Mayor Reeves Reacts to Re-Election Win, Curfew Failure, Veterans Park Restrooms and More

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Mayor D.C. Reeves joined Pensacola's Morning News Wednesday morning fresh off his re-election victory — calling in from school drop-off where he and daughter Caroline were celebrating after a long night of sign-waving at Bayview Park and a victory party. The mayor earned 53 percent of the vote in Tuesday's primary — defeating five challengers without a runoff and securing a second term without a November race.

The Re-Election

Reeves says the margin told him something important about how Pensacola residents actually feel about their city — and says it is very different from the picture painted on social media. He says decisions are not made in Facebook comment sections — they are made in living rooms when parents are FaceTiming their kids in college and thinking about whether Pensacola is a place they want to come home to. He says the vote tells him the city is going in the right direction and that residents want to keep pushing forward — not tear things down. He was quick to say he knows he can be a better mayor and that the city can always improve — but says acknowledging imperfection and declaring the city broken are two very different things. Reeves first won the mayor's race in 2022 at 38 years old, also without a runoff. The final results — Reeves 53 percent, Alicia Trawick 21 percent, Ann Hill 10 percent, Jermaine Williams 8 percent, Jasmine Brown 4 percent, Eric Shorter 3 percent.

Juvenile Curfew — Coming Back in September

Reeves was visibly frustrated about the juvenile curfew ordinance's failure at city council last week — and said the process leading up to the vote was more troubling than the vote itself. He says his team spent almost two weeks preparing the proposal and that every council member who showed up with last-minute objections had the same two weeks to raise those concerns privately and did not. He called that disrespectful to Police Chief Eric Winstrom — who has been the strongest advocate for the tool — and to the city attorney's office that did the legal work. He singled out Councilman Charles Bare for sending a written opposition document before even hearing from the chief — saying Bare burned the boat before the conversation started. Reeves also addressed the broader pattern of council decisions being driven by Facebook reaction rather than actual engagement with the substance of what is being proposed — saying there is a meaningful difference between showing up at a meeting and actually reading the ordinance you are opposing. The curfew ordinance will be brought back before city council in September. Reeves says he remains open to any conversation about how to improve it — before the meeting, not at the podium.

Land Development Code and Trees

The land development code overhaul that recently cleared city council will be followed up with additional protections for heritage oaks and southern live oaks. Reeves says he and Councilman Jared Moore are developing those additional specifications — which will come as a separate item rather than delay the broader LDC rewrite that had already begun. He says the goal is to make sure the trees the community loves most are genuinely protected going forward.

Veterans Memorial Park Restrooms

The two-bathroom prefab facility at Veterans Memorial Park has been approved by city council and is on track for completion by early 2027. Reeves defended the decision against critics who wanted four bathrooms — noting that only one park in the city's 95-park portfolio has two bathrooms outside of parks with community centers. He also pointed out that even four bathrooms would not be sufficient for major events like Veterans Day and Memorial Day when portable facilities are still needed regardless of what is permanently installed. He says the flood zone restrictions on the site limited options and that the city made the right call given the constraints. He says after 12 years of discussion he is simply looking forward to getting it done.

Second Term Priorities

Reeves says his second term will be defined by getting major projects already in motion across the finish line — specifically Birdon shipbuilding at the port, the $110 million airport terminal expansion, the Reverb development at Maritime Park, the Baptist Hospital site redevelopment, and a possible inland port at the Super Fun site that he says could significantly expand the port's economic development capacity. He says the city is going on offense and does not plan to slow down.