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Escambia County Commissioners ratified the hiring of new EMA Director Justin Jordan during Monday’s meeting of the group.
Jordan, who worked as an assistant EMA director in Monroe County prior to coming to Escambia County, took his position officially on May 1.
Jordan said the move is one he looks forward to as he assumes his new role.
“I am thankful to be here,” Jordan said. “I am thankful to be able to serve the county and the citizens here.”
The commission also approved the execution of a contract with Axon Enterprises to allow the purchase of body cameras for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Heath Jackson thanked the commission for the approval he says will give his officers more security.
“We are the only law enforcement agency in the county without body cameras,” Jackson said. “It’s sad but funding kept that from happening. We’ve got a little money now that we can spend over five years for the cost. By taking advantage of this now, we can save as much as we’re paying. This will put us where we need to be in moving forward in technology.”
Commission Chairman Raymond Wiggins said the purchase would be a win-win for everyone involved.
“This will be a good thing for our Sheriff’s Office,” Wiggins said. “It will also be good for our citizens. We are happy to move forward on this plan.”
In other business Monday, the commission:
• approved the purchase of 12 new dump trucks and the sale of 12 used dump trucks. County Engineer Parker Ross told commissioners the time is right to make the new purchases. “We were able to move forward through the Sourcewell Nation Wide Purchase Agreement with Truckworks having the best prices,” Ross said. “With the June auction gearing up, we would be able to get a premium price on our used trucks. With that, we will spend less than $300,000 in total which is just a little more than the cost of one truck. This move will also mean our trucks are under warranty. It’s a good idea to swap out while we can and this is setting up to be a good time to do that.”
• approved a letter of support for the Poarch Band of Creek Indian Tap Grant application;
• approved resolution 20250512 designating ACCA subrecipient partnership in the county’s efforts relating to Community Development Block Grant for disaster recovery from Hurricanes Sally and Zeta;
• approved foundation repairs on Tippens Eddy Road at the 7-mile creek culvert;
• approved the 2025 Back-to-Schools sales tax holiday for July 18-20, 2025;
• approved an agreement with Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center.
The commission also heard from Escambia County Extension Service Director Millie Murphree on the promotion of an employee of the service. Katie Kirkland has been named 4-H director for the county replacing Kelly Rexroat who previously held the position. Kirkland will be working with youth in the county to provide programs and educational opportunities through the 4-H Program.