FHP Looking For Cantonment Man That Fled Hospital After Nine Mile Crash
August 15, 2018
The Florida Highway Patrol is searching for a Cantonment man that fled from the hospital following a Nine Mile Road crash Wednesday morning.
Brandon Joseph Levy, 35, was traveling north on Old Palafox near Nine Mile Road fleeing the scene of a previous hit and run wreck in a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu when he caused another crash involving four other vehicles, according to the FHP.
Four other drivers – Charles Scott Swenson, 76, of Pensacola, Margaret Louise Voorhees, 86, of Cantonment, Amanda A. Tidwell, 82, of Cantonment, and Marcus Alan Greene, 53, of Pensacola – were not injured.
Levy was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital where he fled on foot and could not be located. He is wanted on charges of hit and run, reckless driving and resisting without violence.
Anyone that knows the whereabouts of Levy is asked to call Trooper Knowles at *FHP, email constanceknowles@flhsmv.gov or call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-TIPS or (877) 433-TIPS.
Pictured: Brandon Joseph Levy of Cantonment in a 2016 photo.
ECSO Identifies Suspect That Caused Tate High Campus To Go Into Lockdown
August 15, 2018
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has identified a suspect that caused the Tate High School campus to go into lockdown Tuesday afternoon.
Deputies responded to a call of a suspicious person armed with a firearm near the school. They said James Edward Jordan, Jr., fled and hid under a mobile home in before being taken into custody on nearby railroad tracks.
Jordan, 34, was charged with obstruction of justice, resisting arrest without violence and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Wednesday with bond set at $3,000.
The Tate High lockdown was after dismissal time, but was a precaution due to students on campus for extra-curricular activities.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Century Accepts Natural Gas Franchise Renewal, Dispute With Pensacola Continues
August 15, 2018
As a deadline approached, Century has officially notified Escambia County that the town will accept the terms of a natural gas franchise renewal.
The City of Pensacola and Pensacola Energy have objected to the franchise renewal as they claimed much of the franchise area as their own.
The Escambia County Commission granted the gas franchise agreement on April 17, giving Century 120 days — until August 15 — to approve. The acceptance period was extended from the standard 60 days in order to give Century and Pensacola Energy time to work out a solution to an ongoing dispute over the franchise territory.
“The Town and the City have indeed been discussing possible means for resolving the territorial dispute, but have not as yet reached an agreement,” Matt Dannheisser, attorney for Century, said in an email. “However, it is my understanding that discussions are ongoing.”
The Century Town Council formally accepted the franchise renewal on May 7, but did not notify the county at that time. “We had held off filing the acceptance in hopes that a resolution with Pensacola would be reached before the acceptance deadline,” Dannheisser wrote.
The Town of Century filed a letter from Mayor Henry Hawkins late last week notifying the county that the town council voted May 7 to accept the agreement. The letter was dated May 3, four days before the council’s actual vote.
“We are are hopeful that a resolution will be reached in short order,” the attorney said.
In 1968, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners granted the Town of Century (then known as the Town of South Flomaton) a franchise to provide natural gas services to citizens in the Century area. The present franchise expires this year.
The commission adopted a new franchise ordinance that provides the Town with the same rights and responsibilities as other county franchises, including payment of a five percent franchise fee. This new franchise will not extend beyond the franchise area previously designated in the 1968 franchise agreement. The renewed franchise will expire in 2048.
But an attorney for the City of Pensacola spoke out against the exclusive franchise before the Escambia County Commission, making a claim that Pensacola Energy already has an exclusive natural gas franchise in North Escambia.
“Since 1993, the City of Pensacola has been providing natural gas service to customers within some of the areas that are in the proposed ordinance that will become an exclusive franchise area for the Town of Century,” attorney Charlie Guyton said. He said Pensacola Energy serves 46 customers within the Century franchise area, adding that service to these customers began after Pensacola in 1992 purchased gas facilities that belonged to the Escambia County Utilities Authorities (now known and the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority) for $1.1 million.
Guyton said ECUA issued an exclusive franchise to the City of Pensacola in “all of Escambia County, Florida, north of 10 Mile Road… other than in the Town of Century and for the benefit of the State of Florida prison system. The City of Pensacola has an exclusive franchise to serve the areas where it has been serving.”
Guyton claimed the Town of Century currently only has a license or a permit, but not a franchise to provide natural gas service.. “It does not have a franchise. If you look at the document, there is no mention of a franchise. It does refer to a permit or license. But more importantly, the rights granted under that document are non-exclusive,” he said.
Pensacola’s attorney also pointed out that Pensacola has paid, and Escambia County has accepted, an estimated $150,000 in franchise fees from the disputed area.
“In 1968, well before ECUA even existed…you (Escambia County) had granted an exclusive franchise to the Town of Century for this territory,”Dannheisser told the county commission in April. “But somehow in 1993, without notice to us, without asking our permission, they started taking our customers.”
He said Century does have a franchise, which is the same as a permit or license.
“They want us to pay them over a half million dollars to buy back the customers that we should already have,” Danneheisser said, customers he contends are paying Pensacola Energy 35 t0 40 percent more than the rate charged by the Town of Century’s gas department.
Guyton said that approval of the exclusive franchise would lead to a territorial dispute that would likely go to the Florida Public Service Commission.
“And it won’t be just an issue of the franchise, but of who has the better ability to serve. And I think that comparison is going to work in favor of the City of Pensacola,” he said.
With the renewal, Century will continue to hold franchise rights from Escambia County to provide natural gas service from the Escambia River westward to almost the Perdido River and from the Alabama state line southward to near Bogia. The franchise area includes Century, Bogia, Byrneville, Bratt, Oak Grove, Walnut Hill and McDavid. Century currently provides gas service only in a portion of their franchise area — near the town limits, south along Highway 29 to and including a portion of Highway 164, west into Byrneville and an area of Bratt.
Pictured top: A “natural gas gate station” that serves the Town of Century, located just off Highway 168 on Poplar Dell Road. Pictured bottom inset: A Pensacola natural gas valve station in Bratt. Pictured below: A map of Century’s natural gas franchise area. NorthEscambia.com photos and courtesy images, click to enlarge.
Rain Chances Going Up
August 15, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10pm and 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75.
Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
New Fire Chief Named Acting Deputy Public Safety Director
August 15, 2018
New Fire Chief Rusty Nail is now acting as deputy public safety director for Escambia County. He will be responsible for the direction of both Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS rather than a chief over each division.
“Both fire and EMS work together pretty much collectively, so instead of multiple people in charge, it will go through a single person to increase our efficiencies,” Public Safety Director Mike Weaver said Tuesday.
“Over the next several months we will be taking a deeper look at how we are organized to ensure that we have the best structure for lines of authority, responsibility, accountability and formal communication,” Weaver said, who notes the growth of Escambia County’s fire and EMS over the past few years.” He said many Escambia Fire-Rescue and EMS personnel will be involved in the evaluations and discussions.
Weaver added that combination paid and volunteer fire department remains a good model for Escambia County, and volunteers will remain in the department’s future.
Nail was named fire chief in April and started work in May. He joine Escambia County with over 26 years of experience as an accomplished chief fire officer including more than 12 years of supervisory and nine years of command-level experience, mostly in a fast-paced, large metropolitan fire department of 17 stations, with over 500 personnel and a budget of up to $100 million.
Nail joined Escambia County from Palm Bay, FL, where he served as the City of Palm Bay Fire Rescue fire chief and emergency manager and previously served as a battalion chief. Nail graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in fire and emergency services management and from Brevard Community College with an Associate of Arts in general studies and Associate of Science in fire science technology.
Prior to his tenure at Palm Bay, Nail worked for the City of Orlando Fire Department for more than 20 years, serving as assistant fire chief, assistant chief of planning, district chief and retiring as the deputy chief. Nail’s experience also includes working as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.
Escambia County’s EMS director resigned at the end of June.
High School Football Ticket Prices Increase
August 15, 2018
Football ticket prices are going up this year for school in Escambia County.
“Tickets for a regular season home game will be increased this year by one dollar to $7,” said Escambia County School District Athletic Director Roger Mayo. It’s the first increase in at least 13 years, despite increased costs to host games.
“Our families are used to paying more at away games and have often asked why we didn’t increase our tickets to match. While we have tried to keep the price down, the reality is, we need this increase to protect our schools from potential financial losses,” Mayo said.
Schools maintain the option of offering pre-sale tickets at the $6 rate.
Over 3,700 Gonzalez Area Voters Have A New Polling Place
August 15, 2018
Over 3,700 voters in the Gonzalez area will have a new polling location on election day.
Precinct 38 will now vote at the Gonzalez Baptist Church at 1590 Pauline Street instead of the Gonzalez United Methodist Church.
Voters cards and letters were mailed the voters notifying them of their new polling place.
The primary election is August 28.
GOP Race For Attorney General Gets Personal
August 15, 2018
With Attorney General Pam Bondi barred from running for another term, former Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Ashley Moody and state Rep. Frank White are locked in an expensive and personally contentious Republican primary fight as they seek to replace her.
White, a freshman legislator who is an executive at chain of family-owned auto dealerships, has used his personal wealth to fire shots at Moody. Among other things, the Pensacola lawmaker has charged that Moody isn’t a fully committed Republican, as she once registered as a Democrat and her family sued President Donald Trump nearly a decade ago for fraud.
Moody, a former prosecutor who stepped down as a judge in April 2017 after just over a decade in the position, has described White as a “car salesman turned politician” with no prosecutorial experience.
Moody professes support for Trump and has received backing from much of the party establishment in the Aug. 28 primary, with Bondi being one of her early supporters.
But Aubrey Jewett, a political-science professor at the University of Central Florida, said White’s ability to self-fund — $2.77 million of White’s own money has gone into the race, plus at least $438,000 more tied to the Sansing auto dealership and family— has allowed the liberal depictions of Moody to reach ears statewide.
“I originally thought Moody sounded like she may be able to take this thing,” Jewett said. “But being the regular establishment favorite doesn’t mean much anymore. It all seems to be where you stand with Donald Trump (more) than anything else. And clearly, White, from his ads, is trying to depict Moody as not Trump enough.”
White repeatedly points out that Moody initially registered to vote, while a teenager, as a Democrat, and donated to the 2002 Democratic gubernatorial campaign of Bill McBride.
White mailers have claimed Moody “fought for lighter sentences” against pedophiles and child pornographers as a prosecutor and judge. Meanwhile, a White campaign video ad states that Moody “was a lifelong Democrat” and that she “personally” sued Trump.
Moody said she changed registration to Republican while in law school, and the $100 contribution to McBride was made after she joined his law firm. As for the Trump lawsuit, her family was among a number of plaintiffs that settled in 2011 after claims of “negligent misrepresentations” by Trump and the Trump Organization over the scuttled plans for the 52-story Trump Tower Tampa condominiums along the Hillsborough River.
The winner of the GOP primary will move on to the Nov. 6 general election and face either state Rep. Sean Shaw of Tampa or consumer attorney Ryan Torrens, who are battling in the Democratic primary. Jeff Siskind, an attorney from Wellington also is running without a party affiliation.
White, 39, is a native of Amarillo, Texas, who received his bachelor’s and law degrees from Southern Methodist University, where he was student body president in 1999-2000, and the student representative to the Board of Trustees.
He initially practiced as an attorney at the firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld before moving to Florida in 2010. He became the chief financial officer and general counsel for the Sansing chain of auto dealerships in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi owned by his wife’s family. A local leader of the Federalist Society, he won election to the state House in 2016. White and his wife, Stephanie, have three sons.
Moody, 43, is from a family with a lengthy history in the legal profession. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting and a law degree from the University of Florida and later a master’s of law in international law at the Stetson University College of Law, she practiced commercial litigation at Holland & Knight.
She later joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a federal prosecutor. Her husband, Justin, is a federal law-enforcement agent. The Moodys have two sons. In 2006, she was elected to the circuit court in Hillsborough County.
With more than $6 million spent by the campaigns and related political committees, the mounting acrimony has elevated what was already one of the biggest races in the primaries.
Moody said she has the background to run the attorney general’s office, which is why she’s drawn the support of Bondi and nearly every top elected law-enforcement official in the state.
“I think voters are looking for a leader, someone that shares their same political and philosophical views,” Moody said. “I’m a conservative, but I’m also someone who has experience prosecuting cases. … There is no question who those in law enforcement support.”
White points to his conservative “track record” as what differentiates him from Moody.
“Voters want a principled conservative that can be trusted to support the president,” White said. “I have a clear voting track record that can be examined. I believe the office is best served by a conservative, and constitutional rule of law is a matter that until my dying breath, as long as the voters trust me, is something I’m going to stand up to fight for.”
Both would follow Bondi by refusing to join a coalition of states suing the Trump administration over the separation of undocumented immigrant families. They also support her decision to take five of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers and four distributors to court.
White and Moody both oppose a measure on the November ballot known as Amendment 4, which, if approved, would automatically restore voting rights to felons who have served their sentences.
Also, they disagree with Bondi over the state’s arguments that a 19-year-old Alachua County woman should not be able to remain anonymous in a National Rifle Association challenge to a new state gun restriction.
The NRA challenged part of a broad school-safety law passed after the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County. The disputed part of the law raises from 18 to 21 the minimum age to buy rifles and other long guns in Florida.
The Alachua County teen has sought to join the lawsuit and remain anonymous. White voted against the law, questioning the new gun restrictions.
“I firmly believe it went too far in infringing on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” White said.
Moody also said she wouldn’t have backed the measure due to the provision related to the age of gun buyers.
“There are, however, parts of the act that I agree with. I support the hardening of our schools, expanding law enforcement’s presence and role on campus, and providing more mental health screening and treatment to students,” Moody said.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Northview Football Teacher Of The Week
August 15, 2018
submitted by The Northview Chiefs
During the football season this year, members of the football team, both Varsity and JV, will be electing a Teacher of the Week based on the teacher’s hard work and dedication to inspiring the football team members in an academic setting.
Each week, we would like to invite the teacher to our pregame meal on Friday (if possible), to talk to the team prior to the game on Friday night and stand on the sideline with the team during the game.
Also, each teacher will receive a Northview football t-shirt.
This week, for the inaugural Teacher of the Week, the senior class voted and we would like to congratulate Mr. Shugart for winning the award!
Mr. Shugart has been extremely valuable to the football team by volunteering his time during the week to tutor the football team after school during the season and encouraging the athletes in class.
It is an honor to have Mr. Shugart represent the football team this week as we prepare to play host to Vernon in the preseason Kickoff Classic on Friday at home! Please come out and support the team in their first home game of the season. On Friday, both JV and Varsity will be playing one half each.
Meet the Chiefs will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at Northview.
Appointees Sought For Escambia County Contractor Competency Board
August 15, 2018
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to serve on the Escambia County Contractor Competency Board. Five applicants will be appointed for service beginning in October 2018.
Escambia County residents interested in serving on the CCB are asked to submit a resume and cover letter to Jennifer Hampton, Director’s Aide, Building Services Department, 3363 West Park Place, Pensacola, Florida, 32505 or jahampton@myescambia.com by the close of business on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018.
All information submitted is a public record, will become a part of the official BCC minutes, and will be subject to public records requests.
The duties of the CCB include accepting contractor applications, administering contractor examinations, and issuing and recording Certificates of Competency and renewals; making an annual report; investigating complaints against contractors; and presiding over contractor disciplinary proceedings. CCB members serve a three-year term and meet the first Wednesday morning of every month for approximately two hours. Members receive $50 per meeting as compensation for their services.
Escambia County Code of Ordinances Sec. 18-56 provides that CCB members shall be appointed from certain representative segments of citizens and professions, including contractors, design professionals, business persons, and lay persons. The Board of County Commissioners is currently seeking the following for membership on the CBB:
- Business Person
- Architect or Engineer
- Three Lay Persons*
*According to the ordinance, a lay person shall not at the time of appointment be, and shall have never previously been, a member or practitioner of a profession regulated by the CCB or a member of any closely related profession. “Closely related profession” includes carpenters, painters, certified building inspectors, commercial construction supervisors, interior designers/decorators, fencers, landscapers, building material suppliers, and construction quality managers.