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Clerk Pauses Payments For Escambia Commissioners’ Discretionary Fund Spending
April 11, 2025
Escambia County Clerk Pam Childers says she is going to review the use of discretionary funds by commissioners, which are part of the overall annual budget. In the meantime, she is pausing payments for funds already approved by commissioners until her review is completed and her opinion is issued.
The budget includes $50,000 per year for each commissioner, with a rollover, as part of the general fund classified as aids to private organizations. An expenditure request by any one commissioner must be approved by the entire board. (See below for the most recent requests.)
The funds have been used for community festivals, sports teams that could not afford trips to a state championship and more.
Childers said taxpayer dollars must be spent in a manner consistent with the Florida Constitution, requiring a lawful public purpose.
“The public purpose for discretionary expenditures is not obvious when you allocated to private galas, picnics, benefits, church revivals, school softball teams, and golf tournaments,” she said. “Looking at this in a different way, taxpayers do not pay taxes for the county to make donations to private organizations of their own choosing to enhance the mission of that organization.”
She also said there is a specific provision in the Florida Constitution preventing revenue from being taken from the public treasury to aid any church or religious denomination. She said seeing discretionary funding for churches on the agenda raised her awareness of the issue.
“You are doing contributions to churches for their picnics or something they are having; I think that’s a violation,” she said.
“It’s certainly alarming and disappointing that we’ve done it for 10 years, and at this point we’re beginning to do review in which we’ve helped multiple organizations,” May said,’ that benefits the good of the community.”
Is it not a common good to feed people? Is it not a common good to buy hamburgers and hotdogs for children in the inner city that don’t have food to eat when we are feeding homeless people, when we are giving out money? We’ve got to define that,” May said. “For the common benefit, for the common purpose of making sure that Brownsville Assembly is feeding people. That has to be a common good for the community.”
“If you believe that is the county government’s responsibility,” Childers replied, emphasizing the word government, “then we will have a form. You will write that…while funds are being under scrutiny, this is a really good time to look at this.”
The commission is expected to review Childers’ finding and potential policies at an upcoming meeting.
These are the most recent discretionary funding requests totaling $18,000 by commissioners as reflected on agendas to date in March and April:
District 1 (Steve Stroberger) $6,000
- $1,000 for Legion’s Boy’s State Program
- $2,500 for Valerie’s House
- $2,500 for Golf Elite Track and Field Club
District 2 (Mike Kohler) $1,500
- $1,500 for First Tee Gulf Coast
District 3 (Lumon May) $3,500
- $2,500 for an Autism Pensacola gala fundraising event
- $1,000 for First Tee Gulf Coast
District 4 (Ashlee Hofberger) $3,500
- $1,000 for a Holes 4 Heroes Charity Golf Tournament
- $1,000 for First Tee Gulf Coast
- $1,500 for ReadyKids! Kindergarten, Here We Come!
District 5 (Steven Barry) $3,500
- $2,500 for the Tate Aggie Classic
- $1,000 for a Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church fall festival
Comments
30 Responses to “Clerk Pauses Payments For Escambia Commissioners’ Discretionary Fund Spending”
Five “ Scam Alerts “ !
We got this discretionary fund , the children’s trust fund ; any other funds these greedy thieves can get their hands on ?
This story is similar to the three people stealing copper wire story .
If a commissioner decides his favorite organization is a criminal defense law firm do the taxpayers still have to pay ?
These 5 are smarter than you , they know how to spend your money better than you do .
I pay an organization with your money to get my grass cut . I’m happy , what’s your problem ? Bring on FDLE to examine five annual financial reports .
Thanks, now I know who I am NOT voting for !
And don’t forget all your tax dollars that they GIVE to all the Charity organizations every year at budget time.
Glad someone is finally making them accountable for where the money is going. It needs to be good for whole county and not a few. Why support churches. They all take up collections every week. Let them use their money for picnics or festivals. I don’t feel like my money should go for that .as for schools they get money from property taxes and the lotto so they should be able to sponsor their own activities. I must say I was truly saddened when Mr. Underhill didn’t run again. He truly looked out for the people and fought against things that would increase taxes,etc knowing the hardship it would put on the people. Seems like for years now that money was spent for a few people only I thought the commissioners were all suppose to serve the whole community and see what needs to be done in entire county and take care of it. Each one has a district and they need to do things for their district but I feel everyone should be agreeable and do what’s right
Wait a minute! If you have money to donate, then your overcharging the taxpayers in Escambia County. I am on Social Security and I can’t even purchase a dozen eggs. Are people absolutely losing their minds?
Escambia is last in everything for a reason. Exhibit # 200 .
It’s all about accountability of our money. I don’t have a problem this really, but we should know exactly where every dollar goes. I just don’t have full confidence and faith In our local officials. Good for Pam.
Get ‘em Pam!
As I am paying my property taxes (late) I decided my favorite organization is me ; not you or yours .
Give me YOUR money so I can help out MY organization . Sure ?
All we need is a NGO to complete this shell game .
Bring DOGE to pensacola for the commissioners office as well as the escambia county code enforcement officer such a huge waste
All five should order a bronze statue of themselves from New York out of their discretionary fund .
How much of the 50000 for each commissioner wasn’t spent ? Sounds like a good deal for everyone excluding the tax payer .
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
Never understood how they could make donations with other people’s money. This has been going on longer than 10 years.
We need a DOGE for Escambia Co, and city of Pensacola, and century.
QUEEN Pam, puppet of the downtown crowd. The money doesn’t benefit the downtowners (usually), so it’s just another way she can server her downtown crowd by going after the commission.
Hasn’t she been clerk for 12 years already? So she’s just now noticed? Or is there another agenda?
I am not sure but isn’t there a separation of church and state and by a commissioner giving money to a church could be seen as wrong . I DONT disagree with the reason I am just wondering about the legality of it. I think it’s great what she is doing and I hope it all comes out on the up and up and they can’t still give money to churches for fading people.
Tax revenues should only be used to help regulate/oversee and improve the item that was taxed. In example…Gas taxes are used for roads. Hunting license fees aka tax help fund game wardens.
If there is a tax on an item or service then the collected taxes should only be used to fund whatever service that the government provides in support of the taxed item…
Pay attention Century.
Get yourselves some discretionary funds to work with.
Glad to hear this. Not sure why it took 10 years to realize this.
Yeah. If the people only actually knew the stupid things that were spent. It’s a stupid high dollar amount spent on “throws” for the local parades
You go Pam! From the top of our Federal govt waste to our own little Escambia county, it’s time we cut the fraud and waste! It’s happening folks! I hope it continues.
Thank you, Pam.