Accountability
Tourism’s Money Is Stuck — And Nobody Can Get Paid
TDC member David Bear says Clerk Pam Childers’ reimbursement demands have snarled $1.3 million meant for the agencies marketing Escambia County. Is her overregulation threatening to kill tourism?
Tourist Development Council member David Bear joined me on Rick’s Blog Live to explain a mess that’s been building for months: Visit Pensacola has roughly $600,000 in cash on hand, but Escambia County Clerk Pam Childers owes tourism marketing agencies $1.3 million in reimbursements with another $1.7 million in placed advertising still to be paid for.
The county appropriates the money, agencies run the campaigns, and they’re supposed to get reimbursed once they submit cleared checks and invoices. Bear says that used to work smoothly. Now checks sit for 30, 60, even 90 days with no explanation, while Childers demands documentation Bear calls excessive—proof ads actually ran, photographs of printed posters, and more.
“Are people going to have to take pictures of themselves eating a sandwich to submit to the clerk’s office? We make a joke about it, but it’s not funny.”
The fallout is spreading. Two nonprofits have already sued Childers over withheld grant funds. ECAT’s temporary staffing vendor is owed more than $360,000. And Pensacola Sports CEO Ray Palmer told the TDC his last invoice packet ran 900 pages.
- Visit Pensacola: ~$600,000 cash on hand
- Owed by the Clerk’s Office: $1.3 million
- Advertising already placed, unpaid: $1.7 million
- Reimbursement wait: 30–90+ days, unpredictable
Bear stressed no one has found evidence of theft or embezzlement. This is a documentation standoff, not a scandal of missing money. But tourism is booming, with record year-over-year numbers, and Bear warns the paperwork fight could choke off the very growth it’s supposed to fund.
