021

FAFSA NIGHT AT PSC Need help com-

pleting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)? Contact Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) at (850) 4841961, email eoc@pensacolastate.edu or attend a FAFSA Night at PSC held Tuesdays, July 13, 20 and 27, from 5-7 p.m. at PSC's Pensacola Campus, Bldg. 5, Computer Lab, Room 509. Escambia County high school graduates of the 2020 and 2021 school years will receive a $20 gift card when they complete their FAFSA and those applying to PSC will receive an application fee waiver via the Cash for College initiative. For more information, contact EOC at (850) 484-1961 or email eoc@pensacolastate.edu.

SM 2014

Reunion Band | July 13 High Energy Dance Beats

SUMMER EXHIBITIONS SHOWCASE

As the Pensacola Museum of Art moves into the final stages of re-opening to the public, the Summer Exhibitions Showcase welcomes the community back into the galleries from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, July 15. Enjoy a toast to curators, artists, collectors and the community, and rub elbows with your fellow art lovers. Memberships and information about upcoming programs and events will be available onsite. This event is free. From 5-6 p.m. is the members-only curatorial tour. For more information, visit facebook. com/pensacolamuseum.

Pearl & The Rhinestones | July 20 Country and more!

We encourage all concert-goers to take appropriate COVID-19 preventative measures, socially distance themselves and follow the guidelines of our local health authorities.

For updates, call SRIA at (850) 932-2257, go to VisitPensacolaBeach.com or tune to Cat Country 98.7. Please, no glass containers or pets.

AESOP'S FABLES AT PLT Pensacola Little

Friday and Saturday, July 9 and 10, at 1 p.m.

On Friday and Saturday, July 23 and 24, at 1 p.m. is the film "Dream Horse." More information, including links to virtual screenings, is available at pensacolacinemaart.com. All tickets are $8. Reserve your seats by emailing jpncinema@gmail.com or texting (863) 4467300. PCA is located at 220 W. Garden St.

$1 SUMMER BOOK SALE Look for your

RETURN OF GALLERY NIGHT The

next summer read at the Open Books $1

KIDS BOOKS

OPEN STUDIO: ALPHONSE MUCHA

Theatre presents Aesop's Fables, an Acorn production, directed by Jennifer Bunnell.

Four of Aesop's best loved fables— "The Fox and the Crow," "The Tortoise and the Hare," "The Donkey in the Lion's Skin" and, finally, "The Fox and the Sour Grapes"—are created in this approach to storyteller's theatre.

Show dates are Saturdays, July 17 and 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and Sundays, July 18 and 25, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $13 for adults and $7 for children. For more information, visit pensacolalittletheatre.com.

COMING SOON TO PENSACOLA CINEMA ART "Supernova" will be playing on

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Gallery Night Pensacola Board of Directors 17

a&e happenings has announced the return of its monthly Gallery Night events in Downtown Pensacola beginning July 16.

Gallery Night will once again host its monthly art-centric event on the third Friday of the month from 5-10 p.m. The July event will coincide with the city's upcoming bicentennial celebration.

Based on the most recent CDC reports and vaccine numbers, the board has decided that this outdoor event can once again take place at 100% capacity.

While CDC guidelines do not require a mask for any outdoor events for those that are fully vaccinated, the Pensacola Gallery Night Board does encourage mask usage for those who are not vaccinated or are at high health risk.

For more information, visit gallerynightpensacola.org.

ISLAND FIGHTS 68 A night of mixed

martial arts fights Saturday, July 17, at Pensacola Bay Center, located at 201 E. Gregory St. Tickets are $51-$61.50 or tables for $600-$700. For more information, visit pensacolabaycenter.com.

SCRIPTEASERS WITH PENSACOLA LITTLE THEATRE Scripteasers, Studio

400's and Pensacola Little Theatre's Script Reading Club invites you to monthly script readings at PLT, 400 S. Jefferson St. Want to bring your scripts for the group to read

and discuss? Contact Pensacola Little Theatre to get in queue. The group reads prospective scripts for future seasons as well as new scripts that need a table read before the next edit. Not a playwright but love to read out loud? This is your easy, fun theatre night. Fascinated by the play selection process? Sit in for a listen and usually a lot of laughs. Visit facebook.com/pensacolalittletheatre for more information and the latest dates.

DRAG SHOWS AT DOLCE AND GELATO Head to Dolce and Gelato, located at 2050 N. 12th Ave., for regular drag shows. For more information, visit facebook.com/dolcegelatopensacola.

CHORAL SOCIETY OF PENSACOLA AUDITIONS FOR 86TH SEASON All

singers 18 and older are invited to audition for The Choral Society of Pensacola, a community of volunteer singers, as they prepare for their 86th season, their first with Artistic Director Peter Steenblik. Auditions are set for Aug. 2-4 from 5-9 p.m. in the Ashmore Fine Arts Center at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd.

In-person auditions are by appointment only. Singers may also submit recorded auditions. The deadline is Aug. 4, and the instructions for recording and submitting auditions will be posted soon on the Choral Society website. In either case,

in-person or recorded, the audition process is brief and informal, and no preparation is necessary. However, singers must register online at choralsocietyofpensacola.org/ auditions.

Dr. Steenblik has planned four major concerts for 2021-2022. The season will open in October with a program of American music performed with chamber orchestra. The major work is "Frostiana," Randall Thompson's classic setting of seven poems by Robert Frost, including "The Road Not Taken" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." In December, the Choral Society will present "Her Christmas," seasonal music by women composers, and in February, "Stage and Screen," songs from musical theatre and film. The season will conclude in May with a concert showcasing "Triptych," a contemporary work by Tarik O'Regan in an arrangement for chorus and eight percussionists.

In addition to the four concerts, the season offers opportunities to participate in a Veterans Day concert with Pensacola Opera Chorus, in a performance of Craig Hella Johnson's oratorio "Considering Matthew Shepard" with the University of West Florida Singers and in the Society's annual holiday sing-along. Rehearsals will take place Monday evenings at 7 p.m. on the PSC campus and will begin on Aug. 16 with a season kick-off event.

PENSACOLA CHILDREN'S CHORUS AUDITIONS Pensacola Children's Chorus

auditions will be held Saturday, Aug. 7, and are open to students entering grades one-12.

PCC's season runs September-May with the aim of producing three fully staged, costumed and choreographed mainstage concerts—"Christmas on the Coast," "One World Many Voices" and "Showtime." However, these larger-thanlife performances reinforce more than vocal ability. Throughout the season, students are immersed in personal and social growth designed to equip singers with the tools to succeed beyond the rehearsal hall and stage.

Interested families need to register for an audition time by visiting pensacolasings. org. Middle and high school singers should be prepared to learn a brief choreographed section to assess movement and learning style. All ability levels welcome. No prior experience or training is required. PCC is located in the Margaret Moore Nickelsen Center, 46 E. Chase St., on the campus of First Presbyterian Church in beautiful downtown Pensacola.

For more information about the Pensacola Children's Chorus, please call (850) 434-7760 or visit pensacolachildrenschorus.com.

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July 8, 2021

19

▶rules

Just like we have every summer for the last 21 years, we're asking all of you to play favorites and vote in our Best of the Coast poll.

That means all of your most important opinions—like who really makes the best tacos in town—are finally going to be heard.

And don't worry if you can't get through the full ballot in one try.

Voting is open through July 21, so you can take it one section at a time.

You can also vote online if that's more your style—at inweekly.net. {in}

•No photocopies or faxes will be accepted.

•Vote in at least 15 categories. Ballots with fewer than 15 will not be counted.

•Ballots must be postmarked by July 21, 2021.

▶mail your ballot to

Best of the Coast c/o Inweekly, PO Box 12082, Pensacola, FL 32591

▶required info Name

Or vote online at inweekly.net now-July 21

Email

community, media & culture

services

health & wellness

Best Nonprofit

Best Gym

Best Music Venue Best Band Best Concert/Concert Series Best Theatre Production

Best Hair Salon Best Hair Stylist Best Hair Colorist Best Barber Shop Best Men's Hair Stylist Best Day Spa Best Massage Best Massage Therapist Best Pedicure Best Manicure Best Hair Removal Best Facial Best Esthetician Best Skin Care Overall Best Bank Best Credit Union Best Financial Advisor Best Accounting Firm Best Residential Real Estate Agency Best Commercial Real Estate Agency Best Real Estate Agent Best Boutique Hotel/Inn Best Hotel–Pensacola Beach Best Hotel–Pensacola Best Apartment Complex Best Architecture Firm Best Law Firm Best Attorney Best Insurance Agency Best Vet Best Dog Groomer Best Doggie Day Care/Boarding Best Dog Training Best Construction Company Best Landscaping Best Interior Designer Best Framery Best Tattoo & Piercing Studio Best Tattoo Artist Best Special Event Space Best Caterer Best Florist Best Portrait/Family Photography Best Car Wash/Detailer Best Oil Change Best Auto Service Shop Best Window Tinting Best Green Business

Best Comedian

Best New Business

Best Comic Book Store

Best Charity Event Best Place to Work Best Boss Best Community Leader Best Rising Leader Best Politician Best Advocacy/Activist Group Best Place to Take Out-of-Town Guests Best Day Trip Best Annual Event Best Food Event Best Parade Best Regular/Reoccurring Event Best Free Thing To Do Best Neighborhood Best Pensacola Landmark Best Public Park Best Pet-Friendly Park Best Playground Best Palafox Market Vendor Best Makers/Craft Market Best Reason to Attend a Blue Wahoos Game Best Reason to Attend an Ice Flyers Game Best Youth Sports/Rec Program Best Dance Studio Best After-School Activity Best Summer Camp Best Place for a Birthday Party Best Local Celebrity Best TV Station Best Radio Station Best Radio Personality Best Morning Radio Show Best Podcast Best Website/Blog Best Scandal Best Person or Business to Follow on Instagram Best Business to "Like" on Facebook Best Way To Get Cultured Best Art Gallery/Museum Best Artist Best Photographer

020 2

Best Personal Trainer Best Boutique Fitness Studio Best Yoga Best Yoga Instructor Best Pilates Best Fitness Classes Best Fitness Instructor Best Bootcamp Best Weight Loss Program Best Running Club Best 5K Best Place to Walk/Run Best Place to Ride Your Bike Best Hospital Best General Care Physician Best Chiropractor Best Dentist Best Orthodontist Best Pediatrician Best Mental Health Professional Best OB/GYN Best Optometrist Best Dermatologist Best Plastic Surgery Best Physical Therapy Best Pharmacy Best Walk-In Clinic

retail Best Car Dealership Best Bicycle Shop Best Boutique Best Men's Apparel Best Women's Apparel Best Children's Apparel & Gifts Best Accessories Best Consignment Store Best Thrift Store Best Athletic/Outdoor Store Best Furniture Store Best Home Décor & Accessories Best Antiques Best Vintage Shop/Seller Best Maker/Artisan Best Gift Shop Best Place to Buy Greeting Cards/Stationery inweekly.net

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Best Original Menu

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weddings

Best Up-and-Coming Chef

Best Cooking Classes

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Best Waiter

Best Local Beverage Manufacturer

Best Ceremony Venue

Best Waitress

Best Reception Venue

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bars, drinks & nightlife

Best Officiant

Best Barista

Best Bar Overall

Best Bridal Store

Best Outdoor Dining

Best Night Club

Best Place to Rent a Tux

Best Place to Splurge

Best Bar–Downtown

Best Bridal Make-up Artist

Best Place to Eat Healthy

Best Bar–Cordova Area

Best Wedding Hair Salon

Best Place to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

Best Bar–North Pensacola/Nine Mile Road

Best Wedding Hair Stylist

Best Romantic Dining

Best Bar–West Pensacola/Perdido Key

Best Wedding Planner/Coordinator

Best Place for a First Date

Best Bar–Pensacola Beach

Best Wedding Photography

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant

Best Bar–Milton/Pace

Best Photobooth

Best Pet-Friendly Restaurant

Best New Bar

Best Wedding Videography

Best Salad Bar

Best Happy Hour

Best Wedding Band

Best Take Out/To Go

Best Drink Specials

Best Wedding DJ

Best Food Delivery

Best Cover Charge Worth Paying

Best Wedding Caterer

Best Restaurant for a Birthday Dinner

Best Day Drinking

Best Wedding Cake

Best Restaurant for Sports Fans

Best Drink Menu

Best Wedding Florist

Best Late Night Eats

Best Specialty Cocktails

Best Wedding Rentals

Best Restaurant to Take Out-of-Town Guests

Best Daiquiris/Frozen Drinks

Best Wedding Party Transportation

Best Gone-But-Not-Forgotten Restaurant

Best Bushwacker

Best Place to Buy a Wedding Gift

Best Bloody Mary

Best Place to Buy Bridesmaid Gifts

food

Best Mimosa

Best Place for a Rehearsal Dinner

*List the specific menu item if applicable

Best Martini

Best Place for Out-of-Town Guests to Stay

Best Uniquely Pensacola Dish

Best Selection of Wine

Best Cup of Coffee

Best Margarita

restaurants

Best Iced Coffee

Best Signature Drink

Best Restaurant Overall

Best Latte

Best Selection of Beer on Tap

Best Restaurant–Downtown

Best Iced Tea

Best Selection of Bottled/Canned Beer

Best Restaurant–Cordova Area

Best Juices/Smoothies

Best Brewery

Best Restaurant–East Hill

Best Pizza

Best Local Beer

Best Restaurant–North Pensacola/

Best Steak

Best Bartender

Nine Mile Road

Best Burrito

Best DJ

Best Restaurant–West Pensacola/Perdido Key

Best Taco

Best Drag Queen

Best Restaurant–East Pensacola Heights

Best Soup

Best Sports Bar

Best Restaurant–Gulf Breeze

Best Deli

Best Sports Team Club Headquarters

Best Restaurant–Pensacola Beach

Best Bread

Best Neighborhood Bar

Best Restaurant–Milton/Pace

Best Sandwich

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free will astrology WEEK OF JULY 8 ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Poet

Joshua Jennifer Espinoza writes, "i name my body girl of my dreams / i name my body proximity / i name my body full of hope despite everything." I love her idea that we might give playful names and titles and descriptors to our bodies. In alignment with current astrological omens, I propose that you do just that. It's time to take your relationship with your beautiful organism to a higher level. How about if you call it "Exciting Love River" or "Perfectly Imperfect Thrill" or "Amazing Maze"? Have fun dreaming up further possibilities!

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): The English language, my native tongue, doesn't ascribe genders to its nouns. But many languages do. In Spanish, the word for "bridge" is "puente," which is masculine. In German, "bridge" is "Brücke," which is feminine. A blogger named Tickettome says this is why Spanish speakers may describe a bridge as strong or sturdy, while German speakers refer to it as elegant or beautiful. I encourage you to meditate on bridges that possess the entire range of qualities, including the Spanish and German notions. In the coming weeks, you'll be wise to build new metaphorical bridges, fix bridges that are in disrepair, and extinguish fires on any bridges that are burning.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Académie

Française is an organization devoted to preserving the purity and integrity of the French language. One of its ongoing missions is to resist the casual incorporation of English words, which the younger generation of French people is inclined to do. Among anglicisms that don't have the Académie's approval—podcast, clickbait, chick-lit, deadline, hashtag, marketing, timelapse and showrunner. The ban doesn't stop anyone from using the words, of course, but simply avoids giving them official recognition. I appreciate the noble intentions of the Académie but regard its crusade as a losing battle that has minimal impact. In the coming weeks, I advise you to refrain from behavior that resembles the Académie's. Resist the

By Rob Brezsny

temptation of quixotic idealism. Be realistic and pragmatic. You Geminis often thrive in environments that welcome idiosyncrasies, improvisation, informality and experimentation—especially now.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Cancerian author Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote a poem about how one morning he went half-mad and conversed with the sun. At first, he called the supreme radiance a "lazy clown," complaining that it just floated through the sky for hours while he, Mayakovsky, toiled diligently at his day job painting posters. Then he dared the sun to come down and have tea with him, which, to his shock, the sun did. The poet was agitated and worried—what if the close approach of the bright deity would prove dangerous? But the visitor turned out to be friendly. They had a pleasant dialog, and in the end the sun promised to provide extra inspiration for Mayakovsky's future poetry. I invite you to try something equally lyrical and daring, dear Cancerian.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): A blogger named Bunny-Gal writes, "I almost completely forgot who I was there for a while. But then I dug a hole and smelled the fresh dirt and now I remember everything and am okay." I recommend you follow her lead, Leo—even if you haven't totally lost touch with your essence. Communing with Mother Earth in the most direct and graphic way to remind you of everything you need to remember: of the wisdom you've lost track of and the secrets you've hidden too well and the urgent intuitions that are simmering just below the surface of your awareness.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): I can't un-

derstand the self-help gurus who advise us to relentlessly live in the present moment—to shed all awareness of past and future so as to focus on the eternal NOW. I mean, I appreciate the value of doing such an exercise on occasion for a few moments. I've tried it, and it's often rejuvenating. But it can also be downright foolish to have no thoughts of yesterday and tomorrow. We need to evaluate how circumstances will evolve, based on our previous experience and future projections.

It can be a deadening, depleting act to try to strip ourselves of the rich history we are always embedded in. In any case, Virgo, I advise you to be thoroughly aware of your past and future in the coming days. To do so will enhance your intelligence and soulfulness in just the right ways to make good decisions.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Psychotherapist and author Clarissa Pinkola Estés poetically refers to the source of our creativity as "the river under the river." It's the deep primal energy that "nourishes everything we make"—our "writing, painting, thinking, healing, doing, cooking, talking, smiling." This river beneath the river doesn't belong to any of us—is potentially available to all—but if harnessed correctly it works in very personal ways, fueling our unique talents. I bring this to your attention, Libra, because you're close to gaining abundant new access to the power of the river beneath the river.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): In formulating personal goals, Scorpio author Brené Brown urges us to emphasize growth rather than perfection. Trying to improve is a healthier objective than seeking flawless mastery. Bonus perk—This practical approach makes us far less susceptible to shame. We're not as likely to feel like a failure or give up prematurely on our projects. I heartily endorse this strategy for you right now, Scorpio.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): In a letter to Jean-Paul Sartre, author Simone de Beauvoir described how she was dealing with a batch of challenging memories—"I'm reliving it street by street, hour by hour, with the mission of neutralizing it, and transforming it into an inoffensive past that I can keep in my heart without either disowning it or suffering from it." I LOVE this approach! It's replete with emotional intelligence. I recommend it to you now, since it's high time to wrangle and finagle with parts of your life story that need to be alchemically transformed and redeemed by your love and wisdom.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): In

one of his poems, Capricorn-born Kenneth Rexroth complains about having "a crooked

guide on the twisted path of love." But in my view, a crooked guide is the best kind.

It's unwise to engage the services of a love accomplice who's always looking for the simplest, straightest route, or who imagines that intimate togetherness can be nourished with easy, obvious solutions. To cultivate the most interesting intimacy, we need influences that appreciate nuance and complexity—that thrive on navigating the tricky riddles and unpredictable answers. The next eight weeks will be an excellent time for you Capricorns to heed this advice.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): Aquarian singer Etta James (1938–2012) won six Grammy Awards and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame and Blues Hall of Fame. She testified, "Most of the songs I sing have that blues feeling in it. They have that sorry feeling. And I don't know what I'm sorry about." Wow! I'm surprised to hear this. Most singers draw on their personal life experience to infuse their singing with authentic emotion.

In any case, I urge you to do the opposite of Etta James in the coming weeks. It's important for the future of your healing that you identify exactly what you're sorry about.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): "Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn," writes Piscean self-help author John C. Maxwell. His statement is useful, but it harbors a problematic implication. It suggests that you can experience either winning or learning, but not both—that the only time you learn is when you lose. I disagree with this presumption. In fact, I think you're now in a phase when it's possible and even likely for you to both win and learn.

THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK: Send word of your most important lesson of the year so far.

Newsletter@freewillastrology.com

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news of the weird AWESOME! In 1961, when she was 10 years old, Gwen Goldman sent a letter to New York Yankees general manager Roy Hamey, offering her services as a bat girl. Hamey responded, "In a game dominated by men a young lady such as yourself would feel out of place in a dugout." Goldman kept the letter from Hamey on her bulletin board for the next 60 years, and her daughter recently forwarded it to current general manager Brian Cashman. On June 28, United Press International reported, Goldman was invited to Yankee Stadium to fulfill her dream.

Her visit included a tour of the clubhouse, meet-and-greet with players and coaches, and photos with umpires—plus she got to throw out the first pitch wearing a full pinstripe Yankees uniform. "Sixty years thinking about this and here it is," Goldman said.

THE PASSING PARADE Deer are not native to Australia, which might explain why two nude sunbathers in Royal National Park, south of Sydney, ran into the bush when a deer startled them on a nudist beach on June 27.

The two men, 30 and 49 years old, became lost and called for help, summoning a police rescue helicopter to pluck them from the forest, Reuters reported. Unfortunately for them, they were found to be breaching a COVID-19 lockdown instated in response to the delta variant, and both were charged with fines.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS An unnamed man in Waterboro, Maine, was arrested on June 27 on an outstanding warrant for a theft from a Walmart, the Associated Press reported. When the bail commissioner arrived, the man tried to use two counterfeit $100 bills to post his bail.

He was returned to jail and charged with forgery. Reportedly he was able to meet bail with legitimate bills later that day and is scheduled to be in court on Aug. 4.

•In Gillette, Wyoming, a 62-year-old man called the Campbell County Sheriff's Office on June 24 to ask why he hadn't been arrested the day before, when officers raided his home.

Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds asked him why he ought to be arrested, and the man admitted that he had used methamphetamine— which might shed light on the fact that his house was never raided and there had been no plans to arrest him. He also told officers that 10 men were following him, the Associated Press reported. Deputies caught up with him as he was driving and arrested him for driving under the influence of a controlled substance.

•Vincent Vinny Marks, 27, of Plaquemine, Louisiana, picked the wrong guy to pull over as he impersonated a police officer on June 10. Law & Crime reported that an off-duty sheriff's deputy was driving that day when the vehicle behind him began "flashing his headlights continuously." The deputy

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

pulled into a convenience store parking lot, followed by Marks, who approached his car, presented a badge and "represented himself as being a police officer." Unfortunately, the off-duty officer recognized Marks from a domestic incident that he had responded to earlier in the year. The Assumption Parish Sheriff's Office launched an investigation, and Marks was arrested on June 28 for false personation of a peace officer.

EXTREME REACTION A couple in Sheffield, United Kingdom, have taken drastic measures over their neighbor's tree, which sits right on the property line and overhangs their driveway. Bharat Mistry, 56, the tree's owner, told the BBC that his neighbor had been complaining for some time about the tree, home to nesting pigeons that relieved themselves on the driveway and cars. First, the angry neighbor asked Mistry to remove the tree altogether. Mistry suggested trimming and installing netting to keep the birds out, but the neighbor called in his own tree surgeon, who completely removed the side of the canopy that was hanging over the drive.

"It looks awful," said Brian Parkes, who lives nearby. "It's done, you can't undo it."

SURPRISE! Colin Steer, 70, of Plymouth, United Kingdom, was replacing some floor joists in the home he and his wife bought in 1988 when he noticed a dip in the floor near the bay window in the living room. "I immediately thought someone must have buried someone under there or that we had a sinkhole," Steer told the Mirror. Instead, he found a well. Since then, Steer has been digging down into the well, having cleared about 17 feet of debris from it, including a sword that he believes could date to medieval times. While the home was constructed in 1895, Steer believes the well may be 500 years old. "At the bottom of the well is about 4 feet of water," Steer said, which he has sampled and deemed crystal clear. He hopes to dig down another several feet and then extend the structure up into the living room and use it as a coffee table.

BUT WHY? WLBT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi, reported on June 30 that vandals have been breaking into graves in Rosemount Cemetery— not only opening the graves, but damaging and opening caskets of people buried there.

Mausoleums have also been breached, with urns and remains missing. Zach Martinez, who visited on June 29 to pay respects to a friend, said, "It's sad what's going on out here because this is a resting place for people." Martinez returned one casket to its niche. The secretary of state's office told WLBT that a complaint would have to be raised against the cemetery for an investigation to be opened. {in} From Andrews McMeel Syndication News Of The Weird © 2021 Andrews McMeel

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com July 8, 2021

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Independent News | July 8, 2021 | inweekly.net