Deadline Extended Again For Applicants For Escambia Children’s Trust

September 8, 2024

The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners has once again extended the deadline for applications from county residents willing to serve on the Escambia Children’s Trust.

To be considered, applicants must submit the completed Escambia Children’s Trust application and questionnaire for gubernatorial appointments with an optional resume by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 20.

Resumes and both applications should be submitted via email to boardapply@myescambia.com or mailed to:

Jose Gochez, Program Manager
Escambia County Board of County Commissioners
221 Palafox Place, Suite 420
Pensacola, FL 32502

The Board of County Commissioners will nominate three applicants per vacancy to be submitted to the governor for review and potential appointment. Following the board’s selection, the county administrator will notify the Governor’s Appointments Office of the selected applicants and additional steps from the nominees may be required.

To be considered for the Escambia Children’s Trust, Florida Statute criteria include the requirement that nominees have been residents of Escambia County for the previous 24 months and are willing to submit an annual Statement of Financial Interests Form. Florida Statutes also require that gubernatorial appointments are representative of the demographic diversity of the County’s population.

Per Section 125.901, Florida Statutes, the Escambia Children’s Trust shall consist of 10 members, including:

The superintendent of schools;

  • A school board member as appointed by the school board;
  • The Department of Children and Families district administrator, or his or her designee;
  • A judge assigned to juvenile cases as appointed by the chief judge;
  • A c0ounty commissioner as appointed by the Board of County Commissioners; and
  • Five members appointed by the governor from candidates nominated by the Board of County Commissioners to serve a four-year term.

In November 2020, 61% of participating voters in Escambia County supported the creation of the Children’s Trust to be funded by an increase in ad valorem taxes of up to a maximum of 0.5 mil. The Children’s Trust will provide early childhood education, safety, developmental, preventative, health, and well-being services, including after school and summer enrichment programs.

The ECT is responsible for assessing the needs of the children in the county and developing a strategic plan for addressing unmet needs, which must then be submitted to the Board. The ECT, like the county, must also go through the process of adopting a millage rate and budget in accordance with Florida’s Truth In Millage (TRIM) Act, and the CSC must submit an annual report to the Board as required by Florida law.

Comments

One Response to “Deadline Extended Again For Applicants For Escambia Children’s Trust”

  1. JTV on September 8th, 2024 8:25 am

    A huge waste of our hard earned cash. Let’s get this back on the ballot.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News