Families Deserve to Live Here: Brian Coles Plan for District 4:

Brian Cole is running for Pensacola City Council District 4 with a focus on doing the necessary groundwork rather than simply holding a title.

His motivation for running is deeply personal.

Cole grew up in Pensacola, spending time in the Woodland Heights neighborhood and living off Gulf Beach Highway in a small cinderblock house with propane heat.

While making a living in Pensacola has never been effortless, Cole remembers a time when a normal job could buy a normal house.

Today, he sees a rapidly shifting economy where residents struggle to make ends meet without working multiple jobs.

With a wife and children he hopes will stay in the area, Cole wants to ensure Pensacola remains an affordable place to raise a family.

(Photo credit: Brian Cole)

Professional experience as an executive in the property restoration industry heavily shapes his approach to municipal governance.

Working for First On Site, Cole trains teams across North America on estimating, project administration, and cost management.

He approaches city decisions much like a massive restoration project: understand the problem, identify the full cost, ask critical questions, and plan beyond the immediate vote.

Preparation before reaching the dais remains a central tenet of Cole's platform.

Addressing how he would handle an agenda packet delivered with last-minute revisions, Cole maintains that major city issues should never come as a surprise on meeting night.

He points to the ongoing rewrite of Pensacola's Land Development Code as a prime example.

On a proposal of that magnitude, Cole believes a council member must stay familiar enough with the underlying material so any late amendments can be evaluated responsibly.

Diligence and technical scrutiny also drive his opposition to certain recent council votes.

(Photo credit: Brian Cole)

A prominent example is the restroom project at Veterans Memorial Park.

While Cole fully supports installing a restroom at the park, review of the project revealed significant concerns regarding its cost, planning, and execution.

Cole noted that the provided Romtec plans were marked "Preliminary" and lacked a professional structural engineer's stamp.

Furthermore, the city was purchasing about $75,000 in unassembled materials from an out-of-state supplier, leaving the city to assume substantial local construction responsibilities.

Cole argues that before moving forward, the city must establish a complete construction plan, a clear total project cost, and definitive proof of taxpayer value.

(Photo credit: Brian Cole)

When looking at broader municipal challenges, Cole identifies the lack of long-term planning for asset maintenance and replacement as the single biggest issue facing District 4.

City investments in playground equipment, fire stations, community centers, roads, and drainage systems all require ongoing upkeep.

Cole is particularly critical of the city's historical mismanagement of stormwater infrastructure.

He points out that while entities like Florida Power and Light (FPL) manage power and Emerald Coast Utilities Authority(ECUA) manages pipes, the city and county are responsible for roads and stormwater.

However, poor maintenance and outdated records plague the system.

(Photo credit: Brian Cole)

According to Cole, the city lacks a clear understanding of its own retention ponds and frequently relies on outdated highway department data rather than modern NOAA Atlas 14 data.

He advocates for mapping the existing systems accurately and fostering better cooperation between city, county, and state agencies to solve flooding issues proactively.

While Cole adheres to strong principles, he also stresses the importance of adjusting one's position when underlying facts change.

He initially supported a proposal to spend approximately $200,000 on a consultant to improve the accuracy of the city's stormwater fee assessments.

During discussions, he learned that improving data accuracy would not increase overall collections, and the practical impact on individual bills would be negligible.

Recognizing that spending $200,000 in public funds yielded little practical benefit, Cole changed his stance.

To foster better relations between residents and City Hall, Cole defines meaningful public input as an ongoing dialogue.

He demands transparency from local leaders and has openly criticized candidates who ignore media inquiries, arguing that the public deserves to be informed.

Cole has demonstrated his own commitment to accessibility by engaging directly with residents in their neighborhoods.

He also boasts a perfect attendance record at City Council, Agenda, and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meetings over the past year.

Despite working a demanding full-time job, Cole makes the time to show up, proving his dedication to the city and the constituents of District 4.

(Incumbent Jared Moore and Brian Cole)