Secret deals, cash bribes, and a body under a house. Pensacola has a scandalous past when it comes to political corruption.
Florida's westernmost county, Escambia, made headlines in 2004 when a state investigation revealed multiple county leaders were meeting in secret and making million dollar deals at the taxpayers' expense. One commissioner even accepted a cash bribe in a collard greens pot. He was later found dead under a house from an apparent suicide.
Their corruption was exposed, in part, thanks to Florida's Sunshine Law which gives people access to governmental meetings and proceedings.
In this episode of Gulf Coast Confidential, “Cash in the Collard Greens Pot,” join us for a discussion about the scandal that put "scam" in Escambia County and why open government is important to keep history from repeating itself.
Secret deals, cash bribes, and a body under a house. Pensacola has a scandalous past when it comes to political corruption.
Florida's westernmost county, Escambia, made headlines in 2004 when a state investigation revealed multiple county leaders were meeting in secret and making million dollar deals at the taxpayers' expense. One commissioner even accepted a cash bribe in a collard greens pot. He was later found dead under a house from an apparent suicide.
Their corruption was exposed, in part, thanks to Florida's Sunshine Law which gives people access to governmental meetings and proceedings.
In this episode of Gulf Coast Confidential, “Cash in the Collard Greens Pot,” join us for a discussion about the scandal that put "scam" in Escambia County and why open government is important to keep history from repeating itself.