Pensacola is reevaluating its security in the wake of the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans . Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said visitors to public events downtown can expect changes.
“Every city in the country is looking at the new world we live in as it pertains to large gatherings and public events,” Reeves said. “The first, second and third priority of this job is to keep the people safe who live here. and there are no other jobs more important than that. There are no other initiatives. There are no other projects. There’s no other thing that is more important than that for our residents.”
Reeves said he spoke with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and offered any Pensacola resources the city of New Orleans may need after the attack t hat killed 14 people and injured 35 others when a man rammed a truck into pedestrians on a busy Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Pensacola changed its security posture almost immediately as Pensacola Mardi Gras held its annual Kick-Off Celebration on Saturday. The city deployed 18 new temporary sidewalk barriers designed to stop cars, which were loaned by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and blocked streets off with police cruisers.