From Century Sewage To Escambia Radios: Requests That Didn’t Make the Florida Budget

June 6, 2026

The proposed Florida budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year includes millions of dollars of funded, and partially funded, projects for Escambia County.

Those projects include nearly $1.2 million for Century water and sewer projects, funds for an Escambia River Electric Cooperative water project, ECUA, and Escambia County public safety needs.

However, a huge Escambia County project and a relatively large Century project were not included in the state budget, which awaits the signature of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has the power to veto line items.

The unfunded projects for Escambia County and Century are:

Escambia County Radio System Upgrade — $38 million

Escambia County requested $38 million to replace the county’s aging P25 UHF radio system with a modern 800 MHz trunked platform. The upgrade would have renewed all hardware and software for fire, EMS, law enforcement, transit and public works, in addition to improving interoperability with regional partners during major incidents and planned events.

“The 2012 system nears end-of-life in 2030, and failure may risk public safety,” the appropriations request stated.

Century WWTP Motor Control $1.061 million

The Town of Century requested $1.061 million for a wastewater treatment plant motor control center (MCC) replacement. The town said parts on the current MCC routinely fail, and the age of the system makes it difficult to find replacement parts. The MCC replacement is a requirement set forth by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES