During our podcast interview last week, Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said he would be interested in running for county administrator if the position were elected.
“It’s funny that someone said, ‘What if the county commission had, or the county had an elected administrator?’ I said, ‘I don’t really want to get into all that. I’m not pushing for anything. But that’s probably the only job I’d run for other than sheriff.’ Because if you do something like that, then you would need someone that’s…you would have a lot of influence, a lot of power, and I think some very positive things could take place if that were the situation. But again, I’m not pushing for; I was just asked earlier.”
Businessman John Peacock has long argued that the county should have an elected executive. The core of his argument: “There is no elected official in our current form of government that is accountable to all voters.”
The Problem
Escambia is a non-charter county. A switch to an elected county administrator would require voters to approve a county charter amendment.
Charter Counties
- “Have all powers of local self?government not inconsistent with general law, or with special law approved by vote of the electors.”
- Charter counties adopt a local “mini?constitution” (the charter) approved and amendable only by county voters, which can tailor the form of government, number and election method of commissioners, executive arrangements, and local procedures.
- Charters often provide tools such as citizen-initiated amendments, initiatives, or referenda, giving residents more direct ways to change county rules and structure.
Non-Charter
- Only have “such power of self?government as is provided by general or special law,” meaning the Legislature can expand, limit, or repeal its authority more easily.
- Non?charter counties must generally follow the default structure set in Article VIII and Chapter 125, Florida Statutes (board of county commissioners, constitutional officers), with changes mostly controlled by the Legislature rather than by local voters.
- Non?charter counties generally lack those built?in direct democracy mechanisms; significant structural or power changes usually come through legislative action, not local amendment.
Behind-the-Scenes Politics
The rumor in the halls of the county courthouse is that County Clerk Pam Childers is interested being the county administrator. She accepted an appointment to the position in 2029 and lobby for a county charter to make it elected.
- Another potential candidate is Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves, who would please those wanting to see the city and county governments consolidated, which didn’t go well in 2010.
Sheriff Simmons will be hard to beat in any county-wide race.