Kaycee Lagarde, Escambia County's Strategic Communications Director, discussed the facts on "Real News" this morning.

"I think it's important to clarify things like this because I know when you're dealing with government budgets and projects like this on a large scale, sometimes it can get a little bit confusing," she said. "We just want to make sure people know that this project was always going to be a big investment in the Brownsville community. And anytime you're renovating an older building like that, there's a possibility that you're going to run into some hiccups. So, we, of course, did that."

Lagarde continued, "The board approved $3.1 million for this project, and I actually looked back when I was researching this yesterday, I had sent out a press release about a year ago about this project. We had said that it was a $3.1 million investment in the Brownsville community. That's something that has been consistent throughout this project. 

"And so even with the change orders and some unexpected expenses that are coming up, again, due to the nature of the project and the age of the building, we are still well within that $3.1 million. So I thought that was important to clarify because this is an exciting project for the Brownsville community, and we don't need to have any negativity or confusion surrounding that project because I think it's going to be a great addition right there in the heart of Brownsville to have their first library."