Lane Closures Planned For Beulah Road; Part of $4.4 Million Resurfacing Project
May 3, 2025
The Florida Department of Transportation says drivers will encounter lane closures on a portion of Beulah Road for the next several days.
The intermittent will be in the construction zone between Nine Mile Road and Mobile Highway from Sunday, May 4 through Thursday May 8 between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. for paving and milling operations.
Signs will be in place to detour drivers around the work zone using Rebel Road.
The work is part of a $4.4 million resurfacing project on Beulah Road from Mobile Highway to Issacs Lane.
The project will include
- Constructing a 6-foot sidewalk on the west side of Beulah Road from the Beulah Academy of Science to Nine Mile Road.
- Various sidewalk and crosswalk improvements, including Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades.
- Improvements at the Beulah Road at Nine Mile Road intersection.
- Stormwater management enhancements.
- Utility relocations.
- Guardrail installation.
- Signalization upgrades.
- New signing and pavement markings.
Additionally, drainage construction will require an 18-day closure with a detour on Beulah Road at the Beulah Church Road intersection. This closure is slated to occur during the summer months. Traffic will be detoured to Rebel Road between Mobile Highway and Nine Mile Road.
FDOT anticipates that the project will be complete in late 2026.
Tate FFA Alumni Rodeo Continues Tonight
May 3, 2025
There’s one more chance to see real rodeo action this weekend.
The second night of the 34th Annual Tate FFA Alumni Foundation Rodeo will be Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Escambia County Equestrian Center on Mobile Highway. The arena is covered, and the rodeo will take place rain or shine.
Tickets can now be purchased on GoFan. General admission tickets are $15 at the tate, $5 for children. Children ages 5 and under are admitted free.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos, Barons Postponed in Birmingham
May 3, 2025
Friday’s scheduled game at Regions Field between the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Birmingham Barons was postponed due to rain.
The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, with two seven-inning games beginning at 4:30 p.m. CT. Game two of the twin bill will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Weather Cancellation: Sawmill Day In Century Rescheduled For June
May 2, 2025
The Alger Sullivan Historical Society has canceled the 35th Anniversary Sawmill Festival in Century for Saturday, May 3 due to weather. It has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 7.
Vendor spaces are available for $20. Those interested can contact Christina at (850) 377-6752. Vehicle enthusiasts can register bikes for $15 and classic cars for $25.
The free event will be held in the historic district at the corner of 4th Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Pictured: Sawmill Day in 2024. NorthEscambia.comp photos, click to enlarge.
Commission Approves In $25 Million In Tourist Dollars To Upgrade John R. Jones Complex, Including Artificial Turf
May 2, 2025
The Escambia County Commission on Thursday night unanimously approved an Escambia County Tourist Development Council (TDC) recommendation to allocate $25 million for upgrades, including artificial turf, for the John R. Jones complex on East Nine Mile Road with a focus on sports tourism.
The TDC approved the recommendation at their April 15 meeting and forwarded it to the commission for necessary final approval.
The county will move forward with obtained a bank loan for $25 million to be repaid with TDT funding. The annual debt service is estimated to range from $2.1 to $3.3 million with payments coming from tourism tax revenues, not the county’s general fund.
John R. Jones Complex
The John R. Jones complex currently has 18 baseball and softball fields, plus two rectangular multi-use fields for sports such as football, lacrosse, soccer, cheerleading and more.
Over $2 million in LED lighting improvements were made last year at the park.
According to the proposal, the new facility will attract hundreds of teams, players and fans for tournaments and be competitive with similar facilities in nearby communities such as Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Panama City, Fort Walton Beach, Daphne and more.
There are 23 hotel properties within seven miles, and it is about 15 minutes from the Pensacola International Airport.
The Nine Mile Road facility will have the capacity to host 39 weekend tournaments plus 12 full week tournaments during the summer, creating over $2.3 million in revenue subject to the tourist development tax.
Breaking Down The $25 Million
The $25 million will fund:
- $20 million – Artificial turf for 20 Fields
- Approx. $1 million per field
- 18 multi-dimensional diamond fields,
- Plus, two rectangular multi-use fields
- $500,000 – Landscaping & Common Areas
- Flower beds and aesthetic landscaping
- $1.2 million – Sidewalks & Parking Upgrades
- Entryway and sidewalk connectivity
- $1 million – Fence, Shade & Dugout Work
- Overall fence work, shade areas & dugout upgrades
- $1.5 million – Concessions & Building Upgrades
- Remodeling and upgrading buildings.
- Miscellaneous Expenses – $400,000
- Various Aesthetic Upgrades
- Design – Permits or Consulting Fees – $400,000
- Potential fees for design or consulting
Escambia County Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said a conversion to article turf fields will also eliminate the need and expense of fertilizers, pesticides, water, and mowing.
Stakeholder Support
The project has received letters of support from key stakeholders, including:
- NEP Baseball
- 2D Sports
- USSSA
- USFA
- UWF
- PSC
- Home2 Suite – Davis Hwy.
- Courtyard West Pensacola
- Zen Hospitality
- Escambia County Destination Marketing Organization
Northview Lady Chiefs Beat Jay To Claim Rural District 1 Championship (With Gallery)
May 2, 2025
It’s been a long time coming.
The Northview Lady Chiefs beat the Jay Royals 9-1 on Thursday night to win the Rural District 1 championship — the Lady Chiefs first district championship since 2019.
The Chiefs blasted ahead in the top of the second inning with a two-run home run from Bailey Burkette, and RBI single from Jamison Gilman and a two-run single from Addysen Bolen.
Sophomore Mikayla McAnally pitched a complete game for Northview, striking out 17 while allowing one earned run on three hits.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Gilman, Burkette and Kylee Langham each went 2-4 while Riley Brooks went 2-3.
“I have a very young team. We have one senior and one junior, the rest ninth and tenth graders,” head coach Amy Holland said. “We have a strong team still. They’ve worked so hard, and this means a lot to them. And they told us from the beginning, they’re going to get it done, and they’ve worked really hard and here we are 9-1. That’s a great win tonight over the first-place team in our area.”
Holland said McAnally, who had three of her 17 strikeouts in the last inning, didn’t play like a sophomore.
“She’s a very hard worker,” she said, “just seeing her from last year to this year. Wow. We threw Jamison (as pitcher) on the Paxton game. Of course, you’ve got to win that game to get to this game. And so, I asked Mikayla, I said, ‘Mikayla, can you do it?’ And she said, ‘I can do it, coach.’ And before she came out there before the game, she said, ‘I’ve got this.’ So, hats off to her for a great job.”
Holland said she’s looking forward to bringing a regional playoff game to Bratt. Northview will likely face Chipley next Thursday night.
“It’s going to be great to be able just to play that first playoff game back a Northview and have all of our fans there and not have to travel so far down. It’s a great opportunity for our community.”
“It took four years to get here, and we finally did it,” Gilman, Northview’s only senior, said after the game. “It’s definitely a good feeling to be on top 9-1 too. That’s a big deal to win by that much in a championship.”
“We are ready. This is the start of our season where we keep going. We are going to state. We’ve got it this year,” McAnally said.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lipscomb Elementary Names Students Of The Month
May 2, 2025
Lipscomb Elementary School has named their April Students of the Month. They are Grayson Cannon and Leena Abu Alloush. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bree Wiggins Named Tate Rodeo Queen; Rodeo Is Friday, Saturday Nights
May 2, 2025
Bree Wiggins has been named the 2025 Tate FFA Alumni Foundation Rodeo queen. She is a freshman is Tate High School.
First runner-up was Annoelynn Lawson. Other contestants were Autumn Heist, Aubree Burke and Makayla Godwin.
The Tate FFA Alumni Rodeo will take place Friday and Saturday nights at the Escambia County Equestrian Center at 7750 Mobile Highway. The arena is covered and will take place rain or shine. Event time is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are available on GoFan.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County May Spend $34 Million For Four New Fire Stations, One Expansion
May 2, 2025
The Escambia County Commission may use $34 million in unallocated Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds to build or expand five fire stations to enhance fire protection in the county.
The plan was presented on Thursday by Commissioner Ashley Hofberger. Her proposal includes addition of a second fire station in Cantonment and the addition of living quarters to an existing station in Dogwood Park.
“I would like to ask the board to consider spending that on making sure that everyone in our community receives the fire services that they need and that the people who have been impacted in our community with higher homeowners insurance because of stations moving or closing, that we can help alleviate some of that,” she said.
The plan aims to make the following improvements:
1. 7209 Lillian Hwy-Replacement, $8.5 million
2. New Fire Station 24, Highway 97 and Kingsfield Road in Cantonment, $6.5 million
3. New Fire Station in Paradise Beach, $6.5 million on a site to be determined
4. Replacement station at 9350 Gulf Beach Highway, $8.5 million
5. Molino Station 21/Dogwood Park, 4307 White Ash Road, add living quarters, $4 million
Hofberger identified the locations with the assistance of Escambia County Fire Chiefs Adam Harrison. Her proposed timeline includes issuing a request for proposals by June 1, proposal evaluation by August 1, and groundbreakings by March 1, 2026.
District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry expressed his support for the proposal.
“I’m very familiar with the two areas (Dogwood Park and Cantonment) that are highlighted in the constituency that I have,” he said, adding that he thought a proposed timeline was “very aggressive.” He added, “if the gist of it is you’re looking for general levels of support and the opportunity to move the ideas or combined ideas forward, I’m good with that.”
“I believe public safety is probably our premier job, our first priority other than EMS and the sheriff’s department as well,” Commissioner Chairman Mike Kohler said.
During discussion with the commissioner, Harrison shared his desire for a comprehensive training facility for county firefighters to be located in the Brownsville area. An additional “satellite” facility could be located in the Molino area to train firefighters from the North Escambia area.
The main training multi-story training building would include high-rise operations training, hazardous materials training, collapse, and confined space rescue training and more.
The county commission was in a workshop during Thursday’s the discussions, and any plans must be approved at a future regular board meeting.
Pictured: Escambia County Fire Station 21 on Whish Ash Road in Dogwood Park. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Multiple Rounds Of Strong Storms Possible Through Saturday Evening
May 2, 2025
Multiple rounds of strong to severe storms are possible beginning after midnight tonight and lasting through the day on Saturday. The main hazards will be damaging winds and large hail up to golf ball-sized (1.75 inches).
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A chance of showers before 10pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10pm and 4am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4am. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Saturday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then showers and thunderstorms between 1pm and 4pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Patchy fog before 10am. High near 79. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 10pm, then a chance of showers between 10pm and 1am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 57. West wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 78. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 52. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84. East wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80.