‘Permit Set’ Plans Filed Monday For Costco On Nine Mile Road
July 15, 2025
Plans for a new Costco store on Nine Mile Road took another step forward on Monday.
Tampa-based Thomas Engineering filed a 42-page “permit set” site construction drawings around 4 p.m. Monday with the Escambia County Development Review Committee (DRC) for a new Costco at 225 East Nine Mile Road
The first conceptual plans were filed back in June, 2024 Then, in response to DRC feedback, updated plans were filed in late October 2024. In June 2025, a county spokesperson said that that Costco “is currently under review with some state regulatory items still pending.” A DRC hearing has not yet been scheduled but could be forthcoming soon.
So far, the proposal has not gone before the DRC for consideration. Without a development order, the project can’t move forward.
What’s new?
The updated site construction plans filed Monday are a major step towards DRC consideration and potential approval.
How long does it take to build a Costco?
The architectural firm MG2, which has partnered with Costco for 30 years on over 780 locations, says it takes under four months to build a new store.
“Costco Wholesale has set the bar by creating and maintaining the platinum standard in optimized rollouts: It takes just 110 days from the time construction begins to the moment doors open to their members” MG2 said. That means a new Pensacola Costco, if approved, could easily open by the end of the year.
What do the latest plans show?
The latest plans filed with Escambia County show the 172,580 square foot Costco retail store with a gas station and 830 parking spaces at 225 East Nine Mile Road, at the corner of East Nine Mile Road and Chemstrand Road. That’s the site of the current Planet Fitness and a former Kmart store. It’s several parcels totaling just under 22 acres.
The plans show the existing Dairy Queen, Sam’s Seafood Restaurant and Wells Fargo to remain, with a Costco gas station constructed between Sam’s Seafood and Wells Fargo in an area that is currently a parking area for the old shopping center. The current Planet Fitness building will be demolished to make room for the new Costco if it’s approved.
What happens to Planet Fitness?
Planet Fitness and the rest of the old shopping center will be demolished. As we previously reported on July 1, a new Planet Fitness is under construction at 312 East Nine Mile Road, next door to Aldi. It is in the remainder of a former Winn Dixie grocery store space that was converted into an Aldi with a smaller footprint, which opened in March.
What is currently the nearest Costco to Pensacola?
The nearest currently open Costco to Pensacola is in Mobile, Alabama.
How much is a Costco membership?
Membership is required for in-store shoppers at Costco. Members must be 16 or older to apply. The pharmacy is open to anyone, regardless of membership.
Costco offers two levels of membership for individuals or businesses:
Executive $130 annually
- Annual 2% Reward
- Costco Services Discounts
- Shop Online and in Warehouses
- Includes 2 Membership Cards
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Gold Star $65 annually
- Shop Online and in Warehouses
- Includes 2 Membership Cards
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Businesses can purchase either level to purchase items for resale or add additional people at $65 each.
NorthEscambia.com photos/graphics, click to enlarge
Portion Of West Quintette Road To Close Later This Week
July 15, 2025
About 950 feet of West Quintette Road is scheduled to be closed on Friday, according to Escambia County.
West Quintette will be closed from Dukes Drive to Highway 95A for storm drainage improvements.
The road is expected to reopen by Saturday, September 6.
It’s part of a $2.5 million project that has been underway since late March on Stacey Road. The purpose of this project is to replace the undersized drainage infrastructure from the northwest corner of Stacey Road and Quintette Road to the outfall approximately three quarters of a mile south on the east side of Stacey Road.
The project will replace the existing system with approximately 350 feet of 4-foot x 10-foot box culvert, and will include the installation of 100 feet of a 10-foot-wide paved concrete ditch upstream of the existing system,
reconstruction of three quarters of a mile of Stacey Road and the milling and resurfacing of the intersection of Stacey Road and Quintette Road, and the regrading of the existing downstream ditch.
NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge.
2025 Northview Grad, NJROTC Commander Flies Veterans In Pensacola Beach Air Show
July 15, 2025
If you attended the Friday practice for the Pensacola Beach Air Show, one of the planes you saw overhead may have been piloted by a 2025 Northview High School graduate.
Kate Stinson flew Naval T-6 and Stearmans as part of Veterans Flight 2025, with all of the veterans she flew at least 100 years old.
“I love flying because I love the sky and the feeling of being free from the ground. The vets seemed decades younger just getting to see the planes, and they were all so happy to talk about aviation,” she said. “It felt amazing to fly over the beach and be a part of the air show, and it was humbling to experience the T-6.”
Stinson was the Northview High School NJROTC commanding officer for 2024-2025. Stinson, known as ‘Kate the Great,’ completed flying lessons through the NJROTC program and took her first solo flight in June.
She plans to attend college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, commission as an officer in the Navy and become a naval aviator.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jay Man Ejected, Critically Injured In Chumuckla Highway Crash
July 15, 2025
A Jay man was critically injured when he was ejected during a crash on Chumuckla Highway, according to the Florida Highway patrol.
The 26-year-old man was driving his pickup truck westbound on Rolling Acres Road when he ran a stop sign at the intersection with Chumuckla Highway, troopers said. He was ejected when his pickup collided with a pickup truck driven by a 48-year-old Pace man that was traveling north on Chumuckla Highway.
The Jay man was airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition. The Pace man sustained minor injuries and was not transported.
File photo.
Operation Southern Slow Down Target Speeding In Florida, Alabama, And 3 More States
July 15, 2025
The 8th annual Operation Southern Slow Down launched Monday.
Through this campaign, FDOT aims to reduce the risk of speed-related crashes by leveraging the use of enhanced enforcement of speed limits and public safety messaging about the dangers of speeding. FDOT’s Operation Southern Slow Down efforts, in partnership with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and its division of the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), are part of a broader initiative involving counterpart transportation and law enforcement organizations in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
“Operation Southern Slow Down is a united effort to reduce dangerous driving behaviors that contribute to serious crashes on our roadways,” said Florida Highway Patrol Colonel Gary Howze II. “Through increased enforcement and proactive education, FHP and our partners are working across state lines to save lives and move closer to our shared vision of zero traffic deaths.”
FHP Troop A, whose enforcement area includes Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, held a kickoff Monday morning at the Troop A – Panama City Station.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Coach Next Generation At Youth Football Camp
July 14, 2025
The Tate High School Aggies held their annual Youth Football Camp last week.
During the evening camps, which culminated under the lights, campers were able to run through fundamental drills. The camp was open to players in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
$1.3 Million Federal Grant Awarded For New Community Center In Cantonment
July 14, 2025
Escambia County has received a $1.3 million RESTORE Act grant to construct a new community center in Cantonment.
The Cantonment community center will serve as a hub for workforce development, adult education, tutoring, senior services, and community gatherings. Seasonal programming trends indicate strong demand for health and wellness activities from January through May, shifting to youth camps and sports activities during the summer months. Once completed, the center will also co-locate essential social service providers, strengthening community support systems.
Cantonment does not currently have a county-owned community center.
The 3,250 square feet modular building will be located in Carver Park at Webb and Washington streets.
For nearly a decade, the very active Cantonment Improvement Committee (CIC) has operated from a much smaller 600-squar- foot building that was dedicated as the Carver Park Resource Center. They have used the small space for computer instruction, food distributions, after-school programs, and meetings.
The community center will be a single-story modular construction similar to a building dedicated at the Ashton-Brosnaham Park (pictured at bottom).
“I am so pleased to see this project finally come to fruition. It’s an exciting day for the CIC, the Carver Park community and the greater Cantonment area. I know the community center, with the help of the CIC, will change people’s lives. It’s going to be outfitted with leading-edge technology for community use,” District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said when the design was approved. ” I can’t wait to see how it changes the futures and the trajectories of some of the young people in the community.”
The new facility will be located in the area of the existing Carver Park Resource Center and will be capable of accommodating a medium to large dividable meeting room, a warming kitchen, office space, a computer area and a storage room that can be utilized for food distribution, according to the county.
The current resource building will be moved and remain on site next to the parking lot for the new facility.
A date to commence construction has not been announced.
Pictured top: The new site design concept for a new Carver Park Community Center in Cantonment (click to enlarge). Pictured inset: The 2015 ribbon cutting of the current Carver Park Resource Center. Pictured below: U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz meets with local citizens inside the current cramped resource center in 2018. Pictured bottom: A similar building at Ashton-Brosnaham Park during last year’s SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
These Are This Week’s Road Construction Trouble Spots
July 14, 2025
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and project in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- Beulah Road (State Road (S.R.) 99) Resurfacing from Mobile Highway (S.R. 10A) to Isaacs Lane – The week of Sunday, July 13, Beulah Road will be temporarily closed at the Beulah Church Road intersection for a period of 18 days for drainage construction. Signs will be in place to detour drivers around the work zone using Rebel Road, Mobile Highway and Nine Mile Road.
- U.S. 90 (Scenic Highway) Resurfacing, from south of Interstate 10 (I-10) to south of Hyde Park Road – Drivers on Scenic Highway will encounter intermittent lane closures, from south of I-10 to south of Hyde Park Road, Sunday, July 13 through Thursday, July 17, from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., for paving operations. Law enforcement will be on site and traffic flaggers will direct drivers safely through the work zone.
- Garden Street (Business U.S. 98) Construction from Pace Boulevard to the Interstate 110 (I-110) Ramp – The week of Sunday, July 13, drivers may encounter the following construction-related traffic disruptions:
- B Street, between Garden Street and Romana Street, will be closed for a period of 14 days for stormwater management improvements. Signs will be in place to detour drivers around the work zone using Garden Street, A Street and Romana Street.
- Garden Street, between Pace Boulevard and N. Donelson Street, is reduced to two travel lanes (one in each direction), as crews perform construction activities on the south side of the street. This temporary traffic configuration will be in place through early 2026.
- Temporary side street closures south of Garden Street, from B Street to J Street, as crews perform utility and stormwater management enhancements.
- On-street parking is closed on the south side of Garden Street, between B Street and L Street. Additionally, periodic on-street parking closures will occur on Garden Street, between A Street and Alcaniz Street, for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.
- Michigan Avenue (S.R. 296) Resurfacing from Mobile Highway (U.S. 90) to North Palafox Street (U.S. 29) – The week of Sunday, July 13, drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures on Michigan Avenue, from Mobile Highway to North Palafox Street, between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. for paving operations.
- Brent Lane/Bayou Boulevard (S.R. 296) Resurfacing, from Davis Highway (S.R. 291) to Baisden Road – Drivers may encounter the following traffic disruptions, Sunday, July 13 through Thursday, July 17 between 8 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. for milling and paving operations:
- Intermittent lane closures on Brent Lane/Bayou Boulevard, from Davis Highway to Baisden Road.
- On-street parking closures on Bayou Boulevard, between 12th Avenue and Baisden Road.
- Pine Forest Road (S.R. 297) Resurfacing from Mobile Highway (U.S. 90) to Blue Angel Parkway (S.R. 173) – The week of Sunday, July 13, drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures on Pine Forest Road, from Mobile Highway to Blue Angel Parkway, between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., for placement of thermoplastic striping.
- Interstate Circle Bridge Over Eight Mile Creek Construction – Interstate Circle is closed at the Eight Mile Creek Bridge through mid-2025 while crews replace the bridge. Signs are in place to detour drivers around the work zone using Pine Forest Road, Longleaf Drive and Wymart Road.
- I-10 at Nine Mile Road Interchange (Exit 5) Construction – Drivers will encounter the following construction-related traffic disruptions:
- Intermittent I-10 inside lane closures near the Nine Mile Road interchange, Sunday, July 13 through Thursday, July 17, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Nine Mile Road will be reduced to one travel lane in each direction between the I-10 ramps, Sunday, July 13 through Friday, July 18 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Law enforcement will be on site, and directional signage will be in place to guide drivers through the work zone.
- I-10 at U.S. 29 Interchange (Exit 10) Construction – Between Sunday, July 13 and Friday, July 18, drivers will encounter the following construction-related traffic disruptions:
- Beginning Monday, July 14, I-10 east and westbound travel lanes will be shifted away from the median area of the roadway, between mile markers 10 and 12, near the U.S. 29 interchange (Exit 10).
- Intermittent I-10 eastbound outside lane closures will occur from 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. between mile markers 9 and 10 for barrier wall adjustments.
- The length of the U.S. 29 southbound turn lane access to the I-10 eastbound on-ramp has been permanently reduced to allow crews to complete construction activities. A concrete barrier wall and new pavement striping is in place to direct traffic through the work zone.
- I-10 between U.S. 29 and I-110, is reduced to two travel lanes in each direction.
- The U.S. 29 northbound ramp to I-10 eastbound is closed. U.S. 29 northbound drivers are being detoured to make a U-turn at Broad Street onto U.S. 29 southbound to access I-10 eastbound.
- U.S. 29 (S.R. 95) Turn Lane Operations South of Cedar Tree Lane – Motorists will encounter intermittent outside southbound lane closures Sunday, July 13 through Thursday, July 17 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. for turn lane operations.
Santa Rosa County:
- U.S. 90 Resurfacing from west of Avalon Boulevard to east of Stewart Street – Drivers may encounter intermittent U.S. 90 lane closures, between Avalon Boulevard and Stewart Street, Sunday, July 13 through Thursday, July 17, from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., for shoulder work and placement of thermoplastic striping.
- U.S. 90 Bridge Replacement over Simpson River – Drivers on U.S. 90 may encounter intermittent lane closures over the Simpson River Bridge, Sunday, July 13 through Thursday, July 17, between 8 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. as crews perform bridge construction work. Drivers are reminded that the speed limit is 35 mph through the work zone.
- S.R. 87 Resurfacing, from south of East Bay Boulevard (County Road 399) to Vonnie Tolbert Road – Drivers may encounter intermittent lane closures on S.R. 87, from East Bay Boulevard to Vonnie Tolbert Road, Monday, July 14 through Thursday, July 17, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., for concrete repair work and paving operations.
- U.S. 98 Widening from Bayshore Road to Portside Drive – Motorists will encounter the following traffic impacts:
- Median and turn-lane closures from Bayshore Road to Tiger Lake Drive.
- Intermittent lane closures and additional median closures between Bayshore Road and Tiger Lake Drive, Sunday, July 13, through Friday, July 18, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. for paving operations.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
See All The Photo Highlights From All Three Days Of The Blue Angels
July 14, 2025
Huge crowds watched the Blue Angels and the Pensacola Beach Airshow this year, possibly setting record attendance records.
NorthEscambia was there with photographer Perry Doggrell bringing our readers exciting and unique photos for three days. The photos from Thursday were especially unique and unlike what local fans are accustomed to seeing, taken from on-board the USCGC Barbara Mabrity, the Coast Guard ship in the Gulf that serves as the center point for the show. Doggrell even caught a rare view of the Blue Angels’ Fat Albert and an osprey—not the military kind, but the bird.
Here’s a look back at the photos:
- Thursday Practice Show photos (from the USCG ship), click here.
- Friday Dress Rehearsal, click here.
- Saturday Pensacola Beach Air Show, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Perry Doggrell, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Head Into All-Star Break In First Place
July 14, 2025
written by Willie Phaler
After splitting the six game set in Columbus, the Wahoos head into the All-Star break in first place in the Southern League South division at 10-7 in the second half, and 44-42 overall.
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell to the Columbus Clingstones 4-1 in their final game before the four-day All-Star break on Sunday afternoon.
Dax Fulton (L, 4-7) made his 14th start of the year for the Blue Wahoos, and was tagged for four runs over 3.2 innings. The southpaw picked up seven strikeouts, totaling seven or more for the third time in 2025.
Columbus picked up a run in each of their first two trips to the plate, as David McCabe started the scoring with an RBI single up the middle in the first. Kobe Kato followed up in the second inning, sending a double out to right to bring home Cal Conley for the game’s second run.
The Clingstones picked up two more in the fourth inning, as Conley scored from third after Kevin Kilpatrick collided with Blue Wahoos shortstop Johnny Olmstead on a stolen base. Kilpatrick later scored on a single from Drew Compton to extend the Columbus lead to 4-0.
Cody Morissette knocked in the Blue Wahoos’ lone run of the afternoon in the seventh, serving a fly ball to shallow left field for a single to score Nathan Martorella.
Columbus starter Lucas Braun worked 3.0 perfect innings on four days’ rest before departing. Ian Mejia (W, 9-1) carried the load against the Wahoos on Sunday with three shutout innings in relief, while Brian Moran (S, 1) tossed two scoreless innings to finish the series.
The Pensacola bullpen hurled 4.1 innings of shutout work, as Orlando Ortiz-Mayr and Josh Ekness combined to give up only two total hits in relief.
Following the All-Star break, the Blue Wahoos will return to Pensacola for a three game series against the Chattanooga Lookouts starting Friday, July 18t