County government insiders expect the two rookie commissioners, Ashley Hofberger and Steve Stroberger, to make a move to terminate County Administrator Wes Moreno.
- Commissioner Hofberger has added to today’s agenda that the Board of County Commissioners discuss the County Administrator’s contract and vote to schedule the contract as an agenda item for the March 6 meeting.
The Board of County Commissioners has a three-year employment contract with its County Administrator. The contract expires August 17, 2025, unless terminated or extended by a majority vote of the Board of County Commissioners. Pursuant to §125.73(2), Fla. Stat. and Section 2-82(a) of the Escambia County Code of Ordinances, upon notice, the Board may take action on the contract.
MORENO’S RECORD
Wes Moreno has served as county administrator since June 2021, when Janice Gilley was terminated without ever putting together a county budget. His first six months were spent getting rid of the numerous incompetent and inexperienced department heads Gilley had hired.
- Under Moreno’s leadership, the county hit significant infrastructure milestones in FY 2023-24, completing $100 million in projects, including the Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park Multi-Use Facility, Beulah Fire Station, Perdido Bay Boat Ramp, and Perdido Key Multi-Use Path. The county also made substantial progress on stormwater management, completing improvements at Eleven Mile Creek Basin, Surrey-Windsong, and Moreno Street.
In the past, the county has averaged 75 to 80 procurement solicitations annually. Moreno told me in December, “Now we’re running 135 to 140 solicitations and putting work out the door.”
PUPPETMASTER
County Clerk Pam Childers has been pushing for Moreno’s ouster. Under Gilley’s administration, the clerk’s office prepared the budget, at first in the county’s history.
Childer has tied up county operations by constantly raising the bar on documentation for disbursements. On Tuesday, the Tourist Development Council discussed the frustrations local groups involved in Foo Foo have had paying their vendors. The TDC has the clerk provide them with a checklist to smooth the constantly changing process.
TDC Chairman David Bear asked Childers and her staff to comment on the problem. Does anyone from the clerk’s office wish to address this with us? No. Nope. Well, I think, do we want to formally make a request that we have some sort of checklist of the expectation so that all of our outside agencies know exactly what it is they need to submit so that we can more timely, those folks can more timely get their reimbursements made?”
Commissioner Hofberger agreed to work with Childers on a checklist.
THIRD VOTE
Childers will need to get a third vote to have Moreno terminated. County Commission Chairman Mike Kohler would have to join the “Bergers.” Will he?
Who do they want to replace Moreno? The name being mentioned is Chief Deputy Sheriff Tommi Lyter.