NorthEscambia.com reports the Century Town Council voted last night to hire former state representative Dave Murzin of Cantonment as the town’s next full-time administrator. The council voted 3-1 to approve Mayor Ben Boutwell’s recommendation of Murzin, with Shelisa Abraham absent and council president Dynette Lewis casting the dissenting vote without making additional comment.
- The vote authorized Boutwell to negotiate an employment agreement with Murzin for final council approval at their next regular meeting on September 2nd.
Dave Who?
Murzin represented District 2 in the Florida House from 2002 to 2010, working on health care, energy, and tax reform. When he was term-limited in 2010, he ran for the Escambia County Commission District 2 seat held by Gene Valentino. Murzin came in third with 22% of the vote behind Valentino (34%) and Karen Sindel (31%). Former county administrator George Touart brought up the rear with 11%.
- Before his 2002 election, Murzin served as a legislative aide to Florida House Majority Leader Jerry Maygarden. After leaving office, he worked as Northwest Florida Director for State Sen. Greg Evers (2013-2016). He was the registered agent for State Rep. Michelle Salzman’s PAC, Committee to Protect Northwest Florida, until January 2024.
He is currently the director of First Place Partners, helping with economic development in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Century’s Troubles
Florida’s Joint Legislative Auditing Committee (JLAC) first raised a red flag in 2017 about the town’s finances. The town has repeatedly failed to make corrections recommended in former audits.
Audits have highlighted consistent cash flow problems, debts between town funds, recurring operating deficits, and questionable use of restricted money—such as when the general fund owed the special revenue fund nearly $3 million.
- In 2024, FloridaCommerce pulled over $15 million in grant funding from Century for key projects, like a hurricane shelter, bridges, and a community center, citing the town’s “financial and fiscal solvency issues.” The grants were redirected to Escambia County. This decision was based on years of audit findings and concerns about the town’s deteriorating financial condition and solvency
2019 Grand Jury
A scathing Escambia County Grand Jury report released by then State Attorney Bill Eddins exposed severe financial mismanagement in the Town of Century, painting a picture of a local government in crisis.
The investigation, launched after numerous citizen complaints, revealed shocking failures in the town’s utility operations. Century’s natural gas system has hemorrhaged customers—dropping from 1,000 to just 500-600—while posting massive losses exceeding $300,000 annually. Most alarming, the town failed to bill customers for nearly 42% of the gas flowing through its system in 2018.
The financial dysfunction extended beyond utilities. The town couldn’t cover payroll checks or federal withholding deposits, while routine bills went unpaid. A clerk’s dispute left utility customers without bills entirely.
The Grand Jury issued 15 recommendations, including demands for a forensic audit and state investigations into misappropriated gas tax and sales tax funds.
Needless to say, Dave Murzin will have his hands full.