Escambia County’s selection committee for the county administrator position meets for the first time today. The committee was formed by the Escambia County Commission, with each commissioner selecting one person to sit…
Category: News
No idea what jail will cost county
Once it became clear last Thursday night that Commissioner Valentino and Interim George Touart were taking over the Escambia County Jail, Touart and his staff showed that they have no idea how…
How Gene Valentino treats his fellow commissioners (Video-updated)
This is a very rough edit of the June 20 BCC Agenda Workshop and the clips how the chairman, Gene Valentino, belittled and bullied Commissioners May, Barry and Robinson. He talks over…
Touart and truth
Apparently, Interim County Administrator George Touart read a statement regarding me at the beginning of the agenda workshop yesterday–mentioning me has become a regular occurrence at commission meetings. Touart made several other…
Touart’s pick to run his county jail has a history
We posted this in October 2005 when George Touart promoted Gordon Pike to head Corrections: Eight years ago, an Escambia County grand jury recommended the discipline and removal of Gordon Pike for…
Lau concedes to Walter ‘Mike’ Hill
We received the following statement from Jeremy Lau: I would like to first congratulate Mr. Hill and his staff on a hard fought campaign. We all should support him as he serves…
Heroes Among Us
By Brandy Volovecky The Pensacola Marine Corps League J.R. Spears Detachment 066 continues its “Heroes Among Us†speaker series on June 28 at 6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. The series, which…
If one commissioner will make the motion…
George Touart will be retired and can no longer badger the commissioners, run off good department heads and block any worthwhile county administrator being hire. Gene Valentino can be removed as the…
If commissioners take over jail, Touart will get three-year contract
I walked over to the agenda workshop held this morning for the Escambia County Commission. The board is being driven by Chairman Gene Valentino and Interim County Administrator George Touart to take…
Sheriff Morgan replies to Grover Robinson
I am in receipt of your letter dated June 14, 2013, same subject. We were initially encouraged by your proposal to use county reserve funds to address the underfunding and understaffing of…
A job too important if put in the wrong hands
The county administrator is one of the most powerful people in Escambia County. Yes, he runs the county operations for the Board of County Commissioners, but that is only the tip of…
Lincoln Park Braces for Hybrid Turnaround
By Sarah McCartan Today’s Escambia County School Board Regular Workshop began with the recently added agenda item—the fate of Lincoln Park Elementary School. Superintendent Malcolm Thomas began the meeting by recapping the…
City missed deadline to apply for tax exemption for maritime park
The string of missteps continues for the Hayward administration. Thanks to records received from the Escambia County Property Appraiser Chris Jones, via a public record request, the Independent News has discovered that…
Order Save Escambia County T-shirt
Order this online: http://www.cafepress.com/mf/79191037/save-escambia_tshirt?shop=inweekly
Sustainable Development, Leveraging RESTORE
A presentation tomorrow evening will focus on sustainable development, and how such an approach can benefit local communities. The presentation— entitled Sensible Sustainable Development: Leveraging RESTORE Act Funding to Create Lasting Value…
Plan B: Retire Touart, Remove Valentino
The “negotiations” over how the county resolves the findings of the U.S. Department of Justice are a microcosm of problems with the two top leaders of Escambia County government–Interim County Administrator George…
Grover responds to Sheriff: no tax increase, no privatization, but willing to take over jail
Commissioner Grover Robinson, IV has responded to Sheriff David Morgan’s letter transferring control for the Escambia County Jail back to the county. He tells the sheriff that he is willing to look…
UWF’s Confucius Institute
The University of West Florida is announcing a partnership that will provide Chinese language and cultural teaching resources. Here is the UWF press release: The University of West Florida will be the…
Valentino/Touart look to hire prison contractor that has already been cited for misconduct
According to an email just received from the county, three companies were contacted by our Human Resources Department to make proposals on running the county jail: – Corrections Corporation of America –…
Hayward withdraws right of first refusal
On Jan. 31, Mayor Ashton Hayward sent out a press release announcing his letter that asked the Emerald Coast Utility Authority for the Right of First Refusal on the utility’s property that…