The City of Pensacola and the Florida Department of Transportation have a problem—the first intersection coming off the Chappie James Bridge, Gregory Street and 14th Avenue, has had 22 vehicular crashes and three motorcycle fatalities in 2025 as of Dec. 8.
- The crashes reported by Mayor D.C. Reeves in an email to District 3 FDOT Secretary Tim Smith are triple times higher than the average of the previous two years.
AUGUST REPORT
In August, Interim Police Chief Kristin Brown reported the city had already recorded 10 traffic fatalities in 2025, with four months remaining in the year. The highest annual total over the past five years was just eight fatalities. Three of the motorcycle fatalities occurred at the same location, the intersection of 14th Avenue and Gregory
Chief Brown stated the bridge’s design had created conditions where drivers naturally accelerate, with little infrastructure in place to encourage speed reduction..
At the time, Mayor Reeves said, “You can understand where there’d be some speed happening there because there really isn’t anything to slow folks down.”…