Mayor Reeves in Washington Advocating for Pensacola Projects

Pensacola, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Pensacola Mayor DC Reeves is in Washington, D.C., this week meeting with federal officials and advocating for city priorities.

Reeves is attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting and has scheduled sessions with multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Commerce, EPA, HUD, and FAA.

"We've got priorities in Pensacola, so we have meetings with several federal agencies," Reeves said.

Getting to Washington proved challenging. Reeves said weather delays through Atlanta turned the trip into an overnight ordeal.

"I got in, got to the hotel room about 2:45 in the morning yesterday with all the delays through Atlanta and all that," Reeves said. "I had three different airports I was landing at in the last five or six hours before I finally got here. So the less glamorous version of business travel, so to speak."

While Reeves is in the nation's capital, City Administrator David Stafford is handling local duties, including attending Thursday's Triumph Gulf Coast board meeting. The board is voting on Project MAVE, a $76 million request that would bring a boat-building facility to the Port of Pensacola and create 2,000 jobs.

Reeves said he expects to return to Pensacola early next week. He is also expected to announce his selection for the next Pensacola police chief upon his return, calling the decision "maybe the hardest I've had to make."