Sherry Morris has been selected as the Director of the new City of Pensacola Development Services Department, which will encompass the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, Building Inspections, and Planning Services.
Morris has worked in the city's Planning Services Department since 1997, most recently serving as the Planning Services Director.
"I'm looking forward to taking on this challenge and continuing my career with the City of Pensacola in a new role," Morris said. "We already have a great team at the city, and I'm excited to further enhance our services and take our 'one-stop' Development Services team to the next level to serve our citizens as efficiently as possible."
Morris has a bachelor's degree from Florida State University in Political Science and a master's degree from the University of West Florida in Public Administration. She has over two decades of planning experience in Northwest Florida and holds the designation of Certified Planner from the American Planning Association.
Morris said one of the aspects she loves most about her career is helping people, whether it's with a small project or a major development that changes Pensacola's landscape.
"When you work in development services, the most rewarding part is actually seeing some of the transformative changes that have occurred in the city and are continuing to occur," Morris said. "It's a great feeling to be a part of the unprecedented growth we are seeing in our area and to know that it's because people are continuing to be drawn to everything the City of Pensacola has to offer."
In her new role, Morris will will be responsible for long-range planning, land development and revitalization programs. She will also be responsible for the oversight of all operations of the three divisions within the Development Services Department. The new Development Services Department will offer a more streamlined approach to development and redevelopment activities in the City of Pensacola, both in the Community Redevelopment Areas and throughout the city as a whole.
As the city's Development Services Director, Morris is appointed by Mayor Grover Robinson, and she will work under the direction of Deputy City Administrator David Forte and City Administrator Kerrith Fiddler.
"I'm very excited to have Sherry Morris continue her career with the City of Pensacola, bringing her institutional knowledge and more than two decades of experience with the city into this new role," Mayor Grover Robinson said. "I'm confident that under her leadership, the city's Development Services Department will provide excellent service to our residents, builders and developers as our city continues to grow."