Visit Pensacola has established a grant process to help local events with marketing dollars and ensure proper use of TDT funding. The grant application, which can be found on the visitpensacola.org site…
Category: Escambia County
House passes Pensacola Beach fee simple bill
The U.S. House today passed H.R. 2370, the Escambia County Land Conveyance Act, by a voice vote. The bill, authored by Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01), gives leaseholders in Santa Rosa Island the…
Faced with rising costs, Commissioner supports tax increase
Yesterday on WRNE radio, Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May said he would support a property tax increase to cover the rising detention costs, provide an increase in the sheriff’s budget, and bring…
Time to resurrect JCI study to lower corrections expenses
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said on “Pensacola Speaks†last week that JCI study gave the county a road map for saving millions of dollars in its detention department. He said of…
Welcome to Black Hole Budgeting: Showdown looms
In the good old days – or should I say “good old boy days” – of county government, County Administrator George Touart and Sheriff Ron McNesby knew how to manipulate their budgets….
Shreveport reported to be finalist for NBA Pelican team
KSLA TV reports that Shreveport is a finalist to host the New Orleans Pelicans’ affiliate in the NBA’s new developmental league that will be begin play in the fall of 2018. The…
County Jail: How to create a Black Hole…ignore experts
Yesterday, I sat down with a local judge to discuss the skyrocketing costs of the Escambia County detention program – up $12.5 million since the summer of 2013 – and how to…
County Jail: Feeding the Beast
Escambia County’s property tax revenues have risen $17.96 million over the past four years – a 20.2-percent increase. Why don’t you feel any benefit from that significant increase? You only have to…
Escambia County Jail: Thunderdome 2017
According to numbers given to Inweekly yesterday, the Escambia County Main Jail had 1,011 prisoners on July 10 in a facility built in the mid-1980s to house only 798 inmates–127-percent of its…
Jail: Black Hole of Escambia County Budget (update)
For the past two months, Escambia County Commissioner Doug Underhill has decried a projected $9-million shortfall in the county’s FY 2018 budget. The problem isn’t the Century Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast…
Gaetz: OLF-8 deal ‘BRAC-proofs’ NAS Whiting Field
With the military being more than half of his district’s economy, Congressman Matt Gaetz worked with the Department of Defense to shave off nearly $2 millions of the cost of the land…
Group protests fee simple transfer on Pensacola Beach
by Sammi Sontag INWEEKLY In the Escambia County Commission’s public forum on Thursday afternoon, an unnamed activist group tagged on their right arms by aqua armbands spoke out against The Escambia County…
Escambia lawmakers given low C’s and a high D in Sunshine Scorecard report
The Florida First Amendment Foundation graded Florida lawmakers on their support for open government. Escambia County’s three didn’t fare so well. State Sen. Doug Broxson and Rep. Clay Ingram were given C-‘s….
UWF economist: Corcoran has Florida bringing a knife to the gunfight for economic development
Dr. Rick Harper believes that Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s efforts to dismantle Gov. Rick Scott’s business incentives programs invited those involved in economic development to “bring a knife to a gunfight.”…
Fees Simple bill passed U.S. House committee
On Tuesday, June 27, the House Committee on Natural Resources favorably reported H.R. 2370, the Escambia County Land Conveyance Act. The bill, authored by Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01), would give leaseholders in…
Scott touts bridge construction, introduces new CFO
By Sammi Sontag On Monday morning, Governor Rick Scott held a kick-off event at the base of the old Pensacola Bay Bridge for the four-year, 3.7-mile bridge replacement project. “As you can…
Coughlin selected new assistant county administrator
Mayor Ashton Hayward will have to replace another key employee. His assistant airport director, Matthew Coughlin, has been selected to fill the vacant Escambia County Assistant County Administrator position. Coughlin’s duties will…
Eddins seeks death penalty in Naomi Jones’ homicide
By Sammi Sontag INWEEKLY State Attorney William Eddins said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon his office will seek the death penalty for 38-year-old Robert Letroy Howard who was arrested earlier this…
After months of debate, BCC approves moving forward with land swap with U.S. Navy
By Sammi Sontag INWEEKLY In a special county commission meeting Monday, the board voted 5-0 to move forward with the multimillion-dollar OLF-X land exchange between Escambia County and the U.S. Navy. Congressman…
New Bay Center could be key to getting NBA affiliate
Ray Palmer, president of Pensacola Sports, traveled with Pensacola Mayor Hayward on June 7 to pitch to the New Orleans Pelicans that the city of Pensacola and Escambia County would be the…
