Allen Park got its playground surfacing, swings and basketball court redone for $49,500. The Sanders Beach renovation costs $1,488,875, about thirty times as much. Both are on the same City of Pensacola list, and the difference in price explains most of what you'll run into at the city's parks this fall.
That list is the city's Direction '25 Pensacola Park Revitalization Project List. Its September 8, 2026 update tracks about $21.7 million in work. Much of it is paid for by local option sales tax, with grants covering the larger jobs. Read line by line, it shows a clear pattern. Most of the small neighborhood fixes are marked done. The waterfront projects, the boat ramps, boardwalks and bluffs, cost far more, and most have slipped past their original targets. They're the ones still fenced off or waiting on construction this fall.
The inland work mostly wrapped up without much notice
The tracker lists a long run of finished projects at neighborhood parks you might visit on a weeknight:
- Miralla Park: new playground surfacing, restored playground parts, a new swing set, benches and better sidewalk access, marked complete
- Pintado Park: sidewalk access, picnic upgrades, benches and a new drinking fountain, complete
- McNealy Park: picnic tables, grills and a drinking fountain, complete
- Cecil Hunter Pool: waterslide replaced, complete
- Bayview Dog Park: regrading, new surfacing, benches, picnic tables and signage, complete
- Roger Scott Tennis Center: courts resurfaced, plus six shade structures and bleacher upgrades, complete
- Basketball courts citywide: 23 courts at parks including Allen, Gull Point, Malaga, Zamora and Dunwoody, plus 22 replaced drinking fountains, complete
Most of these cost under $200,000. Allen Park came in at $49,500 and Pintado at $70,500. The Roger Scott Tennis Center, at $756,487, was the one big inland item on this part of the list. Not every inland job is finished. Rev. H.K. Matthews Park is still waiting on its basketball court renovation, and the Tippin Park inclusive playground went to a Parks and Recreation Board workshop in August to decide next steps. Still, most of the neighborhood park upgrades are done.
The waterfront projects cost more and took longer
The water-edge projects are much bigger. The 17th Avenue boat ramp on Bayou Texar is budgeted at $1,487,188. Sanders Beach is $1,488,875. Bay Bluffs Park is $2.4 million.
Three of them have also passed their original target dates. Bay Bluffs is still inside its listed window on paper, though its own schedule says otherwise, as covered below. The tracker's estimated-completion column shows where each one stands.
| Project | Original target on the city list | Where it stands as of the Sept. 8, 2026 update |
|---|---|---|
| Sanders Beach Kayak Launch & Park Revitalization | Fall-Winter 2025 | Kayak launch, lighting, benches, picnic tables done; restroom and solar in permitting; storm repairs in contract stage |
| 17th Ave Boat Ramp Improvements | Spring 2026 | Loftis Marine awarded the contract |
| Bayview Park Improvements Phase 1 | Spring 2026 | Split-rail fence in progress; tennis courts scheduled Sept. 8–15 |
| Bay Bluffs Park Revitalization | Fall-Winter 2026-27 | Site inspections and surveys in progress |
Construction on the water is more complicated. Seawalls, docks and boardwalks involve marine contractors, permitting and weather, and a playground swap doesn't. This summer added a storm to that list.
Sanders Beach, where a storm hit an unfinished project
Sanders Beach Park closed this summer for its renovation. The plan converts the old boat ramp into an ADA kayak launch and adds four covered waterfront picnic tables with solar lighting and charging, a larger ADA-accessible restroom, turtle-friendly lighting, repaved parking and an education kiosk. The Pensacola News Journal reported in July that the Corinne Jones Resource Center next door would stay open during the work.
Then Tropical Storm Bertha damaged part of the park's boardwalk and seawall. WEAR noted that the damaged section was already fenced off for the renovation. The city's damage assessment found a large gap between the boardwalk and the park at the westernmost sidewalk entrance, and that spot stayed closed.
As of the September 8 update, the kayak launch, lighting, benches and picnic tables are done. The storm repairs are in the contract stage, and the restroom and solar work is still in permitting. The parking lot will be done last because crews are using it to store materials. The city's July estimate of up to 60 days for construction has passed with that work still open. We found no city notice confirming a full reopening, so check the city's Sanders Beach facility page before you load the kayak.
The same assessment reported that the Bayview launches, docks and boardwalk, the Bayou Texar launch and the Bruce Beach kayak launch reopened after the storm.
Bayou Texar gets two fixes at once
The 17th Avenue job does more than replace a boat ramp. At a City Hall news conference on September 9, Mayor D.C. Reeves said Loftis Marine's contract covers a new ramp and dock just south of the Graffiti Bridge, repaving the parking lot, a new boardwalk from the lot running under the railroad trestle, a replacement boardwalk on the north side of the bridge, and an advance warning system for trucks.
The walkway under the trestle matters most to anyone who walks 17th Avenue. According to the PNJ, some of these goals have been on the city's wish list for nearly 14 years. Reeves described the current choice for pedestrians as "run for your life under 17th Avenue or go over the trestle." The warning system uses infrared lasers set 10 feet above the road, the same height as the bridge. A truck that breaks the beam triggers flashing lights telling the driver to stop and turn around.
These are the dates the mayor gave, and they are plans, not confirmed progress:
- Mid-September: ramp parking lot closes so contractors can stage equipment
- September 21: planned construction start
- November 25: boardwalk and parking lot targeted for completion
- December 23: warning system targeted for completion
Reeves said he saw no sign that 17th Avenue itself would have to close, though crews may put out cones and shift traffic at times. He expects the work to be phased, so the parking lot won't stay closed for the whole project. As of this writing, we haven't found a city update confirming that work started on the 21st.
Farther up the bayou, Bayview Park's tennis courts were scheduled for resurfacing the week of September 7. The work was phased so three of the six courts stayed open, with about 10 days of work expected. The courts are lighted until 10 p.m. The city hasn't yet posted notice that all six are back in play.
The bluffs and the biggest project are further out
Bay Bluffs Park Preserve, with its trails, benches and water access, is still closed. The September tracker says "Fall-Winter 2026-27," but the city's facility page and a July PNJ report give a later schedule. Surveying and a structural assessment were expected from August through October 2026, with bids around March or April 2027 and construction expected to begin around October 2027. The later timeline is the safer one to plan around.
The largest project is Hollice T. Williams Park and the Long Hollow stormwater pond beneath I-110. The city's bid describes about 47 acres of stormwater infrastructure, multipurpose recreation areas, paths, lighting and planting. At the September 8 agenda conference, staff recommended awarding Phase 1 to Talcon Group of Havana. The total is $19,879,785.15, including alternates and a 12% contingency. The first work area runs from East Gonzales Street north to East Jordan Street and includes elevated trails and improved recreation fields. The PNJ reported that the contract was headed to City Council at the end of the month. No opening date has been published.
What's open late this fall
While the water-edge work continues, the city's February 2026 hours policy still applies. Most parks close at sunset. Admiral Mason Park and Community Maritime Park are among the exceptions that stay open until 10 p.m. The Blake Doyle Skate Park stays open until midnight. The city cancelled lighting projects at Zamora Square, Lamancha Square and several other parks, noting that those parks close at dusk.
Two more dates for the winter calendar. Site work for Roger Scott Pool's new restrooms is scheduled for October, and the restroom building is set for delivery December 7. The Fricker Resource Center at 900 N. F Street, which broke ground June 26, is expected to reopen for programs in June 2027. Along Bayfront Parkway, the planting and path project is still in design, with final construction documents expected by the end of 2026.
If you're weighing how a finished Graffiti Bridge boardwalk or a reopened Bay Bluffs might affect the value of a home near the bayou, the team at Avenue Realty follows these projects block by block and can walk you through it. Schedule a Free Home Consultation and we'll go over the timelines that apply to your street.
