Century Expects $603K Grant For Drainage Improvements
July 7, 2015
The Town of Century expects to be awarded a $603,250 grant for drainage system improvements.
Community Development Block Grant Emergency Set-Aside assistance funds were made available following the April 2014 flooding event in Escambia County. As the only small municipality in Escambia County, Century is the only eligible grant applicant, according to Robin Phillips, town consultant, because the City of Pensacola exceeds grant limits.
The town is proposing several drainage improvements with the grant funds, all of which may not be possible within the funding limits:
- Replacement and extension of the existing drainage culverts at the intersection of Zion and Jackson streets to correct a flooding problem.
- Replace the culvert across George Avenue, about 200 feet west of the intersection of West Pond Street and George Avenue.
- Construction of an outfall from the back of the town-owned building leased to Century Pharmacy, connected to an existing drainage ditch.
- Construction of about 350 feet of curb with flumes along Hilltop Road from Red Lane west to Hilltop and Alger road intersection.
- Construction of about 300 feet or curb with flumes along Jefferson Avenue from Barnwell Lane northeast.
In addition, a Citizens Advisory Task Force recommended the possible addition of drainage improvements along Jefferson Avenue, just east of Harley Lane. This project can replace one of the other five projects or be added as an alternate.
The grant timetable calls for a letter of intent to be submitted by July 9, with construction to begin in December or January.
Pictured top: (L-R) Mayor Freddie McCall and council members Gary Riley, Ann Brooks, Sandra McMurray Jackson and Ben Boutwell listen to counsultant Robin Phillips (standing) during Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Three Men Charged With Raping Autistic Teen
July 7, 2015
Three people have been charged with the alleged rape of an autistic juvenile.
Roderick Dewayne Billings, 42, Jorge Gonzalez-Zuazua, 36 and Allen Joel Weeden, were each charged with unlawful sexual activity against a juvenile. “The victim suffers from autism which affects her mentally and renders her unable to make clear and concise decisions for herself,” according to a press release from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
All three were booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
The alleged incident occurred sometime between the months of October 2014 and April 2015, the ECSO said.
Man Charged With Abusing Horse Appears In Court; Has Name Corrected
July 7, 2015
A Molino man charged with animal cruelty in connection with a horse seized from a Molino property earlier this year was in court Monday.
Daniel Franklin Barrett, Jr., 36, appeared at an arraignment hearing before Judge Joyce Williams, but his arraignment was postponed until July 13.
He was originally arrested and charged as Daniel Barrett Francis, but the court took action to correct his name to Daniel Franklin Barrett, Jr. The name error was made in the judicial system, not due to any intentional act on Barrett’s part, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Escambia County Animal Control and Panhandle Equine Rescue seized the horse from the 6000 block of Cedartown Road last February. According to a report provided by the State Attorney’s Office, the horse was being kept at a home under construction with insufficient food and water available on a daily basis. The report states that there was a water trough available to the horse, but it was full of about six inches of water that was not potable and contained algae and remnants of rotten hay.
There was also no shelter available for the horse, the report states.
Barrett was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $500 bond.
Molino, Walnut Hill Fire Volunteers Train With Lifeguard Helicopter Crew
July 7, 2015
The volunteer members of the Molino and Walnut Hill stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue held a joint training meeting Monday with the crew of Lifeguard 1 behind the Molino Fire Station. The Lifeguard air ambulance is based in Santa Rosa County, but often responded to calls in Escambia County. NorthEscambia.com photos by Bethany Reynolds, click to enlarge.
Medical Malpractice Caps Take Another Hit
July 7, 2015
The case started with a dental assistant who went into surgery for carpal-tunnel syndrome and ended up suffering a perforated esophagus.
Now, nearly eight years later, the case could be another blow to a controversial 2003 law that limited the amounts of money injured patients can receive in medical-malpractice cases.
A South Florida appeals court ruled last week that the law’s limits on pain-and-suffering damages — known in legal parlance as non-economic damages — are unconstitutional in personal-injury cases, such as the case of Susan Kalitan, who was injured after tubes were inserted into her mouth and esophagus as part of an anesthesia process.
The 4th District Court of Appeal’s decision followed a Florida Supreme Court opinion last year that similarly rejected the malpractice law’s limits on non-economic damages in wrongful-death cases. The appeals court cited the Supreme Court’s opinion and said the damage limits violate equal-protection rights under the state Constitution.
The 14-page decision, issued by a three-judge panel of the appeals court, said the “caps are unconstitutional not only in wrongful death actions, but also in personal injury suits as they violate equal protection. … Whereas the caps on non-economic damages in (the section of state law) fully compensate those individuals with non-economic damages in an amount that falls below the caps, injured parties with non-economic damages in excess of the caps are not fully compensated.”
The ruling, written by appeals-court Judge Alan Forst and joined by Chief Judge Cory Ciklin and Judge W. Matthew Stevenson, said the appeal presented an issue of “first impression,” which means it is the first time the constitutional question has been decided. Defendants in the case can ask for a rehearing or appeal.
Then-Gov. Jeb Bush signed the medical-malpractice law in 2003 after a fierce, months-long political battle about limiting non-economic damages. Physicians, hospitals and their legislative supporters argued that the caps were needed because of soaring malpractice-insurance costs. But opponents, including plaintiffs’ attorneys, contended that limiting damages was unfair to injured patients.
Under the law, damages were capped at different amounts, depending on factors such as the numbers of claimants in lawsuits and the types of defendants. For example, part of the law included $500,000 and $1 million damage caps for physicians, with lower amounts when the cases involve emergency care.
Kalitan filed the malpractice case in 2008 in Broward County and named a series of defendants, including the North Broward Hospital District, an anesthesiologist, a certified registered nurse anesthetist and a company that contracted to provide anesthesiologists and staff to the hospital district.
A brief filed in the appeals court by Kalitan’s attorneys said anesthesia was used to put her “to sleep” for the outpatient carpal-tunnel surgery. When she awoke, she complained of chest and back pain but was later sent home. The brief said she was rushed to the hospital the next day, with an infection from the perforated esophagus and had to undergo chest and neck surgery. She was place in a drug-induced coma for three weeks while recovering.
A jury awarded Kalitan about $4.7 million, with $4 million of that in non-economic damages, according to court records. But a circuit judge, applying the caps from the 2003 law, reduced the non-economic damages award by about $2 million, which included amounts to be paid by various parties and a finding that Kalitan suffered a “catastrophic injury.” Such a finding can lead to larger damage amounts than in other malpractice cases.
In court briefs, attorneys for the defendants vehemently argued that the case did not meet the legal definition of a catastrophic injury.
But the appeals-court ruling focused on the broader constitutionality of the damage limits, saying that so “long as the caps discriminate between classes of medical malpractice victims, as they do in the personal injury context (where the claimants with little non-economic damage can be awarded all of their damages, in contrast to those claimants whose non-economic damages are deemed to exceed the level to which the caps apply), they are rendered unconstitutional by (last year’s Supreme Court opinion), notwithstanding the Legislature’s intentions.”
The court ordered reinstatement of the jury’s original damage award, though it noted that the final amount could be reduced because the North Broward Hospital District has “sovereign immunity.” That legal concept limits damages in lawsuits against government agencies.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Kittens Recovering After Being Tossed From SUV; Woman Charged
July 7, 2015
A Santa Rosa County woman was arrested after allegedly throwing kittens out of her SUV, and authorities said late Monday that all of the kittens are doing just fine.
Santa Rosa deputies responded to the area of Highway 87 and Grady Tolbert Road after witnesses reported a woman in a black Infinity SUV throwing several small kittens out of the window of the moving vehicle.
The driver, identified as Veronica F. Gordon of Navarre, admitted to the allegations, deputies said. She was released from the Santa Rosa Count Jail on a $5,000 bond after being charged with felony animal cruelty.
Deputies remained in the area to search for the kittens, all of which were eventually located with the help of local citizens. Dr. Natalie Dyson of the St. Francis Veterinary clinic checked the kittens, aged 5-6 weeks, and reported that all four will be fine.
Escambia Sgt. Ted Roy Announced Candidacy For Santa Rosa County Sheriff
July 7, 2015
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Ted Roy of Gulf Breeze has announced his candidacy for Santa Rosa County sheriff in the 2016 election.
Roy, a Republican, joined the Escambia Sheriff’s Office as a deputy in 1995 after an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force.
Roy’s involvement within the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has included the SWAT Team, public information officer, Patrol, Community Policing, creator of the Bike Patrol Unit, Crime Stoppers television show, Asset/Forfeiture, and Investigations.
Prior to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Roy was in the United States Air Force for eight years as a security police officer and has a bachelor’s degree in Resource Management from Troy University.
Upon announcement, Roy is excited for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Santa Rosa County. “I am looking forward to applying my leadership abilities and team focus to Santa Rosa County. I feel that there is no greater responsibility than being entrusted with protecting the people of Santa Rosa County.”
Roy is heavily involved in the community serving on numerous boards and organizations including the Pensacola Sports Association, Baptist Hospital Foundation, Florida SWAT Association, and TIP (Trauma Intervention Program). He has served as the race director for the last seven years for the “In Hot Pursuit 5K” (supporting the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch), is a softball coach for girls U10 and U12, and is a graduate of the Greater Pensacola Chamber Leadership Pensacola Class of 2012.
Roy is married to Lisa Roy and combined they have five children, Dylan, Hunter, Sophie, Luke, and Savannah along with German Shepherd Tucker.
Basketball Camp Next Week In Bratt To Feature Former NBA Coach
July 7, 2015
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will host a basketball camp next week with a former NBA, college and high school coach.
The camp for children ages 8-14 will be held July 13-17 from 9 a.m. until noon at the church. Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach will teach kids the fundamentals of basketball and Biblical awareness.
“We are fortunate to get someone of Coach Roger’s talents and achievements to head up this camp” said First Baptist Bratt Student Pastor Tim Hawsey. “He has a unique ability to deal with children, and his love for them is evident.” This is the fourth year the church has offered this camp.
Dutremble is a a retired coach and member of the International Basketball Hall of Fame. He career includes coaching at every level from high school to the NBA, and into international arenas, with a lifetime coaching record of 687-117 and seven national championships. He was selected “Coach of the Year” six times, and served as national team head coach to Belgium, Scotland, and Jordan. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, serving under Paul Westhead and Pat Riley, from 1979-83 and helping the team to three NBA championships with players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The cost is $45 per student with a limited number of scholarships available. The funds are used exclusively to purchase shoes and basketballs for needy children in other countries where Dutremble conducts camps.
For more information, contact Hawsey at (850) 327-6529, church secretary Sherrye Gilman at (850) 327-6529 or stop by the church on Highway 4 just west of Northview High School.
Pictured: Students that participated in a previous basketball camp at the First Baptist Church of Bratt. Inset: Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Lynnwood Maxie Kent
July 7, 2015
On July 4, 2015, following a series of multiple illnesses, Lynnwood Kent, loving husband and father, entered God’s Heavenly Kingdom, leaving a large hole here on earth. A gregarious man with a booming voice, known for his great love of history, antiques, southern architecture, travel and cooking, he made an impression on all who met him.
Lynnwood was born on June 11, 1943, in Pensacola, to M.J. and Avis Foster Kent. He adored his mother, Avis, who taught him to cook and influenced his choice to become a teacher. He graduated from Pensacola High School in 1961 and attended the University of Southern Mississippi, taking a break to live and teach in New Orleans, before earning a Bachelor’s Degree in history and a Master’s Degree in education. He was an educator for 33 plus years in the Escambia County school system, serving as an elementary and middle school teacher, school social worker and elementary principal. He served as principal of Beulah Elementary, West Pensacola Elementary, Longleaf Elementary and McMillian, Judy Andrews and Petree pre-schools. Named Principal of the Year, 1991/1992 by the Escambia County PTA, Lynnwood had a reputation for straight talk, not accepting less than what was best for students and following his conscience regardless of the personal cost. He especially enjoyed working with students with disabilities and welcomed them to his schools with an open heart. Lynnwood left his teaching career when his country called, serving in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam conflict. He was proud to be a disabled American veteran. Lynnwood also enjoyed helping mold future educators mentoring school social work students and senior seminar classes at UWF as an adjunct instructor.
He met the love of his life, wife Traci, later in life, and they spent 20 wonderful years together. He retired in 1998 to become a stay at home father to their two young daughters. He partnered with his mother-in-law to care for his baby girls and was notorious for running to Nanny’s house when it was time for a diaper change! He enjoyed having little ones at the same time as his adult son, Max. Alexandra and Victoria had many adventures with Daddy while Mom was working. He especially enjoyed being mistaken for their grandfather and seeing the surprise on someone’s face when one of them exclaimed “that’s my Daddy”!
He and Traci shared many hours collecting antiques and studying southern history and architecture, passing an appreciation of these on to their daughters. Lynnwood enjoyed traveling with the three of them around the southern and central United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. However, he took the greatest joy from traveling with them to Spain, where he was stationed in the Navy, and sharing his favorite places with them, including the world’s oldest restaurant.
Once his girls were older, he fulfilled a personal dream when he and Traci purchased a 165 year old antebellum home steeped in southern history. He took great pleasure in restoring, renovating, furnishing and enjoying it. He grew to love the slower pace of small-town life and looked forward to living there full-time with Traci until health issues changed his plans. Always a spiritual man, he drew closer to his Lord and Savior as he grew older, and looked forward to eternal life in His kingdom.
He is survived by his wife Traci; daughters, Alexandra and Victoria; son, Max; and two grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank the wonderful staff of Emerald Coast Hospice, West Florida Hospital and Pat Bailey, widow of Lynnwood’s best friend, Jim C. Bailey, for her months of devoted care.
Visitation will be at Faith Chapel North in Cantonment on Friday, July 10, 2015 from 2 – 4 p.m., with the service to follow at 4 p.m. Pastor Jason B. Adams will be officiating.
He will be interred at Corinth National Cemetery in a private service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Emerald Coast Hospice at 1555 N. Palafox St., Pensacola, Florida, 32501 or to West Pensacola Elementary School through the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation, 30 E. Texar Dr., Pensacola, Florida, 32403.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Pensacola, Mobile Split Doubleheader
July 7, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Mobile BayBears split a doubleheader Monday at Hank Aaron Stadium.
In the first game against Mobile, Pensacola closer Zack Weiss earned his team-leading sixth save as Pensacola pulled out an 8-6 victory. The BayBears right fielder Gabriel Guerrero crushed a walk-off, two-run home run deep to left center in extra innings in the second game that gave Mobile a 5-3 victory.
Weiss has saved four games during his past seven appearances. He has now faced 28 batters in his last seven games and struck out 13 batters in eight innings pitched. Weiss has 23 Ks in 21.1 innings this season with the Blue Wahoos.
In the fifth inning of the first game, Pensacola clinched the game, sending nine players to the plate and scoring six runs to take an 8-2 lead over Mobile.
Pensacola loaded the bases with one out when catcher Yovan Gonzalez reached on a fielding error, pitcher Wandy Peralta walked and shortstop Zach Vincej singled.
Blue Wahoos left fielder Jesse Winker walked to score Gonzalez and put Pensacola ahead, 3-2. Pensacola’s second baseman Ray Chang then doubled, his 11th of the year, on a sharp ground ball to left field that cleared the bases, putting the Blue Wahoos up, 6-2.
After a pitching change, first baseman Marquez Smith hit his first triple of the season to score Chang for a 7-2 lead. Smith then scored when right fielder Juan Duran hit a sacrifice fly to center field to go ahead, 8-2.
In the second game Monday, Duran hit a sacrifice fly to center in the sixth inning that scored second baseman Ray Chang and put Pensacola up, 3-1.
However, Mobile came back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie it, 3-3. Left fielder Zach Borenstein doubled to score center fielder Socrates Brito to make the score, 3-2, while first baseman Rudy Flores then singled to score Borenstein and tie the game at 3.
Pensacola’s Winker went 1-3 in the first game with a walk, run and two RBIs. After going 0-1 in the second game, Winker has now hit in nine of his last 11 games, raising his season average to .270.
Meanwhile, Chang, who had three RBIs in the first game, remains one of the hottest hitters on the club. He is currently hitting .353 (6-17) in July after batting .329 in June and .375 in May for the Blue Wahoos.
Smith went 5-7 with a run, triple and RBI in the doubleheader against Mobile and is now hitting .270 this season.
Duran continues to swing a big stick, too, in his six games back with Pensacola after recovering from injury rehab. He’s hitting .333 after going 2-4 with three runs, a double and two RBIs.