Florida Moves Forward On Cybersecurity Money
May 31, 2018
Florida submitted paperwork Wednesday to draw down $19.2 million in federal funding to beef up elections cybersecurity.
The Florida Department of State announced the required documents had been sent to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a week after Gov. Rick Scott directed the action.
“Once the department receives the funding, we will work with the Florida Legislature to provide funding to supervisors of elections as well as bolster state efforts to enhance cybersecurity and voting practices prior to November’s elections,” department spokeswoman Sarah Revell said in a prepared statement.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has repeatedly warned of a “level of overconfidence” about the security of the nation’s election system heading into the 2018 elections, met with some county supervisors to discuss security.
“While I have confidence in the competence and commitment of Florida’s election officials, cyber threats sponsored by a nation state are sophisticated and constantly evolving,”Rubio said in a statement. Rubio added he intends to push federal officials to share more information with Florida and other states regarding Russian-sponsored attacks during the 2016 elections.
A day before Scott’s directive on seeking the federal money, Secretary of State Ken Detzner had told reporters that counties shouldn’t expect the money before this year’s elections, as the Legislature — which has already held its 60-day regular session — must approve the spending.
A group of Democratic U.S. House members from Florida had also implored Detzner to apply for the federal money, which is available to Florida as part of $380 million included in a federal spending bill to help states secure election systems. Florida lawmakers have included $1.9 million in the state’s $88.7 billion budget for next fiscal year to establish a network-monitoring security program for the Division of Elections that provides automated alerts about threats, allowing county election officials to respond when data may be at risk.
The Legislature did not provide funding to fulfill the department’s request for five additional full-time employees to serve in cybersecurity positions. Earlier this month, Scott directed Detzner to hire five cybersecurity specialists to work as consultants with county elections officials.
by The News Service of Florida
Susan Fillingim Purvis
May 31, 2018
Susan Fillingim Purvis, age 70, passed peacefully May 30, 2018, after enduring a short illness and a 41-year battle with rheumatoid arthritis. Born in Atmore, AL, she grew up in the Bay Springs, FL, community where her family owned and operated Morris’ General Store. Susan married Gary Purvis on June 19, 1964, and together they own and operate Sugarfoot Farms in Northwest Florida. She loved nothing more than spending time with her family and friends and entertaining them in the home she and Gary built together. No one was a stranger in her home, everyone was always welcome. Susan attended Ernest Ward High School and Pensacola Junior College. When she wasn’t home taking care of the household she was out on the family farm.
Mrs. Purvis was preceded in death by her parents Robert T. “Tommie” and Gail Morris Fillingim. She is a survived by her husband of 54 years Gary R. Purvis; a son Gary Wayne Purvis (Monica) of Blountstown, FL, and a daughter Sharon Delmar (Mark) of Atmore, AL; three grandsons, Nick Delmar of Pensacola, FL, Brandon Purvis, and Colton Purvis both of Blountstown, FL; mother-in-law Bernice Purvis of Bratt, FL; brother-in-law Mike Purvis (Cathy) of Blountstown, FL; nephew Brad Purvis (Nicole) and niece Ashley Purvis all of Blountstown, FL; and many special family and friends.
Pallbearers are Nick Delmar, Rodney Fillingim, Wayne Fillingim, Brad Purvis, Brandon Purvis and Colton Purvis.
Honorary pallbearers are Lloyd Albritton, Billy Bryan, Wendell Hall, Wendell Rigby, Merrill Traylor and Billy Ray Williams.
Visitation will be held this Friday, June 1, 2018, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home, Atmore, AL.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, June 2, 2018, at 2 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, Atmore, AL, and will be officiated by Rev. Brennan Peacock.
Internment will follow at Enon Baptist Church in Enon, FL.
Molino Man Arrested After Failing To Stop For Deputies
May 30, 2018
A Molino man was arrested Sunday after failing to stop for an Escambia County deputy.
A deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop near Oakfield on a vehicle driven by 28-year old Dwayne Tyson Kennedy.
Kennedy continued to drive north to a Circle K at Highway 29 and Kenmore Road, drove through the gas pumps and continued around the building and back out to Highway 29, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report. The deputy turned off his emergency lights and did not pursue the vehicle. When the deputy turned around, he saw the vehicle had returned to the parking lot, and he conducted a traffic stop.
The deputy reported the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle when Kennedy rolled down his window, the report states, and deputies recovered a digital scale and a marijuana blunt. They reported finding $515 in cash on Kennedy’s person, along with what was described as a written log of drug transactions.
Kennedy was charged with felony fleeing and eluding, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended license. He was also cited for a window tint violation. Kennedy was released from the Escambia County Jail on an $8,000 bond.
Deputies also located a loaded .9mm Luger in the parking lot behind the gas station immediately after the pursuit; however, Kennedy was not immediately charged with any weapons offense.
Kennedy’s Dodge Charger and the cash were seized, and the weapon was taken into evidence.
Showers And Thunderstorms
May 30, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 94. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Clay Ingram Endorses Rebekah Bydlak For His State House Seat
May 30, 2018
State Rep. Clay Ingram has endorsed Rebekah Bydlak of Cantonment to succeed him in House District 1.
“Rebekah Bydlak is the conservative champion we need for Northwest Florida,” Ingram said. “Rebekah’s life and career have been in service to conservative values, defending the Constitution and our way of life. I’m confident Rebekah will be the strong voice we need in Tallahassee. I’m proud to stand with Rebekah and fully support her to be our next Representative in the Florida House.”
With eight years in the House, Ingram is unable to run again due to term limits.
“Rep. Ingram has served our community with integrity and a commitment to promoting our shared conservative values. I’m honored and humbled to receive Rep. Ingram’s endorsement and look forward to working with him during the campaign ahead and in the future to serve the people of District 1,” Bydlak said.
Escambia Emergency Boss: Time To Prep For Hurricane Season
May 30, 2018
After a near-miss with Subtropical Storm Alberto, John Dosh, Escambia County’s Emergency Management director, says residents should focus on preparing for a hurricane season that begins Friday.
For days, the National Hurricane Center forecast said Alberto would make a landfall in or near Escambia County, bring a foot of rain and flash flooding. Escambia County responded, making sand for sandbags available and warning residents of the flooding danger.
“We were very, very fortunate that Alberto did not bring us lots of rain. Forecasts and storms change,” Dosh said. “It’s always best for people to continue to prepare and not let their guard down.”
Escambia County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service of Mobile will host a Tropical Town Hall today from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Escambia County Public Safety building, located at 6575 N. “W” St. in Pensacola.
Everyone is invited to attend this free event, which will feature a presentation from the NWS on hurricanes, hurricane-related weather conditions and the associated hazards, as well as a presentation from Escambia County Emergency Management on disaster preparedness and local information. The town hall setting will give attendees an opportunity to ask NWS forecasters and Emergency Management staff their hurricane and disaster preparedness-related questions.
Now That’s a ‘Scary Looking Cloud’
May 30, 2018
This photo was taken near Jay Tuesday afternoon, and it is a scary looking cloud. But it was not a tornado or any kind of severe weather.
“It’s just a scary looking cloud (aka a scud cloud),” the National Weather Service in Mobile told NorthEscambia.com. There were no tornado warnings or severe thunderstorm warnings.
The NWS defines a scud cloud as “small, ragged, low cloud fragments that are unattached to a larger cloud base. These clouds are often seen behind thunderstorm gust fronts. These clouds are generally associated with cool moist air, such as thunderstorm outflow.”
Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Rep. Byrne Discusses Rural Hospital Issues During Atmore Visit
May 30, 2018
Alabama Rep. Bradley Byrne visited Atmore Community Hospital Tuesday to discuss challenges facing Alabama’s rural hospitals.
Byrne said at least twelve 12 hospitals have closed in Alabama since 2011, and another dozen are in danger of closing in the next two years.
Byrne said he is working with his Alabama colleagues in Congress to solve problems relating to the Medicare Wage Index, which severely hurts Alabama’s hospitals. Alabama has the lowest Medicare reimbursement rate in the country. He said Alabama hospitals are reimbursed as much as 21 percent below the national average and at rates considerably lower than neighboring states.
“This is a fight I am going to keep up because the issue is so very important,” he said.
Officials from hospitals throughout Southwest Alabama, local elected officials and community leaders joined Byrne in the Atmore meeting.
Byrne also visited a local pharmacy.
“I’m committed to making sure Alabamians have reliable access to necessary medications,” he said.
Community Flea Market Saturday In Cantonment
May 30, 2018
St. Monica’s Episcopal Church in Cantonment will host a Community Flea Market on Saturday, June 2 beginning at 8 a.m.
Spaces are available for $25. Those selling new or used wares, vegetable or plant growers, retailers or non-profits, artists and craftsmen are all welcome. Food and beverages will be available on-site.
The church is located at 699 South Highway 95A in Cantonment.
For more information: www.st-monicas.org/flea-market.
Tourism Boost Sought After Alberto
May 30, 2018
As winds and rains let up from Subtropical Storm Alberto, Florida officials Tuesday were quickly spinning ways to draw tourists to areas that may have missed out on Memorial Day crowds.
State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Gov. Rick Scott, during an appearance at the Walton County Emergency Operations Center in DeFuniak Springs, expressed a need for Visit Florida, the state’s public-private tourism arm, to emulate post-Hurricane Irma promotional efforts for the Panhandle and other parts of the state.
“This weekend should have really been the second busiest weekend of the whole year,” said Patronis, whose family runs Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant in Panama City. “We, the restaurant, we did 40 percent of what we should have done.”
Scott said he would call Visit Florida President and CEO Ken Lawson. But before the half-hour appearance at the emergency operations center was complete, Lawson called Patronis, who handed the phone to Scott.
“The Legislature gave us $76 million again this year (for Visit Florida), and part of that money is to work on when we have something like this, to let people know we’re back open for business,” Scott told reporters after the appearance. “A lot of people are very dependent on tourism here. And a lot of people are getting paid just based on how many tourists show that day. They’re tied to tips and things like that. So, we have to get the tourists back.”
Stephen Lawson, a spokesman for Visit Florida who is unrelated to Ken Lawson, said even though there was little on social media from Florida travelers about Alberto, steps are being taken “in an abundance of caution” to show locations across the Panhandle remain unfazed by the storm.
“We’ll be spotlighting the Panhandle across our social channels later this week to show that they are 100 percent open for business,” Lawson said.
A Facebook live event will also be held from Sandestin later in the week.
The promotional effort won’t require a special ad campaign similar to the $5 million spent to highlight the Florida Keys after Irma.
Otherwise, officials called Alberto a good tune-up for the six-month Atlantic hurricane season, which begins Friday.
Few roads were impacted by flooding, with Panhandle officials telling Scott that almost all roads, bridges and beaches were open Tuesday morning. Officials were waiting to see total amounts of rain that Alberto dumps into rivers in Alabama.
The storm also appeared to cause relatively few power outages.
At 3 p.m. Monday, 9,861 electricity customer accounts in the state were without power, according to the Florida State Emergency Response Team. That total indicates 99.91 percent of all power customers had electricity.
By 9 a.m. Tuesday, just over 1,000 accounts had not been restored.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Pensacola Beach on Saturday. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.