CivicCon 2023 kicks off with deep dive into Pensacola's future by Mayor D.C. Reeves
CivicCon is kicking off its sixth year with a topic that's near and dear to all our hearts: the future of Pensacola.
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves will take the stage at CivicCon on Tuesday to discuss what projects are in the works for the short term and what plans his administration would like to put into place for the long term.
The free event will be 6-7:30 p.m. at The REX Theatre at 18 N. Palafox St. in downtown Pensacola.
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Reeves was sworn into office in November and hit the ground running.
He was one of eight U.S. mayors named to the Mayors' Institute on City Design and Just City Lab's 2023 fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, an initiative to help mayors design strategies for achieving more just and equitable outcomes within their communities.
He has also convened a transition team that recently produced a report with strategies to move the needle on key issues such as attainable housing, citizen engagement and livability; opened dialog with Amtrak about restoring rail service to Pensacola; helped facilitate discussion of opening up Plaza Ferdinand to events like Palafox Market and more.
Reeves has also City Council to approve $3.25 million in funding for public safety, long-term planning and facilities maintenance.
With such a flurry of activity under his belt in just 60 days, Reeves said the CivicCon event will be an opportunity for him to update citizens on his assessment of the city and explain some of his administrations focus areas.
"I think the goal is to share some initial impressions and strengths that we have as a community, things that we've already moved on and then things that are immediately on the horizon, knowing that we've invested north of half a million dollars in strategic planning across many different departments," Reeves said in a late January interview with the News Journal.
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Some of the issues the city plans to study include the Land Development Code, staff wages, congestion and a city-wide strategic plan.
"I'm excited to share the progress we've made so far in the direction that we're going as a city, but I'm excited to hear from the people I represent to make sure that we have our antennas up and we're on the same page."
An entrepreneur, community builder and native Pensacolian, Reeves moved back home in 2015 to make a difference in Pensacola.
Reeves was one of the original organizers of CivicCon and said that many of the lesson he learned from CivicCon speakers helped shape his approach to business, planning and leadership.
"CivicCon and what it does for our community to bring best practices from across the country and so many important issues to Pensacola — learning what I've learned through that process and through the speakers has not only had a great impact on me and my life, I think it's prepared me to be in this position of leadership for my hometown," Reeves said. "I think it helps me fully understand the value of our leadership and our community being coachable and willing to seek out best practices. You know, not resting on our laurels and thinking we've got it all figured out."
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Registration for the event is still available by searching CivicCon at eventbrite.com.
The event will also be livestreamed at pnj.com and at the News Journal's Facebook page.
Those who register through eventbrite will have an opportunity to submit a question for Reeves. Questions can also be submitted to event moderator Lisa Nellessen Savage at lnelless@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves talks plans for Pensacola at CivicCon
