A letter from Sheriff David Morgan to Commission chair Marie Young:
20 March 09
Honorable Chairperson Marie Young
Escambia County Board of County Commissioners
217 North Palafox Street
Pensacola, FL 32501
Dear Chairperson Young,
I am writing you and fellow Commissioners to advise of a change in the staffing policy at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Although I have been in office less than three months, a disturbing pattern has shown itself to be the normal operating procedure for the current Escambia County Administrator, Mr. Bob McLaughlin. Therefore, effective this date, all issues requiring the coordination of my office with the county government will be sent directly to you with informational copies to each commissioner.
The following is offered to substantiate this position;
-The ECSO proposed acquisition of the property located at Fairfield and Mobile Hwy. This project is a direct result of requests from citizens due to the rising crime in Warrington and Brownsville. My staff, Chief Deputy Bill Chavers and Captain Gary Montee, worked directly with the Escambia County Facilities Manager, Mr. Dave Wheeler. This package was staffed prior to its submission before the BOCC. The asking price of this structure is $350K, with an estimate interior restructure of $100K, utilizing prisoner labor as we are and have done in the past. As you may recall, this was not the fact set portrayed to you and the BOCC which was subsequently reported in the local media. It was reported as not having been coordinated, not being a “master plan,†and costing $700K. This is a complete misrepresentation.
-The ECSO (Sheriff) is not going to reduce their budget. Prior to the meeting on 03/13/09 at the County Extension Service on Stefani Road, my staff (I, Commander Aiken, and Mr. Dias) met with Mr. McLaughlin in his office. The subject of the ECSO budget was one of the topics. I advised Mr. McLaughlin that the ECSO had already identified $1.7M in reductions and we were pursuing several other areas, but at that time we did not feel comfortable with giving specific data (numbers) that had yet to be verified. However, we were comfortable in saying that it was currently down in the $76-77M range. As you may recall, Mr. McLaughlin began the meeting with “the Sheriff is not reducing his budget.†(?) As I articulated during the meeting, we are looking at every aspect of our operations and will be presenting a detailed line-item budget to the BOCC. This is another complete misrepresentation.
-The “Leadership Workshop†of 03/13/09. This meeting, as you are aware was not as portrayed (advertized). In point of fact, it was a Budget meeting. Neither I nor any representative of the Sheriff’s Office would have been in attendance had the meeting not been referenced in a separate conversation.
Why? We were not invited nor advised of the actual agenda for the meeting. Can you imagine our surprise to learn that “the Sheriff’s Office budget is one of the agenda items?†What could possibly be the motive of dissecting a constitutional officer’s budget without the courtesy of advising them? So yet again I observe a complete misrepresentation.
This is an unacceptable management style. One of which I will not tolerate nor participate.
Therefore, to ensure that the misrepresentations cease, I will communicate directly with the other duly elected officials in the Escambia County Government, working of course, within the applicable legal parameters.
Respectfully,
David Morgan
Sheriff, Escambia County
DM/abi
Cc; Honorable Wilson Robertson, District 1
Honorable Gene Valentino, District 2
Honorable Grover Robinson, District 4
Honorable Kevin White, District 5
Honorable Ernie Lee Magaha, Clerk of Court
Honorable Janet Holley, Escambia County Tax Collector
Honorable Chris Jones, Escambia County Property Appraiser
Honorable David Stafford, Supervisor of Elections