I lived in Pensacola from 1977 to 1982 and it's the best part of Florida and probably I would of retired there if not for hurricanes. I remember a hurricane came through in 1979 and we went to the radar room where I worked to wait out the storm. Here are pictures of that same radar room from Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
In 1995 we went to Universal Studios and stopped by Pensacola, thinking we might retire there. My best friend lives in Navarre and the bridge to Navarre Beach was closed, they just had a hurricane that summer. The 7 story Holiday Inn at Navarre Beach where Jaws II was filmed was completely destroyed and had to be torn down later. It seems like every 5 to 10 years they take a direct hit in the Pensacola/Mobile area.
Hurricane Ivan in 2004 also took out the I-10 Bridge across Pensacola Bay