Escambia County Budget Up $22 Million From Last Year , Citizen Pleads for Help at Hearing

The second Escambia County Commissioners' 2026-2027 Fiscal Year Budget Hearing for nearly a billion dollars seemed secondary to a single mother who stood at the podium at the end.

The $890,095,709 budget comes with its own colorful, 250-page manual, including organizational charts, pie tables, pages of content, and very fine print. The General Fund portion of the budget totals $360,396,329.

(Photo: Escambia County)

At the September 24 hearing, Escambia County Administrator Wes Moreno was not sure of the library millage rate, but was certain that the second of two required budget hearings needed to adopt the funds requires an explanation of the rollback rate on the record.

"The county-wide millage rate is 6.600, and the library is 0.3590," Moreno said. “Hopefully that is the right millage rate."

Staff advised Moreno to keep reading the document, which he did, reciting the same numbers and adding a millage rate of .6850 for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Municipal Services Taxing Unit.

"The aggregate for these millage rates proposed for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 is 2.32 % above the rollback rate of 7.2897 certified by the property appraiser,” Moreno said. “This represents the percentage increase in property taxes tentatively adopted by the board.”

(Photo: Wes Moreno)

It must be noted that Escambia County and the City of Pensacola have one thing in common at budget hearings: residents are MIA, as seen at the city's second budget meeting. Though citizen after citizen shows up to complain about countless county and city matters, no one shows up to the most important public meeting of all.

But not Jacob Rockwell and a handful of other residents. Rockwell reminded the public that Commissioner Mike Kohler asked them to recommend cuts.

“Well Mike, I really appreciate that, and though I am not an expert, this is what I got,” Rockwell said.

(Photo: Jacob Rockwell)

First, outside partners and nonmandated operating grants must go, according to Rockwell.

"The county has been putting roughly 18 million in community partners from a mix of General Fund, LOST (Local Option Sales Tax), and TDT (Tourism Development Tax),” Rockwell said.

Rockwell said officials need only keep statutory contracts, including those related to mental health and jail diversion programs.

“Everything else needs to phase out,” Rockwell said.

George Levy immediately asked officials why the Escambia County budget rose “20% from the 2024-2025 budget and the Santa Rosa budget went down 10%?"

(Photo: George Levy)

Afterward, Levy added a touch of theatrics, turning to the public and asking, “How many of you are in favor of a tax increase?” before asking if they were not. Ironically, the public stayed quiet at the opportune moment to raise their hands.

Next, Margaret Hostetter took to the podium.

“On the overall budget, last year was roughly $868 billion, and this year’s proposal is $890 billion, which is a $22 billion increase,” Hostetter said.

(Photo: Margaret Hostetter)

But the last resident drew the most attention at the end of the meeting. Rachel Saladono, a single mother of three, discussed her plight in support of the budget's proposed two-percent employee pay increase.

“This is a very big deal for me," Saladono said, adding, "I am only receiving the minimum wage."

With no help from the children's father, the citizen explained her daily decisions include whether to pay for vehicle costs or food.

"You have to look to other avenues on how you are going to feed your kids or get shampoo or soap for the dishes," Solodano said. "I need help, and I am in a very tight position."

That tight position includes staying in a shelter with her children, due to domestic violence.

(Photo: Rachel Solodano)

"This is not just happening to me; it is happening to several other women and men," Solodano said. "I have been requesting from the shelter, but they have to go through grants to help me.

However, as she was telling her story, her time was up, according to Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger.

"Thank you for sharing your story; we do appreciate that," Hofberger said. "311, I mean 211, is the number that you can call in and connect you with resources in our community.”

Solodano did; it didn’t help. Before walking away, Commissioner Lumon May said there are enough resources on this dais to help Reeves aside from offering a three-digit phone code.

“Thank you for telling your story because it is real; I hear it every single day,” May said. “The affordability crisis is real for people with children.”

Red, yellow, black, or white, it doesn’t matter, May said, adding, “people are suffering every day, and that is why Human Services is critical to care of the least of them.”

May said on the record in front of everyone that if the single mother cannot receive assistance from United Way, “I will personally help.”

(Photo: Escambia County Commissioner Mike Kohler)

Commissioner Mike Kohler pointed out her son in the audience and said on the record that having to have his mother plead in public for help says it all.

“We should be a better community,” Kohler said. “We really should.”

From Kohler’s lips to God’s ears.