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Century Asked For Nothing, Received Nothing In New State Budget. Last Year, It Was $1.885 Million.
March 18, 2024
During the 2023 session, the Florida Legislature appropriated nearly $2 million in funding for two major requests by the Town of Century. But the $117 billion 2024-25 state budget includes nothing specifically for the town after the mayor asked for nothing.
Last fall, local governments presented their state funding requests to the Escambia County Legislative Delegation — Sen. Doug Broxson, State Rep. Alex Andrade and State Rep. Michelle Salzman.
In October 2023, Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. addressed the delegation, thanking them for millions in state funding that has gone to projects in Century, including a bridge replacement, wastewater treatment plant repairs and repairs to a failed water well serving the state prison.
Gomez did not ask for any additional funding in the 2024 state budget. Instead, Broxson told Gomez that the town may need to be unchartered and taken over by Escambia County due to an ongoing problem of low tax base and needs that are “very great”.
Broxson said he had been dealing with Century during 14 years in the legislature, and the town’s tax base is low while needs are “very great”.
$1.885 Million Last Year
The town and then-mayor Ben Boutwell asked the local legislative delegation to fund two projects, one of which was fully approved and the other half-funded.
The 2023-24 state budget included $1.885 million for replacement of the Freedom Road Bridge in Century and half the money needed to replace a failed town water well serving the Century Correctional Institution.
The funding included $1,257,000 to replace a Town of Century bridge on Freedom Road with no required local matching funds.
On January 29, 2020, the town suddenly closed the bridge on Freedom Road, just east of Jefferson Avenue. Photos obtained by NorthEscambia.com a few days later showed the dangerous conditions that led to the emergency closure. Several pilings under the wooden bridge were no longer properly supporting the structure, and some of the pilings were split or had extreme deterioration.
The closure turned Freedom Road into a cul-de-sac with one way in and one way out for residents, including the Camellia Gardens apartment complex.
The 2023-24 budget included $628,500 to replace the Town of Century’s Well No. 3, which exclusively serves Century Correctional Institution, half of the $1.297 million that was requested.
After multiple problems, the well suffered a catastrophic failure during the summer of 2022 and no longer provided water to the prison for staff and inmates. A shaft shattered into a dozen or more pieces and fell to the bottom of the well.
Neither of the projects have been completed.
Comments
12 Responses to “Century Asked For Nothing, Received Nothing In New State Budget. Last Year, It Was $1.885 Million.”
Isn’t this town tired of living off handouts. All of those handouts come out of some taxpayers’ pockets. If you can’t get by on your own (and it appears you can’t) dissolve the city. You’ll probably still get more than your share out of the county budget to clean up what your elected representatives have created up there.
Thomas Paine – is it that hard to remember that Mayor Boutwell QUIT and was not ran out? It was his choice to leave.
Why is it that people think the town should be dissolved? Do you not realize when there is a desire by someone to take over the town there are slso underlying motoves. Things will certainly be different. There will be increases in cost of services like gas, water and garbage as well as taxes and everything else. If you don’t know, ask someone from Pensacola. Service might not skip a beat but you will notice the cost effect.
There are so many people on this review with all the answers, why didn’t any of them run for office and but there ideas on the table to make a change as oppposed to putting them in the comments to cause confusion!
The people outside century don’t want the town disbanded. We don’t want to inherent stupid.
REALLY Support this from the article: “…Broxson told Gomez that the town may need to be unchartered and taken over by Escambia County due to an ongoing problem of low tax base and needs that are “very great”.”
This mess just keeps getting deeper and the ‘leadership (?) keeps digging down.
The “disbanding” process is not hard. Technically, it’s called “dissolution.” The process is described in Chapter 165 Formation of Local Governments, Florida Statutes. Any three councilmembers can propose for voter approval an ordinance to dissolve the town. To maximize voter participation, the vote could be conducted using the vote-by-mail method with pre-paid ballot return envelopes. The town council could vote to adopt the ordinance in April and conduct the municipal referendum in June. Few would immediately notice any change. Years back a town called Cedar Grove in Bay County was abolished. Several people ran for the council promising to let the people decide. They then voted to abolish the town, citizens agreed and few noticed. Lots of municipalities come and go. Molino once a town went away in 1933. Here’s list of former municipalities in Florida:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_municipalities_in_Florida
Here’s a list of incorporations and dissolutions since 1973:
https://floridaleagueofcities.com/docs/default-source/CMRI/municipal-incorporations-dissolutions.pdf?sfvrsn=4
We dont need money just disbaning.
*Neither of the projects have been completed.*
Have they been started? Do we have bids, engineering plans, estimates, anything? And if not, then is the money still available or has it been used elsewhere? The longer they wait, the more expensive it’s gonna be.
Here’s my theory… Gomez is too proud and loving his title of mayor, and hasn’t done diddly to improve the town. So when county steps in and takes over he can play the victim.
Very illuminating wouldn’t you say? Broxson’s suggestion regarding unincorporation is spot on. Perhaps they will pursue it before lives are lost because of infrastructure collapse.
This is just ridiculous.
They haven’t spent the money they were given for projects; where is it?
They didn’t ask for more money? Wow! That’s unusual.
Sen. Broxson was right.
Where’s that state inspector?
“Neither of the projects have been completed.” ….
….have they been started? Seems I remember the audit saying something about possible improper “borrowing” from this fund or that.
Okay then, where’s the money? Show us the money!
“For lack of a vision the people perish”
The soft coup that removed Mayor Boutwell led to a dysfunctional mayor and council.
Gomez was too busy putting cronies on the payroll such as a city manager or whatever he is and a procurement officer…too busy doing these things then to seek grants and funding. It’s time to unravel this failed municipality from the base up by the legislature and other powers that be disincorporating the town and thereafter an investigation into any potential Malfeasance. If the investigation comes back that Century’s woes go incompetence then that’s the end of it but if it shows corruption then an indictment should be issued….however we all know most of these will skate by for obvious reasons.
It’s like a comedy show but with a tragic ending for residents – except the ones who don’t pay for gas or water, or the ones who took out undocumented personal loans for the town, or the ones who get to buy undervalued properties for pennies on the dollar.