ESCAMBIA CLERK PAM CHILDERS SUES COUNTY OVER $1.1 MILLION BUDGET CUT

Escambia County Clerk and Comptroller Pam Childers has filed a lawsuit against Escambia County, alleging county commissioners retaliated against her office by slashing her budget by $1.1 million.

The verified complaint, filed Monday, October 5, 2026, in Escambia County Circuit Court, seeks declaratory, injunctive, and mandamus relief to reverse the cuts adopted in the county’s fiscal year 2026–2027 budget. Childers argues the reduction directly targets her constitutional oversight duties as county auditor and watchdog of taxpayer funds.

The dispute centers on two budget actions approved by the Board of County Commissioners: a $1 million reduction to the Clerk and Comptroller’s finance operations budget and the total elimination of a $100,000 line item dedicated to outside legal counsel. The cuts brought Childers’ proposed county-funded budget down from $5,610,882 to $4,510,882—a roughly 20 to 25 percent cut.

Childers contends the cuts are punitive payback following months of friction between her office and commissioners over public spending. Earlier this year, the county joined a lawsuit alongside two local non-profit organizations challenging Childers’ refusal to issue payments from commissioner discretionary funds that she determined did not serve a lawful public purpose.

According to the complaint, Commissioner Mike Kohler pushed for the cuts during budget proceedings, pointing to excess fee revenue and unspent funds Childers routinely returns to the county each year, and referring to the clerk’s outside legal budget as a “personal services legal slush fund”.

Childers asserts that returning unspent money is standard practice across constitutional offices due to variable revenues and vacancies, noting no other elected official or county department saw budget reductions. She also defended her use of outside litigation counsel, emphasizing that the county frequently retains private law firms despite employing five full-time staff attorneys.

Childers previously asked the board in a September 16, 2026, letter to rescind the reductions, but commissioners finalized the budget resolution without restoring the money on September 24, 2026.

The lawsuit asks the circuit court to schedule an expedited hearing, declare the budget reduction improper, and order the county to restore the full $1.1 million appropriation.

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