Pensacola Pushing for Coast Guard Recruit Training Center

Pensacola, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Pensacola is making a serious push to land a new Coast Guard recruit training center. Documents show Congressman Jimmy Patronis and both Florida senators—Rick Scott and Ashley Moody—have backed a proposal to bring the facility to Naval Air Station Pensacola. The Coast Guard is expanding under the Trump administration, planning to add fifteen-thousand new members over the next two years. That means they need a new training center beyond the current facility in Cape May, New Jersey. Local officials say NAS Pensacola already has the infrastructure—barracks, dining halls, medical clinics, pools, gyms, and classrooms—all without additional cost. Escambia County Commissioner Michael Kohler submitted a detailed proposal highlighting how the base meets every requirement. If Pensacola wins, it could be one of the biggest economic development stories in years.