Category Politics & Community

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Reading Time: 9 minutesDowntown Pensacola briefly became part of a national food competition in May 2017. Six brightly branded trucks arrived from around the country, television crews set up their cameras, and local customers gained an opportunity to influence the outcome simply by ordering food. The teams were filming the second stop of season eight of Food Network’s […]

Reading Time: 9 minutesIn November 2015, Pensacola appeared to be one vote away from establishing permanent rules for food trucks operating on city streets. The proposal had already passed an initial reading, food truck operators had organized in support, and city officials had spent years discussing how mobile vendors should fit into the local economy. Then the measure […]

Reading Time: 7 minutesWhen Rebekah Bydlak entered the race for Florida House District 1 in August 2017, she began with a fundraising total that immediately drew attention across Northwest Florida. Her campaign reported raising more than $60,000 during its first month. Approximately $50,000 went directly into her candidate account, while another $10,000 was contributed to a political committee […]

Reading Time: 8 minutesFor two days in May 2017, colorful food trucks, television cameras, and teams of aspiring food business owners appeared across Pensacola. The activity was part of the eighth season of Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race, a reality competition that tested each team’s cooking skills, sales strategy, and ability to adapt to unfamiliar cities. […]

Reading Time: 7 minutesShort-term rentals sit between housing and hospitality. To an owner, renting a room or apartment for a few nights may be a reasonable use of private property. To a guest, it can provide flexible accommodation outside hotel districts. To nearby residents, frequent turnover may bring noise, parking pressure, security concerns, and fewer long-term neighbors. The […]