The Escambia Children’s Trust receives all its funding from property taxes. Its board meets today at 9 a.m. in Escambia County Commission chambers.
- How much money? The latest available balance sheet, dated 11/30/25, shows $23.9 million in the bank accounts. See Balance Sheet
No Transparency
The agenda is available on the website, but the public has not been given the supporting documents for the agenda items, which had been standard for previous meetings. See 2.10.26_BOD_AGENDA-Updated.
- Why this matters? The public is in the dark. Citizens do not know the facts regarding each agenda item, so their input on how the board spends $23.9 million is hampered.
Items on the Feb. 10 Agenda
- Financial Statements for the month ended Dec. 31, 2025.
- Four Program items: 2026 Funding Priorities; RFP Review and Vote to Proceed – Bright Pathway; Change of Scope Request – Golden Elite Track and Field Club; Budget Amendment Request– Chappie James Flight Academy
How much money is involved? The public doesn’t know. The minutes from the program committee that met last week are available on the website, but no dollar amounts are provided.
Several documents were listed as being sent to board members, but have not been made available to the public. A GIRLS, Inc. Budget Amendment was approved by the committee but is not on the Feb. 10 agenda.
- Seven Operation Items: No details provided for public review before today’s meeting. Fortunately, we covered the meeting, but we don’t know if any changes have been made to the proposals since Feb. 2.
The Escambia Children’s Trust Policy and Bylaws Committee sought to tighten oversight of how taxpayer dollars flow to providers, a push that comes amid the arrests connected to New World Believers — an organization that has received over $900,000 from the Trust.
The committee approved a series of policy changes including requiring annual background checks for provider staff instead of every five years, adding a formal contract suspension policy, limiting budget amendments to one per year at no more than 10% of the original budget, eliminating gift cards and cash equivalents as allowable expenses, and updating its motor vehicle policy to a five-year reversionary interest window with new restrictions on personal use.
- Legal: Draft between ECT and City of Pensacola and vote to proceed. What does it say? Don’t know.
Answering to No One
The lack of transparency comes as the Escambia Children’s Trust faces more questions about accountability and its oversight of tens of millions of dollars.
- The Trust is completely independent and doesn’t answer to anyone. The Board of County Commissioners can call for a compliance audit to verify that the providers who have received grants have complied with their grant agreements and the Trust’s policies and procedures. Or the Trust Board could do it on its own.
The voters will have to vote on renewing the Trust’s funding before 2030. Commissioner Mike Kohler has discussed holding that referendum this November.
