The Florida Commission on Ethics dismissed 15 complaints filed against Escambia County Commissioner Mike Kohler, lacking legal sufficiency, earlier this month. Read the ethics blog.
- The complaints apparently arose from a social media dispute between Kohler and State Rep. Michelle Salzman in February. Kohler faced backlash after his political battle with Salzman over funding to improve the entrance to NAS Pensacola led to a now-deleted Facebook comment on Salzman’s personal page. WEAR-TV reporter Tanner Stewart broke the story,
Controversy
State Rep. Pat Maney (R-Fort Walton Beach) secured funding for the Barrancas project, which received $3 million in federal funds for the South Navy Boulevard Corridor Management Plan. The project from Barrancas Avenue to the Sam A. Lovelace Bridge has an estimated cost of $13 million. Maney asked for $1.5 million for the project, and the funds were included in the House budget.
- Two sources close to Maney reported to me that Salzman opposed the budget request, explaining that her objection stemmed from the 2025 congressional race in which she briefly ran but withdrew after President-elect Trump endorsed the eventual winner, Jimmy Patronis.
- Salzman denied trying to kill the funding.
However, Kohler’s Facebook comment has overshadowed Salzman’s supposed political intrigue.
What Happened on Facebook
Salzman posted on her Facebook page, “A strong woman doesn’t seek revenge. She moves on, let karma do her dirty work.”
Kohler responded: “That is so wrong! You claimed to have been sexually assaulted in your military service. Men that abuse women should be prosecuted. Representative Salzman, please let us support you in your fight. I will be the first to help. OBTW. I will forgive you pushed to stop S Navy Blvd to beautify the veterans that served before they are buried. Shame politics should never become before what is right. President Lincoln should be your North Star.”
On WEAR-TV, Salzman accused Kohler of trying “to bribe me on social media” in his Facebook comment.
Kohler apologized for linking in his comment about Salzman’s effort to block funding for a project in his district with her claim of being sexually assaulted in the military. He told me over the phone this morning, “I made a mistake marrying those two together.” He added, “I’m a nurse. I have people close to me who were sexually assaulted. I have been with rape kits. I have assigned people victim advocates.”
Censorship?
Escambia County commissioners were told by staff that their chair, Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger, planned to move to censure Commissioner Mike Kohle at the March 5 BCC meeting.
Kohler again apologized at the meeting. Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger did not bring forward a motion to censure, nor did she comment on Kohler’s remarks. She defended Rep. Salzman’s record of support for public safety.
- “Since it’s been brought up, I do want to say a few things about Michelle Salzmann. She has funded and supported every single public safety request we have sent her—all of the new technology, all of the new equipment, and even a million dollars for a new fire training facility,” Hofberger said.
She added, “I do want to drive that home that I appreciate that, and I am thankful for that. And when someone calls 911, they are thankful for those things. Those are items that we could not have funded alone in this county, and I appreciate it.”
Read more on the March 5 meeting.
- Since then, Hofberger has publicly come out against Kohler. She joked in texts with Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier that she would withdraw her support for Christal Bell-Rivera if Ronnie Rivera ran against Kohler. On Jeff Bergosh’s radio show, Hofberger said, “I don’t think it’s any secret that I don’t enjoy working with Mike Kohler. He’s brought a lot of drama.”
