AI-generated editorial illustration for the May 2026 report. Symbolic composition, not a documentary photograph or exact site rendering.
Spanish Fort News | Monthly community report
Reporting period: May 1–31, 2026
Retrospective prepared October 28, 2026, from public records and attributed reporting.
A Spanish Fort educator received statewide recognition in May, the girls golf team won a state championship, and the baseball program prepared for a coaching transition. Council business also advanced sidewalk services and brought park costs and bridge-related taxes into public discussion.
Education: a Spanish Fort teacher becomes Alabama’s top educator
The Alabama Department of Education announced on May 13 that Spanish Fort Elementary School’s Elizabeth Eubanks Von Hofe had been selected as the 2026–2027 Alabama Teacher of the Year. The recognition was announced at an event at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery and made her the state’s ambassador for public education and the teaching profession.
The department described a career that moved from healthcare administration into teaching, followed by work in special education, mentoring and inclusion. Her Project Outreach Gulf Coast involvement featured in the announcement as an example of connecting students and community. The honor brought statewide attention to an educator working in Spanish Fort and highlighted educational achievement beyond a single test-score measure.
Source: Alabama Department of Education, May 13.
High school golf: a team championship and individual medalist
Spanish Fort’s girls golf team captured the Class 6A state title at RTJ Magnolia Grove in Mobile on May 12. FOX10 reported a two-round team total of 444, or 12 over par, with a second-round 219 improving on the opening round by six strokes.
Sara Carter-Hare earned individual medalist honors at six under par after consecutive rounds of 69. Ainsley Madden tied for fourth at three over. With runner-up Pike Road finishing at 463, the team’s championship margin was 19 strokes. The results provided a substantial May success for both the program and its leading individual competitors.
Source: FOX10, published May 12.
Baseball: Tommy Walker announces retirement
Tommy Walker announced his retirement in May after 44 years in coaching. FOX10 reported that he started Spanish Fort’s baseball program when the school opened in 2005 and led the Toros to consecutive Class 5A state championships from 2010 through 2012.
Across his two Spanish Fort stints, the report credited him with 263 victories in 10 seasons. His final team finished 11–19 and missed the postseason. Those figures place the transition in perspective: a difficult final season concluded a tenure with an extensive championship legacy. The retirement created a leadership vacancy whose eventual replacement would be a separate development.
Source: FOX10, May 11.
Transportation: services approved for Spanish Main sidewalks
The council unanimously approved a $33,000 Sawgrass Consulting agreement on May 18 for Spanish Main Sidewalk Phase 2. Baldwin Citizen reported that the agreement covered $25,000 for construction engineering and inspection, including bidding assistance, and $8,000 for geotechnical testing.
The proposal described approximately 2,100 feet from Pirates Lane toward Lancers Lane, with the estimate subject to change. This was professional support associated with construction, rather than the complete cost of building the sidewalk. Separating those amounts helps residents follow a project from services and procurement to the later construction award.
Source: Baldwin Citizen, May 19.
City finances: park changes and a bridge tax decision deferred
The May 18 record also included Valor Park change orders addressing a permit-related schedule extension and a $45,624.68 adjustment for construction changes. The documented adjusted construction-contract figure was $2,020,669.18. That contract amount should be distinguished from the total cost of every component of the broader park project.
Source: Baldwin Citizen, May 20.
Bridge and economy: council discussion without a vote
Baldwin Citizen’s review of the May 18 minutes found no vote on Resolution 1596-2026, the proposed municipal sales-and-use-tax exemption for materials incorporated into the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project. Mayor Bass presented the item and the city attorney explained it, but the record described discussion without adoption.
The distinction matters because tax treatment affects the public financial arrangements surrounding major transportation construction. The May action was a continued discussion of the proposed exemption, not confirmation that the city had granted it at that meeting.
Source: Baldwin Citizen, May 19.
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