Escambia Commission Joins Lawsuit Against Clerk Childers Over Blocked Donations

June 21, 2026

TThe Escambia County Commission has voted to join a lawsuit against Clerk of Courts Pam Childers, escalating a legal battle over who holds final authority over county tax dollars.

The 3-1 vote brings the county into an existing lawsuit filed by two local nonprofits—First Tee Gulf Coast and the Warrington Emergency Aid Center—after Childers refused to release two checks totaling $7,000 in board-approved community impact grants allocated by Commissioner Lumon May. Under longstanding county practice, each of the five commissioners is allocated $50,000 annually in discretionary funds to distribute to local organizations.

While commissioners maintain they have the sole legislative power to decide how public funds are allocated, Childers argues her constitutional duty as county auditor requires her to independently vet individual payments to ensure they serve a valid public purpose.

Alex Andrade, the attorney representing the two nonprofits, explained during the meeting that because the litigation directly challenges the county’s 1985 ordinance governing these charitable donations, state law mandates the county be involved in the case. Andrade advised the board that joining voluntarily as co-plaintiffs would allow them to actively defend their spending authority, rather than being dragged into the suit later as defendants.

The board conditioned its involvement on an agreement that they will not seek personal financial damages against Childers if she loses the case.

Commissioners Mike Kohler, Steve Stroberger, and Lumon May voted in favor, stating a judge needs to permanently clarify the boundaries between commission appropriations and clerk oversight. Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing that property taxes should fund local infrastructure rather than charitable groups or lawsuits. Commissioner Steven Barry was absent.

“I am not going to sue to say that take property tax dollars that we require people to pay,” “and then turn around and give them to whatever charity we think is the best one. We have people begging for property tax reform, and we are going to turn around and sue to give that money away? Instead of building sidewalks, putting in cameras, or anything else we could be doing. That is absolutely freaking ridiculous.”

“This is about political theater,” Commissioner Mike Kohler said, after noting that Childers made the payments over over 12 years before refusing. “I don’t even know how this is normal accounting practices where you do something for 12 years, and then you just decide that you are not going to do it. It does not make any common sense to me.”

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES