In a surprising development at the April 3 Escambia County Commission meeting, County Clerk Pam Childers announced she would temporarily halt approvals for commissioner discretionary fund expenditures pending a review of their constitutionality and public purpose.
“It’s come up through the years seeing more on the agenda for churches,” Childers announced. “I’ve been doing research. I planned on having a report ready for May, so I’m just putting you on notice that starting tonight, I’m holding all discretionary fund requests until my review is complete.”
Background: Escambia County commissioners each receive $50,000 annually in discretionary funds as part of the county budget. These funds, classified as “aids to private organizations,” have historically been used to support various community initiatives at each commissioner’s discretion. The Pensacola City Council has a similar program, which began during the Ashton Hayward administration.
‘Constitutional’ Concerns
Childers cited Article VII of the Florida Constitution, which requires county expenditures to serve a “lawful county public purpose.” She questioned whether this requirement was being met with current discretionary spending practices.
- “The public purpose for discretionary expenditures is not obvious when you allocate to private galas, picnics, benefits, church revival, school, softball teams, and golf tournaments,” Childers stated during the meeting.
She expressed particular concern about expenditures to religious organizations, noting specific prohibitions in the Florida Constitution. Section 3 of Article 1 of the Florida Constitution states:
- “No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.”
Florida’s Precedent of Religious Funding
While the Clerk insinuated that her review is in sync with the state DOGE initiatives, Childers is out of step with public policy at the state level. Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons has broadly used his Law Enforcement Trust (LEF) funds to support various community groups and events.
- Note: The Clerk also stated: “LET funds are similar, and that is also on my list to review.”
JEWISH SCHOOL SECURITY: Florida has several examples of tax dollars aiding sectarian institutions. In the 2024-2025 state budget, Governor Ron DeSantis announced $20 million for securing Jewish day schools amidst rising antisemitism following the Israel-Hamas war. Lawmakers have proposed another $20 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to secure Jewish day schools and preschools. This funding covers professional security guards, transportation safety, and facility hardening measures to protect against antisemitic attacks.
VOUCHERS FOR CHURCH-RUN SCHOOLS: Florida’s expansive school voucher program allows taxpayer money to fund private school tuition, including religious schools. This program has significantly increased enrollment in religious schools such as Catholic, Christian, and Jewish institutions across the state. For example, Mount Dora Christian Academy, a Church of Christ-rooted school, receives about half of its $10 million tuition revenue through state scholarships.
Commissioner May’s Response
The announcement caught commissioners off guard, particularly Commissioner Lumon May, who questioned why this issue was only being raised now after a decade-long practice.
“It is certainly alarming and disappointing that we’ve done it for 10 years, and at this point now, we’re beginning to do a review?” May said.
May also defended the community value of many discretionary fund expenditures, asking rhetorically, “Is it not a common good to feed people? Is it not a common good to buy hamburgers and hot dogs for children in the inner-city that don’t have food to eat?”
Next Steps
While Childers did not completely rule out future discretionary spending, she indicated that commissioners would need to clearly articulate the public purpose served by each expenditure going forward. She didn’t want to discuss her decision, only make her announcement.
“I’m not really here tonight to have a conversation with you,” Childers said. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m reviewing it. There are things that have come to light that I think we should consider, and I would like to consider that together.”
She continued, “I do look at the Florida Constitution when it talks about religion. So if you’re doing contributions to churches for their picnics or something they’re having, I think that’s a violation. And so, I thought we might start having that conversation now, but I will do my review. I will do a report. I would like to talk to you about this and continue the discussion.”
- The Clerk did not say that she had discussed with the Florida Attorney General whether any violations had occurred.
County Attorney Alison Rogers agreed to work with the budget department and clerk’s office to develop better documentation procedures to help commissioners document their discretionary spending decisions.
Chair Mike Kohler requested that the clerk give county staff time to develop a policy response before fully implementing the hold on discretionary funds.
Why This Matters
This development could significantly impact how county commissioners support community organizations and initiatives in their districts. Many small nonprofit organizations and community events have come to rely on these discretionary funds as a source of support.
The commission is expected to revisit this issue in May when Childers completes her “review” and presents her “findings.”
BIGGER IMPLICATIONS: Will a religious litmus test be added to all programs tied to religious institutions? Surely, Childers isn’t solely directing this at the Black community and Commissioner Lumon May.
How will Childers’ “review” impact the Escambia Children’s Trust and its out-of-school program funding to faith-based programs at the Epps Christian Center, SALT Ministry and New World Believers?