Mayor Reeves Updates Residents on City Progress in State of the City Address

Shipbuilding, infrastructure projects, housing initiatives highlighted in annual speech

Pensacola, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Pensacola Mayor DC Reeves delivered his State of the City address Thursday night at Bayview Community Center, updating residents on dozens of ongoing projects and highlighting the city's highest employee satisfaction scores in history.

Reeves opened the address by praising the 900 city employees working to deliver progress across major initiatives.

"We've had the highest employee engagement, highest employee satisfaction in the history of the city since we've been taking that," Reeves said. "That's not something that you might read in a headline, it might not be the flashy things that you'll see today, but there should be an expectation for the 900 people who work here."

Major Projects Update

The mayor devoted significant time to the $76 million Triumph Gulf Coast grant for a shipbuilding project at the Port of Pensacola.

"This is a project that can be a generational change for our city. 2,000 high-paying jobs, 1,500 of those jobs, give or take, at $68,000. The other 500 jobs average salary over $100,000," Reeves said.

Reeves reported the Palafox reconstruction remains on schedule for May 24th completion.

"We promised the small business owners that that's what we would do. We promised our residents that is what we would do," the mayor said.

Other project updates included Baptist Legacy Campus demolition underway on the 38-acre site, airport expansion adding five new gates, and the Hollis T. Williams stormwater project breaking ground after sitting dormant since 2004.

Housing and Services

Reeves highlighted housing and childcare initiatives including new infant care opening at Alice Williams Library, three completed community land trust homes that will remain permanently affordable, and pallet shelters installed for the homeless population.

The mayor reported city operations improvements including reducing open 311 service tickets from 2,000 to 30 and growing the opt-in recycling program to 4,200 households with 93% clean recycling.

Accountability Theme

Reeves emphasized the annual address holds his administration accountable to residents.

"We owe it to you to be accountable to what our performance is and what is going on that is strong in the city," Reeves said.

The mayor said the city is following the comprehensive strategic plan residents created outlining their priorities.

"This is what you told us. This is not what the mayor thinks or what staff thinks," Reeves said. "This is what you think that you want."

Reeves closed by thanking city employees and engaged residents, pledging the city will "not be outworked" and will "continue to remain urgent" on priorities.

The address highlighted Pensacola Beach's ranking as the number one beach in the country by Travel and Leisure magazine and the city's ranking as the fourth safest city in the United States.