Pensacola council pulls Bayou District advisory contract after hours of resident objections over Baptist Hospital plan

Pensacola city council on Dec. 11 pulled a proposed advisory agreement with Bayou District Consulting after dozens of residents and neighborhood leaders criticized the firm’s record and said the city had not meaningfully involved the community.

Residents filled the council chambers for a scheduled vote on awarding Bayou District the contract to guide planning for the Baptist Hospital legacy campus. Over roughly three hours of public comment, speakers described concerns about gentrification and the risk that longtime, predominantly Black neighborhoods would be displaced by a redevelopment modeled, they said, after Columbia Park in New Orleans. Speakers called for enforceable anti-displacement protections, independent environmental review and a resident-led oversight body.

Jerry Bruce, founder of Bayou District Foundation and managing member of Bayou District Consulting, defended his group’s record in New Orleans and said the project there included a mix of housing types, schools and a health clinic. He told the council the team had worked with displaced families and said roughly 70% of units in that redevelopment were affordable or subsidized and that many former residents were offered return opportunities. "We offered first right of occupancy to all of those residents, and 150 families have come back," Bruce said.

Councilmembers pressed staff on procurement details and environmental safeguards. Councilman Delarian Wiggins said the voices in the room had changed his position and announced he would not support the item: "I will not be supporting this tonight," he said. Other councilmembers proposed workshops, a citizens advisory board, and more environmental and demolition safeguards before any advisory contract could move forward.

With public outrage persistent and no clear majority to approve the contract, the council’s sponsor pulled the item from the agenda. The administration and council members agreed to schedule further community engagement, a possible workshop with the developer and additional briefings from environmental and housing staff before any subsequent vote.

What happens next: the contract was not approved Dec. 11. Council and city staff said they will pursue additional outreach and a citizens advisory committee to shape next steps for the Baptist site and to ensure environmental protections and anti-displacement measures are developed before any advisory or development agreement is finalized.