Pensacola top stories: Golfing at state parks, what's replacing Checker's

Here's a roundup of our top stories from the past week.

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The old Checker's on North Davis Highway is gone, but here is what will stand in its place

Drivers heading past the intersection of Brent Lane and North Davis Highway may have noticed ongoing construction at the site of the former Checker’s fast-food restaurant.

That incoming building will be a Take 5 Oil Change, according to the project’s development order from Escambia County’s Development Review Committee (DRC).

Keep reading: The old Checker's on North Davis Highway is gone, but here is what will stand in its place

Golfing, pickleball courts proposed at Florida state parks under Great Outdoors Initiative

Pickleball courts , golfing and disc golf courses and more lodging could soon be coming to at least eight Florida state parks , according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection .

The state DEP announced the launch of its 2024-2025 Great Outdoors Initiative , which proposes to expand public access, increase outdoor activities and provide new lodging options across the Sunshine State’s parks .

The news released, published Monday, was light on details and mostly focused on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ investments in conserving the state’s natural landscapes. Details found in public meeting agendas scheduled to take place Tuesday show proposals for at least eight state parks scattered from South Florida to the Panhandle.

Keep reading: Golfing, pickleball courts proposed at Florida state parks under Great Outdoors Initiative

Commissioner Jeff Bergosh ousted from Escambia County Board, falling to Steve Stroberger

Republican Steve Stroberger won his bid for the Escambia County Commission District 1 seat, ousting longtime Commissioner Jeff Bergosh.

Election results show Stroberger, a retired Navy pilot and aerospace industry professional, won the election in a landslide with 54.2% of the vote. Bergosh garnered 36.8% and Jesse Casey just 9 percent. With three candidates and no runoff, the winning candidate only needed 33.4% of the vote to win.

Keep reading: Commissioner Jeff Bergosh ousted from Escambia County Board, falling to Steve Stroberger

Escambia County: Primary election results

Santa Rosa County: Primary election results

New event center and shopping hub planned near Pensacola hotel

The OYO Hotel’s site on Pensacola Boulevard could be expanding with an event center and multi-tenant shopping center nearby.

Plans for who could set up shop in the proposed shopping center are not available at this time, but the project’s narrative form states that the event center will service the existing 121-room hotel.

Developers plan for the multi-tenant building to be 5,000 square feet with four rentable spaces for retail stores . The event center is proposed to be 4,000 square feet and located directly outside of the hotel. An additional 53 parking spaces are also proposed as part of the project.

Keep reading: New event center and shopping hub planned near Pensacola hotel

Affordable homes built by Escambia County sitting empty during housing crisis. Here's why:

Escambia County’s use of the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program (SHIP) is under scrutiny after county staff announced there is no longer any funding available for down payment assistance through the SHIP program. Now some are questioning why the county is spending so much of the state dollars, used jointly by the city of Pensacola and Escambia County, on other programs including building brand new homes and rebuilding others, and it's not really clear who is getting these homes or how recipients are selected.

The county is sitting on 14 homes that were built to help meet the need for affordable housing in the community. Some $600,000 in SHIP funding was used to build three of them at a cost of about $200,00 each. The rest are being funded with a combination of state and federal funds. The houses are in various stages of construction, and many are finished or close to being finished.

However, there are no immediate plans to list the houses for sale because county staff say they are still working to find a partner organization to help sell them because it’s illegal for the county to do it as a government entity.

Keep reading: Affordable homes built by Escambia County sitting empty during housing crisis. Here's why:

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola top stories: Golfing at state parks, what's replacing Checker's