Mayor D.C. Reeves was asked to be a panel presenter on Public and Private Partnerships at the United States Conference of Mayors Winter Session alongside Altanta, Georgia Mayor Andre Dickens.Mayor D.C. Reeves arrived in Washington, D.C. last week for the United States Conference of Mayors. He was ready to get to work but was quickly reminded that the highest office in the city is often unglamorous.
It started with a four-hour delay in Atlanta. He was booked to three different D.C. area airports in a matter of an hour, trying to find a way to get to important meetings representing Pensacola the next morning. Then came a 1:30 a.m. arrival, followed by the discovery that his luggage didn’t make it.
A few hours later, after a scrambling trip to Macy’s for a new suit and with a required sense of humor, Reeves leaned into his full schedule and got straight to business.
“The shopping spree was swift,” Reeves joked. “But every moment with federal leadership is important. The list of things to accomplish was long, and I’m feeling good about every meeting we had.”
Mayor Reeves was in Washington attending the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), a nonpartisan organization representing more than 1,400 mayors from cities with populations of 30,000 or more.
The conference serves as a national forum where local leaders collaborate, share best practices, and advocate for federal policies that directly impact their communities.
Mayor Reeves is the chair of the USCM Committee on Jobs, Education, and Workforce, helping guide national conversations on workforce development and opportunity with every mayor in the U.S.
He is one of only four Florida mayors elected to national leadership within the USCM, and the only one representing a city the size of Pensacola.
Elected by his fellow mayors for an additional leadership role, Mayor Reeves is also one of just 26 mayors nationwide selected to serve on the Advisory Board of the United States Conference of Mayors, underscoring Pensacola’s rising profile and proven results on the national stage.
R: Mayor John Dailey, Tallahassee, Florida C: Mayor Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Sweetwater, Florida, and Mayor D.C. Reeves.“As part of USCM leadership, it’s been an honor to collaborate with mayors from across the country,” Reeves said. “The front lines of providing for Americans start with local government. These conversations matter because what we learn and advocate for here can directly improve lives back home.”
But the trip stayed busy because it wasn’t just a conference; there was work to do with federal agencies to advocate for Pensacola.
Mayor Reeves met with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to advance long-awaited remediation efforts at the American Creosote Works site, helping unlock a property that has been stalled for decades and moving cleanup efforts forward for the first time in a generation.
He also met with the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to continue advancing Project Maeve, a transformational economic development initiative for Pensacola.
While Reeves was in Washington, the Triumph Gulf Coast Board gave initial approval to Project Maeve for $76 million, an investment that will establish Birdon America Inc.’s Southeastern headquarters and a Tier 2 advanced ship manufacturing facility at the Port of Pensacola.
The project is expected to create approximately 2,000 jobs, including 1,437 positions with an average annual salary of $68,000 and 563 positions averaging $112,000 annually.
“This project will change the trajectory of our city for generations to come,” Reeves said. “I promised careers for our hardworking taxpayers, and today shows we are delivering on that promise. We’re focused on building Pensacola’s future, and Triumph’s investment helps us do just that.”
When fully approved, the project will support the development of a 400,000-square-foot shipbuilding facility, strengthen the local economy, and support U.S. military interests through the production of critical ship and submarine modules.
It would represent the largest job creation project in Pensacola’s history and one of the largest grants approved by Triumph Gulf Coast.
United States Conference of Mayors 94th Winter Session, Washington, D.C.Beyond the meetings, Reeves described the week as both energizing and effective.
He shared that several projects currently in action in Pensacola were born from the thought leadership and collaboration with his fellow mayors.
“Our successes at Hollice T. Williams, the Pensacola Police Department’s Community Response Specialists supporting individuals experiencing homelessness, and the Mayor’s Childcare Access Initiative are all examples of ideas born through the USCM and brought home to Pensacola,” Reeves said.
“I was genuinely inspired by the people I met and the leaders I listened to,” he added.
“Cities all over the country are doing incredible work, and it reinforces that Pensacola belongs in these conversations.”
