Differing viewpoints emerge over hiring of local contractor

Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. What should have been relatively smooth sailing in terms of the selection of a broker to help local officials choose the best health insurance coverage for county employees ran into turbulence recently. The item on the Jefferson County Commission’s agenda for Thursday evening, May 16, called for the award of the employee insurance broker contract to the Tallahassee-based Florida Sheriffs Employee Benefits Trust, which was ranked as the most qualified to provide the service by the committee tasked by the board to score and rank the applicants. Commissioner Austin Hosford, however, challenged the committee’s recommendation, arguing instead for the a