Robert T. Halfhill served as interim Escambia County Administrator for sixteen months, from December 4, 2001 until April 21, 2002. One April 22, Touart took over and had one of the longest tenure’s as county administrator.
Halfhill has been public works director for Charlotte County since 2009. He is one if the four finalists for the county administrator job for Walton County. Read more.
Some county history notes: Halfhill took over after the resignation of Tom Forrest, who had been forced out by Commissioner W.D. Childers. Eight days after Touart became the county administrator, Childers and three other commissioners were booked into Escambia County Jail on 27 charges, which included bribery, racketeering, and violating the state’s Sunshine Law. Governor Jeb Bush suspended the four indicted commissioners on May 1.
In his one-year tenure as chairman of the county commission, Childers ran off Forrest, assistant administrator Bill Neron, acting administrator Gregg Welstead, county engineer Cindy Anderson, parks and recreation director Mark Thornton, and county attorney David Tucker.