ECAT Failed the Blind Man Who Begged Commissioners Not to Let This Happen
Ten months after Patrick Reed pleaded with the BCC to save his ride to work, he was left stranded — and Escambia County let it happen anyway.
Patrick Reed is blind, but he has a job. He works for Global Connections to Employment (GCE), Northwest Florida’s largest employer of people with disabilities, at Corry Station. He relies on public transit to get to work.
Last September, Escambia County Administrator Wes Moreno recommended that the commissioners cancel the county’s eight-year agreement with ITL Solutions, which provided transportation for Mr. Reed.
He Warned Them
At the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Sept. 4, 2025, Lori Kaim, GCE’s senior director of government affairs and advocacy, guided Mr. Reed to the podium to address the commissioners.
“I have with me Patrick Reed, who is a wonderful team member at GCE,” Kaim said. “He’s here to speak on behalf of a lot of the individuals that work at GCE that are directly impacted by this change with the transit situation.”
Mr. Reed emphasized the importance of public transit to him and his fellow team members. He advocated for ITL Solutions.
“I’m here on behalf of people that’s vision impaired and hearing impaired; we actually need [ITL Solutions] back because like I said, we have special needs and the drivers give us what we need.”
Referring to ITL Solutions as “community transit,” Mr. Reed continued:
“I’m up at five o’clock in the morning, cannot see because I was trying to get to work, and they didn’t have community transit when I was starting. Now, we deserve this community transit. It helps us with stability, our well-being and getting around. And without community transit, I don’t know, some of them may commit suicide because there’s a lot of stress. We can’t afford Z-trip or Uber.”
He praised ITL Solutions’ service for providing “door-to-door” service with no problems. “They come with their hearts, with open minds, and see our needs.”
Ten Months Later
- July 1: ECAT turned over its Transportation Disadvantaged program to ITL Solutions.
- ECAT and the county had three months to ensure a smooth transition and make sure no one — including Mr. Reed — was left stranded.
- Earlier this month: Mr. Reed got off work at 8:30 a.m. No ride showed up. ECAT had failed to get his information to ITL Solutions.
ECAT and Escambia County failed Mr. Reed.
- Mr. Reed’s pleas to the BCC were ignored. ECAT let him down. Moreno has created yet another chaotic situation for the BCC.
Read the full story on Inweekly.
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