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PUBLIC RECORD: Conduct of Elected Officials, CRA TIF Data, and June 17, 2026 Meeting

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Dear Commissioners,

My name is Sylvia. I was born and raised here in Pensacola, and while District 3 has my heart, because I remember what our community looked like before decades of deliberate disinvestment took hold, my advocacy extends to every district across Escambia County.

I am writing to you today in my dual capacity as a local voter, a human services professional, and the Founder of Empower Black Families. I am also a former substitute teacher for the Escambia County School District and the remarried widow of a retired Navy veteran who rests at Barrancas National Cemetery on Naval Air Station, Pensacola.

I fully intended to speak at the June 17, 2026 meeting, on a different topic. A medical issue has physically prevented me from attending in person at this time. Make no mistake: my physical absence does not equal a lack of oversight. As I watched that meeting, I was deeply disturbed by the behavior and commentary displayed by members of this commission. This conduct appears to be the norm based upon previous meetings I’ve watched.

During the discussion, Commissioner Stroberger made a remark regarding data centers that referenced Dollar Generals and storage units. While I understand the comment may have been intended as humor, it was followed by Commissioner Lumon May’s response that “those are only in my district,” which was then met with laughter.

As someone who has spent the last several months researching housing, food access, transportation, economic development, and poverty throughout Escambia County, I did not find that exchange amusing. District 3 is a documented food desert with historically high poverty rates and portions of District 1 face significant economic hardships of their own.

To support these observations with data, I have attached maps and demographic information related to grocery access, poverty, housing, and child well-being in Escambia County. For many residents, particularly those without reliable transportation, access to affordable, nutritious food remains a significant challenge rather than a matter of personal choice.

Furthermore, I contacted the corporate point of contact for ALDI and proposed a new store at Town & Country Plaza on Pace Boulevard. The location met all the necessary retail criteria.

The point of contact rejected the proposal, stating, and I quote: ‘Sylvia, I appreciate you reaching out with your proposed site. Unfortunately, we are not currently interested in this location. If this changes in the future, I will get back to you.”

When I asked for an explanation as to why they refused to invest in our neighborhood, I was met with total silence. I know exactly why when you see how blighted the area is. If I were an investor, I would have declined too. When corporations like ALDI decline to invest, our residents are left with options like Grocery Advantage.

The conditions there are unacceptable; the food sold is frequently of such low quality it is unfit for human consumption. I have taken pictures of these conditions myself. In fact, a local council member personally went into the Pace Boulevard location (before it was switched to Barnes Fresh Market) and expressed disbelief at the smell and the rotten food they witnessed.

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Empower Black Families

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Empower Black Families is a community-centered initiative focused on providing support, resources, and guidance to help individuals and families navigate everyday challenges and build long-term stability. 
 
Our goal is to create a space where community voices are heard, needs are understood, and meaningful solutions can grow. 

Why This Work Matters – Our communities have experienced generations of systemic barriers that have limited access to opportunity, resources, and economic stability. While many continue to push forward, there are still gaps in support, access, and information that impact everyday life. 
 
This work is about more than assistance; it is about understanding real experiences, identifying challenges, and helping people move toward stability, independence, and long-term growth. 

Get Involved – There are three ways to get started: 

1. Book a Community Advocacy Session 
Schedule a one-on-one session to receive guidance and support.  Click to Book Sessions 
 
2. Share Your Experience 
Complete the Community Listening Session Questionnaire to help us better understand our community’s needs. Click to Fill Out the Questionnaire 

3: Help Spread the Word About Our Organization 

Continue reading “Empower Black Families” →

Our Legacy: Why We Must Rise and Heal Together.

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Community Blueprint Series | Part 1 of 8 

Over the next several weeks, Empower Black Families will be sharing an eight-part Community Blueprint Series focused on rebuilding stronger families, stronger neighborhoods, and a stronger future for our communities. This is Part 1. 

Look around our blocks. From Brownsville, Wedgewood, and Ensley to Morris Court, Attucks Court, Englewood, and beyond, our roots run deep. We have carried generations on our backs. We have survived historic redlining, bulldozers, forced disinvestment, and political silence. 

However, if we are completely honest with ourselves, the external systems aren’t the only things holding us back.  

Our communities have remained splintered for generations, but that division didn’t happen by accident. It is rooted in systems dating back to slavery that were designed to keep us disconnected so we could never pool our power. For too long, we’ve allowed that division, and the “crabs in a bucket” mentality to keep us from building together. Every time we pull one another down, we weaken our own community. 

This starts with accountability. And that includes me, too. None of us are above putting in the work, and none of us can do this alone. If we want our neighborhoods to change, the healing must start from the inside out. 

Rebuilding Our Village: Bring Back the Barter System

We don’t need to wait on a corporate grocery store, or a county/city grant to start looking out for one another. If you see your neighbor struggling, step in. We need to bring back our “it takes a village” mentality and utilize our own internal barter system: 

  • If an elderly neighbor’s grass is overgrown, cut their yard. 
  • If a single mother is working late, fix a home-cooked meal for her children. 
  • If a neighbor’s roof is leaking or plumbing is failing, lend a hand and/or your tools. 
Continue reading “Our Legacy: Why We Must Rise and Heal Together.” →

Skin Color is Not a Shield 

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Oldest member of a FERA adult education class.
Booker T. Washington High School *See Note*
Pensacola, Florida.

She did not endure segregation, exclusion, and hardship so future generations would settle for symbolic representation.

This is something I’ve always had to deal with when calling someone out with the same skin color as me. When I’ve been asked how I can challenge another Black leader, let me ask you this; especially if you were born and raised here and remember that what you see today, is not how it was when we were growing up.  

Would District 3 be what you see today, if the elected commissioner had been held accountable for the disinvestment that exists today? District 3 is statistically facing the most severe, concentrated economic disinvestment in our community.  

This is an article posted on the WEAR3 website in 2018, where Commissioner May talks about the issues in his district. Click the link to read the article: Escambia County Commissioners address pockets of poverty 

When I met with Commissioner May to discuss some issues, I brought up this article and asked why conditions were/are the same 8 years later. Suddenly, I’m there to be antagonistic. I could see where the meeting was heading, so I walked out. 

I understand that being the sole Black voice on a five-member board is an incredibly heavy and isolating burden. I extend real grace to the battles he has to fight on that dais. Whether it’s dealing with the county or the city, we’re up against the “good ole boy” system, old money, influential families, etc. here in Pensacola. But being outnumbered inside the building means you must mobilize the community outside the building.

Moving on… 

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TRUTH OVER POLITICS: Breaking the Blueprint of Gatekeeping in Pensacola.

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For the record: I will not spend my time defending why my organization is called Empower Black Families. I believe in treating people as individuals while also recognizing the challenges that exist within Black communities. Both things can be true at the same time. 

My focus isn’t on arguing about the name. My focus is on the work. 

So, on that note… 

I’ve been labeled as “hostile”, an “angry individual”, and “antagonistic.’ Calling me angry, hostile, and antagonistic, is an outdated tactic that no longer works. Reporting me to the former chief deputy and city attorney hasn’t stopped me from speaking out as well.  

As the founder of Empower Black Families, my priority is ensuring that our communities are never left in the dark.  

Continue reading “TRUTH OVER POLITICS: Breaking the Blueprint of Gatekeeping in Pensacola.” →

Part 4: The Invitation

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Breaking cycles is not a single moment. It is a series of quiet choices, made again and again. It looks like pausing before we repeat what was familiar. Like choosing understanding over silence. Like learning that strength does not require suffering.

For many of us, the most radical act is not confrontation, it is reflection. It is asking different questions. Not “Why did this happen to me?” But “What do I want to pass on?” Because what we leave behind is not only what we escape. It is what we teach.

Healing does not erase the past. It gives us language for it. And language gives us choice. Choice to speak, or not. Choice to forgive, or to set boundaries. Choice to love without losing ourselves.

Continue reading “Part 4: The Invitation” →

Part 3: Breaking the Silence Without Breaking Ourselves

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Breaking generational cycles doesn’t begin with confrontation. It begins with clarity.

For many of us, silence was never about denial. It was about survival. About protecting family. About keeping the peace, even when it cost us our own. But there comes a point when silence stops protecting us. And starts protecting the harm.

Healing does not require exposure. It does not require reliving every painful detail. And it does not require abandoning faith, culture, or family. It requires honesty, with boundaries.

One of the most misunderstood parts of healing is forgiveness. Forgiveness is often rushed. Weaponized. Used to bypass accountability. But forgiveness was never meant to excuse harm.

Continue reading “Part 3: Breaking the Silence Without Breaking Ourselves” →

Part 2: What We Inherited; The Generational Loop

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Trauma doesn’t always announce itself. More often, it repeats.

When pain goes unaddressed, it doesn’t disappear.
It gets reshaped.
It becomes behavior.
It becomes belief.
It becomes family culture.

In many Black families, survival is passed down as wisdom.
“Be strong.”
“Don’t tell our business.”
“Pray about it.”
“You’ll be alright.”

And sometimes, those words helped us endure.
But endurance is not the same as healing.

Children raised in silence learn to read emotion instead of language. They learn to anticipate instead of ask.
They learn responsibility long before they learn safety.

Continue reading “Part 2: What We Inherited; The Generational Loop” →

Part 1: What We Inherited: When Survival Becomes Normal.

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When you grow up in survival, you don’t call it trauma. You call it life. You learn how to read rooms. How to stay quiet. How to adapt.

In many Black households, especially ones shaped by faith and tradition, survival is praised. Endurance is celebrated, and questioning pain is often seen as weakness. So we learn early not to ask why. We learn how to function, even when something inside us is breaking.

Continue reading “Part 1: What We Inherited: When Survival Becomes Normal.” →

What We Inherited: Introduction

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This is a four-part series called What We Inherited: A Story of Survival, Forgiveness, and Generational Healing.

In many Black households, especially in the South, we are taught early how to endure. We pray. We keep moving. We don’t talk about what happens behind closed doors.

Silence is often framed as strength. Forgiveness is often framed as duty. And survival becomes so normal that we stop asking what it’s costing us.

I grew up inside that silence. Not because my family didn’t love me, but because pain, especially in Black families, is often inherited rather than discussed.

Continue reading “What We Inherited: Introduction” →

Inside Kupfrian Manor: How Disaster Funds, Tax Credits, and Hidden LLC’s Built a Senior Project They Can’t Afford.

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The agenda for Kupfrian Manor is on the City Council Agenda Conference, where there is no open forum, no presentation and no hearing required. Meaning this project, which uses $700,000 in federal CDBG funds, is being pushed through without public explanation.

Developer Pattern: How The Paces Foundation Builds in Escambia County

PACE Foundation has developed multiple senior housing projects in Escambia County, including Brownsville Manor and the upcoming Kupfrian Manor. They use the same development model in every project: layered LLCs, LIHTC financing, out-of-state ownership, and heavy use of federal subsidies. Projects are presented as ‘community-based,’ but ownership, profit, and control flow back to Georgia.

They use wood-frame construction even for multi-story senior housing in hurricane-prone Florida. Wood-frame homes are also pose fire safety risks, water damage and mold, pest and termite infestations and noise and privacy problems

Use the arrow (< and >) to click through the slideshow

Continue reading “Inside Kupfrian Manor: How Disaster Funds, Tax Credits, and Hidden LLC’s Built a Senior Project They Can’t Afford.” →