Pensacola City Council on Thursday halted the city’s effort to move forward with a redevelopment advisory contract for the former Baptist Hospital campus, pulling the item from its agenda after hours of testimony warning that the process could accelerate displacement in nearby historically Black neighborhoods.
The move effectively reversed momentum from earlier in the week, when the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency — made up of the same elected officials sitting in a different legal capacity — voted unanimously to approve the advisory-services award. The council’s decision leaves the future planning process for the long-vacant hospital site unsettled, even as demolition and environmental abatement preparations continue.
What the Baptist site is — and why the city is involved
The former Baptist Hospital campus, often referred to by city officials as the “legacy campus,” occupies a large tract near several historically Black neighborhoods north of downtown. After the hospital closed, the city stepped in to guide redevelopment rather than leaving the property to private speculation.
City officials have said their goal is to prevent the campus from remaining vacant or being redeveloped without public input. To do that, the city has relied on its Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA — a state-authorized entity that uses tax increment financing, known as TIF, to reinvest growth in property-tax revenues back into designated redevelopment areas…