Ever since the terrorist attack of December 6th 2019 and then the subsequent COVID 19 Pandemic which followed the next year---access to NAS Pensacola by the public at large has been severely limited and all but curtailed.
There are many good reasons why-- and the decisions to do so are made largely via higher headquarters and are not made locally.
The Navy has a training mission which is the priority. Everyone understands this.
The tourism opportunity provided by the National Museum of Naval Aviation, the Lighthouse, and the National Seashore are important to the local community as a vital revenue generating source--but the mission of the base is the priority.
Protecting the various missions on the base is the most important factor because this alone provides our area with a tremendous influx of dollars for the economy--the size of which is only rivaled by seasonal tourism and the beaches.
So is it possible to provide access to the base safely, securely, while not jeopardizing missions here?
That has been the question, several options have been studied. The most recent idea was to have the Florida Department of Transportation take over and improve the roadway all the way through the base which would have allowed for the station's security posture to be maintained while also allowing for visitation to the Museum, cemetery, golf course, and national seashore by the general public and tourists from around the country.
Unfortunately, this option does not appear likely due to the tremendously high costs associated with implementation.
Other ideas are being explored (e.g. busing visitors aboard the station to tour the museum after such persons are vetted off the station).
This past week I was invited to participate in a conference call with NAS Pensacola CAPT Terrance Shashaty and multiple folks from FDOT. The reason for the call was primarily an introduction and to
