Matt Gaetz tapped for AG, Whiskey Joe’s closes

Here’s a roundup of our top stories from the past week.

With a subscription to the Pensacola News Journal, you get full access to the work of our journalists and photographers as they go out every day to help inform and explain the important issues affecting your community.

Whiskey Joe’s will close permanently this month on Pensacola Beach, with a new concept coming

Whiskey Joe’s will permanently close its waterfront restaurant on the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk after Nov. 27 with a new concept coming in March, Kelsey Hanson, marketing manager for Whiskey Joe’s, confirmed in an email Monday.

The “Floribbean,” island-inspired restaurant opened in early 2022 on Pensacola Beach at 400 Quietwater Beach Road, Unit 16. The waterfront property featured an outdoor tiki bar, a large indoor dining room and separate areas for private events.

Whiskey Joes has several other locations in Florida, and Pensacola Beach was selected because of the “sun-seeking, laid-back crowd” that Pensacola Beach attracts, John Tallichet, CEO of the Specialty Restaurants Corporation that includes Whiskey Joe’s, told the News Journal. the opening of the restaurant in 2022.

Matt Gaetz is resigning from Congress ‘effective immediately’ after Donald Trump appointed him as AG

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has resigned from Congress “effective immediately,” House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday, just hours after President-elect Donald Trump announced he would tap Gaetz as U.S. attorney general.

“He has sent his letter of resignation from Congress with immediate effect,” Johnson said during a press conference on Wednesday evening. “That surprised us a little bit.”

Johnson said Gaetz’s abrupt resignation allowed for faster special elections in Northwest Florida to replace him and strengthen the slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

Sister of woman shot at Mugs & Jugs wants justice. Why she’s afraid she won’t get it

As painful as it is to revisit her sister’s murder, Diamond Jordan is determined to make sure people know what happened and that her younger sister’s death is not minimized or forgotten.

“Tierra had a lot of life left, and Christian Ketchup took her life. I feel like it’s our job to be her voice because she can’t do that anymore,” Jordan said.

Ketchup is charged with second-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.

Although his case has not yet gone to trial, Jordan is concerned that he will not be held accountable, especially after his girlfriend and co-defendant in the case, Rachel DeRise, received a “slap on the wrist” for her role, according to Jordan. in the deadly altercation.

Engineering research shows that reuse of Baptist Hospital is not ‘commercially viable’

With last week’s call for businesses to sign up for the demolition of the old Baptist Hospital, Pensacola is on track to demolish the entire campus.

The decision came after engineering consultants made it clear to city officials that reusing the main building and towers of the old Baptist Hospital would not be “commercially viable.”

In May, the city hired Geosyntec Consultants to assess the Baptist Hospital campus for reuse and conduct a so-called Phase I environmental study of possible contamination on the site.

At the time, the city was still awaiting word on whether Gov. Ron DeSantis would approve $7 million in state funding to pay for the demolition of the old Baptist Hospital. The funding was approved in the state budget and now the city is conducting a Phase II environmental study, along with a full property and land survey, to work out the details of a grant agreement with Baptist Health Care.

The city last week issued a “request for qualifications” seeking qualified contractors to demolish the entire campus.

Eight goals to keep Pensacola thriving by 2035: City unveils 10-year strategic plan

Over the past year, urban design firm Gehl heard the voices of more than 1,700 Pensacola residents, reviewed more than 30 previously prepared municipal plans and reports, and looked at examples of other long-term strategic plans from other communities across the country. sphere.

Gehl’s team came with a clear mission for the city of Pensacola: that by 2035, “all residents have the support they need to stay and thrive in their city – at every stage of life.” And to help achieve that goal, Gehl has created a 71-page report with clear instructions, steps and statistics that show the way forward.

On Monday, Gehl publicly released a 10-year strategic plan for the city, called “Strive to Thrive: Pensacola 2035,” a document that “results from the input of more than a thousand voices and outlines a vision for the city’s future in the coming years. decade and beyond.”