NWE Honors Players, Cheerleaders, Coaches And Volunteers
November 16, 2010
Nearly 100 football players, cheerleaders, coaches and volunteers were honored recently during the annual Northwest Escambia Football banquet held at Ernest Ward Middle School.
Pictured below are the NWE Mini Mites, Mites and Midgets.
Pictured above: Northwest Escambia Mini Mites.
Pictured above: Northwest Escambia Midgets.
Pictured above: Northwest Escambia Mites.
Submitted photos by Tina Segers for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Override List Reduced, Septic Tank Inspection Bill Still Set For Possible Delay
November 16, 2010
The list of vetoed bills lined up for overrides during this week’s special session shrunk by two Monday, with legislative leaders dropping a controversial prescription drug measure and a reorganization of the state’s Department of Management Services.
Lawmakers are ready to delay the start of a septic tank inspection program contained in a clean springs bill (SB 550) that has been hailed by environmentalists, but is drawing heat from residents who fear the program’s January start will eventually prove costly. Panhandle lawmakers have pushed to delay the program’s start until July, while they also pledge to repeal the legislation in the interim next spring.
But incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said he received pushback from some lawmakers about the drug legislation (HB 5603) and also from Republican Gov.-elect Rick Scott, who opposes the measure (HB 5611) revamping DMS oversight.
Lawmakers plan a one-day special session Tuesday afternoon to override seven bills and a $9.7 million budget provision vetoed by outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist, an independent whose political stock has plummeted in the Republican-ruled Legislature.
Lawmakers last overrode a governor’s veto in 1997, when more than two-thirds of the Legislature reversed late Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles’ veto of an abortion bill and another involving evidence in civil cases.
“We want to make sure tomorrow goes as smoothly as possible and we wanted to pick bills that we thought were in unison with everyone, Democrats and Republicans, alike,” Haridopolos said about the lineup of bills set for action.
House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, said the two measures scrapped had sparked enough controversy that it was clear they were no longer part of the “universe” of easy-to-override bills. Scott asked lawmakers to drop the DMS override, saying he had his own plans for that agency, which has drawn heat for its oversight and spending.
“He campaigned on the issue of reform and reorganizing government and, frankly, I think he’s entitled to that opportunity,” Cannon said.
The legislation would have taken sole oversight of the troubled DMS away from the new chief executive – placing it under the governor and the state’s three independently elected Cabinet officers.
Haridopolos spoke with reporters moments after he removed the door separating the Senate President’s office from an inner Senate Office Building hallway accessible to senators. Removing the door was a symbol, Haridopolos said, of his leadership approach – one of openness and transparency.
But in an admission that may belie this spirit, Haridopolos said that he and Scott discussed delaying action on the DMS bill in a private suite at Saturday night’s Florida State University football game. The meeting was not noticed by either man’s office, but state law does not require such gatherings to be public.
“You’re going to see, I hope, the governor and Legislature as much as possible in concert,” Haridopolos said. “When the governor-elect expressed concerns about our veto override, he was given every consideration.”
Haridopolos added, “I think the folks in Florida who voted overwhelmingly for our party…want us to work together as much as possible, and do it in a transparent and open way.”
While the DMS bill raised Scott’s hackles, prospects of lawmakers overriding Crist’s veto of the prescription drug bill drove a wedge between major Republican Party donors, with business groups and health organizations renewing the fight they had during the spring session.
Crist’s veto was supported by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), a Democratic ally, but also by the Florida Medical Association and Florida Orthopedic Society – reliable Republican supporters.
Also supporting Crist’s veto was Automated Healthcare Solutions, a Miramar company headed by a pair of doctors, Paul Zimmerman and Gerald Glass, who later gave more than $1 million to political spending committees headed by Haridopolos and Cannon.
The company provides software that helps doctors dispense and manage patient prescriptions, a profitable sidelight for many doctors.
The legislation vetoed by Crist would have imposed new restrictions on doctors’ “repackaging” and distributing prescriptions to workers’ compensation patients, lowering costs to the state and private companies, but also threatening Automated Healthcare’s services.
Associated Industries of Florida, which pushed for the legislation along with losing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, said it could have saved private companies $34 million in workers’ compensation costs.
The FMA and Orthopedic Society revived the tug-of-war Monday with a letter to Cannon and Haridopolos, warning the legislation remained, “just as flawed, and that injured workers may be adversely affected and the ability of physicians to dispense medications may be significantly limited.”
Cannon said the dispute scuttled the override attempt planned for Tuesday.
“In the lobby corps there has emerged this debate and discussion and controversy….if there’s that much debate and disagreement, that’s the type of thing that should be run through the entire committee process and should come back in regular session,” Cannon said.
Bills still set for override are HB 545, HB 569, HB 981, SB 1516, HB 1565, SB 1842 and HB 1385. Included among them is one (HB 981) that would allow those buying farmland to retain existing agricultural property tax exemptions, while tripling a one-cent citrus box fee to raise $3 million for industry research – a fee hike anti-tax lawmakers defend, saying it is supported by growers.
Another measure would restore a $9.7 million budget item vetoed by Crist for Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville, which would serve an additional 18,000 uninsured Floridians and make the state eligible for another $12 million in Medicaid matching money.
While Haridopolos and Cannon said they intended to only deal with legislation that had drawn a consensus, several of Tuesday’s measures have sparked controversy.
A leading environmental group, Audubon of Florida, has urged legislative leaders to leave alone Crist’s veto of a measure (HB 1565) giving lawmakers more control over a wide range of agency rules. The legislation is designed to block state agencies from imposing rules that could blunt business competitiveness or slow economic growth.
Lawmakers also are ready to restore some spending provisions that may clash with Scott’s campaign themes of cutting state spending.
Along with the Shands’ funding, lawmakers are looking to draw $31.3 million in federal stimulus money to pay energy rebates owed thousands of Floridians who installed qualified air-conditioning systems or made solar energy improvements.
During the campaign, Scott railed against the Obama administration over federal stimulus spending, which he called wasteful and contributing to the nation’s mounting debt.
By John Kennedy
The News Service Florida
Gulf Power Gets New President
November 16, 2010
Susan Story, who has served as Gulf Power president and CEO since 2003, has been named president and CEO of Southern Company Services in Atlanta. She will be succeeded by Mark A. Crosswhite who is currently executive vice president, external affairs, for Southern Company’s Alabama Power subsidiary.
“Both Susan and Mark are representative of what makes our company so strong,” said Tom Fanning, Southern Company president. “Talented, experienced, versatile leaders who understand our business and bring an enthusiasm and vision to meeting the challenges ahead.”
Crosswhite, who becomes Gulf Power’s 15th president, joined Southern Company in 2004 as senior vice president and general counsel for the company’s generation organization. He later was named senior vice president and general counsel for Alabama Power before moving into his current executive role in external affairs. Prior to joining Southern Company, Crosswhite was a partner with the Balch & Bingham law firm in Birmingham, Ala.
Crosswhite serves on the board of directors for Baptist Health Foundation, the University of Alabama School of Law Foundation and the Birmingham Business Alliance, as well as the board of the Laps for CF Foundation. He also is vice-chair of the Electricity Committee of the Public Utility, Communications and Transportation section of the American Bar Association. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Huntsville and earned his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law.
In her new role, Story will oversee numerous areas, including human resources, information technology, procurement, marketing services and the company’s wireless subsidiary, SouthernLINC. Story also will be responsible for Southern Company’s evolving strategy around the development and deployment of “smart” technologies. She will take on a leadership role in the company’s multiple efforts to deploy new and emerging technologies as it seeks to transform traditional generation sources, develop new renewable sources and enhance energy efficiency programs.
Since Story joined Southern Company in 1982 as a nuclear power plant engineer, she has served in numerous capacities with increasing responsibilities, including executive vice president, engineering and construction services, and vice president, supply chain management, at Southern Company, and vice president, real estate and corporate services at Alabama Power.
Story currently is on the Florida Board of Education, chairs the Florida Council of 100 and is immediate past chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, as well as past vice-chair of Enterprise Florida and chair of Enterprise Florida Strategic Council. She serves on the boards of Raymond James Financial, Inc., James Madison Institute, the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.
She has an industrial engineering degree from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also has completed executive education programs at Duke University and Oxford University, along with international business studies at Cambridge University and leadership studies at Harvard University.
The leadership transition will become effective on January 1.
Evers, Gaetz Named To Committee Chair Posts
November 16, 2010
Northwest Florida’s senators were tapped to chair committees Monday by Senate President Mike Haridopolos as the chambers organize themselves for the 2011 Legislative Session.
Republican Greg Evers of Baker, who is moving over from the House to the Senate District 2, was named chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee. District 4 Senator Don Gaetz was name chairman of the Reapportionment committee.
The Republican from Niceville was also named chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development.
“Selecting committee chairs has been a member driven process,” Haridopolos said in a statement. “I took great strides in placing senators on committees they wanted to serve on.”
Chairmanships announced Monday included:
- Agriculture: Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando.
- Communications, Energy and Public Utilities: Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Wellington
- Community Affairs: Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton
- Environmental Preservation and Conservation: Sen. Charles Dean, R-Inverness
- Banking and Insurance: Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples
- Commerce and Tourism: Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice
- Regulated Industries: Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole
- Transportation: Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Tampa
- Children, Families and Elder Affairs, Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Brandon
- Criminal Justice: Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker
- Education K-12: Sen Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville
- Health Regulation: Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Miami
- Higher Education: Sen. Steve Oelrich, R-Gainesville
- Judiciary: Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami
- Subcommittee on Ethics and Elections: Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami
- Government Oversight and Accountability: Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate
- Military Affairs, Space and Domestic Security, Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera
- Reapportionment: Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville
- Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations: Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey
- Subcommittee on Finance and Tax, Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale
- Subcommittee on General Government Appropriations Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla
- Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Appropriation: Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart
- Subcommittee on PreK-12 Appropriations: Sen, David Simmons, R-Orlando
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development: Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
- Rules Committee: Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine
- Budget Committee: Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales.
Joint Committees: Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa.
Beverly Burgess Owens
November 15, 2010
Beverly Burgess Owens, 28, of Brewton passed away at home on Saturday, November 13th from and extended illness. She graduated in 2000 from T.R. Miller High School, attended Auburn University and graduated from the University of West Florida with a degree in advertising. She was a member of Century United Methodist Church and was employed by Bank Trust of Brewton.
Burgess is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jennings Lambert (Bo) Owens II and a brother, Jennings Lambert (Tripp) Owens III of Brewton. She is also survived by her grandmothers, Mrs. Jennings Lambert Owens of Brewton and Mrs. Julian Kohl Ptomey of Flomaton, aunts and uncles, Mrs. Gail Liles and Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Saloom of Brewton, Mr. Julian Ptomey of Livingston, Miss Karla Ptomey of Flomaton and Mr. and Mrs. Brooks Owens of Laurel, MS and cousins, Traci Hughes of Brewton, Mary Margaret Stephenson of Birmingham, Steven Godwin of Jay, FL, Teresa Pugh of Pensacola, FL and Alexa and Avery Owens of Laurel, MS.
She was preceded in death by her grandfathers, Mr. Jennings Lambert Owens of Brewton and Mr. Julian Kohl Ptomey of Flomaton and uncle, Dr. Robert Russell Smith of Brewton.
Visitation was held Monday, November 15, 2010 at 4:30 at Century United Methodist Church with memorial service following at 6:00. Charitable Donations can be made to St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital.
Frances Arlene Holt
November 15, 2010
Mrs. Frances Arlene Holt, age 72, passed away Friday, November 12, 2010 in a Pensacola hospital.
Mrs. Holt was born in Atmore, and had lived in the Flomaton area since 1954. She was a member of the Flomaton High School graduating class of 1956, and served as a substitute teacher in the Flomaton school system. She was a member of Little Escambia Baptist Church. Mrs. Holt was preceded in death by a daughter, DeLisa Holt.
She is survived by her husband, Mr. Douglas Ray Holt of Flomaton; a son, Mike (Lisa) Holt of Flomaton; brother, Edward (Joyce) Brown of Atmore; one grandchild, Lauren Holt of Flomaton; and numerous nephews, nieces and other family and friends.
Funeral Services were scheduled for Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 2 p.m. graveside at Little Escambia Baptist Church Cemetery with Rev. Doug Hogg Officiating.
Flowers are being accepted or donations may be made to St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital or to Cancer Research.
Driver Cited After Highway 99 Crash With Injuries
November 15, 2010
Two people were injured in a two vehicle wreck Friday night in Molino, including the driver of a vehicle charged in connection with the accident.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Richard Daniel Brown, Jr., 52, of McDavid was northbound on Highway 99 near Crabtree Church Road about 8:30 p.m. when he lost control of his 2001 Chevrolet pickup. Brown crossed into path of a northbound 2007 Pontiac driven by Samantha Elizabeth Luker, 22, of Molino. After the initial collision, Brown’s pickup overturned onto its left side.
Luker was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition. Her passenger, Holly Lynn Digmon, 24, of McDavid, received minor injuries and was not transported to the hospital. Brown received minor injuries and was transported to West Florida Hospital.
Brown was charged with careless driving, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. According to the FHP, everyone involved in the accident was wearing a seat belt, and alcohol was not a factor in the accident.
The Molino and Walnut Hill Stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the crash, along with Escambia County EMS.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Special Weather Statement
November 15, 2010
A line of strong thunderstorms will affect southern Escambia and
central Baldwin counties in southwest Alabama…northern Escambia and
northwestern Santa Rosa counties in northwest Florida…through 145
PM CST…
At 1238 PM CST…National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a
line of strong thunderstorms along a line extending from 6 miles
northwest of Flomaton to 13 miles northwest of Molino to Loxley…and
moving east at 30 mph.
These strong thunderstorms will be near…
Flomaton around 1250 PM CST…
Century around 1255 PM CST…
Pollard around 100 PM CST…
Jay around 105 PM CST…
East Brewton…Jay…Riverview around 110 PM CST…
Dixonville around 115 PM CST…
This includes Interstate 10 in Alabama between mile markers 35 and
54.
The primary threats from these storms are wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph.
Winds this strong could blow off tree limbs and also blow around
small unsecured objects. Isolated…brief…tornadoes are possible.
Seek shelter until these storms have passed.
Tornado Warning Canceled
November 15, 2010
A tornado warning in effect for North Escambia and the Atmore areas has been canceled.
The National Weather Service in Mobile has issued a radar indicates that rotation within the storm has diminished significantly. Heavy rainfall and gusty winds will continue with this
storm as it moves across northern Escambia County Florida and southern Escambia County Alabama.
More Rain Tonight, Some Storms Possible
November 15, 2010
More showers and thunderstorms are possible into this evening.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 63. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
- Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of rain, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 74. West wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 68. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 67. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 36. North wind around 5 mph.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind around 5 mph becoming east.
- Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 39.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.