By DJ Zemenick, Turtle Patroler

I once said the first day of patrol feels like reconnecting with an old friend.  This year, after a six week closure of Pensacola Beach due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was an even more joyous reunion when the first day of sea turtle season coincided with the reopening of the beach.  As the barricades were pulled back in the pre-dawn hours on May 1, people made their way to the water's edge, appropriately spacing themselves, breathing in the salt air and watching the sun make its way over the horizon.  It was a perfect morning, offering a sense of calm and contentment after weeks of anxiety and isolation.

Events which are officially cancelled include Leftover 4 Miler (May 16), Hands Across the Sand, Momentum Beach Baptism (May17), Community 2020 (May 20), Memorial Weekend Pensacola (May 21-25), Family Beach Fest (May 23), Art Walk (May 24), Mere Mortals (May 24), Summer Waterboyz Surf Camp (May 26-29), Star Gaze (May 29-30), Tri Gulf Coast Open Water Swim Fridays (May 8, 15, 22, 29)

The Florida Supreme Court today denied a petition by the Escambia County School District to assert a challenge to prior court rulings finding that county-owned land on Pensacola Beach could not be subjected to real property taxes.  Both Judge Duncan of the Circuit Court of Escambia County and the First District Court of Appeal had previously found that land at Pensacola Beach, which is subject to long-term but non-perpetual leases, is owned by the County.  County-owned land is immune from ad valorem taxation.