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

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.

While that specific store technically sits within city limits, when I’m out conversing with residents in the county, many have personally told me they are forced to shop at that location because it’s the only grocery store within walking distance in the area that isn’t a Dollar General, Family Dollar, or Dollar Tree. Dealing with ECAT is a separate topic entirely. This is the daily, cross-jurisdictional reality of an Escambia County food desert, while millions of dollars in county redevelopment TIF funds shift away from the families who need structural relief.

How can this commission justify any of this, when your own county constituents are structurally trapped into buying food unfit for human consumption because the county has failed to incentivize a clean, traditional grocery store option on our side of the street?

The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) allocations for June 2026, show that the county is actively collecting Tax Increment Financing (TIF) across Warrington, Ensley, Englewood, Palafox, Brownsville, etc. The budget projections show TIF collections skyrocketing from $4.3 million in 2022 to over $9.3 million projected for 2026.

You are actively collecting millions off the back of our community’s legally declared blighted status, while simultaneously laughing at the economic hardships that justified the funding in the first place. The resources exist; the political will does not.

As an elder stated in a city meeting, “We are more than community centers and beautification projects.” Our families need structural infrastructure like fresh, safe food access and housing stability, not superficial band-aids.

How does this commission intend to address the severe economic disparities in our districts without turning our community’s hardships into a punchline?

Commissioners Stroberger and Kohler, as military veterans, you are intimately familiar with the core values of duty, honor, and selfless service. My late husband dedicated his life to the United States Navy under those exact principles. Watching veteran commissioners participate in a public culture that treats the struggles of everyday constituents as a joke is deeply disheartening.

I expect better from our elected officials, and I request a formal, written response detailing the commission’s specific infrastructure plans for food security and housing equity in these blighted communities.

If the Commission is not pursuing specific initiatives in these blighted areas to address food insecurity, lack of affordable housing, etc, I request that this be stated clearly in the response. Please provide your response within ten (10) business days.

Do better going forward.

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