Is Costco Still Planning A Nine Mile Road Store? Here’s The Latest Application Status
June 11, 2025
Is Costco still considering a store on Nine Mile Road?
It certainly looks that way.
Tampa-based Thomas Engineering filed plans with Escambia County Development Review Committee (DRC) for the store at 225 East Nine Mile Road back in June of last year. Then, in response to DRC feedback, updated plans were filed in late October 2024.
Since that time, the proposal has not gone before the DRC for consideration. Without a development order, the project can’t move forward.
What’s new?
Escambia County told NorthEscambia.com on Monday 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.
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 filed plans show?
The latest plans filed with Escambia County show the 172,580 square foot Costco retail store with a gas station and 835 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 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.
Tate High School Names Paul Bryan As New Head Coach Of Girls Track And Field
June 11, 2025
Tate High School has named Paul Bryan as the new head coach of the Aggies Girls Track and Field Team. Bryan brings with him an impressive legacy of district, regional, and state championship success.
Bryan is no stranger to high expectations. Known across the Pensacola area for his ability to build competitive, high-character teams, he brings both a winning tradition and a coaching style rooted in discipline, respect, and student growth.
“Coach Bryan has earned deep respect in the local athletic community, not just for the banners his teams have brought home, but for how he leads,” said Tate Principal Laura Touchstone. “He develops athletes who work hard, support one another, and carry themselves with pride. We’re thrilled to bring that level of leadership to Tate.”
Bryan’s coaching career started at Woodham High School in 1996, and he later moved on to Pine Forest High School. In almost three decades as a track head coach, he won state championships at Pine Forest and 2010 and 2011 and finishes as state runners-up at Pine Forest in 2009 and Woodham. He also earned half dozen state top 10 finishes.
He has won eight regional championships and 20 district titles, and he was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Girls 3A Coach of the Year three times.
“With a track record of excellence and a clear vision for success, Coach Bryan is set to take the Aggies to new heights. The entire Tate community looks forward to the impact he will have on and off the track,” Touchstone added.
Leadership Changes Coming At Jim Allen And McArthur Elementary Schools
June 11, 2025
Leadership changes are coming to Jim Allen and McArthur Elementary Schools.
Pending school board approval, Stephanie Gilmore, former assistant principal at Jim Allen, will be the new principal at McArthur Elementary School. Brianna Cooks, the former curriculum coordinator at JES, has been promoted to assistant principal at Jim Allen.
Pictured: Brianna Cooks (left) and Stephanie Gilmore (right). Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Miller Leads One-Hit Shutout, Wahoos Beat Rocket City For Fifth Consecutive Win
June 11, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won their fifth game in a row on Tuesday night, collecting a season-high 13 hits and holding the Rocket City Trash Pandas to only one in a 6-0 victory.
Jacob Miller (W, 2-4) turned in the best start of his Double-A career, striking out seven Rocket City batters over 6.0 scoreless innings. Only a fourth-inning double from Denzer Guzman kept the Blue Wahoos from a combined no-hitter, instead settling for the 13th one-hitter in team history and the club’s first since April 2023.
Johnny Olmstead broke a scoreless tie with his team-leading eighth home run, a two-run shot in the fourth inning, to give the Blue Wahoos a 2-0 lead. Josh Zamora added an RBI single in the sixth to extend the lead to 3-0 against Trash Pandas starter Sam Aldegheri (L, 2-4), who contributed a quality start but was handed a tough-luck loss.
The Blue Wahoos added three more runs in the ninth, loading the bases with singles before Mark Coley II delivered a sacrifice fly and two more runners scored on a Guzman fielding error at shortstop to extend the lead to 6-0.
Nigel Belgrave struck out five batters over 2.0 perfect innings of relief, and Justin King worked around a hit batsman and a walk to pitch a hitless ninth and secure the shutout victory.
The Blue Wahoos won comfortably despite making eight outs on the basepaths and going 2-for-11 in scoring position. Their five-game winning streak is a season high, and draws them within 5.0 games of first-place Biloxi with 11 games remaining in the first half.
The series against the Trash Pandas continues on Wednesday, with a first pitch from Toyota Field scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Cantonment Man Charged With Cemetery Burglary
June 10, 2025
A Cantonment man is charged with theft of items from a Pensacola Cemetery.
Jonathan Andre Vaughn Endress, 39, was charged with multiple felonies, including burglary, dealing in stolen property, and grand theft, all felonies.
Endress allegedly stole equipment from a locked tool room in the maintenance shop at Bayview Memorial Park Cemetery, including a string trimmer, chainsaw, and generator. According to an arrest report, Endress was a cemetery employee at the time of the alleged thefts and was caught on security video forcing his way into the tool room.
The Pensacola Police Department learned that the string trimmer, valued at $399, was pawned by Endress at Capital Pawn for $100. The pawn shop returned the string trimmer to the cemetery at no charge, resulting in a $100 loss for the business and a misdemeanor larceny charge against Endress.
Endress remained in the Escambia County Jail Tuesday with bond set at $17,000.
Atmore Police Arrest Sixth And Final Suspect In Main Street Shooting Incident
June 10, 2025
A sixth suspect has now been charged in connection with two shootings in Atmore.
Lemareyoun Moore, 19, is charged with attempted murder, discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, and discharging a firearm into an unoccupied building. He turned himself into officers at the Atmore Police Department and was transported to the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton.
APD said he is the final suspect in the shooting.
Police have also arrested 18-year-old Dexter Adams, 21-year-old Ryeheem Banks, and three 17-year-old juveniles for the shootings. The juveniles are being charged as adults, but Alabama law prevents police from releasing their names.
About 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, Atmore officers responded to the area of North Main and Howard Street following reports of shots fired into a passing vehicle. The Wing & Burger Box restaurant on the northeast corner of the intersection was also hit by gunfire. No injuries were reported.
Responding officers recovered a significant amount of evidence at the scene, collecting 47 spent shell casings believed to be from two different caliber firearms.
Do Career Offenders Live Near You? Florida’s Registry Offers New Search Capabilities
June 10, 2025
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) today launched Florida’s enhanced Career Offender registry on FDLE’s website, with new neighborhood search features and maps. The Career Offender registry is a public safety application that gives the public access to search for court-designated violent offenders throughout Florida.
The new Florida Career Offender registry is located here.
“I encourage citizens to bookmark FDLE’s website and use our online registries regularly. The Career Offender registry, like the Sexual Offender registry, is an absolute necessity for your safety toolbox. We have nearly 20, 0000 Florida career offender felons on the registry. Knowing the locations of these folks can help keep Florida’s citizens, their families and visitors safe,” said
The public can search for career offenders by name, region, county, city, and address. The online Career Offender registry’s neighborhood searches can be tailored to find registrants residing within a one-quarter mile radius to within a five-mile radius of an address, and the results can be displayed on an interactive map as well as in a comprehensive list format.
FDLE launched the original online Career Offender registry in 2003, under the Florida Career Offender Registration Act. The registry at the time included approximately 400 registrants. Today, the registry includes nearly 20,000 Florida career offenders
Career offenders are individuals who have been designated by a court as a habitual violent felony offender, a violent career criminal, or a three-time violent felony offender under s. 775.084, or as a prison releasee reoffender under s. 775.082(9), AND who are serving or have been released from sanction in the State of Florida on or after July 1, 2002.
Two Northview Grads Awarded BBB Student Ethics Scholarships
June 10, 2025
The Better Business Bureau serving Northwest Florida has announced two recent Northview High School graduates as recipients of the 2025 BBB Student Ethics Scholarships in District I.
Colton Criswell and Maddie Mae Driskell, seniors at Northview High School, received the scholarship for Escambia County.
The program was created to recognize high school senior students in the Florida Panhandle (14 county-wide service area) who personify personal character, integrity and have made the choice to lead by following a moral compass. An independent panel of judges selected the recipients based on leadership, community service, overall personal integrity, and academic history. Each student selected will receive a $1,000 scholarship to the college, trade school, university, or vocational school of their choice.
In Santa Rosa County, the BBB scholarship winner was Mateo Soto, a recent Navarre High School graduate.
Pensacola Ice Flyers Announce Season Home Schedule With 29 Games
June 10, 2025
The Pensacola Ice Flyers will play 29 home games at the Pensacola Bay Center during the 202526 season.
The season kicks off with opening night on Saturday, October 18, 2025, setting the stage for the year.
The 2025-26 Ice Flyers home schedule is:
- Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025
- Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025
- Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025
- Friday, Nov. 14, 2025
- Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025
- Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025
- Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025
- Friday, Dec. 5, 2025
- Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025
- Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025
- Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025
- Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025
- Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025
- Friday, Jan. 2, 2026
- Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026
- Friday, Jan. 16, 2026
- Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026
- Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026
- Friday, Jan. 30, 2026
- Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026
- Friday, Feb. 6, 2026
- Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026
- Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026
- Friday, Feb. 27, 2026
- Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026
- Friday, March 13, 2026
- Saturday, March 14, 2026
- Friday, March 27, 2026
- Saturday, March 28, 2026
Dortch Road In Bratt Collapses Due To Fire Several Weeks Ago (With Gallery)
June 9, 2025
A portion of Dortch Road in Bratt is closed following a collapse that was caused by fire.
Dortch Road between Greenland and McElhaney roads will be closed starting today, June 9, for immediate collapsed pipe and road repair. The road is expected to reopen Monday, June 16.
The 24-inch plastic culvert pipe under the road was destroyed by fire earlier in the spring, likely when a farmer burned a nearby field (as is a standard farming method) and the fire entered the ditch and ignited the pipe. The top half of the pipe was destroyed end to end; the collapse was discovered on Monday morning following heavy rain overnight.
Residents, pedestrians, local traffic and emergency vehicles will have access to properties within the work area at all times. There is only one residence located on the closed section of Dortch Road.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
