The board was discussing Katherine Kenney’s request for payment of the attorney’s $5,000 fees incurred during a disciplinary proceeding initiated by the Florida Department of Health (Case No.: 2019-17844) relating to events occurring while Kenney was employed as a paramedic with Escambia County.
Kohler accused his fellow commissioners of never holding themselves or personnel responsible “The only people getting hurt here are the citizens of Escambia County.”
Bergosh, who has defended Kenney and other EMS staff, injected, “Incorrect.”
Kohler corrected Bergosh, “Hey, I’m talking, you just told me.”
Chairman Steven Barry intervened, “It’s Mike. Mike has the floor. Mike has the floor.”
Kohler said, “Thank you. I appreciate the respect. Only people getting hurt in this county, behind this, are the taxpayers.”
Referring to Bergosh, he continued, “You’re going to pay millions and millions and millions of dollars because this man’s vindictive behavior against people (and it’s enough, enough, we can’t afford it.”
Bergosh fired back, “Alright? I’m not vindictive when I stand up for first responders. There were six of them that had the finger pointed at them. You talk about vindictive reasons you weren’t here. You don’t know you’re ignorant; you’re glib. I’ll tell you what happened.”
He said one of the six was held accountable because “he was a poor record keeper.”
Kohler then said he would write the governor. “Alright, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. We never wrote to the Department of Health on this board and ask them why their investigation process was so screwed up, and we’re so right. So, I’ll do that letter and ask the governor why his department was so wrong, and this board is so right that they find us and no one on our board is held accountable. Nobody.”
He added, “I’m sorry. That’s just the facts. And so, no one here had the courage to say the investigation process was wrong. Nobody.”
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Then they went into the gutter. The two commissioners sit next to each other.
Bergosh went first: “When you write that letter to the governor, maybe you ought to self-report yourself. When you got on this board, you got drunk one night and called each of us, and I had to save you from a sunshine law violation. Have him investigate that. You called each member of this board. Yeah. So when you put your letter to the governor, maybe send one to the state attorney and have him investigate you for trying to commit a Sunshine violation when you got drunk one night, and you called me. We’ll look it up.”
Kohler: “Hey Jeff…
Bergosh: “And I told you I saved you from yourself.”
Kohler: “…if you want to get down in the gutter, we’ll go ahead and do that. When you threaten me—”
Bergosh: “No, no, I’m telling the truth—”
Kohler: “…drinking beer because I wouldn’t vote for your… And you told me you had the votes. Remember that?”
Bergosh: “ That’s a lie. That never happened.”
Kohler: “ Mine’s a lie. He’s right. But that’s actually what happened.”
Bergosh: “I have a record.”
Kohler: “Oh, you had your phone on while you were at Seville while you were telling me because I didn’t vote for your …”
Bergosh: “A phone record. You calling me.”
Kohler: “You have a phone record of being at the vote corridor where you said I have the votes…”
Bergosh: “That didn’t happen.”
Kohler: “Oh, come on, man. See, that’s the problem. Your fork tongue gets you in trouble. Just say it. Can you make up an allegation? Do whatever report you want on me.”
Bergosh: “You’re the one writing letters. Go send ‘em.”
Chairman Barry called the room to order. The item passed 3-1 with Kohler voting against it.
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