The daily has had two articles on possible irregularities with Pensacola’s Front Porch and allegations of community liason Thelma Manley misusing funds. PFP was part of Gov. Jeb Bush’s faith-based initiatives – similar to what his brother George did when he was in governor of Texas.
Here is March 26, 2001 article in PNJ I found on there first set of big grants
Organizations based in Pensacola’s Front Porch area are just days away from receiving more than $150,000 in state grants.
It’s the first chunk of money offered directly to the local groups since the area was designated in October 1999. The grants will come from the state Office of Urban Opportunity, which oversees Florida’s six Front Porch communities.
Earlier this month, Gov. Jeb Bush’s Front Porch Revitalization Council of Pensacola approved applications from a dozen groups for programs targeting youth, senior citizens and workers trading welfare for jobs.
“The projects are what the community said they wanted to see and the majority of them were youth-enhancement programs,” said council liaison Thelma Manley, the Front Porch employee who connects grass-roots volunteers with state officials. “The game plan is to get those projects up and running, then apply for more money.”
Manley said she will hand-deliver the council’s recommendations to the Tallahassee urban opportunity office on Tuesday.
Here is the list of groups getting money back then:
Arts Council of Northwest Florida, Belmont-DeVilliers arts district, $20,000.
Aviation Field neighborhood association, community flower gardens, $5,000.
Aviation Field, low-income home repairs, $14,000.
Aviation Field, structure renovation for a day-care center, $5,000
Baptist Hospital, community projects in the Englewood neighborhood, $25,000.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, youth programs, $3,000.
Britton Place Neighborhood Association, neighborhood cleanups and home repairs, $4,300.
Community Drug & Alcohol Council, youth programs, $3,239.
Community Equity Investments Inc., youth programs on entrepreneurship, $8,500.
Council on Aging, elderly enrichment program, $30,000.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, summer youth enrichment program, $3,900.
St. John’s Neighborhood Association, home repairs, $3,500.
Westside Neighborhood Association, home repairs, $7,500.
Tentative project: Goodwill Easter Seals Vocational Services, employment training program, $23,121.
Tentative total: $156,060
Read article: Front Porch to receive grant moneyÂ