Blog: How the federal government affects local lives

Florida Humanities was set to receive $1.7 million from the endowment before federal funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities was pulled. Now, the organization is planning to cut programming and seek funding elsewhere.

The Department of Government Efficiency pulled grants awarded to the NEH and fired 80% of the organization's staff in March. Read more from WUSF here.

A decision by the National Institutes of Health to cancel research at Florida A&M's College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences may have reverberations throughout the Sunshine State, reports WUSF.

FAMU is one of a total of six Florida universities had NIH grants canceled, including:

• Florida State University had $366,855 of a $1.9 million grant to address vaccine hesitancy among Black adults in the south canceled on April 1.
• The University of Central Florida had $2.0 million of a $2.8 million grant to help trans women canceled on March 14.
• The University of Florida saw $717,873 of a $1.4 million grant to reduce internalize health-related stigmas canceled March 21.
• Florida International University lost $126,711 of a $9.6 million grant to fund research on COVID-19 testing among underserved communities March 24.

Read the full story here.

Mike Kohler, chairman of the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, is raising concerns after a trip to Washington, D.C. this week, where discussions centered on major defense budget cuts that could impact communities across the country.

“I’m on the Defense Communities Summit, and every board there was talking about an eight percent cut, $50 billion dollars, out of the Department of Defense over the next five years," explained Kohler. "Now, they don’t have the granular level. Those are big numbers. Those are astronomical numbers. There weren’t any specifics on if that would trickle down yet, but it seems real.”

Read more here.

A $25,000 grant awarded to Pensacola MESS Hall Institute of Museum and Library Services is now "in limbo" due to a federal funding freeze, according to a press release sent by the MESS Hall.

The grant was for enhancing sixth grade science in Escambia county. The organization says they are unable to be reimbursed for recent expenditures on this grant, and further activity is on hold.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent federal agency that awards grant funding to museums and libraries across the country. It's a relatively small federal agency, with around 70 employees, according to NPR.

This week, the entire staff of IMLS was placed on administrative leave.

“IMLS funding extends the reach of the MESS Hall, enhancing science learning in our community,” said Megan Pratt, Executive Director of the Pensacola MESS Hall. “The grants we have received, both Sixth Sense and Science Sprouts, impact students directly while also supporting teachers in incorporating exciting science and math in the classroom.”

The MESS Hall has received one previous grant from IMLS. The Science Sprouts program ended last school year. Through that program the MESS Hall engaged approximately 60 kindergarten teachers and over 1,000 kindergarteners in hands-on activities, according to the release.

The U.S. State Department’s temporary funding freeze has caused the Gulf Coast Diplomacy Council to lose thousands in unpaid invoices.

The organization has also canceled three events in March as a result.

On February 13, the U.S. State Department announced a 15-day funding freeze. More than a month later, the funding has yet to be reinstated. This freeze has also affected Fulbright and study-abroad scholars.

The Gulf Coast Diplomacy is a non-partisan, non-profit that collaborates with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Congress to promote international exchange.

Pensacola is one of 74 communities in the United States with a program like the Gulf Coast Diplomacy Council.

“It’s one of the most effective tools in public diplomacy,” said Jena Melançon, who founded the organization in 2008. “It’s a two-way exchange. We are learning from them.”

As of last year, the nonprofit has welcomed 3,685 international visitors from 183 different countries.

The organization estimates the region will lose more than $66,500 from lost revenue from canceled projects and invoices for hotel rooms and transportation for February visits that offices in Washington D.C. have not paid. The organization had a direct hit of more than $12,000 in costs incurred when a youth group from Brazil had to extend their stay in Pensacola because of the snowstorm in January.

In a newsletter sent last week, Melançon reached out to supporters about the issue and said the Pensacola area is looking at a $731,500 economic hit for the first few months without these international visits. Every $1 of federal funds spent turns into $11 in economic activity, Melançon noted.

“While they are here, they stay in local hotels, eat locally, shop locally.”

As the organization waits to see what happens, staff and volunteers are staying busy. Melançon joked she was grateful that they are understaffed at the moment.

“We are not pouting. We’re being productive,” said Melançon. “Three weeks ago we made a list of tasks and now we have the time to do them.”

In May, the organization launches Faces of Service, a multi-year educational campaign with the National Museum and Center for Service. Melançon is adamant about keeping the youth diplomats program alive. It teaches teens about global affairs and diplomacy.

“It’s extremely important right now,” said Melançon. “Teens are going to get exposure anyway from sources like TikTok. We want to provide a program where youth can come together and explore topics and facilitate a discussion from all perspectives.”

Melançon urged supporters to reach out to the Florida delegation in Congress about the funding freeze to make an appeal for the Gulf Coast Diplomacy programs and what they provide for the community.

“This is an urgent matter,” she said.

Since late February, around 1,300 employees with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been laid off or resigned. On March 10, the organization was told to prepare to lose another 1,000 workers.

In an interview from WUSF, Tim Miller, Florida Public Radio Emergency Network chief meteorologist, details how the federal government works in weather forecasting and communicating dangerous weather events. Read it here.

Washington’s federal funding cuts have made their way to the City of Pensacola.

Last week at the city’s environmental advisory board meeting, arborist Chase Crawford announced that Pensacola lost its $1 million Arbor Day grant.

“That’s officially terminated,” he said.

The grant was part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to support urban forests. Pensacola was one of 385 recipients from across the country. The city’s proposal, called “Pensacola Urban Forest Project,” was one of 23 cities in Florida selected for a grant, according to a 2023 article from the Pensacola News Journal.

Crawford said the city is still dedicated to planting “a lot of trees” with nearly $250,000 in the tree trust. The funds are generated from violations of the city’s tree ordinances.

“We’ll be able to plant the same amount of trees, it’s just going to take a little longer,” Crawford said.

Update
1:56 p.m. April 4

All seven of the probational staff that were terminated were rehired, which was confirmed by the National Parks Service.

"In compliance with court orders, the Department of the Interior is reinstating these employees," the park's service public affairs office said in an email this week. "All impacted employees will receive back pay, and the Department will ensure continued compensation as the White House pursues its appeals process."

Original story:

Around 1,000 newly hired National Parks Service employees were fired in mid-February as part of the DOGE plan to significantly cut government spending. At least a handful of those employees were from the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Gulf Islands National Seashore has not confirmed how many staff members were laid off as part of the cut, but park rangers such as Jessica Cregger, have shared on social media about their firings. Cregger told the Pensacola News Journal that four of the eight recreation fee technicians at Gulf Islands lost their jobs. Those are staffers who work at Fort Pickens, Opal Beach, and Johnson Beach. They also manage the campgrounds at Fort Pickens.

Read more here: Layoffs at Gulf Islands National Seashore spark protest