Federal Law Change Costs Escambia County $1M in Lost Jail Revenue

Escambia County, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Escambia County is facing a $1 million budget hit this year due to a new federal law prohibiting counties from profiting off inmate phone calls at jails, County Administrator Wes Moreno said Thursday.

Moreno told the Pensacola Morning News that the change has forced the county to absorb costs that were previously offset by revenue from inmate phone services. "They made that change. So, we've had to move that cost to the general fund. It was a little over a million dollars, a million-dollar hit to the general fund," Moreno said.

Moreno defended the previous revenue stream, noting that the money supported inmate programs rather than enriching county coffers. "We were actually utilizing that money for inmate programs and such," he said.

Beyond the phone revenue loss, Moreno highlighted another budget pressure: the tax collector commission formula that requires the county to pay for collecting school board taxes as well as county taxes.

"When the school board raised their nose rate and additional taxes had to be collected, we're paying the commission to the tax collector to do that. We are, not the school board," Moreno explained. With a school referendum pending, that cost could increase further—potentially requiring the county to pay the tax collector to collect money destined for the school board.

Despite these challenges, the county is proposing a modest 2% pay raise for employees and no increase to the millage rate, aligning with a conservative fiscal approach similar to the City of Pensacola's budget strategy.

Moreno noted that roughly $20 million in county expenses fall outside direct control due to state mandates. The county currently has approximately 250 to 300 vacant positions out of 1,900 budgeted staff positions, with corrections officer vacancies representing the most acute shortage at 70 positions.

Moreno presented the budget proposal Thursday morning at the Escambia County Commission meeting, seeking board input ahead of a later session.

PPD Wraps Up Palafox Shooting Arrests, Backs Proposed Curfew, and More

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Pensacola Police Department PIO Mike Wood joined Pensacola Morning News Thursday with a comprehensive update — closing the book on the July 5th Palafox shooting arrest phase, weighing in on the proposed juvenile curfew, and recapping an overnight chase that ended with two suspects swimming in Pensacola Bay.

Palafox Shooting — Fourth and Final Arrest

PPD has made its fourth and final arrest in connection with the July 5th shooting that killed 19-year-old Philip Shepard Junior. The fourth suspect shot his own friend in the finger during the incident — the friend signed a null process form requesting no charges be filed. The state attorney reviewed the totality of the circumstances and determined the best path forward was charging the suspect with gun crimes only rather than overriding the victim's wishes. Wood says everyone connected to the incident has now either been arrested or is deceased.

Wood was effusive in his praise for PPD investigators — noting that given how many rounds were fired and how many people were present that night the case was brought to a close in essentially 24 hours through around-the-clock dedication from every detective, supervisor, and patrol officer involved.

Wood also addressed a lingering question about why multiple shots were heard during the overnight warrant service that ended in suspect Trevon Bradley's death at the former Truman Arms. Wood said there are several possible explanations — someone not willing to go to prison might fire shots hoping police fire back, might fire to get used to the sound and feel of the gun, or might fire multiple times after a jam to clear the weapon. Wood said he does not believe anyone will ever know exactly why and confirmed no law enforcement officers fired a weapon during that incident.

Proposed Juvenile Curfew

PPD is fully on board with the juvenile curfew Mayor Reeves outlined this week — and Wood says it will be a tool rather than a primary enforcement focus. He says officers will not be out actively hunting for curfew violators but will use the ordinance as additional leverage when they already have contact with someone causing problems — similar to how the existing state statute on juvenile driving curfews works in practice. He says making it citywide is the only approach that makes sense since problem behavior can shift locations quickly. Wood also expressed strong support for the parent accountability component — saying teachers have been making the same complaint as law enforcement for years and that knowing where your 17-year-old is at midnight is simply not asking too much.

Hit and Run Suspects End Up in Pensacola Bay

An overnight hit and run complaint at Baptist Hospital turned into one of the more unusual pursuits in recent PPD history. Officers spotted the suspect vehicle and it fled immediately at excessive speeds — forcing officers to cancel the initial pursuit. Officers relocated the vehicle on Bayou Boulevard and it fled again southbound on 9th Avenue — crossing busy intersections including Bayfront Parkway before driving into Pensacola Bay. Both occupants got out and attempted to swim away but were quickly apprehended by patrol officers. Wood noted the irony — the original offense was a hit and run that would have resulted in nothing more than a traffic ticket.

Vietnam Vet Cubs Game Incident

Wood weighed in on the viral video of a Vietnam veteran smacking a young man at a Cubs game for not standing during the national anthem — noting that legally it is a battery and an unwanted touching regardless of the circumstances. He added that the two reconciled afterward and that he believes the young man learned a valuable lesson. He described himself as old school on the matter.

Did You Know

Wood closed with the most commonly misspelled words by police officers — methamphetamine, subpoena, barbiturate, surveillance, paraphernalia, and lieutenant. He noted that spell check has made the problem largely invisible in modern police reports but that back in the days of typed reports with white-out those were the words that gave officers the most trouble.

Grand Jury Calls For Prichard Police Department To Be Rebuilt

Mobile, AL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- A special Mobile County grand jury is calling for the Prichard Police Department to be abolished and rebuilt after uncovering what it calls systemic failures. The recommendation came the same day Police Chief Walter Knight and Major Aaron Tucker were arrested, accused of using city time and equipment for private funeral escort jobs. District Attorney Keith Blackwood says investigators also found missing evidence and procedural failures across the department, calling it a culture of rot. It's now up to Prichard's mayor and city council to decide next steps.