Escambia at a Crossroads: Budget Bloat, Ballot Breakdown and the Decline of Decorum

I have not released an Our County newsletter in a while. I have been working on several projects, doing a lot of research, and watching the budget sessions the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) has conducted. 

I am sorely disappointed.  The budget had gone up over $200 MILLION in just 5 years.  Although 2 of the commissioners brought up line items they wanted cut, 3 of the commissioners (Kohler, May, and Barry) had no intention of doing so, and since 3 is a majority, they got their way.

The three commissioners named above warn that if we, the people, vote to eliminate property tax revenue and eliminate Local Option Sales Tax (LOST), county services will have to be cut.   I want you voters to remember that Florida Statutes require you to pay property taxes for infrastructure, roads, and public safety.  

The "services" the commissioners will have to cut are their propensity to pay for all the charitable requests they get using TAXPAYER DOLLARS and cut their "community partners" that they hand out money freely to.   Santa Rosa County did a great job trimming its budget and eliminating waste and abuse.

Did your taxes go up? 

You do know that your property keeps getting appraised higher and higher each year, so when multiplied by the same millage rate as last year, your tax will be higher?  Steve Stroberger tried to keep the same millage rate but could not get the votes so now, with a higher property value and a slightly increased millage rate, you are paying more taxes. 

Those of you who wanted street lights might be paying an additional MSBU for lighting on your non ad-valorem taxes, even though I would think street lights would fall under safety issues. I have had many questions about three issues on the ballot:  No. 2 Constitutional Amendment, No. 3 Constitutional Amendment, and County Referendum.  

No, of course, the content and confusing technical wording were not explained to you in a teaching film or at a BCC meeting or any other method of transparency.

Without writing a book, as chief author of this newsletter, let me tell you how I am voting and why. 

On No. 2 Constitutional Amendment, I am voting "yes" because farmers need a break.  They have taken a beating because of tariffs and fuel prices.  We need agriculture, not subdivisions.  The less they have to pay, the cheaper our food will be.  

On No. 3 Constitutional Amendment, I am voting "yes".  Those who would be immediately affected by this amendment, as well as those affected in the future, still have to pay for schools and the sheriff.  It is not as if they would be free of any taxation.  If you listen to Governor DeSantis, he says Florida has plenty of surplus money and that his calculations show Florida will not suffer.  

On the County Referendum, I am voting "no".  The BASIC sales tax rate in the State of Florida is 6%.  Some counties are happy with that, and others have varying Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) rates from 0.5% to 1.5% (for a total of 6.5% to 7.5%).  In one (only one) county, it is 2%, equaling a total of 8%. 

Escambia County has the basic 6% PLUS 0.5% plus 1.0% to equal a total of 7.5%.  The 0.5% is a School Capital Outlay tax that was initially voted in in 1998 to last 10 years.  Once it expired, I guess it was decided that we needed it again, so it went back on the ballot and won its place again from 2011 to 2027.  

Do you think you will get to vote on it next year?  NO, you will not - because in November of 2024, you voted to approve it for 10 MORE YEARS (2027 to the end of 2038).   Are you gasping?  Are you asking why so early?  Apparently someone wanted to know how much money they would have to play with in the next 10 years instead of planning and budgeting responsibly year to year. 

Oh, and are you aware that for the upcoming budget year, the school board has again raised their millage rate?  And on the subject of the local option sales tax (LOST), the following info is very important.  Do not think that if you vote "no" for LOST it will go away.  NO.  

The last time LOST was voted for, it was voted to last until midnight, December 31, 2028.  That means that the county has another two years of LOST funding while they work to tame the budget and make significant cuts to the real waste that is going on.  

So do NOT think you are hurting the county by voting "no" on the county referendum.  You may be hurting their votes because they will have to quit giving our money away, but they are capable of figuring it out.  If you do not think they are capable of that,

VOTE FOR SOMEBODY ELSE.

On another subject, someone wrote a message on the Graffiti Bridge over the weekend.  In black paint at the top of the bridge, it said, "Pam Childers is a slut."

(Photo: Angela Underwood)

You do realize what has been a major contribution to that?!  Escambia County has a commissioner by the name of Mike Kohler and most people who know of him also know that he was a naval officer.  "Hmmmm," you might think - "an officer and a gentleman."  Well, think again.  Mike Kohler is in a powerful leadership position in the county - a commissioner.  On Facebook, he posted a comment questioning our Florida House Rep. Michelle Salzman about her experience as a sexual assault victim, almost as if he was discounting it. 

Probably because of the number of complaints he got, he apologized at a public meeting on public television archived on ECTV on YouTube, but he seemed to blame his outburst on her because of his frustration with the situation and claimed she had lied to him.  Again, at a public meeting on public television archived on ECTV on YouTube, Mike Kohler loudly and viciously excoriated the County Clerk/Comptroller and has vocalized snippets of his biting remarks publicly over the last several months to continue his campaign of dislike for her and his implied plea to the public to do the same. 

He has also bullied Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger in public meetings, to the point that Commissioner Stroberger called him out on it.  Listen, people!   A leader and a gentleman would not belittle his peers in a public meeting. As an officer should, he should deal with disagreements with peers behind closed doors, not in front of the public (his troops).  I have personally seen him at other public meetings belittle people who have asked him questions.  

He is setting an example of terrible behavior that some people actually follow.  So who would have done that writing on the bridge?  I think one of his "puppy dogs" did it. On another subject pertaining to the same person, please see the below and think about what you see when you drive around district 2.  In the DoD literature, it says the Secretary of Defense allows NO agency to issue an exemption to this.

Department of Defense (DoD) guidelines strictly prohibit retired military members from wearing military uniforms at political campaign or election events, including political advertisements. [1, 2]

Core Rules and Regulations

• Governing Policies: Rules are set forth in DoD Directive 1344.10 (Political Activities for Members of the Armed Forces) and DoD Instruction 1334.01 (Wearing of the Uniform). [1, 2]
• Who Is Banned: The prohibition applies to all members of the Armed Forces, which explicitly includes active-duty personnel, reserve components, and retired members. [1, 2]
• Political Ads & Events: Wearing a military uniform in a political campaign ad, endorsement video, or at a partisan rally is banned because it can imply official DoD sponsorship, approval, or endorsement of a political candidate or cause. [1, 2]
• Perception of Endorsement: Even though military retirees have greater freedom than active-duty personnel to make personal political statements or express opinions, they cross the line into a violation when the uniform is worn in a way that suggests the U.S. military backs a specific candidate or party. [1, 2, 3]

I have seen several complaints about these huge campaign posters in uniform from you folks out there.  Have you researched it?  Have you done anything about it?  If not, below will tell you exactly what to do.  I recommend using option 2 as opposed to option 1 because I do not think it should be kept local - too much chance for cover-up.

Option 1: Your Local or Command-Level Inspector General (Recommended)

Contacting your base, installation, or command-level IG is the fastest way to resolve the issue. They have direct oversight over local personnel and operations. You can find their contact information through your command's directory or official website. [1, 2, 3]

If you prefer to submit to your specific military service branch's central IG hotline, you can contact: [1]

• Army IG Hotline: (800) 752-9747
• Navy IG Hotline: (800) 522-3451
• Marine Corps IG Hotline: (866) 243-3887
• Air Force / Space Force IG: Contact your local wing IG office or service headquarters. [1, 2, 3]

Option 2: The Department of Defense (DoD) IG Hotline

If the local chain of command or local IG is inappropriate for your situation (e.g., due to a conflict of interest), you can mail a letter directly to the Pentagon or submit it electronically: [1, 2]

• By Mail:DoD HotlineThe PentagonWashington, DC 20301-1900(Note: Do not include external storage devices like USB drives or CDs, as they will be rejected for security reasons).

Online (Most Expedient): You can bypass mail delays entirely by filing securely through the DoD IG Hotline Online Complaint Form watch here for a video explaination. 

Until next time,

Mary.