Employee of the month

On July 13, 2017, Officer Morales and Officer Bloodworth were dispatched to the fishing pier at 17th Avenue and Bayfront Pkwy. The complaint was of a female who was causing a disturbance. While Officers Morales and Bloodworth were in route, dispatch advised that the woman had jumped from the bridge into the bay. The woman was about 75-100 yards off shore and trying to move herself further away. Officer Bloodworth contacted dispatch and had them contact the Pensacola Fire Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to see if either agencies had a boat which could quickly respond.

While dispatch was attempting to locate a boat, Officer Bloodworth was monitoring the female and noticed that she was becoming fatigued and struggling to keep her head above water. Officer Bloodworth quickly made the decision to go into the water after the female. Officer Morales kept a steady dialog with the female which kept her from moving further away. Officer Bloodworth then commandeered a pair of “Crocks” from an onlooker, so he could traverse the barnacle covered rocks and enter the water. Once in the water, Officer Bloodworth removed the “Crocks” and threw them to Officer Cain so he too could assist. Officer Bloodworth quickly covered the distance between the shore and the female and grabbed her. The female initially tried to resist Officer Bloodworth’s assistance, but she was quickly overpowered. Officer Bloodworth was able to safely pull the female to shore where Officer Cain and Officer Lawrence were standing by to assist.

The female was transported to the Baptist Hospital Emergency Room. Officer Bloodworth knew the only way to save the female was to risk his own life and to swim out to retrieve her. Officer Bloodworth’s actions reflected great credit upon himself, and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Pensacola Police Department.

We also took some time to recognize the milestones and achievements of some of our City employees.

Strong Towns

This week, city officials were pleased to join other community leaders in a "Strong Towns" workshop held by Chuck Marohn. Marohn is the president and founder of Strong Towns, a Minnesota nonprofit with the mission of helping America's cities, towns and neighborhoods become financially strong and resilient.

Marohn was the kickoff speaker of CivicCon, a joint project by the Pensacola News Journal and the Studer Community Institute to make Pensacola a better place through community conversations

Pensacola Fire Department promotion

Congratulations to Ben Gilmore on his promotion to Fire Captain

Community Public Safety Day

Don't miss this Saturday's Community Public Safety Day at our Community Maritime Park along with the 5210 Day Of Play! Everything is free and very family friendly.

How to do business with your local government

You are cordially invited to join the Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce (GCAACC), the City of Pensacola, Escambia County, and the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) for a free workshop designed for businesses to establish a working relationship with our local government. Click here to learn more.

Government Street Regional Stormwater Pond at Corrine Jones Park

The Government Street Regional Stormwater Pond at Corrine Jones Park is coming along nicely. Click the image below to see more.

Click the image for video

INSTAGRAM: Photo of the week

Don't forget to share your photo with us on Instagram. Tag us with #upsideofflorida or @cityofpensacola. Your image could be featured in the next UPwords newsletter. We'd love to see your photos! Photo credit: @p ensacola_fire