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Why Were Millions In Grants Pulled From Century? This Is What Our Investigation Found.
August 29, 2024
Millions of dollars in state grants to the Town of Century have been terminated, and a NorthEscambia.com investigation has uncovered what has actually happened and why.
FloridaCommerce pulled $12,877,137 in grant funds from Century for a hurricane shelter/community center and bridges and awarded the money instead to Escambia County. The state also terminated $2,740,350 in grants for community center construction on Jefferson Avenue, ending that project in its tracks. (Read more...)
Why does the mayor believe the state terminates the grants with Century?
Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. told his council and local citizens that the grants had been taken away from the town by FloridaCommerce, which is the Florida Department of Commerce.
“They took that and said that the Town of Century has financial woes. It had nothing to do with these five people sitting up here (the town council) nor myself. They based their findings on the last three or four years of financial audits, meaning that whoever was in charge three to four years ago, the audit that they did.”
Gomez was first elected to the town council seven years ago in 2017. He was voted council vice president in January 2020, and council president in January 2021. Gomez was appointed interim mayor in August 2023, later to be elected mayor.
A Century audit filed late with the state in 2024 showed a “deteriorating financial condition” and over $4.5 million in fund deficits. Earlier audits during Gomez’s tenure showed signs of a financial emergency in Century and multi-million dollar deficits. Also during Gomez’s term on the council, a 2019 grand jury investigation found the Town of Century lost over $1 million in utility accounts in just two years, could not account for over 40 percent of their natural gas, made loans not revealed on audits for 14 years, improperly borrowed about $3 million from accounts with a 750-year payback plan, and a state of financial emergency.
Of the current council members: Sandra McMurray Jackson has been on the council since 2010; Dynette Lewis took office in January 2021. Henry Cunningham, Alicia Johnson, and Shelisa McCall Abraham first joined the council as an interim members in 2023, later winning elections to their current seats.
What does FloridaCommerce say?
In a May letter, the state agency said they were taking back $12.8 million for a hurricane shelter/community center and bridges ”due to financial and fiscal solvency issues the Town is facing”. In additional emails provided by the town, the agency provided little additional reasoning.
Gomez and consultant grant writer Robin Phillips said they were never really told why and did not know who made the decision, with Phillips adding that her contacts at the state said the decisions were made by someone higher up.
NorthEscambia.com emailed and called the Office of Communications and External Affairs at FloridaCommerce on August 22. The agency did not respond to our requests.
State representative says she was ultimately responsible based on the town’s actions
In an exclusive interview, State Rep. Michelle Salzman told NorthEscambia.com that she started a process that ultimately led to the state terminating the grants with Century. Salzman said she went to the Florida Auditor General to look at everything involving grants to Century and look for any concerns or red flags.
“I just have concerns that they are throwing money away and do of the constituents,” she said. “I have concerns when the mayor comes in and pays this new guy and he makes more than I do.”
Salzman was referring to Howard Brown, principal of Local Government Consulting Group (LGCG) of West Palm Beach. He also serves as interim town manager.
Moments after being sworn in interim mayor in August 2023, Gomez said he needed help to make sure he could properly run the town.
“I know that I am in over my head, but I don’t want the town of Century to suffer due to my lack of experience in this position,” Gomez told his town council before introducing a consultant. That individual was not hired.
In the months that followed, the town hired a South Florida company to manage many of the town’s operations.
In December 2023, the town signed a contract with LGCG of West Palm Beach for $7,500 per month. That amount was later increased in June 2024 to $8,000 per month. The council also approved paying an additional $3,000 per month for grant writing services and $175 per hour for Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Consulting Services.
LGCG also serves as “Coordinator of Ongoing Projects Services” for $40 per hour. LGCG representatives Howard W. Brown Jr., Erin Connelly, and Cheryl Harrison-Lee were to provide the various services.
Under the agreement, the town should pay the group $11,000 per month, plus additional hourly and consulting fees. As state representative Salzman is paid $29,697 per year, according to a Florida House database.
Salzman said she told Gomez during “a not very nice conversation” in March that she was making the request to the Florida Auditor General for the inquiry.
“I told him them if you are doing what you are supposed to do and doing your audits, your money is good to go with the county being in charge and your projects are going to be done. But when you are not complying with general Florida government requirements, and you want more? The citizens of Century need to be taken care of by their local government.”
“I pushed really hard for years to build that town up, and now they back pedal Salzman said,” citing millions of dollars of other state grants still in place for other Century projects including help for failing or failed water wells, water meters, the wastewater treatment plan, wastewater lift stations and more. She also obtained a rural designation for Century. The designation makes Century eligible to have matching fund requirements waived for state programs and grants.
“If Century wants to continue operating the way they have been operating, they will have to live with it,” Salzman added. “I will not provide additional grants or funding until they get their ducks in a row.”
Pictured top: Century resident Gary Bradley stands in front of a monitor at a recent Century Town Council meeting. Bradley pointed at interim Town Manager Howard Brown (lower left on the monitor) and asked why Brown was attending the meeting remotely via Microsoft Teams rather than in person. Pictured below: Another citizen listens during the meeting. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
18 Responses to “Why Were Millions In Grants Pulled From Century? This Is What Our Investigation Found.”
For an area who claims to hate socialism and the government with a passion, Century always seems to have both hands out to take them. That’s my tax dollars your bumbling city officials are stealing and/or mishandling.
They need to bring in the Attorney General and start locking people up. It is time for corruption to be dealt with and anyone that has lived in the area for more then two years knows how corrupt smalls towns are around here. It never fails to amaze me how the locals continue to re elect the very people keeping them in the trash can. Until you vote out these people in Brewton,jay, Centruy,Flomaton all anybody in this area will have is the trash that the old school goody boy systems allows. Either vote this trash out or dont complain about having nothing nice
I am still wondering why Gomez ran for Mayor if he did not know how to do the job?! If they had to hire somebody to manage the town, why do they need Gomez! Good job, Ms. Salzman!
Live by the grant die by the grant. Century for too long has been operating off of state Grant money. It is time they started operating within their means. Outsourcing responsibility is a poor way to run the town. Why pay someone in South Florida to run the town when you have elected officials that should be running things. This is like getting hired then having your employer give you money to hire someone else to do your job. Mayor and Council, you were elected, hired, to run the town if you cannot do your job you need to be replaced.
Gomez made a fool of himself at the legislative delegation meeting by asking for more money when they weren’t managing what they already had.
Boxsons comments were a message to Saltzman.
Do your job D1 House. Ensure stae funds were being spent wisely. Mike Hill certainly didn’t.
How about this do you job. FL Senate. Broxson.
Also if anyone cares, they don’t, why don’t they track those big spends from the federal government like EPA grant for about 500 K.
My oh my.. where did that go?
it was not 1 accounted for on past financial statements.
Why pay the con in South Florida if elected officials at the state and county as well as county staff work for their current salaries.
RIP OFF.
Century has needed new leadership for YEARS, and Gomez is bad as the rest! If he can’t figure out where a million dollars in gas went, with no accountability, he needs to be gone. And to hire a firm and paying them $11,000+ a month to do his job is sad. Step down Mr Gomez you and the rest of the board are apparently not capable of running the town of Century. Thank you Michelle for stopping this waste of money.
Rep. Salzman is 100% correct. I know Howard personally for many years and while he is a funny guy, he’s also a talker. He’s LAZY…looking for the money but forgetting to produce a final product. The mindset is there is a lot of free money out there and that simply isn’t true. Rep. Salzman has probably already looked into his background. She is smart like that!!! Thank you, Michelle!!
Century and the Mayor should do their audits and stop blaming predecessors. They’ve been there for years and still don’t do the financial audits yet pay a consulting group over $11k a month? I’m not sorry but did the mayor literally outsource his job because he doesn’t want to learn to do it? Why did he run?
Wayyyyy overdo. Century is a failed town and its time to just forfeit it to the county and shred the town charter. I find it funny that Gomez doesn’t realize he’s the one chiefly responsible for this.
Probably why the clerk quit again.
Great job Rep. Salzman! Go get ‘em!
Great reporting North Escambia! We ❤️ your work. This was ultra level journalism. Stay on top of this. And that picture ‼️ it tells the story of real people being screwed looking up at those in charge sitting high in their castle looking down on the citizenry peasants below.
Century residents, might I suggest you call Escambia County supervisor of elections and ask how to recall your elected kings. Everyone of them. It’s not hard.
King Gomez, better work in that finger pointing. Three or four years ago? Their fault? That was you bud .
Thank you Rep. Salzman. Seems you tried reason and Century wasn’t reasonable so the hammer needed to be applied with taking their piggy bank away. Hopefully some better leadership will step up to better steer the ship of Century.
Mr. Brown is one of those folks who shine brightest when they hold the light.
If someone else shines the light cracks start to show.
Sadly the corruption in Century is out of control – within the city – Century is just one big Ghetto & getting worse – the city council are an embarrassment to the town -
The house of cards is falling. Who will be left standing?
Century doesn’t need to continue operating the way it’s been operating, it needs to be incorporated and maybe developers will see it as more than just a ghost town. It’s pitiful. One overpriced grocery store, three dollar stores (two of which are absolutely disgusting), and a Whataburger. Do the citizens of Century never want to do better?
Excellent. Thank you Representative Salzman!