2010 Persons Of The Year: Educator Peter R. (Pete) Gindl, Sr.
January 5, 2011
NorthEscambia.com is naming Persons of the Year for 2010 each day this week. Click here for previous recipients.
Peter R. (Pete) Gindl, Sr. of Barrineau Park has posthumously been named one of our North Escambia Persons of the Year.
Gindl was fresh out of college back in 1957 when friends first convinced the political newcomer to run for the school board. He was a product of the Escambia School District and a graduate of Auburn. But he really did not know much about the office that was about to propel him into a lifelong quest to help children succeed.
“I was just fresh out of college, a single fellow, when a group of friends convinced me to run for the school board. I had a college education, and the other guy did not,” Gindl said in a 2008 NorthEscambia.com interview. “I didn’t know anything about the school board, but I ran. And I won — by 36 votes.”
Election after election, he continued to win, remaining on the school board for twenty years before deciding to “retire” and teach. He then spent 18 years in the classroom before “retiring” from teaching in 1996. While he supported the family as a farmer (he held an agricultural education degree, after all) for nearly 50 years, the second retirement was not forever. Education was just in his blood somewhere.
In 2004, the Escambia County native returned to the school board in District 5, ousting Linda Finkelstein from her seat. Gindl had plans to return to the board for another term in 2008, but District 5 voters had another plan, as they elected Bill Slayton to Gindl’s seat.
In all, the man that fought tirelessly for the children of District 5 and all of Escambia County spent 24 years on the Escambia County School Board — 16 years as chairman. He also served a year and a half as president of the Florida School Board Association.
But he considered his 18 years in the classroom as the most rewarding period of his career.
“I’m going to miss it,” he said in November, 2008, just hours before his school board term officially came to an end. “I’ll miss working with the parents, the educational personnel, everyone that cares about the kids. It has always been about the children…I just love the children.”
Gindl passed away May 16, 2010.
Man Gets 20 Years For Robbery, Stolen Steaks In His Pants
January 5, 2011
An Escambia County man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for attempting to steal a pack of steaks he had hidden inside his pants.
State Attorney Bill Eddins said Tuesday that Stephen Trevor Montgomery was sentenced as a habitual felony offender to 20 years in state prison by Judge Ronald Swanson.
On November 23, 2010, Montgomery was found guilty by an Escambia County jury of robbery with a weapon, improper exhibition of a weapon, battery, and trespassing.
On March 30, 2010, Montgomery attempted to leave the Barnes Supermarket with a family pack of steaks he put down the front of his pants. The victim, a loss prevention officer at the store, reached for the steaks when the defendant grabbed him by his wrists and the two began to struggle. The victim followed Montgomery outside where defendant pulled a knife and pointed it at him. The defendant ran from the area and was apprehended a short time later.
Montgomery had been previously convicted of seven felonies and fourteen misdemeanors, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Help Needed To Count The Homeless In Escambia, Santa Rosa
January 5, 2011
The EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless needs your help to count the homeless in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties later this month.
The organization needs at least 100 volunteers to help with the annual Escambia/Santa Rosa Point-in-Time Count and Homeless Survey to be conducted January 26 and 27. Volunteers are needed throughout the two counties, including the northern areas like North Escambia.
Some of the volunteers will help persons in homeless shelters complete the annual survey forms, while other volunteers will seek out the homeless in other areas, including the outdoors.
For more information, or to sign up to help, visit www.ecoh.org. The deadline to apply is January 9.
The complete count is used by area officials to obtain government and private foundation money to aid the homeless.
Mrs. Rosie Lee “Rose” Patrick
January 5, 2011
Mrs. Rosie Lee “Rose” Patrick age 73,of Brewton, passed away Monday afternoon January 3, 2011, at her residence after an extended illness. Mrs. Patrick was a native and former resident of Escambia County, Florida, before moving to Brewton two years ago. She was a retired waitress and cashier for Circle Doughnuts in Pensacola at which she worked for 36 years. She attended the Potter’s House Apostolic Church.
Survivors included one son, Eddie (Marie) Ramer of Brewton; two Daughters, Ann Sloan of Brewton, Ala; Rose Mary (Douglas) Stevens of Pace, Fl; two brothers, Joe Patrick of Pensacola and Alton Patrick of Pensacola; five sisters, Diane Smith and Jeanette Testone of Pensacola, Catherine Cofield of Century, Margie Patrick of Mobile, Marilyn of Pensacola; nine grandchildren including a special granddaughter, Sherry Smith; 19 great grandchildren; numerous other family and friends.
Mrs. Patrick was preceded in death by her husband, James Ramer; parents Joe and Wilma Patrick; daughter Marie Sims; and sister Alonia Kimbell.
Visitation will be held Saturday morning January 8, 2011, from 9 until 10 a.m. service time at Potter’s House Apostolic Church
Funeral services for Mrs. Rosie Lee “Rose” Patrick are scheduled for Saturday morning January 8, 2011 at 10 a.m. at the Potter’s House Apostolic Church with Rev. Clyde Madden and Rev. Stephen Pendleton officiating. Interment will follow in Pilgrim’s Rest cemetery in Molino with Craver’s Funeral Home in Brewton directing.
Sen Greg Evers Looks Forward To Working With New Governor
January 4, 2011
Senator Greg Evers today released the following statement on the inauguration of Governor Rick Scott:
“Today marks a new beginning of conservative leadership in our state that will put job growth and economic recovery first. By focusing singularly on getting Floridians back to work, we will bring brighter days to our great state. I congratulate our 45th Governor, Rick Scott and the Cabinet for their leadership and service to Floridians.
“I look forward to working with Governor Scott and his team to put forward policies and initiatives that build on the conservative foundation established in the Florida Legislature.”
Rick Scott, Lt. Gov. Carroll And Cabinet Sworn In
January 4, 2011
Rick Scott was sworn in Tuesday as Florida’s 45th governor and went to work talking about he plans to create 700,000 jobs in seven years.
Scott told those gathered at Florida’s historic Capital that he understand unemployment because his father was often laid off from work, and his mother often turned to ironing to feed is family.
“I have a very clear memory of their fear and uncertainty as they struggled to provide for five kids,” Scott said in prepared remarks. “So, for me, job creation is a mission. My personal memories fortify my commitment to this mission. There are millions of families across Florida whose future depends on the steps we take to create jobs.”
“America was built on the promise that anyone could succeed who was willing to work hard,” he said.
State agencies are prohibited from making new rules without the approval of a new governor’s office on regulations that will also go back over every state contract over $1 million, under an executive order signed by Scott Tuesday shortly after he took office.
Scott had promised to freeze regulations, saying he heard repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that rules, permitting requirements and bureaucracy were the biggest impediment to Florida employers.
In his inaugural speech on Tuesday, Scott again promised to eliminate red tape, calling regulation, along with taxation and litigation, the “axis of unemployment.”
Also Tuesday, Scott signed another executive order making good on a campaign promise, requiring
state agencies when making new hires to use the E-Verify system, a federal Internet based portal for checking work authorization and Homeland Security information.
That order also requires agencies to include in all state contracts a requirement that contractors and subcontractors also use E-Verify to check anyone employed during the contract term to work on state-related work. Scott also ran on a promise to try to tackle what he said is a lack of enforcement of federal immigration laws, and argued that state government can help by promising not to employ undocumented immigrants.
Scott’s creation of the state Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform was his first official act as governor. He named former Charlie Crist budget staffer Jerry McDaniel to head up the office. In addition to reviewing any regulations before an agency can implement them, the office will also review all existing big contracts.
“I believe Floridians have a right to know where their money is being spent,” Scott said after signing the order.
Scott also signed an executive order re-establishing the Office of Open Government, which was created by Crist, and putting in a place the executive branch’s ethics code, which Scott said would be stronger than the current rules. Scott also ordered a “Special Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer” to review a recent grand jury report on corruption in politics and government to recommend how some of the grand jury’s recommendations might be put in place.
Finally, Scott signed a fourth executive order reaffirming the state’s prohibition on discrimination in hiring and contracting.
But the freeze on regulation was the boldest move, aimed at helping Scott encourage businesses to hire new workers – part of a promise to put 100,000 people a year back to work.
“While there are some regulations that are essential for health and safety, and others that are essential to the protection of our priceless environment, it’s past time to demand that every regulation be re-evaluated,” Scott had said in his inaugural speech shortly before signing the order. “We will conduct a top to bottom review of all state regulations and weed out unnecessary ones that hinder job creation.”
To Read Scott’s full prepared remarks, click here.
Also this morning, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll was sworn in, as were Attorney General Pam Bondi, CFO Jeff Atwater, and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.
Video: Century Town Council January 3, 2011
January 4, 2011
NorthEscambia.com exclusive video from the Century Town Council meeting, January 3, 2011.
Group Wants To Open Century Elementary; Council Questions Plan (With Video)
January 4, 2011
A group wants to return an elementary school to Century — an idea that town leaders are questioning until a formal plan is presented. The town has been without a school since Carver/Century K-8 closed two school years ago.
Leola Robinson (pictured) told the Century Town Council Monday night that her group needs a building for the planned “Century Elementary School”, but she provided little insight into the specifics of the plan.
For video from the meeting, click here.
When asked by Council President Ann Brooks exactly what organization was making plan for the school, Robinson first responded, “The peoples of Century. You want me to bring you all the people that say it was alright?”
Later in her presentation to the town council, Robinson said organization behind the request is the CFIA — the Century-Flomaton Improvement Association.
“We have everything in place; we ready to go,” she said. “The only thing we need now is a building and that’s about all.”
As for funding the “Century Elementary School”, Robinson said it would be funded “through a grant”.
“Have you already applied for the grant?” Brooks (pictured) asked.
“Well, I can say we, we, we are able to take care of the school. All we need is a building,” Robinson replied after a lengthy pause.
She pressed the council for a fast answer, because the CFIA plans to open to the school in August with 20 parents and “more than 20″ students ready for the school.
The school, Robinson said, would likely be private but not charge any tuition, but “we might have to; we don’t know”.
“We want to make sure if the town is participating, whatever we do, that we are doing something that is legal and appropriate,” Brooks said, prompting Robinson to complain that the mayor and council had not done anything about the closure of Carver/Century K-8.
“We are not going to give our children away to be carried way out there for now own forever,” Robinson said, presumably referring to Bratt Elementary School where elementary aged public school children from Century are bused daily. “We are not playing. We never have given up. But we didn’t see the mayor none or council member doing anything about our children.”
“We did try to save our school,” Mayor Freddie McCall (pictured) said. He said that if the group forms a legitimate charter school, the Escambia County School Board would probably allow the group to use the former Carver/Century K-8 building.
“I’d like to go on record to say that we will do everything that we can, legally, on our behalf to do it to help. But there again, it will take a plan that someone can look at and evaluate,” McCall said.
“I think the first thing we would need is a plan,” Brooks said,”…as to what you are proposing and what the funding will be.”
“We are going to have a school in Century,” Robinson said. “We are financially able to do that.”
The council took no action on Robinson’s request Monday night..
For video from the meeting, click here.
Pictured top: Leola Robinson addresses the Century Town Council Monday night. Pictured below: Century residents listen to Robinson. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lap Dance Lands Probation Officer In Trouble
January 4, 2011
Former probation officer Barry Lett of Pensacola entered a guilty plea Monday to one count of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior and one count of battery.
The charges arose from an incident where the defendant compelled the victim to perform a private lap dance in her home in Escambia County, according to the State Attorney’s Office. At the time of the incident, the victim was on probation and being supervised by Lett.
Judge Michael Allen scheduled sentencing for January 28, 2011. Lett faces up to 21 months in state prison.
Full Text: Florida Governor Rick Scott Inaugural Address
January 4, 2011
The following is Florida Governor Rick Scott’s Inaugural Address as prepared and formatted for delivery:
Thank you!
Governor Crist, thank you for your graciousness.
Mr.President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Cabinet, Mr. Chief Justice and members of the Supreme Court.
Distinguished guests and my fellow Floridians.
We gather today to talk about Florida’s future.
To assess where we are…
To define where we want to go…
And to plan how to get there.
Clear goals and hard work can achieve amazing things.
The giant oak trees that surround us here
ARE what they ARE
Because acorns had a plan.
Once we take the right steps, I am absolutely convinced that Florida will become the most exciting place in the world to live and work.
Let’s begin by facing squarely the challenge of our time-a stalled economy.
This morning more than a million Floridians got out of bed and faced another day of unemployment.
For months they’ve searched for work.
They fill out applications.
They beg for interviews.
They face rejection after rejection.
Many are people who once earned a good living on a construction site.
When the economy stalled, building stopped,
and they found themselves with skills,
but no degree and no job.
Some are young adults who got a degree and were eager to get started on their lives, but they couldn’t find a job, and they’ve had to move back home.
Others are middle-aged adults who had been steadily employed for years– and then lost their jobs almost overnight .
Unemployed parents struggle
to put on a brave face for their children,
but it’s hard to hide
the fact…
that the wolf is at the door.
For ALL the unemployed, life without a paycheck is a desperate daily scramble to provide the basics.
I’ve been a child in a home like that.
My father was often laid off…
My mother took in ironing just so we could have food on the table…
I have a very clear memory of their fear and uncertainty as they struggled to provide for five kids…
So, for me, job creation is a MISSION.
My personal memories fortify my commitment to this mission.
There are millions of families across Florida whose future depends on the steps we take to create jobs.
America was built on the promise that anyone could succeed who was willing to work hard…
But, when our economy falters and jobs disappear, that American promise seems hollow.
Left uncorrected, high unemployment creates a spiral down into hopelessness.
WE WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN IN FLORIDA.
Faced with a deep recession, some say the answer is to expand the role of Government.
That’s the approach the Administration chose to take in Washington.
It’s the WRONG approach.
It requires magical thinking to expect Government to create prosperity.
Government has no resources of its own.
Government can only give TO us what it has previously taken FROM us—minus a huge cut for the government middleman
A lean and limited Government has a role to play in providing a safety net.
But prosperity comes from the private sector.
ONLY from the private sector.
The only path to better days is paved with new private sector jobs.
In my own life, my first jobs were low-paying, but they gave me a toe-hold on the future.
They taught me self-discipline.
They gave me self-respect.
They made me a productive citizen rather than a dependent.
The availability of those first jobs is essential for steady improvement in the lives of young Floridians.
But those entry-level jobs are not enough.
The availability of BETTER jobs is the key to long-term prosperity.
Florida has to develop a broader-based economy with a wider diversity of employment opportunities.
Our incredible natural resources,
our wonderful climate, our beautiful beaches have given us competitive advantages in agriculture and tourism.
We have a long history as a critical national resource for the support and training of our military and the manufacture of defense related materials .
Those sectors will always be the bedrock of our economy. But we have to capture the full spectrum of business activities.
We need to manufacture more things in Florida.
We need to capitalize on our geographical location as the natural connector and distribution hub for the growing economies of Central and South America.
We need to become the premier location for cutting edge technology.
The people of Florida elected me to get this state back to work…
And I believe in this mission.
We have hard -working people who desperately want jobs.
We have energetic entrepreneurs with plenty of ideas…
And persuadable investors with ready cash.
All that’s been missing is the determination to create the most favorable business climate in the world.
We have to remember that modern businesses can locate anywhere.
If the conditions Florida offers aren’t the best, businesses go elsewhere.
What does it take to create that favorable business climate?
Florida has to offer the best chance for financial success.
Not a guarantee -just the best chance.
Three forces markedly reduce that chance for success—
taxation…
regulation…
and litigation.
Together those three form “The Axis of Unemployment”.
Left unchecked they choke off productive activity.
Florida has wisely refused to impose an income tax.
Under my plan we’ll eliminate the business tax and reduce the property tax.
The State of Florida raises enough revenues to meet its needs.
It should focus on spending those revenues smarter, setting better priorities and demanding more accountability.
We’ll also re-examine every regulation to make sure its benefits outweigh its costs.
Unless they are pruned.
Regulations grow like weeds.
While there are SOME regulations that are essential for health and safety, and others that are essential to the protection of our priceless environment, it’s PAST TIME to demand that every regulation be re-evaluated.
We will conduct a top to bottom review of all state regulations and weed out unnecessary ones that hinder job creation.
Today, I will sign an Executive Order creating a state office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory reform to review all proposed and existing regulations to determine their impact on job creation.
Every Floridian should have the right to access the court system for redress of harm.
But, we will not allow excessive lawsuits to strangle job creation.
And we WILL NOT ALLOW a small group of predatory lawyers to stalk the business community in search of deep pockets.
In the absence of serious tort reform, Florida will lose opportunities for job growth.
No special interest group can be allowed to triumph over the goal of full employment.
Job creators need to know that the State Government of Florida stands ready to work WITH them,
Not against them.
It’s important to recruit companies from around the world, it’s even MORE important to support the home-grown successes in our own backyard.
Small businesses are incredibly effective weapons against unemployment.
But SMALL businesses are also the most vulnerable to poorly drawn regulations and endless delays in permitting.
Interaction between business owners and their government should not be confined to demands for fees and forms and permits.
Our main message to potential job creators will be
“How can we help you succeed?”
Private sector jobs grow in places where public sector spending is kept within bounds.
All of us who are lucky enough to have a job working for the people of Florida have a duty to watch over state spending with great vigilance.
Floridians have entrusted us with their tax dollars.
They worked hard to earn those dollars.
They badly need their money for other things.
We must treat those resources with the respect they deserve
And keep our demands to a minimum.
We will require accountability budgeting in state government and force each and every state department to justify its spending and performance every year.
Once we take the right steps, Florida will become the most exciting place in the world to live and work.
Let’s commit today to make Florida the premier location for Innovation.
Let’s encourage the modern tinkerers…
The out-of-the box thinkers…
Let’s become THE place in the world where high quality research can be translated into high quality jobs in record time.
Let’s make it easy to build and grow a business in Florida…
So that new enterprises will compete with each other for space.
Let’s tell the world
[look straight ahead]
“If you can dream it, it’s EASY to make it HAPPEN in Florida”
Why NOT?
After all, we have always been the destination for dreamers.
The place where someone with a big new idea could give it a try.
Railroads into the wilderness…
A magic kingdom…
A trip to the moon…
Freedom from a foreign tyrant…
Better health,
Life without winter.
Large and small,
Dreams are the stuff that Florida is made of.
While we set about becoming the best place in the country to create jobs, we’ll also take a fresh look at education and health care.
Few things matter as much to us as our health care and the education of our children.
It’s time to offer Floridians more choices, more opportunity to select the services they need.
Why should we cling to models created in another century?
Why should we allow bureaucracies to make our decisions for us?
Floridians differ in their dreams for their children.
Every child is unique, and every child can learn.
We need an education system that offers the maximum amount of choice.
A system focused entirely on what’s best for individual student learning.
We can’t create a workforce for the future with an education model that’s stuck in the past.
To capture the world’s best jobs, we’ll need to offer the world’s best-educated workforce.
In the health sector, top-down government programs treat patients like interchangeable parts on an assembly line.
But patients want to be treated as individuals…
Choosing their own doctors and making their own decisions in consultation with those doctors.
Increasingly, bureaucrats are trampling all over that key relationship, setting arbitrary limits and stifling innovation, without regard to the priorities of patients.
The very wealthy will always have plenty of options.
But most Floridians…
Have far too little say in how their children
are educated
or how health care services are provided.
NONE of this is written in stone.
All that’s missing is the courage to change.
Here’s how we’ll move toward better services.
First, we’ll refuse to allow increased government intrusion in these areas.
We’ll put FLORIDIANS back in the driver’s seat with increased use of free markets.
Because when government does the buying, government chooses what services are available.
The truth is…
he who pays the piper calls the tune.
We want EVERY Floridian to be in a position to call the tune.
We’ll also apply some of the key tools that private businesses use to create a culture of constant improvement.
We’ll measure everything…
We’ll implement changes based on what we learn from those measurements.
And, most importantly…
We’ll hold everyone accountable.
No job-
public or private —should be immune from accountability.
In the coming days, we’ll begin to put our plans into action.
Entrenched special interests may try to protect the status quo. But I have been given the great honor of serving ALL the people of Florida…
And I am determined to do everything I can…
To make real and lasting improvements in the lives of my fellow Floridians.
I believe that each of us is responsible
to our Maker
for what we do
with the time allotted
to us on this Earth.
Recognizing that my Maker is watching over my service as Governor,
I will be RESOLUTE in seeking bold, positive change.
In the last few years, Floridians have had a tough time.
High unemployment and declines in our housing market have left a trail of destruction as bad as any hurricane.
But EVERY generation of Floridians has faced tough challenges.
In the 1880s yellow fever hollowed out entire communities.
In the Depression of the 1930’s, more than one in five families required relief funds to survive.
In the 1940’s, over a quarter of a million Floridians served in uniform, and their worried families were sometimes short of basic necessities.
In every decade we’ve had to rebuild after horrific hurricanes.
After adversity, Floridians always come back stronger.
Our current problems are absolutely solvable and our future is in our own hands.
WE ARE RESILIENT PEOPLE…
Whether our national government takes the right steps or not,
Here in Florida,
we have what we need
to make the next four years
the most exciting time
in our history.
This is the right time to act.
Shakespeare put it this way: “There is a tide in the affairs of men Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.”
I believe this is high tide.
This is the time we can do great things together…
If we have the courage to act, our children and our grandchildren will someday thank us for it.
May God Bless the Great State of Florida.
Let’s get to work.