County Administrator Rejects Board Recommendation, To Name Christal Bell-Rivera Next Library Director

March 2, 2026

Escambia County Administrator Wes Moreno will not accept the recommendation of the West Florida Library Board of Governance (BOG) for the next director of the West Florida Public Libraries.

As we reported last week, the committee recommended Bradley Vinson, current coordinator of media services for the Escambia County School District,  as its top choice to run the library system. The BOG’s second choice was Chris Hare, current division manager for WFPL.

According to the county, personnel decisions fall to Administrator Wes Moreno, but he is not bound by the WFPL BOG recommendation. The administrator’s choices for county department head positions such as the library director are approved by the Board of County Commissioners, which can vote them up or down.

On Thursday, Moreno will recommend Christal Bell-Rivera as the next library services director, according to a commission agenda. She is the current interim director, appointed by Moreno after the retirement of Todd Humble in November 2025.

If she is confirmed, Bell-Rivera’s  annual salary will be $113,547.20 with a car allowance of $400 per month.

According to an Escambia County Commission agenda for Thursday, March 5:

“Bell-Rivera brings almost 20 years of general management and library operations experience in state and local government. She is highly skilled in budget administration; development and implementation of long and short-term plans, policies, and procedures; establishing and maintaining positive working relationships with outside partners, other County departments, and local leaders; and overall management of daily operations. Since beginning her employment with the County in June 2022, Mrs. Bell-Rivera has played a pivotal role in the improvement of the general operations of the West Florida Public Library (WFPL), which earned her a promotion to Deputy Director in March 2023 and subsequently to her appointment as Interim Director in August 2025. Mrs. Bell-Rivera has also become heavily involved in the library industry and has served as pre-conference facilitator and guest speaker for the Florida Library Association, is member of the of Florida Library Association’s Professional Development Committee and Leadership Subcommittee, and a recipient of the 2024 James Patterson Library Worker Bonus. Mrs. Bell-Rivera’s exceptional management skills and passion for librarianship make her the ideal candidate to continue leading WFPL and is hereby recommended for the role of Library Services Director for Escambia County, Florida.”

Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES