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Ashton Hayward’s Appointment to the Volunteer Florida Commission
Reading Time: 10 minutesIn November 2015, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward received a statewide public-service role alongside his responsibilities at City Hall. Florida Gov. Rick Scott appointed Hayward to the Florida Commission on Community Service, better known as Volunteer Florida. The bipartisan commission advised state leaders on volunteerism, national service, community programs, and the use of volunteers during disasters. […]
Why Ron Paul Endorsed Rebekah Bydlak in 2016
Reading Time: 9 minutesIn June 2016, former congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul endorsed Rebekah Johansen Bydlak in the Republican primary for Florida’s 1st Congressional District. Bydlak was a 25-year-old North Escambia native making her first run for elected office. She faced seven other Republicans seeking to replace retiring congressman Jeff Miller, who had represented Northwest Florida since […]
When a Former Marine Commandant Endorsed Cris Dosev
Reading Time: 9 minutesIn May 2016, retired Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway entered a crowded Northwest Florida congressional campaign with an endorsement carrying unusual military weight. Conway, the 34th commandant of the United States Marine Corps, publicly supported Pensacola businessman and Gulf War veteran Cris Dosev in the Republican primary for Florida’s 1st Congressional District. The endorsement […]
How Mobile Restored Its First Skyscraper
Reading Time: 11 minutesIn July 2017, developers unveiled an ambitious plan for one of the most recognizable buildings in downtown Mobile. The former Merchants National Bank tower, later known as the First Alabama Bank and Regions Bank Building, would undergo a restoration valued at approximately $30 million. Its upper floors would be converted from aging offices into apartments, […]
How Destin Chose a New Mayor and Council in 2016
Reading Time: 10 minutesDestin voters faced an unusually important local ballot on March 15, 2016. Alongside Florida’s presidential preference primary, residents selected a new mayor, filled four seats on the Destin City Council, and decided whether part of a public right-of-way should pass into private ownership. Scott Fischer won the special mayoral election over sitting council member James […]
How the Gulf Coast Fought to Restore Passenger Rail
Reading Time: 13 minutesOn February 19, 2016, an Amtrak train rolled into Pensacola for the first time in more than a decade. It was not carrying ordinary ticketed passengers. The train was part of a two-day inspection trip organized to examine the possibility of restoring passenger rail service along the northern Gulf Coast. Local residents filled the platform […]
How a Historic Brownsville School Became a Community Health Center
Reading Time: 10 minutesIn February 2018, patients and community members entered a familiar Brownsville building for an entirely new purpose. The former Allie Yniestra Elementary School at 2315 West Jackson Street had been transformed into the main patient care and administrative center for Community Health Northwest Florida. The approximately $9 million project preserved important parts of the historic […]
The 2017 International Paper Mill Explosion in Cantonment
Reading Time: 9 minutesOn the evening of January 22, 2017, a powerful explosion shook International Paper’s Pensacola mill in Cantonment, Florida. Residents reported hearing or feeling the blast miles from the plant. Emergency calls began reaching Escambia County dispatchers at approximately 7:38 p.m. Drivers near the mill encountered a dark, slippery substance covering parts of the road, while […]
How a Pensacola Hotelier and His Wife Flew Around the World
Reading Time: 10 minutesIn August 2017, Julian and Kim MacQueen left Pensacola on a journey that combined aviation, hospitality research and personal adventure. The couple planned to cross six continents in their recently delivered HondaJet, visiting hotels and communities along the way. They called the project “Around the World in 80 Stays,” a reference to Jules Verne’s novel […]
How the Poarch Creek Indians Created OWA in Foley
Reading Time: 9 minutesIn November 2016, a large construction site beside the Foley Beach Express received a name and a much clearer purpose. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians unveiled plans for OWA, a 520-acre family entertainment destination in Foley, Alabama. The project was designed to combine an amusement park, hotel, restaurants, shops, public spaces, and a lake […]
A Living Record of the Gulf Coast
Pulse Gulf Coast has long served as a record of life along one of the most complex and historically rich regions in the United States. The Gulf Coast is shaped not by a single city or narrative, but by overlapping histories — indigenous settlements, colonial outposts, maritime trade, military presence, tourism, and modern urban growth.
From the earliest reporting on local civic issues to in-depth features on forgotten landmarks and regional turning points, the site has consistently focused on how people interact with place. Local politics, environmental pressures, economic development, and cultural memory have always been treated not as isolated topics, but as interconnected forces shaping everyday life.
As cities along the Gulf Coast continue to evolve, the need for context-driven journalism becomes more important. Infrastructure projects reshape neighborhoods, environmental debates influence policy decisions, and historical events resurface in contemporary discussions. Understanding these changes requires more than headlines — it requires continuity, memory, and regional awareness.
The current iteration of Pulse Gulf Coast reflects this approach. While the presentation has been updated, the editorial focus remains rooted in regional storytelling. Articles explore how urban transformation affects communities, how political decisions ripple through local life, and how historical narratives continue to influence present-day identity.
By bridging past and present, Pulse Gulf Coast offers readers a space to engage with the Gulf Coast beyond breaking news. It is a platform for reflection, analysis, and documentation — preserving the stories that define the region while examining the forces that will shape its future.