A former Escambia County employee is suing the county, alleging it violated the Florida Whistleblower’s Act by forcing him to resign after reporting his boss for "gross mismanagement."
The case is now at a point where the County Commission will have to decide in a closed-door meeting how the county will move forward.
Former Waste Services Engineer and Environmental Manager Nicolas Howard filed a civil lawsuit in May 2025 alleging the county retaliated against him when he brought concerns that the previous Waste Services Director, Donald Seitz, had misrepresented the Perdido Landfill’s capacity, which Howard had projected would be out of space by August 2026.
Howard’s lawsuit also alleges that the former director told him not to raise concerns about groundwater monitor wells around the closed Klondike Landfill, which is now an archery park, that had been destroyed in a local development project, stating, “the developers are paying the Commissioners.”
Other allegations in the case claim the former director was structuring purchasing contracts to get around procurement rules that would have otherwise required a competitive bid, and that the Waste Services Department was being used to fund projects in the Road Department when the law requires they be used to support solid was services.
Howard alleged he raised his concerns with Assistant County Administrator Debbie Bowers and continued to do so even after Seitz announced he was resigning. Three months after he raised his...
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