Brooksville Mourns Longtime City Employee Ed Johnson

The City of Brooksville is mourning the loss of longtime employee Ed Johnson, who lost his life in a single-vehicle incident early last week.

According to Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Public Affairs Office (PAO) Sgt. Steve Gaskins, at 6:15 a.m. on Feb. 12, the 68-year-old Johnson was driving a Brooksville garbage truck south on US-41 when just south of Mondon Hill Road, he lost control of the vehicle and failed to negotiate a curve in the road.
The vehicle subsequently collided with a guardrail, traveled down an embankment and partially overturned.

Johnson sustained fatal injuries at the scene. According to City of Brooksville Public Information Coordinator Andrea Read, Johnson was a longtime City employee who had retired after 15 years on the job only to return to it in April 2023.

Mayor Blake Bell said that Johnson’s dedication to his work, positive attitude, and friendly personality will be missed. “Ed Johnson was one of Brooksville’s finest employees, and Brooksville’s thoughts and earnest prayers are with the family during this sad time,” Bell said. “As we mourn this loss, we are reminded that our city workers are the backbone of our small town’s government.”

Johnson is survived by his widow, Peggy Johnson. Funeral services took place on Feb. 21. To allow city staff to pay respects to Mr. Johnson, garbage pickup was postponed until Friday, Feb. 23.

According to standard protocol, the cause of the incident is currently under investigation by the FHP.