COMMISSIONER SUES COUNTY

Escambia County Commissioner Doug Underhill is suing Escambia County for more than $23,000 in legal fees he incurred in successfully defending a defamation lawsuit. An Escambia Circuit Court Judge ruled that Commissioner Underhill had immunity from a lawsuit filed by Scott Miller over Underhill’s comments on Facebook about Miller’s involvement with the Rolling Hills landfill in the Wedgewood community. Last week, Underhill asked his fellow county commissioners to vote to pay his legal fees in the case, but none of the other commissioners would second the item. Commissioner Underhill’s attorney said a policy, adopted in 2014, says the county will pay for legal fees for commissioners if certain conditions are met, which he says is the case with Commissioner Underhill.