Most Escambia County Commission meetings run over three hours, and often the commissioners’ opening remarks—some off-the-cuff, others written statements read for the cameras—get overlooked.
However, the opening remarks at their Nov. 6 regular meeting had a mix of community pride and internal tensions, as commissioners celebrated local successes and warned of future cuts to our military bases while debating the proper procedures for adding items to the agenda.
SEC Tournament Success Celebrated
Commissioner Steven Barry kicked off the comments by highlighting the SEC soccer tournament currently underway at Ashton Brosnaham Park.
“It’s a great event. It’s something six or seven years ago I could have never envisioned Escambia County hosting an SEC tournament,” Barry said. “It’s at the same time, about the same time we were working on the Sun Belt tournament at the base center and now to have some track records, some tenure and some verified successes with both of those big major conference tournaments. I think it’s a huge feather in Escambia County’s cap as well as speaks volumes to our citizens supporting sports tourism.”
Local Schools and Black Aviators Weekend
Commissioner Lumon May congratulated local high school football teams and thanked supporters of Escambia High School’s effort to win a million-dollar makeover for their football field, which brought celebrities, including Emmitt Smith, Trent Richardson, and Roy Jones Jr., to Pensacola.
May also highlighted UWF’s football program and announced Black Aviators weekend, with over 80 African-American pilots from major carriers in town.
“They’ll be at Bellview Middle School tomorrow mentoring young people,” May said. “I know that Children Trust and the Flight Academy and what we’ve invested in teaching young children from underserved areas, the opportunity to do aviation and to become pilots. What a great deal.”
BRAC Warning and Military Concerns
Commissioner Steve Stroberger used his time to acknowledge the upcoming Marine Corps birthday and Veterans Day but also delivered a stark warning about potential base closures.
Stroberger recounted a story from former CIA director and defense secretary Leon Panetta at the Installation Innovation Forum, which ended with a boxing metaphor about being prepared to fight.
- “The secretary went on to say, do not rest comfortably. BRAC will be back on the table. BRAC is base realignment and closure,” Stroberger said. “The message was that the community needs to be able to fight and the fight has already started.”
Firefighter Patches Preserved
Commissioner Hofberger praised the week’s community engagement events before addressing two controversial issues: firefighter company patches and a blocked agenda item.
“On social media is the requested removal of the firefighter company patches. These patches often represent the stations, the neighborhoods they serve and the history of the departments. And in many cases, the fallen brothers who have died in the line of duty,” Hofberger said. “For example, station seventeen’s patch has the initials of Lieutenant Terrell Jackson who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.”
She thanked County Administrator Wes Moreno for walking back the decision after community support.
Missing Agenda Item
Hofberger called out Moreno about an agenda item she requested on Oct. 23 that never appeared on the agenda.
- “Wes, on Oct. 23 at 2:13 p.m., two weeks before this meeting, I called and asked for an agenda item to hire an independent third party to evaluate our government and recommend how to hit the rollback budget with minimal community impact,” Hofberger said. “You confirmed this was discussed with staff, (but) it never made it to the agenda.”
She continued, “I alerted upset constituents because I knew they would want to know we were addressing it. Alison (County Attorney Alison Rogers), you said no one should block a commissioner’s item, so I’m just wondering why mine was omitted.”
County Administrator Wes Moreno explained that he wanted to gather more information before bringing the item to the board, and that it would appear on the Nov. 17 agenda.
When Hofberger asked who made the decision not to include her item, Moreno replied: “That would fall with me.”
- “Does that happen to other people on the board, or is that unique to me?” Hofberger asked.
Commissioner Barry responded sharply, suggesting Hofberger’s private conversations with staff shouldn’t warrant public admonition.
“We only have two employees and neither one of them works for any of us individually. They work for the board as a whole,” Barry said. “The fact that your private conversation wasn’t immediately acted on by one of those two employees that work for the majority of us, I don’t know how that warrants a public admonition like this. I wouldn’t expect either one of the only two employees that we have to take my comments as direction.”
- Barry continued, “If I can’t garner the support of my board, my opinion is irrelevant. I can argue up here; I can advocate for my case. I’ve been fortunate for some number of years to be successful at that. At a different point in time, I was perhaps less successful advocating for that. But the fact that your private conversation wasn’t immediately acted on by one of those two employees that worked for the majority of us, I don’t know how that warrants a public admonition like this.”
Commissioner May clarified the rules, stating that any commissioner can add items to the agenda at the beginning of meetings.
“At the end of the day, any commissioner has the ability to bring forth an item,” May said. “You have the ability to add it as long as there’s a second and a majority vote, it has to be added regardless of administration or the county administrative.”
Rollback Rate Discussion Coming
The exchange continued as commissioners debated whether to study the rollback tax rate through a consultant study or through the Committee of the Whole.
“I don’t want to waste a Committee of the Whole meeting if we don’t want to adopt the rollback rate,” Hofberger said. “So if we want to adopt that, then we can start planning. But the first question is, is that a goal of this board?”
May expressed support for budget cuts but emphasized the need for a proper public process.
- “I’ve said cut 20% across the board for the last five years, and I’m the liberal Democrat. So yep, bring it. Bring the 20% that we want to cut and you’re going to find my support,” May said.
The rollback rate discussion is scheduled for the Nov. 17 meeting.
Chair Highlights Defense Coalition and Veterans Events
Commission Chair Mike Kohler closed the comments section by emphasizing the importance of the Northwest Florida Defense Coalition in protecting the area’s military installations.
- “I went through two BRACs, a CONUS study that basically dismantled the Navy Hospital,” Kohler said, recounting how President Bill Clinton promised California bases wouldn’t close before BRAC shuttered them all. “We have to have an offensive posture here because it’s not just about the base, it’s about our colleges that get GI and TA. It’s about our healthcare system that get TRICARE dollars that are in the millions.”
Kohler also highlighted upcoming Veterans Day events, including parades and memorial services scheduled for Nov. 11.
Notes: Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger assumes the chair of the Escambia County Commission next week. She will have more influence over what items are on the agenda. However, Hofberger needs to build support for initiatives – at least earn two more votes. If she doesn’t, the District 4 commissioner’s frustrations will continue to mount.
What will the Escambia County Commission do about BRAC? The last BRAC (Base Closure and Realignment Commission) was in 2005. We have a freshman congressman and a weak chamber of commerce. The Board of County Commissioners will need to take a more significant role in defending our bases and commands.
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