Inside the EMS Billing and Software Investigation Part II: What Led to the $6 Million Dollar Write-off?

There is a disconnect between what the recently completed investigation into EMS billing finds and what the board was told leading up to a $6 Million Dollar write-off of bad debt last April....

As I wrote in part I of this series earlier this morning--some things that were told to board members ahead of a $6 Million Dollar write-off of noncollectable EMS bad debt last April do not match up with what the official investigation  has found.  This is troubling.

Taking a step back--it is troubling because we as elected board members are reliant on staff to give us accurate, timely, and complete information when required and when we request it--otherwise we cannot function properly and make good decisions on behalf of the citizens we represent.  It is very basic:  We are not the subject matter experts on all facets of operations--nor should we be.  Thus, we rely in large part on staff.  Decisions we make are only as good as the information we are given to make these decisions.

 And I know the feeling, firsthand, that comes when a board member finds he was deliberately misled and/or given incomplete information purposely....it is called a flashback to the Newpoint Charter Schools fiasco that occurred when I was a member of the Escambia County School Board and got wind of misinformation being given to the board and about resources being stolen from students.  I blew that open, went to the State Attorney, and some folks went to jail. Others avoided the scrutiny they deserved, and were very fortunate in the way the outcomes worked for them. That's the way that worked.  If anyone is interested in that, they can read all the posts about that issue here.

But that was five years ago, and that issue is over---so I digress.

Now we are talking about a nearly $6 Million Dollar write off of debt that was presented to the board as an issue caused by a "software glitch" caused by the EMS billing department cycling back and forth between two different software systems.

I'm confident that most of that $6 Million in bad debt was in fact debt from 2005-2017--I believe that.  But in analyzing the statements made by staff and responses to questions posed to staff from me and my counterparts, particularly answers given to Commissioner Barry--there is a disconnect about a portion of the debt being written off that does not square with what our investigation now reveals.  Much of the issue was caused by a "failure of management"to review workflow--not a software glitch issue.  The backup from that meeting item requests the write off of "13,668 accounts that have been through all phases of the billing and collection cycles, to include all primary and secondary insurance filing, private pay processing pre-collection letters, and/or referral to the secondary collection agency."  But the investigations states, as it pertains to these accounts, that "The required write-off of bad debt was attributed to a failure of management to continue to review and ensure the workflow for billing would be conducted in all billing systems." Importantly:  Did these accounts, in fact, ALL go through all primary and secondary insurance filing as was indicated to the board in our backup?  This is important, and I want to know.

And I remembered that "software glitch" term being a prominent part of the conversation between the board and members of PS leadership on April 4th during our agenda review session.  As a matter of fact I went back and watched that discussion multiple times today (minutes 40:00-55:00 of this link) and at multiple points it was said by staff that the issue was "Completely software driven"  I remember we had a very robust review of that issue with lots of questions for staff.  Looking at what was said then, and what I am reading today--the two do not square.

If it was completely a software issue--how come the investigator could not corroborate that claim with testimony or documentary evidence?

This is going to require a deeper dive next week, and this issue in particular will be one I will request our new administrator to look into as soon as possible.

The Board MUST have confidence that the information we are given is accurate, timely, and complete--even if the optics are unflattering.  If not, confidence is lost and the whole system will break down.

Inside the EMS Billing and Software Investigation Part I: What Are the Report's 2 Key Conclusion (s)?

The report on EMS billing and software issues is 32 pages of narrative and 70 pages of exhibits-but in the end two main conclusions are reached and described.  

This week the board members were all provided with a very thorough and well-written summary of the county's internal affairs investigation into the ESO/Zoll software switch ---and also the nearly $6 Million dollar write off of noncollectable EMS receivables we approved in April.

Upon obtaining a copy and reading the entire report, I spoke with legal staff to ascertain if anything uncovered in the report rose to the level of a criminal act, and I also asked if this report is a public record.

I was told the sustained findings in the report do not rise to the level of a crime, and due to the fact that the individual named in the report no longer works for the county, it is and will be up to the BCC to pursue any next steps regarding what was described in the report (e.g. whether or not to send the report to SAO).

Although legal staff has advised this document is a public record--as I read it I realized there are some items that should be redacted before release, so therefore I will heed the warning on the front cover of the report, above, and not link the document here as I had originally intended to do.

But I will discuss the two main areas covered in the report.

1.  According to the report, and based upon the evidence collected by the investigator, the acquisition of ESO software was done in contravention to BCC policy--as the total cost of the complete solution would have exceeded the $50,000.00 threshold for triggering a competitive bid for the software.  Because the purchase was apparently incrementalized to avoid going over the approved non-competitive purchasing threshold, the report indicates that numerous purchasing ordinances and the Escambia Code of Ethics were violated. (page 26, 27 of report).

2.  EMS billing issues and noncollectable write-offs were not completely the result of the failed software implementation/conversion from ZOLL/ESO/ZOLL--although this exacerbated the situation.  According to the report: "While there was a failure of the department to evaluate all end-users that could be affected by the EMS Operations ESO Solutions software implementation, the required write-off of bad debt was attributed to a failure of management to continue to review and ensure the workflow for billing would be conducted in all billing systems[emphasis added]."  and the last sentence of page 29 is really the key, and it is what I'll be looking into and describing in a follow-on post:  "Additionally, the reported 'overlooked accounts' or unbilled accounts caused by a 'computer glitch' represented to the BCC during the April 4, 2019 meeting, could not be supported by testimony or documentary evidence [emphasis added]"

Were we intentionally misled to approve the write off?

Could Potential Revenue from Just a Portion of Casino Beach Parking Completely Replace Current Bridge Toll Revenue?

According to one first-brush analysis--paid parking could more than replace the existing toll-booth revenue the County receives--while preserving LOTS of free parking at Pensacola Beach.

...According to a knowledgeable source on this topic locally--the answer is yes.

I was contacted through staff by this veteran of the paid parking industry.  This gentleman knows the business and has been in the business for a long time.  He has key insight and knowledge of the local paid parking market.

So when I returned his call I asked him some specific questions:

"Could we eliminate the toll, improve traffic, disperse the crowds more evenly throughout Pensacola Beach and do this making up the revenue with paid parking at a portion of Casino Beach's lot while leaving a significant number of spots FREE for early-bird beach visitors?

The answer was certain and it was clear.  "Jeff, you could do this, it would more than make up what you are currently netting at the toll booth, and you might even find that you make more."

I told him from my perspective I'm not interested in making more--just replacing existing revenue.  Our Bob Sikes Bridge is in need of replacement over the next 10-15 years and the cost to do this will be borne locally.  So capturing lost toll-booth revenue is essential to the plan, so that the excess funds generated by this can add to the existing $6.4 Million in our Beach Toll fund, a portion of which should be dedicated to a sinking fund for the Bob Sikes bridge.

I asked him what that would look like, and he sent over a rough analysis.  I explained to him clearly, the following:

1.  I was only doing initial fact-finding and research
2.  I am only one vote on the board and only the full 5-member BCC can make this decision
3.  My idea would be to keep ALL parking outside of Casino Beach free, and utilize just 75% of Casino Beach's lot for premium parking---leaving 25% free on a first come, first serve basis.

County's Response to Medical Director's Attorney: Direct Communication with Without Legal Interference Permitted

The legal staff prepared a response to the letters sent to HR and County Legal from the attorney for our Medical Director.

Although the legal staff apparently must abide by what has been requested by Dr. Edler's lawyer--other county staff and personnel, in the day to day operation of the county, have no such obligation.

From the below letter:

"Please advise your client that her duties and responsibilities as an employee of Escambia County require her to communicate with her supervisors, department directors, and employees within the departments of Public Safety and Corrections on all matters arising from the course and scope of her employment with Escambia County and without your having to be present and without the communication having to be made through you or any other attorney in your law firm"

An Ambitious 5-Year Plan for ECFR Part II: What Would Implementation Cost?

Leadership at ECFR has put together a very ambitious, draft  five-year strategic plan.  Funding such a plan would be a HEAVY lift.

As I described in a post yesterday-ECFR Leadership has put together a draft 5-year strategic plan for the BCC's consideration.  The goal is to modernize the department and add resources, both human and facilities/equipment/training. 

All board members have been contacted to see if they would like a meeting to discuss this with County Fire Leadership and Staff. 

My meeting was a couple of weeks back, but now that all commissioners have had the opportunity to be briefed, I'm putting this out so the public can see what is proposed for discussion, and what the cost would be.

It is ambitious, and it would be costly to implement.  For this year's budget, the ECFR has submitted a funding request of just over $18 Million for operating (County Stations and Pensacola Beach Station), with several LOST requests as well totalling $4.5 Million.  (You can see this year's request(s) broken out on pages 224-227 of this document)

See the breakdown of what implementation of the 5-year strategic plan would cost, what it would add, and what it would accomplish if implemented, below.

I look forward to discussing this with my peers--but I'm not sure how we could fund such a plan......

County Medical Director's Attorney also Sent a Letter to HR Department....

The below letter was sent to the County's interim HR Director last Thursday. 

I just received a copy of it today.

My question now is--who in the county will receive the next "do not contact" letter from this attorney--and have other departments already received these??  The Board Members ourselves--I haven't got one so can I call her? The administrator?  How is this going to work if we have questions?  How can she do her job if nobody can contact her?

I look forward to reading the county attorney's response to this letter.

An Ambitious 5-Year Plan for ECFR, Part I

Leadership at ECFR have put together a very detailed and ambitious 5-year strategic plan for the BCC's consideration...

Two and a half weeks ago, top leadership of Escambia County met with me in the large conference room of the 4th floor.

It was a meeting they requested, and all the players were present, to include the interim County Administrator, Interim Fire Chief, Interim Director of Public Safety,  Director of Budget and Finance, and multiple high-level members of  Escambia County Fire/Rescue.

They wanted to give each commissioner an individual preview of the 5-year strategic plan they had worked up, and this was my turn to get the presentation. 

The goal of the report and presentation was to provide a strategic five-year plan for the BCC's consideration, a plan that identifies critical funding needs for the fire service, alternative funding sources for the BCC to consider, and a mechanism by which fire protection and the ISO PPC for Escambia County could be improved.

The report and presentation went year by year, with each year's recommendations highlighted and fully explained.  at the end of the presentation, the cost per year of implementation of the plan was reduced to a one page chart, with the significant increases marked on the bottom line.

Some Highlights from each year:

Year one (FY2019-2020):

-21 New Positions (12 Firefighters, 1 Fire Prevention Officer, 1 Recruitment Officer/Volunteer Coordinator 3 Training Captains, and 1 Fleet Manager, 1 Grant Writer, 2 Fire Inspectors
-Replacement of Pleasant Grove Fire Station
-Additional Training and 
-Investment in New and Replacement Gear and Equipment (To include a fire boat)


Year two (FY2020-2021)

-24 New Firefighter Positions
-Fire Training Facility
-Fleet Maintenance Facility
-Increased funding for repair and maintenance of fire facilities
-Expanded volunteer retention and recruitment
-Expanded/specialized training
-Additional investments in new and replacement apparatus and gear

Year three( FY2021-2022)

-3 New Assistant Chiefs

Was the "Panic Switch" for Beach Toll-Booth Traffic Gridlock Engaged this Weekend?

Reports indicate that this past Saturday a modified version of the "panic-switch" was activated at the beach toll booth in order to clear traffic.  Unfortunately, though, all the cars flushed through will be billed if they are not on Sunpass, which will in effect quadruple the cost of the trip for the 1-time day visitor....which will make many folks angry......

Looking at some online sites this morning, and on some facebook chat sites, it appears that the county did, indeed, hit the traffic "panic switch" idea I proposed last week with great initial effect this weekend.

According to Andrew McKay's site, where he states he had an exclusive look into the issue in real-time, it says the toll-booths were opened-up and the lights synced, as I had envisioned, and the traffic flushed.  Bravo!  the plan works!  According to McKay--this modified "panic switch" was engaged a total of three times on Saturday--and each time it did as intended, it worked.

This is fantastic, and my hat's off to Commissioner Bender and the traffic division for taking action!

The ONLY tweak or modification that I'd suggest to their version of the "panic switch" is this:  Don't charge tolls at all when you have to flush the traffic through to ease the gridlock caused by the toll booth.

Like I said at last week's BCC meeting on this topic---If you charge drivers who are caught up in the traffic--when the gridlock is not their fault--this will create some anger among drivers;   If you open the booths up and usher traffic through WITHOUT going to zero-fare mode (and thus NOT charging)--the unsavory and unintended consequence will be that many in the line that waited to pay $1.00 are suddenly forced through and will eventually pay four times this much when they get the bill in the mail ($1.00 toll, plus $2.50 fee, plus $.50 cent stamp= $4.00---four times what the toll is).

Why not just "eat it" and give up a few thousand dollars in revenue on the rare occasions when the panic switch gets engaged--as I envisioned in my version above?   I think to pass them through toll- free at these times is the much more palatable option, and also the "customer-friendly" way to go--just as I stated at the meeting last week.  After all--we're grossing over $3 Million yearly in cash tolls--we could afford to eat $5,000.00 here and there for public safety and good public/constituent relations, right??

But hey, that's just my opinion.  Opinions vary.

EMS Medical Director Has Hired a Lawyer.....

I received the above email late yesterday afternoon.  I spoke to the county attorney about this and asked "Can an employee just hire a lawyer on their own and say 'you can't talk to me' anymore"...To which I was told "yes"...but to which I was also told this is very, very unusual.....

And then to not show up at the meeting where the vote was to take place on training requested by EMS....?  What is up?

I've got a feeling we will get to the bottom of it real quick next week.

Escambia, Santa Rosa Have a Legacy of Lacking Good Journalism

We have had two back to back editorial whoppers from our local newspaper—slamming public servants.

The theme of last week’s crack offering from the two person PNJ editorial board:  Activists good—ALL elected officials bad (especially the locally-elected conservative Republican ones)—and nothing gets done if not for activists.   And elected officials everywhere can do nothing right… 

Okay-I will say that I admire folks that become active and engaged in their communities for good causes.   But what that cynical piece leaves out is that often it is a super-motivated ACTIVIST that ends up running for office in to make changes!  And the other important thing the PNJ article misses is that sometimes the mob gets it wrong—and it takes an elected statesman to make a tough vote---despite the vocal activist mob’s protestations-to get an issue right for the WHOLE community.

When I served on the school board, we voted to close schools and loud groups of protesting citizens packed rooms and screamed in our faces calling us terrible names—but by 3-2 votes we did what was required and necessary in those instances—not what was politically expedient.

The county commission vacated a roadway two years ago for a very beneficial purpose---by 3-2 vote and despite the protestations of many activist citizens.  But it was the right thing to do and took intestinal fortitude from 3 of 5 to make that vote—despite pushback from some citizens.  The PNJ would have criticized that decision no matter which way it would have gone. Because it is easy to throw rocks from the sidelines and play Monday Morning Quarterback when you are in the peanut gallery and not in the game.

And to say NO President has made any difference locally?  Are you kidding me PNJ?

What about Lincoln’s Emancipation proclamation that changed America for good forever—Including Pensacola?

What about JFK’s “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”

Or Ronald Reagan’s “Tear down this wall” speech that led to the end of the cold war?

How can PNJ be so myopic?

And now comes this week’s piece—where conveniently once again several of the locally elected, conservative Republicans are targeted by PNJ as unworthy of the offices we hold.

“These guys should be run out of office, and people WE LIKE BETTER should replace them!” would have been an honest title for this week’s PNJ editorial.

The op-ed conflates the serious criminal wrongdoings of two high-profile former officials with artificially imagined “outrageous” behavior by several currently elected republicans locally.  Thrown 

Coffee with a Commissioner this Coming Wednesday, June 26th-Town Hall July 15th

I'll be having my 24th "Coffee with the Commissioner" event this coming Wednesday morning, June 26th from 6:30-7:30 at the Hardees at Wilde Lake and Pine Forest Road.

These meetings are very informal and allow citizens to interact with me directly, with staff members present to take concerns and address issues.

And in three weeks I'll be holding a town hall meeting in Beulah to discuss an upcoming climate survey that will be coming in the mail to residents of Beulah and the northwest portion of District 1.

This town hall will be at 6:00 PM at Beulah Middle School on 9-Mile Road at Beulah Road.

We will be giving an update on multiple topics of interest at the town hall, but the main topic will be rapid growth and finding the best, most intelligent way to manage this growth in this part of the county.

We will also be talking about OLF 8 and the work to master plan that land for the benefit of the community.

I encourage ALL interested citizens to attend one or both of these upcoming meeting so that you can give me your ideas thoughts on how the county can serve you better!

Jesse Panuccio Speaks at the Federalist Society of the Emerald Coast Meeting

Federalist Society of the Emerald Coast President Judge Gary Bergosh welcomes Jesse Panuccio to Pensacola Wednesday evening, June 19, 2019.

The Federalist Society of the Emerald Coast welcomed Jesse Panuccio to Pensacola Wednesday evening.  Mr. Panuccio, formerly the General Counsel to Governor (now Senator) Rick Scott in Florida most recently served as the number 3 official at the Department of Justice behind AG Sessions, and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein.

He left the DOJ in April and is moving to South Florida to enter private practice.

Panuccio was Introduced to Pensacola by Federalist Society of the Emerald Coast President Judge Gary Bergosh, and a crowd of roughly 60 local attorneys, elected officials, former elected officials, and other interested citizens gave him a rousing ovation and warm welcome upon his introduction.

"Yes, I served in the DOJ over the last year, and No, I am not going to be talking about Mueller, Comey, or the Russia Investigations" he quipped to some muted laughter as he started his remarks.

"I'm not going to be writing a tell-all book now that I am gone" he stated.

His 40 minute speech centered around what he felt were several big issues that staff at DOJ under AG Sessions had accomplished to limit the power of that office in particular--and all government agencies in general. Many of these accomplishments garnered very little media attention, as most of the media coverage of that office centered around the more high-profile Russia Investigation.  During his speech, Mr. Panuccio quoted multiple times from James Madison's Federalist Papers -- particularly citing passages where Madison warns of particular government branches exceeding their authority and the dangers posed by this tendancy if left unchecked.

Jesse Panuccio speaks to a large crowd of attorneys and elected officials Wednesday, June 19th at Seville Quarter in Pensacola

He seemed proud of the fact that over his time at DOJ-the office took on and limited the power and prevalence of "Guidance-Documents" and "Consent-Decrees"--two mechanisms by which the staff of the previous administration's DOJ had utilized to shape policy and push ideologies upon local governments without express Congressional authorization.

He also discussed the way the DOJ has recently curtailed the practice of allowing entities with whom the department had reached settlements to pay portions of such settlements to "unrelated third-party entities that may have no connection to the issue of the settlements themselves" he explained. 

The topics were very cerebral--but the crowd remained keenly attentive as Mr. Panuccio moved

"Panic Switch"-for Toll Booth Backups at the Beach

This picture, above, is the graphic depiction for what I envision as a traffic gridlock "panic-switch" This option for Pensacola Beach traffic issues related to back ups at the toll booth could be rapidly deployed when necessary and upon the outset of certain circumstances that could lead to conditions that threaten the life-safety of citizens.

Safety of persons trumps the revenues we would lose for brief periods when this process would be activated.

I will discuss this process with my counterparts on the board today.

We have the traffic infrastructure to implement this today--if we have the will to make it happen so we never again have a Saturday at the beach like last Saturday.

Community "Values"

Hack PNJ columnist/cartoonist Andy Marlette  took the opportunity last Sunday to "lecture" me (via his weak cartoon below) about community values.....He actually did an entire gallery of cartoons about me.  Ho hum.  Yes, I rent space in his head.  I believe my rendition, above, of his cartoon is better 😏--and more importantly--funnier!

But his new-found fetish of mocking the salaries of elected constitutional officers is quite interesting, fascinating, and quickly becoming boring.  I addressed that issue already for Andy, he probably just needs to re-read that entry again,  S-L-O-W-L-Y... But the cliff's notes are this:  Our salaries are set by the state, Andy.  If you have Salary envy (which it appears you do) go lobby the state and tell them "all elected officials should work for free."  Good luck with that, Andy. 

A better idea, if money is the issue for Andy-which it appears it is--would be for him to just go get a side-hustle, moonlight, a part-time job.  Andy could go drive for uber or lyft on the weekends, and he could have fun trying to help the millennials he would be shuttling around from club to club understand who he is and how important he is.  Yes, that would be a hoot.  They'd be like "Who are you?  What's a PNJ?"

or, more likely, just "Ewwwwwww..."

they'd probably see his face as the driver and reject the ride on the app, LOL, and pay the $2.00 ride cancel fee.  So maybe Uber or Lyft wouldn't work for Andy....

He's also on a kick lately-- deliberately portraying me as a bigot and racist, even though he knows this is not true and he is purposely portraying me in a false light with this characterization and with actual malice attempting to damage my reputation.  That's his big thing now, Even though he knows I'm not a bigoted-racist--heck he knows I suggested we rename our Airport for Chappie James way back in February!  Andy wouldn't let the truth get in the way of an attack though.  So he dishonestly blows the dog whistle with his cartoons that I am a racist.  Dishonest is all I can say.  Dishonest and disgusting.

And now he's really fixated on our Salaries, --so I wonder if he is having trouble keeping up with his

Update on the Beulah Traffic Light from Today-6-18-2019....

I received the above email today about the issues with the lights at NFCU on 9-Mile Road in Beulah.

As I discussed yesterday--the timing went haywire on Friday of last week causing all kinds of consternation among residents out here over the weekend.

With cautious optimism that we got the issue resolved, I post the email (above) I received today on this subject.....

About the Salaries of State Constitutional Officers.....

PNJ Editorial Cartoonist Andy Marlette appears "hung up" over salaries elected officials make.  Someone should tell him the salaries are set by the state---not by us.

Andy Marlette of the PNJ has taken a really cynical, negative tack towards the salaries that commissioners in Escambia County make.  I wonder why, though?

I say this because in this recent cartoon of his from a few months back-- he says I, Jeff Bergosh, "rob" the citizens of an $80K salary.  Which is bogus.  (the basis of that cartoon was also bogus--the claim that I "shriek" at citizens.  Whatever that is, I don't do it.  My much more apropos, honest  version of his lame cartoon can be found here  😏  )

Now in his latest attack piece and cartoon, from just this week, twice he mentions my salary as a county commissioner, insinuating I don't deserve it and I don't earn it.

But I wonder why he is so hung up on our salaries as commissioners, anyway?  Does he not get a comparable salary as the local cartoonist here--could it be salary envy?

Does he possibly make less than we do???     Naah, I doubt that-- but who knows, right.  I'd say he should  knock down at least $46,000.00--$54,000.00 a year as the PNJ cartoonist--.  😏

Or Is he only mad that I get a salary--but other commissioners are just fine receiving theirs?

Is he mad that school board members like I used to be get salaries?  ECUA board members?  How about the City Council members?  I wonder if he is seething with envy about all of these elected

officials getting paid around here?  Somebody PLEASE give Andy a raise already--he's really, really triggered by the elected officials getting paychecks!!

Or is it just me I wonder?

I wonder if he is upset about the salaries of all politicians, state and local (he apparently hates most politicians, particularly and specifically conservative ones)--So this begs the following question: I wonder--does he think all elected officials should work for free?  If so, I wonder if Andy has worked out the fact that if all elected positions were non-paid---only independently wealthy, well-connected and politically savvy individuals could serve---which by and large would mean politicians at all levels would be older and whiter?  What would Andy think of that---I wonder if he has thought that

Big Take-Away's from a Sit-Down with the Scientists: IP Discharge Permit a Complicated Process

What is the latest on the state of District 1's Perdido Bay?  Read about it below from a meeting I had with FDEP. 

I have read a lot of opinion pieces in our paper lately about International Paper's discharge that eventually flows into Perdido Bay in District 1.

I must admit I am no expert on any of this stuff, so I reached out to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) so that I could meet with them to learn more about the issue, the process, and whether or not the stories in the news and cartoons were true or gross exaggerations.

As it turns out--the truth is not so easy to discern and lies somewhere in the middle of the competing claims.

So late yesterday afternoon  I sat down with Mr. Shawn Hamilton, the District Director of NW Florida for The Department of Environmental Protection.  Also present were Brandy Smith, External Affairs Manager for the FDEP, and Chips Kirschenfeld, the County's Interim Asst. County Administrator and Director of Natural Resources Management.

They presented me with reams of information and a summary of the last several decades of history between the state and IP as it relates to their permitting for discharging process water.  Although I was drinking from the fire hose as I tried to grasp as much of this technical information being provided as quickly as I could--I did manage to walk away knowing a lot more than I did before I took the meeting.

The big takeaways I bring from the meeting:

1.  International Paper (IP) is NOT currently "Breaking the Law" with their discharges.......but

2.  International Paper is NOT  currently meeting water quality standards.  IP currently operates an "Administratively Continued" Permit. (Permits only last 5 years under Federal Law--and the last IP permit took 15 years to issue)

3.  Perdido Bay as a water body is healthier now than it was in the 1990's--and IP is working to meet the standards of their current permit while also working to obtain a new permit from FDEP.

4.  A huge improvement occurred when IP, beginning in 2010, halted discharging process water directly into 11-Mile Creek and instead diverted this water through wetlands IP purchased to the west

What Happened to the Beulah Traffic Signals over this past Weekend--What is Happening Right Now?

This weekend in Beulah--the traffic signals on 9-Mile Road in front of Navy Federal Credit Union's two eastern-most entrances were way out of sync.

Something was definitely wrong--as the traffic began to stack up on 9-Mile Road going East and West---even though there were no cars going into or out of NFCU.  I was out running errands on Saturday and Sunday and knew, immediately, that something was wrong.

"Why is traffic stopped at 10:30AM on a Saturday??"

Drivers were getting frustrated---several went around cars waiting at the light and drove through the red lights.

So I immediately fired off emails to see if we could get this fixed ASAP.

And staff deserves credit for immediately engaging and working toward the solution right away.  Here are the emails:

"David [Forte],

This weekend the lights on 9-mile road at NFCU way and security place were WAY out of whack.  This created a nightmare for those of us going back and forth with our lives in and out of Beulah.  There would be long delays at both lights----long and unnecessary----even though there was zero traffic coming into and going out of NFCU.  It was ridiculous.  Can someone please look into this and see what went sideways with the timing this weekend—and can we please look at getting this fixed?  Thanks!

R/

Jeff Bergosh

Escambia Board of County Commissioners,

District 1

221 Palafox Place Suite 400

Pensacola, FL 32502

850-595-4910 office

850-377-2209 Voicemail

District1@myescambia.com

www.jeffbergoshblog.blogspot.com

@jeffbergosh"

To which I received the following responses:

"Will report this immediately.

Thanks."

"Kelli/Eric,

Please see the below email from Commissioner Bergosh re: the two traffic signals on 9 Mile Road and Navy Federal (Navy Federal Way and Heritage Oaks), and direct/respond accordingly. 

Please, also, advise as to the resolution(s).

Thanks."

This afternoon I received an email describing what caused the signal timing issue, and also the resolution:

"All:

On Friday Ingram Signalizations’ directional bore crew begain installation of the new signal conduit to service the intersection of Heriatage Oaks and 9-Mile Road. Currently the entire intersection is operating using temporary loops. As work progressed from the installation of the water and sewer, through the roadway pavement several splices and temporary connections were made. During the directional boring the crew inadvertantly hit the homerun (the main connection for the loops beneath the roadway. The crews did not recognize that they had damaged the loops and the signal went into the default mode and operated on the timing. There is not much impact or change during the day, however it became very noticable during the evening hours and thus the compalints were received.

Ingram was on-site this morning troubleshooting the issue. They discovered the damage and tried to make repairs however, they were onable to locate one end. They pulled new cabling and have completed re-wiring of the intersection and it is back in actuation mode. Ingram also reviewed the Navy Federal Intersection and all loops and cameras were functioning properly."

I'm told the technicians are still working the issue as of right now....as the first fix hasn't solved the problem...

"Mr. Bergosh:

My staff just reported that the signal seems to be lagging again. We have contacted Ingram Signalization and they will go back out and see what is happening.

Sincerely,

Michael Lenga

Project Administrator

Radiation Safety Officer

Stantec

8130 Pittman Ave."

Andy Marlette and Hatchet-Piece "Journalism"

PNJ cartoonist Andy Marlette loves to editorialize about how much he dislikes me and other conservative elected officials locally.  But is it honest to parade these hit pieces as "news" stories, when they are nothing but spin-job editorials?  I think not.  I think it's deceptive and emblematic of the reason most Americans no longer have faith in the media to tell the truth, unbiased with just the facts.

I think my very existence triggers Andy Marlette.  That and the fact that I am conservative.  And the fact that I don't kowtow to his agenda.  And that I don't agree with his biased fake news.  And that I push back when he makes cartoons about me.

But he also hates politicians--especially local ones.  Yes, it is one terrible article after another, with the local politicians being targeted.  He hates that we get paid, and he hates that we exist.  Funny how he never really pushes back against Democratic politicians though...Nope.  Just local and national Republican ones.  We're the bad guys.

But he also hates me because I am a Christian.  He HATES Christians, and people who are religious.  He makes fun of religion with cartoons that mock Jesus in a town that is very Christian and very conservative.  He really hates people that believe in God.

But apparently what he HATES more than anything else is anyone with whom he disagrees.

Heaven forbid we disagree with him on anything.  Do that, and get ready for the ad hominem vicious personal attacks, unfair characterizations, and cartoons.

So I wrote about the "Ambush" I walked into a couple of weeks ago when I was "invited" to sit with the 2-person editorial board of the PNJ---- I knew there would be an "article" coming out in the PNJ behind that meeting, seeking to run me down.  Yep, knew it was coming.....

.....It arrived today, just in time for the Sunday edition.  A steaming pile of garbage that takes my entire stance on the bridge naming out of context.  Here are the facts:

1.  I disagree with the PNJ's position that the Beall family name should be taken off the bridge, and I have been vocal about that.

2.  I have never once said anything disparaging about Chappie James

3.  I don't attack constituents on social media--I use social media to disseminate information and to interact with citizens--but I do not target people and attack citizens with social media

So this article just goes after me and insinuates that I must be a racist because I don't want to rip one family name off of the bridge and replace it with Chappie James' name, and that I am a horrible person that intentionally targets my constituents for attack on social media.  All of this is a bald-faced, made up lie.  A straight-up, ad hominem vicious personal attack on me because I have the audacity to push back against and disagree with Andy Marlette and the PNJ

But it does not end there....

Because its not always what is said in an article from the dishonest media that is important--often times it is what is conveniently left out.

For instance, in Andy's attack piece on me that will appear in print tomorrow morning, he conveniently leaves out the following facts about my statements at the bridge naming meeting:

1.  I support Chappie James being honored by having the Pensacola Airport named in his honor

2.  I will support the name that the Bridge Naming committee ultimately recommends--even if it is recommended to take the Beall name off and replace it with Chappie James's name.

3.  Regardless of the outcome--I will support naming Pensacola's airport for Chappie James ---and I will contribute to that cause financially--because that would be a fitting tribute to that great American.

The article glosses over those three facts, fully omitting them from the article in order to mislead the readers and frame me in a false light.  Instead-the piece just makes me out to be some kind of a racist--which is absolute garbage.

This is just one example of the reason nobody trusts the activist, agenda-driven left-leaning liberal media anymore.

They are dishonest and they do not tell the truth, and everything is a spin-job to make good people look bad while not reporting stories that do not support their flawed narrative (conservatives bad, democrats good).  Not a peep from any mainstream media--here or nationally--about the fake and destructive "activism" that led to the  Oberlin College case and what happened there. -Nope--stories like these do not support their biased narrative.

Thankfully, most of the voters locally don't buy the garbage PNJ is peddling--they "smell" it coming a mile away and smartly disregard it.

Citizens are Saying NO to Paying Commissioner Legal Bills

With respect to taxpayers funding legal defense for a commissioner's impending lawsuit, citizens are saying "talk to the hand" about that plan.... 

My email box is blowing up with angry citizen and constituent emails demanding that the BCC NOT pay legal bills for the D2 commissioner who is apparently once again being sued for libel-- according to the PNJ and Rick's Blog.

Of course the decision on whether or not to pay for a defense will be a full-board decision based upon all factors including relevant state statutes, county policy, and our county attorney's opinion.  Meanwhile, folks are saying "no way."





                                                                               From the email (s)

Citizens are emailing and saying "no way"
to taxpayer funded legal expenses for
a commissioner being sued for libel...

"I write with a request that the Board as a whole vote to deny the County taking on liability for Commissioner Underhills impending libel lawsuit initiated by citizen Scott Miller. The activity that initiated Mr. Millers lawsuit was that of Dougs comment on social media site Escambia Citizens Watch, not in the performance of his official duties as Commissioner. May I remind you of the COW meeting May 9th, where the social media policy was discussed between 4 of you in determining whether to bring it to the agenda for the next BCC meeting. Commissioner Bender stated it eloquently when he said “Not trying to take away your First Amendment rights, Jeff, but I’m not going to defend it either. It was also at this point that Doug left the dais, indicating he took no position on that part of the discussion. Commissioner Barrys comment about the use of technology not having impact on the board while the “use of Social Media and tenor of the comments, does have an effect on me.” is a perfect example of how Doug got into his predicament to begin with. 

His comments on that site, which by the way is NOT open to General Public viewing, are what the basis of his new lawsuit are based on. Therefore the County, us Taxpayers, should not be on the hook for his legal expenses associated with this case. He got himself into it, he can get himself out. I would predict that Dougs activities on Social Media will continue to be problematic for the Board as he continues to disparage those that don’t agree with his agenda with disparaging and libelous remarks."

From another citizen:

"Good evening Commissioners.
I am asking Commissioners Jeff Bergosh, Lumon May, Robert Bender, and Steven Barry to deny any request from Commissioner Doug Underhill for legal fees to be paid with our tax dollars.

Commissioner Douglas Underhill is a grown man fully capable of taking care of his own legal fees and he can say or write anything he wants however, it is his moral and financial responsibility when our citizens decide to hold him accountable for slanderous and/or libelous statements (written or verbal).

One could even argue that Jacqueline Aimee Rogers and her Escambia Citizens Watch Group (ECW) could have some culpability for allowing Douglas Underhill to continually violate the groups rules without removing Douglas Underhill’s membership privileges?

Commissioner Doug Underhill was clearly speaking for himself from his personal Facebook account on ECW (NOT GOVERNMENT BUSINESS) and he Clearly has publicly made a case that his personal Facebook account is not governed by the county board of commissioners policies!

Please commissioners, do not even entertain the idea of paying for Commissioner Douglas Underhill’s legal fees or put it on the agenda review or commission meeting for a vote. No need to even discuss it at the commission meetings or agenda review, ever, this is a private sector civil case having nothing to do with our county government.

I’m sure there will be many more slander/libel lawsuits to come for Mr. Douglas Underhill, we the taxpayers do not want to pay our hard earned money for Douglas Underhill “running his suck”, as Douglas says to others.
Commissioner Doug Underhill also says publicly that our county wastes too much tax dollars on frivolous expenditures and I would consider Douglas Underhill’s (slander/libel) defense legal fees a frivolous expenditures to the ninth degree!"

...and another...

"Gentleman,

We are not in favor of spending taxpayer money for defense of Libel/ Slander lawsuit for Douglas Underhill. We feel comments made on Social media should not be considered a board action but the person who made them should be held responsible.

I have not been a fan of the uncivil attitude brought in by this member of the board and frankly this one latest suit could be considered the tip of the iceberg if a class action began. Just say NO."

...and another...

"Dear all, 

This is precisely the reason that I have urged the BOCC to censure Commissioner Underhill throughout the course of the last year. His conduct--an acknowledged problem that has been publicly discussed on the dais--is a great liability to his peers, administration, staff, and the taxpayers of this County.

I'm sure it is not lost on many that in Commissioner Underhill's comments about Rolling Hills, he doesn't just aim his accusations at Mr. Miller, but also accuses past Administrator Larry Newsom of conspiring with Mr. Miller to defraud citizens and benefit financially.

If the County defends this lawsuit, isn't it tantamount to saying that the taxpayers should fund officials who libel the County administration?"

...and another...

"Gentlemen, 

As an involved citizen that has asked you all to take action regarding Commissioner Underhill's past actions I come to you now and ask that you give serious thought as to the responsibility of the citizens to pay for any legal defense of a narcissistic motor mouth that seems unable to haved a rational conversation with ANYONE who dis agrees with him.

You haved seen his words, captured in print, accusing both Miller and Newsome of "illegal and racially discriminatory" activities. He did this from his personal FB page while blocking many of his constituents from seeing and/or responding in violation of County policy AND State of Florida law. He posted FROM his personal FB page to a private FB page that purports to be representative of the citizen's however 100's have been blocked from participating on this forum.

I cannot see how we, the citizens should suffer the the cost of his irresponsible actions.

Please deny ANY TAX PAYER MONEY for this purpose."

...and another...

"I wrote a letter last night urging you to NOT pay personal liability suit to Underhill and  we stand by that. His behavior is an ongoing problem, so do not encourage his incivility please. These comments were made on facebook under a discussion about ST and as usual Underhill just resorts to name calling.

I am aware of problems with Rolling Hills and problems should be addressed in meetings with staff and county admin and legal in a civil setting, not on facebook during a discussion about ST. aerospace. You can search ECW and find it, they are also engaged with Florida West president. It's a typical Underhill Post. I watch them in horror and disgust on a regular basis.

It absurd for him to say he was asking the hard questions."

OLF 8: What's the Latest Information on the Master Planning of the Field?

The NFCU/BCC joint selection committee has narrowed the field for master planning OLF 8 down to a short list of just three firms for the BCC's consideration at an upcoming special meeting. 

The joint-BCC/NFCU committee charged with evaluating these eight planning firms and whittling down the list to the top three firms has met multiple times recently.

They have selected the top three firms from the list of eight, and this group of three planning firms will be invited to present their vision (s) for the developed OLF 8 to the public, and to the full Board of County Commissioners, at a special meeting on Monday, July 1st from 9:00AM-12:00 Noon.

Although I was not present, I was told the members of the joint committee charged with selecting this short list was given information on each of the firms that submitted applications for this work.

I'm told that there was not a whole lot of discussion;  the members of the committee ranked the slate of firms from 1-8 and the top three got the nod to move forward to the full BCC for our consideration and final selection at the special meeting July 1st.

I'm told the score between the #3 and #4 firms was razor-thin, and that there was a virtual tie for #4.

So who knows if it will just be three firms that present on the 1st---maybe one or two others will be added?  We shall see.

For my part- I only want to see the best, most qualified firm that will stay true to the guidance document we hammered-out get selected to do this work.

Read about the committee here.

Read about the 8 firms that submitted for this work here.

Here are all the local subcontractors who have partnered with the planning firms, here.

Look at the score sheets and tabulations, including the names of the 3 top finalists,  here. and below

We will see you all on July 1st!

Big Night Last Night in Beulah for the NW District 1 Advisory Committee

The NW Section of District 1--indicated above-- is the fastest growing area of Escambia County

Last night a very significant meeting was held in Beulah related to the growth of the NW portion of District 1.

The NW District 1 Advisory Committee has been meeting since last September-- and last night this committee took the next steps toward formulating a plan to address the rapid growth out here.

The PNJ attended last night's meeting and did a good write-up that will probably appear in tomorrow's print edition.

With Navy Federal Credit Union experiencing rapid growth of employment--the surrounding area has also exploded with growth in residential housing development.

The committee developed a list of questions over the last several months in order to ask residents directly what they want to see out here with respect to a plan for managing growth intelligently.

The Board of County Commissioners approved a $4,700.00 expenditure from D1 discretionary funds this past Thursday to engage UWF's Haas Center to take the list of questions and disseminate these to the community over the next several months.  UWF will conduct the survey and evaluate the data, reporting back to the NW District 1 Advisory Committee in late September or early October.

Members of the NW District 1 Advisory Committee discuss growth in Beulah at an April, 2019 meeting.  (r to l, Dr. Laura Bryant,chair., Joey Poitevin, David Liechty, and Paul Flores)

On September 9th--the NW District 1 Advisory Committee will meet to begin the building of an RFP for the planning, and the committee will also vote in a new chairman and vice-chairman for the committee. (The committee will take the months of July and August off to allow UWF to conduct the survey).

This data from the UWF survey will inform the construction of an RFP which will be utilized to engage a professional firm to create a plan for this area of Escambia County--either a traditional master plan or an overlay district--whichever makes more sense according to the survey and as determined by the advisory committee in conjunction with county staff.

I will hold a town hall in Beulah, at Beulah Middle School, on Monday, July 15th to hear from the residents and to encourage their participation in this entire process.

Hurricane Season 2019--Discussing Common Sense Physical and Legal Preparations

We entered Hurricane season this past Saturday.  It goes through the end of November, so now is the time for us to begin preparations so that we are prepared in the event of a storm.

Our June episode of the "Bergosh Bulletin"--linked above--features John Dosh from our Emergency Management Department, discussing all the ways we can all prepare and where to find the resources citizens need to be prepared.

Additionally, my brother and Circuit Court Judge Gary Bergosh joins the show and he discusses his personal experience in losing his home to Hurricane Ivan in 2004.  He also discusses some common sense legal principles of which folks may not be aware as it pertains to protecting property, insurance policies, martial law, and other legal issues.

Thanks go out to John Dosh and Judge Gary Bergosh for joining us, and a big thank you goes out to the Escambia County Community and Media Relations office for producing this video.

The Urgency of our EMS Billing Issues, Put into Stark Terms Part II

A troubling decline in both the gross billing amounts and the amounts collected from our EMS department will be discussed today

The above graphic was provided by the staff of the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, Pam Childers' office.

Last week a one-pager was issued describing the problem from a cash-burn, financial emergency standpoint.  I asked at that time for some additional information which was provided yesterday.

As you can see, EMS has a serious financial issue with the collections not keeping up with the revenue outflow.  ($611K being brought in on average monthly with $1.3Million going out in expenses)

Left unchecked, the BCC's general fund will be feeding this unit within about 40 days.

This is why it is of paramount importance that we vote today to immediately re-instate our relationship with the organization that can assist us with getting our billing out ASAP so that we can get our collections up.

But another troubling aspect of the chart I am seeing is this:  Where is all the business going?  from $52 Million in gross billing in 2017 down to $40 Million in 2018--why the big decline?  And 2019 is on track to have an even smaller total than 2018....so why are the billing numbers going downhill?

We get this on track today.  Today.