Commissioner Stroberger Holds Town Hall Tonight In Beulah

Escambia County, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Escambia County District 1 Commissioner Steve Stroberger holds a town hall tonight at 5:30 at Beulah Church on Mobile Highway. He'll discuss O-L-F-8, park upgrades and the senior center. The public is invited.

Triumph Board Gives Initial Approval to $76 Million Port of Pensacola Project

Pensacola, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- The Triumph Gulf Coast board gave initial approval Thursday to a $76 million grant that would transform the Port of Pensacola and create 2,000 jobs.

Project MAVE would establish shipbuilder Birdon America Inc.'s Southeastern headquarters and a Tier 2 advanced ship manufacturing facility in Pensacola. The facility would create 1,437 jobs at an average salary of $68,000 annually and 563 jobs at an average salary of $112,000.

"This project will change the trajectory of our city for generations to come," said Mayor DC Reeves, who is in Washington, D.C., this week meeting with federal agencies. "I promised careers for our hardworking taxpayers. Today shows that we are delivering on that promise."

The city calls it the largest job creation project in Pensacola's history and one of the largest grants ever approved by Triumph Gulf Coast, the nonprofit managing funds recovered from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

When fully approved, the investment will support a 400,000 square-foot shipbuilding facility at the port. The facility will produce critical modules for Navy ships and submarines, surface vessels up to 400 feet, and support U.S. military interests.

The total project cost is $275 million, with additional funding from Birdon's capital investment and a pending $14 million request to the Florida Department of Commerce. Triumph funds will support a $105 million construction program including a panel line and module fabrication warehouse and an assembly bay.

The city will retain ownership of the facilities and enter a long-term ground lease with Birdon, which was established in 1977 and has more than 15 years of experience delivering defense contracts for the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

Officials say the goal is to attract suppliers and leverage partnerships with UWF's WAVE Center, Pensacola State College, and the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition to create a talent pipeline.

The city and Triumph will now enter negotiations before final grant agreement approval.

Man Breaks Into Port of Pensacola, Rams Fence to Escape, Caught Within Half Block

Pensacola, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- A man who broke into the Port of Pensacola was quickly arrested after stealing a vehicle inside the facility and ramming a fence to escape.

Pensacola Police Department Public Information Officer Mike Wood said the man jumped the fence to enter the port but injured himself in the process. Police do not know why he entered the secured facility, and nothing was stolen.

"He realized that he's trapped in there now, he doesn't want to go back out the same way he came in because it caused injury," Wood said. "So he found a vehicle that was inside the port, he was able to start that vehicle and ram a fence with it, pretty close to where he got in the first time, and was able to escape, only for about a half a block."

Officers apprehended the suspect before he could reach Main Street.

Wood credited the quick arrest to a combination of good police work, port security, and fast response from the patrol division.

The Port of Pensacola is a secured facility that requires a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC card, for access. Wood compared breaking into the port to attempting to breach an airport or military installation.

"They're very well secured and you might as well try breaking in the county jail when you're doing something like that," Wood said. "It's not a good idea."

The suspect faces multiple charges.