WATER QUALITY / TREES / STORMWATER / FLOODING / EFFICIENCY

I’m currently spearheading water quality testing at Bruce Beach and along my proposed Pensacola Bay Blueway Paddle Trail. This will culminate in a Bacterial Stormwater Report by UWF’s Jane Caffrey and the Bream Fisherman’s Association director Barbara Albrecht and has already resulted in the collaboration of the city and ECUA in checking for possible bay contamination by leaking sewer pipes. 

I have encouraged and joined in the native tree planting at Bruce Beach by the Francis M. Weston Audubon Society. I have also supported ordinances and policies that protect our tree canopy, further define our heritage trees and maintain our street trees. I voted to confirm the hiring of our certified arborist Kris Stultz, who ranks among the top in the state, and to confirm sustainability manager Mark Jackson, who is working on future sea-level rise maps and other coastline challenges. I supported the city’s pledge to commit to having almost a third of city operations powered by renewable energy by 2030. Pensacola was the first city in Northwest Florida to make this pledge.

As a board member of the Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program, I have supported Living Shoreline seagrass and oyster seeding projects. PPBEP is working on a "State of the Bays" report that will give a snapshot of the status of our local watersheds and wetlands. Our program has been nominated to be enrolled in National Estuary Program as an “Estuary of National Significance.”