Guidelines

I am one member of a five person board. The opinions I express on this forum are mine only, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Escambia County Staff, Administrators, Employees, or anyone else associated with Escambia County Florida. I am interested in establishing this blog as a means of additional transparency to the public, outreach to the community, and information dissemination to all who choose to look. Feedback is welcome, but because public participation is equally encouraged, appropriate language and decorum is mandatory. Although this is not my campaign site for re-election--sometimes campaign related information will be discussed, therefore in an abundance of caution I add the following : Political Advertisement Paid for and Approved by Jeff Bergosh, Republican, for Escambia County Commissioner District 1








Saturday, August 15, 2020

Recent Ruling is an Interesting Read......

judge hand with gavel | a judge hand striking a gavel over a… | Flickr


Commissioners were just provided with this public record document this past week, in August, that a Federal Judge issued in June.  ?

It revolves around a case that was filed against the county by a former employee.

I was contacted by this employee when he was going through the issues raised in what would eventually become a lawsuit against the county.  I tried as best I could to intervene and ensure our policies were followed with respect to due process rights for this employee.  This is our policy.

Unfortunately--folks did not listen.

And I wish it had not gone this direction, I wish the folks in HR and Emergency Management could have followed policy to the letter and if they had done so-----I do not believe this lawsuit would have happened.

But folks did what they did, we had quite a bit of turnover, folks just "shrugged" their collective shoulders, and and employee's entire career hung in the balance.  Now we are getting a glimpse into which way the legal proceedings are going based upon what the judge said in his written order denying multiple motions to dismiss on several important allegations that have been made against the county and against one particular employee in both this employee's official and personal capacities.

As I said, I was asked to look into this by an exasperated employee and I did.  I discussed it here with multiple posts.  I wish folks would just follow the policies.  Following policy prevents issues like this from erupting like Mt. Vesuvius. Following policy ensures employees--ALL EMPLOYEES--are treated fairly.  Following policies is prudent financially, as it saves taxpayer dollars that otherwise get spent defending lawsuits.  Following policy is what is EXPECTED of us! 

But worse than not simply following policy-------when a policy is not followed and then this conduct is condoned and endorsed after the fact---it only gets worse.

So we will see which way this goes eventually as it concludes in the courts.  I will continue to watch with great interest.  More importantly---when this is settled in the court and a ruling is made--the issue will not end simply with a settlement payout so far as I am concerned.  It may also necessitate additional action by the board based upon our policy NOT being followed.  We will have to see what happens then.

My advice:  Always follow the rules, always.  And NEVER, EVER Double Down on someone's else's bad decisions by embracing such decisions because if you do, you own the consequences.  ALL of them.

Follow our policies with fidelity always.  ALWAYS!

35 comments:

Mel Pino said...

Part 1.

Sigh.

Seriously, Commissioner Bergosh, at what point is the board going to realize that, if they want to be informed about what is going on in the cases against the BOCC (in other words, the cases against taxpayer dollars), they cannot rely on Alison's office to do it? The County Attorney's office is the *last* place you guys should be relying on for legal advice or representation. Yes, that statement can actually be typed and that criticism is valid and upheld by facts so obvious that is it becoming embarrassing that these things aren't being addressed--with action--by the board.

The only way any of you--except maybe Doug--will actually have a clue about what is happening on the various dockets is to follow the docket yourself. Or pay outside counsel to do it. If I sat that board, I would have my own legal representation, a specialist in municipal law and state statute, retained and on speed dial to consult on *any* vote in which your board has been advised by the County Attorney's office on *anything*.

Really, how much more obvious does it have to be? Check into some other suits against your board as well, and you'll find you are not being informed realistically--or in a timely manner--about what is going on in a lot of them, and especially the high-profile cases.

Of course your administrator and your attorney are more than happy to let Doug and Jacqueline wage their disinformation campaigns while they starve you of information and lie to your faces.

I *still* have people--people I am friendly with!--who just assume that I lied in my DOH complaint against Dr. Edler, or at best was simply mistaken and had been fooled by my sources. That's because of the following reasons:

--Your attorney and your administrator spread that disinformation and have lied to you about that;

--They let Doug and ECW run that narrative with no correction;

--Some of the press refuses to pick up anything that is critical of administration, attorney's office, and division leads;

--They instead focusing anything they can on vendettas against particular commissioners, or against the board as a whole in the Downtown push to destabilize the County and step into the power vacuum;

--Very, very few people are going to go to the hassle of looking up public record on court dockets and getting the truth for themselves. They'd rather be spoon fed by propaganda pushers on social media who are actively contributing to the demise of our County Public Safety, which is being allowed to happen because it will make one more argument for a combined charter with Downtown in control of the entire County. The BOCC gets spoon-fed by its own attorney in the same fashion.

[con.]

Mel Pino said...

[Part 2]

**IF THE INITIAL FIVE COMPLAINTS ON TOXIC WORKPLACE HAD NOT BEEN BRUSHED UNDER THE RUG BY FIRST JACK BROWN AND THEN JANICE GILLEY, THIS *ENTIRE* EMS DEBACLE COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.

How many times did I have to listen to somebody erroneously represent my position on it as "Pino is advocating for all of them."

NO. Pino was advocating for (1) the ones I knew/know are innocent; and (2) for due process to be followed REGARDLESS.

I don't do a ton of caps and stars often, but man it pisses me off, and disgusts me, that this is *still* dragging, with your administrator, your legal, your HR, and the stooges in Public Safety *still* pulling the wool over the board's eyes.

Commissioner Bergosh, thank you for being the leader who finally listened to the concerns about due process, did the work of wrangling the records out of the fists of bureaucrats who didn't want you to have them, studied all the documentation, and finally got into the nitty gritty of the Merit System Protection Board language.

I always knew, and said many times, that there was something I wasn't getting about the game Jack and Janice were playing. What exactly they were after--other than abundantly necessary CYAing--in continuing to hide those complaints. There was something about it I could not put my finger on.

If you hadn't gotten involved that loophole in the Merit Protection Board *still* might be there, so that all the County would have to do is ignore an official complaint from and employee and that would keep them from having any other due process in front of the MSPB, if they were allowed that protection per their classification.

I don't think many people in the County have any idea how important those changes were--or why Janice tried to dig her heels in to fight it.

The active mismanagement of our Public Safety has *got* to come to an end before it is too late, and the powers that be who want Escmambia EMS privatized get their wish. At this point, it will be very difficult to rebuild, as there are so few leaders left with integrity and wherewithal, and Janice has again stacked the deck with some key stooges that will be very difficult to pry out. If something isn't done soon, however, we can kiss our Public EMS goodbye and watch it get low-bid to whoever the power brokers have waiting in the wings. Getting rid of ALS transfers makes sense in the context of a horribly mismanaged department, sure. Is the commission even aware that administration has put out bids for the transfers? Which will then impact our 911 system from loss of revenue. And one by one the public safety dominoes will continue to fall.

Just like Doug always planned it. Except now he has an administrator locking arms with him on the intentional and inevitable debacle. How much longer does the board have to wake up and realize what's going on?

Primary on Tuesday. Commissioner Bergosh, on Wednesday morning your first duty as commissioner elect should be to get your arms around this intentional degradation of our Public Safety and start shouldering the Herculean task of getting the situation righted. Is some of it about money? Of course, and Fire will howl. But what most people who really understand the situation get is that our Public Safety is being politicked to death, right in front of our eyes. Please make it one of your number one priorities to arrest the chaos and put people in charge who care about rebuilding the division and the service and actually know how assist Mr. Rogers in doing it.

--Melissa Pino

Anonymous said...

this was an interesting read also
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2020/03/24/escambia-county-ems-investigation-4-arrested-accused-falsifying-documents/2910588001/

Michael McCormack said...

Commissioner, good luck in the upcoming election. I'm hoping you win as the alternative is not very encouraging for these types of actions to be eliminated. Dr. Edler has proven to be anything but the one to bring unity and cohesion to the Public Safety team. The fact that the court has seen fit to deny her qualified immunity, and the reason for that, should be plenty evident even to the most politically blind observer.
I'm with Melissa on this, "Commissioner Bergosh, on Wednesday morning your first duty as commissioner elect should be to get your arms around this intentional degradation of our Public Safety and start shouldering the Herculean task of getting the situation righted" Absolutely correct and very well stated.

Anonymous said...

Pino should ask herself why everyone in her life, after time, removes her.

Anonymous said...

https://www.unhookedmedia.com/um-articles/can-high-conflict-people-change-by-bill-eddy-lcsw-esq

Anonymous said...

Have you thought about your credibility to let Melissa Pino post to your blog?
https://www.unhookedmedia.com/um-articles/can-high-conflict-people-change-by-bill-eddy-lcsw-esq

Anonymous said...


HIGH CONFLICT Narcissistic.. Underhill Pino and Edler...all walked into a bar..tell that joke.. Escambia 2019.

"Once you see these four characteristics, there is a lot that you can anticipate: they rarely seek counseling, they vigorously defend their past behavior, and they escalate their attacks on those they blame (which often includes new Targets of Blame over time). In other words, they are locked into their high-conflict behavior patterns and resistant to change. They see all of their problems as caused by other people, so they are not motivated to change on their own. "

it's like Edler met Pino met Underhill

and yes we can look on the Escambia site and see how much money you pay to lawyers to fight

YOU ALL SUCK..



Anonymous said...

Just weird ..look up U vuit and Pino and Carmichael come up ... with the same address in navy point.. 413 SE Baublits..What's happening P cola posts look like Mel and Kevin with fake profiles..on F/B.. they use "&" and such..still looks like them though..

It wouldn't be so bad but they seem to suddenly be anti American also..like they prefer the communist agenda over the American agenda.

Everyone knows BLM is communist and Anti Fa is socialists.. Are they a terrorists cells? or just mentally ill with a busy body time on their hands,,and an amazing ability to write well??

At first it sounds good and there is some truth to it..

but it boils down to ..EMS weren't getting the CEUs at the county by state statute..Edler called them out..would have been nice if she didn't destroy everything in her wake..so now well EMS and Jail is under one person..MD..which we haven't heard from.

If it helps, you know, she fired Indest ..a while back.. Yall can talk to her now..lol

Why don't you ask Edler what the hell is going on with EMS and the Jail..and Covid..since she is the medical director...taking two salaries..

and yes it was a screw up for the BOCC to take the Jail...

2020

if you win

handle it






Anonymous said...

No one mentions Melissa Pino's name anymore in the county that has come across her because they don't want to become the next target of blame. Did you post this as a concession? She is something else. She is just like Underhill and Edler though.. Poison.


Anonymous said...

!!!!!If you’re dealing with someone like this don't tell them that you think they are a high conflict person! That just makes it worse, because high conflict people (HCPs) are stuck in defensiveness already and they’ll never let you forget how you labeled them. Instead, just keep it to yourself and adapt how you deal with them.!!!!!!

Mel Pino said...

Hey Kim Carmichael, look up--somebody is accusing you of being not just me this time, but Kevin and me. Oh, and this time, they are claiming we share the same address in Navy Point HAHAHAHA

As Doug would say, LAWD. They're growing hysterical.

Watch out, next they're gonna say WE OWN THE SAME DOG and that's Amos in disguise.

Anon 8:54 PM, the reason I don't ask myself why everyone in my life, after time, removes me, is because they don't. If that face-pressed-to-the-glass misperception gives you some comfort amid your howling existential angst, however, Godspeed with it.

I'm willing to bet that most reasonable and thoughtful folks who read here note that, whenever I post on EMS issues and the bureaucrats at the County who caused them and are still trying to CYA them, the anonymous flying monkeys who come on never address any of my points. Same ad hominem personal attacks, which don't bother me and underline the difference between uninformed screed and advocacy presented in a tone that is pointedly strident.

As a matter of fact, I have a text on my phone that came in just after my posts went up, "Here come the EMS trolls I'm sure," and my response "No doubt."

Maybe at some point some anonymous person who has some actual knowledge of what has been going on in EMS, Fire and Public Safety since far before the earliest days of my advocacy on it, and what is *still* going on there, will engage here. And at that point it will be possible to have a useful back and forth.

Until then, I'll just keep ROFL that is is making some people so nuts that I got off Facebook they have to operate under the delusion that I'm still posting under fake accounts. It's kinda sad, when you think about it.

Oh well,

--Melissa Pino

Mel Pino said...

OMG just when I thought I could not laugh any harder...my sides are going to bust...

I couldn't remember where I had heard "U Vuit" before so I googled it and, much to my surprise, a back-in-the-day Google view of my house in Navy Point popped up with the company listing "U Vuit and Technologies."

Thought a sec and was immediately laughing til I was crying. The previous tenant of 413 SE Baublits was a gentleman by the name of Robert Carmichael who ran that company from a server farm in the Florida room of the house.

For any Doubting Thomas's, feel free to stop over and put your fingers in the wounds that the servers made in the terrazzo floors.

Wait...Kim Carmichael, I demand to know. Is that your boat and pickup truck parked in my driveway?? Did you live here?? Do you still live here? Is this some kind of a set-up?


2013 called and they want their intel back. You all need to take out the trash and you missed that Visio box that fell out of your bin.

Great opposition research. Next?

Kim C. said...

“Anonymous”,

I’m not Melissa Pino.
Or maybe I am.
I’m not Kevin.
Or maybe I am.
Or maybe I’m Robert Carmichael that owns the technology company that use to own her home & I’ve looked up your IP address & you’re not as anonymous as you think.
Or maybe I’m not him.
Or just maybe I’m yet another EC resident that’s witnessed the county corruption first hand & I’m one of many speaking up about it ... You are right about one thing though, I’ve had plenty of free time since the virus hit because my businesses have been greatly harmed by the county’s negligent decisions to not make any effort to slow the spread.
I’ve been accused of being Melissa Pino so many times by paranoid individuals like yourself, that I reached out to her to figure out why & in turn found out about even more corruption that I wasn’t aware of.

Regardless, you can conjure up anything about me that you’d like, it doesn’t phase me, nor does it change the fact that there’s mass corruption in the County & the guilty individuals need removing.

Btw, it’s pretty low that you posted her home address. Not to mention you’re too cowardly & weak to use your own name. The energy you use to try & discredit her & others speaking up, should be redirected towards the county officials that are causing so much harm to our community, or maybe you’re one of them?

Sincerely,
Kim Carmichael ... or maybe not.

Kim C. said...

“Anonymous”,

I’m not Melissa Pino.
Or maybe I am.
I’m not Kevin.
Or maybe I am.
Or maybe I’m Robert Carmichael that owns the technology company that use to own her home & I’ve looked up your IP address & you’re not as anonymous as you think.
Or maybe I’m not him.
Or just maybe I’m yet another EC resident that’s witnessed the county corruption first hand & I’m one of many speaking up about it ... You are right about one thing though, I’ve had plenty of free time since the virus hit because my businesses have been greatly harmed by the county’s negligent decisions to not make any effort to slow the spread.
I’ve been accused of being Melissa Pino so many times by paranoid individuals like yourself, that I reached out to her to figure out why & in turn found out about even more corruption that I wasn’t aware of.

Regardless, you can conjure up anything about me that you’d like, it doesn’t phase me, nor does it change the fact that there’s mass corruption in the County & the guilty individuals need removing.

Btw, it’s pretty low that you posted her home address. Not to mention you’re too cowardly & weak to use your own name. The energy you use to try & discredit her & others speaking up, should be redirected towards the county officials that are causing so much harm to our community, or maybe you’re one of them?

Sincerely,
Kim Carmichael ... or maybe not.

Anonymous said...

https://www.wkrg.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/49/2020/03/EMS-Arrests-ASA-Williams.docx.pdf

Kevin said...

Pointless attempt to doxx Mel and anyone who has not just hid behind a keyboard.

Mel has been able to help affect changes and awareness in this community.

Speak in person enough & you instinctively begin by thanking the chair and continue with your name & address & then your statement.

& Anti-FA = Anti-Fascist, might want to look into history and stop swilling the QAnon conspiracy slop for trolls pages.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/brief-history-anti-fascism-180975152/

Keep your racist statues and flag in your little white hearts & try just a touch to get a grip that the lynchings were the disgusting murder that was always the same warning that your evil icons represent.

Many of my ancestors graves lay next to graves of hero's who fought in the Spanish Civil war against the fascists your Orange idiot idolizes.

Many of those who fought were 'freed men' with names that had been pinned on them to obscure, put down, & show they were owned.

Thoughts, Dreams, & Hope crushed and blown down by tyrannicidal "masters" who had to use weapons from knives & swords to guns and the noose ... 13 noose is unlucky and everyman knew that and knew that the 13th loop would not snap the neck or completely crush the windpipe so the white hooded Klansmen and women can shoot and chop and jeer while enjoying their blood lust in the most disgusting way.

Yeah, I see how you need to drink the flavor-aid blind over that heritage.

Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

You just cannot take a name out of your mouth to disappear a persons voice & you know she is right anyway.

Mel never took off after anybody who did not deserve it, yet which is why there are so many people unbothered by her tone when she is onto corruption & political manipulation of the truth.

My Florida 25 happened on April 1st 2020, where do you think Mel gets a lot of her historical unvarnished knowledge of the corruption in the town?

Kevin Wade
He, Him, Them, Hey You, Yo.

Tracy said...

State your name don’t hide behind your keyboard. Stand up for what you believe in - don’t hide as anonymous. It makes your irrelevant

Tracy said...

Ummm, I don’t think she fired Indest I’m pretty sure she didn’t pay him 🤷🏻‍♀️ I hope everything can get on track. I know the medical in our jail is non-existent and should be looked into.

Anonymous said...

https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2020/05/11/escambia-county-oks-health-department-settlement-over-ems-scandal/3096853001/

Anonymous said...

So Commissioner Bergosh, it just seems from looking at your coffee with commissioner video you and Administration are of one accord. From the news articles it seems EMS is headed in the right direction. These others call to fire Gilley and the Governor and the President just seem to be the conspiracy theorists especially after the arrest came to light..Who is crying wolf? It seems odd you would chose to publish this prior to the election. Do you agree with the way Mrs. Gulley is handling things or not? Ricks blog is rife with comments and stories also. Trying to find the truth is confusing.

Anonymous said...

Character assassination is not calling out corruption, neither is shaming nor disrespecting the political process our country was formed on.

Anonymous said...

The grouping everyone into a Qanon group you disagree with is starting to make the lefties look even more looney. Then go adhominem and speak like they are on drugs in an acid fog or something. The Anti Fa are destroying their own country.

Once it is known you can't see through the insurrection or are a part of it in the USA and are a part of revolution and resistance toward the duly elected POTUS of 2016 nothing else you deduce and try to report has any credibility, it looks like you all take info chew it up and spit out lies. No Trust. Good Bye. I wasn't speaking to you but about you. Musings. I'm certainly not the only one.
The attack on free speech by bullying, shaming has been going on a while and No not everyone, Not anyone deserves that level of malice.

Anonymous said...

They assassinate the character of Administrator Gilley constantly. Have you been following that? It's on Ricks Blog also. How is that condoned?

RULES

THROUGH THESE DOORS WALK ONLY THE FINEST PEOPLE – THE CITIZENS OF ESCAMBIA COUNTY. DECISIONS ARE MADE IN THIS ROOM AFFECTING THE DAILY LIVES OF OUR PEOPLE. DIGNIFIED CONDUCT IS APPRECIATED.

I would think during a pandemic people would uplift leaders, with empathy and support.

The people elect them for a term and you all voted to hire Administrator.

THAT'S the political process.

The vile public dialog is damaging to our county, and country and has been for a while.

Anonymous said...

The cases of the one's arrested are on the clerk site. Public read. Of course they are no longer employed at the county.

Anonymous said...

It is a veteran's memorial. https://www.pensapedia.com/wiki/Lee_Square

Anonymous said...

Read the comments
https://www.theepochtimes.com/facebook-bans-antifa-violence-inciting-militia-organizations-and-qanon_3468050.html

Anonymous said...

who does this remind you of?
https://babylonbee.com/news/right-wing-conspiracies-are-really-dangerous-says-woman-who-believes-putin-is-controlling-the-united-states-postal-service

Anonymous said...

Anybody trying to disparage our President or Governor. Go Ahead. Make yourself known.

Mel Pino said...

Me? Am I only trying to disparage the moral character and job performance of Trump and DeSantis?

Damn. I thought I might have been succeeding.

One more rat off the ship with Kelly Conway. One of the most dangerous and amoral serpents to ever grace the White House. I suppose she'll skate off just in the nick of time and write a tell-all with James to put the seal on saving their marriage. I hope Kelly doesn't try to pressure Claudia into a reality show. That girl has more common sense at 15 than her mother has in her little finger.

Unless "common sense" can be equated with propping up a fraudulent con man who is systematically homiciding giant swaths of our populace along with the help of governors like DeSantis and Kemp. And--it breaks my heart--my home state governor Kim Reynolds. Just another in a long list of whack jobs that need to go. But whatever path Kelly Conway takes, it will be $$$$$$$. And please note that the Conways sure as hell aren't sending their kids back to school. How nice for them they have all that money to play with while they take some time to get it all figured out for their household.

If Trump loses, he's going to jail. If he wins, he could be the first president jailed during his tenure, cause that tax crap isn't going away any time soon. I'd love to stick Jared Kushner in a cell with him for a lifetime--just the two of them. That's more hell than any Beckett play could have possibly conjured right there.

--Melissa Pino

-Melissa Pino

Anonymous said...

Democrats want to take the "greatest country on the earth, the freest country on the earth, the most magnificent country on the face of the earth -- despite all these lies about systemic racism -- and destroy it," Levin added.


" Why would you agree to do that? We have men and women throughout our history, millions of them have given our lives to give us what we have today.

"So," he concluded, " I’m calling on on all patriotic Americans of all races ... stand up for your country because they’re trying to take it from you."

https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-biden-sanders-plan-for-destroying-america_3473466.html

https://www.foxnews.com/media/mark-levin-biden-sanders-platform-failed-experiments



Anonymous said...

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cuba-maximo-alvarez-rnc-speech-socialism

“President Trump is fighting the forces of anarchy and communism. And now he will continue to do just that. And what about his opponent and the rest of the DC swamp? I have no doubt they will hand the country over to those dangerous forces,” Alvarez said."

“I’ve seen movements like this before. I’ve seen ideas like this before. I am here to tell you – we cannot let them take over our country,” Alvarez said. “I heard the promises of Fidel Castro. And I can never forget all those who grew up around me, who looked like me, who suffered and starved and died because they believed those empty promises. They swallowed the communist poison pill.”

Mel Pino said...

Speaking of swallowing pills, the Trumplican party continues to find a way to pile onto its suicidal self-engineered train wreck with that disaster of a convention last night, which managed to be far worse than anybody could have possibly expected.

Only with the Trump nepotism would we be gifted with "cocaine" as the trending hashtag on Twitter. You just can't write this stuff.

It delivered one thing, for sure: this country dearly needed to laugh til we cried at a nation-wide, low-rent howler.

Favorite take on last night:

"When we go low, we get high."

Anonymous said...

Democrats have become the arrogant ignorant bully stomping around the playground of politics. Looking for victims to intimidate and control.

Like all bullies, they are cowards deep down where it counts. They scream hatred in the faces of political opponents, when they feel they have safety in numbers or they are protected by bodyguards. Rioting, looting, burning, hurting, and killing. Screaming to abolish the police, close the prisons, abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It is stunning, watching JFK's party slipping into madness. I can't imagine him ever spreading division and hatred. I can't imagine him calling half the voting public deplorable.

Can you imagine him ever calling Federal Law Enforcement Officers “Nazis” or “Gestapo”?


They need to try to regain their ability to reason, instead of reacting to everything with hatred and outrage.

Anonymous said...

What kind of idiot thinks there was a problem with the RNC.

Political Advertisement Paid For and Approved by Jeff Bergosh, Republican for Escambia Commission D1