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Stronger Florida Texting And Driving Ban Heads To The Governor

Florida legislators on Monday gave final approval to a measure strengthening the current law prohibiting texting and driving.

The bill changes current enforcement of the ban from a secondary offense to a primary offense – enabling law enforcement officers to stop a vehicle solely for texting while driving. Drivers will also be prohibited from using their handheld device while driving in active construction and school zones.

The bill now heads to heads  to Gov. Ron DeSantis, and with his signature it will go into effect July 1. When signed into law, Florida will become the 45th state to enact a primary enforcement text messaging ban for all drivers.

“By strengthening the ban on texting while driving, Florida legislators are sending a strong message about this dangerous form of driver distraction,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “AAA has long advocated for comprehensive distracted driving legislation and this is a major step forward in improving the safety on Florida roads. Although this law may encourage a shift of habit to in-vehicle systems, drivers should know that voice-to-text technology can also be distracting. AAA urges drivers to focus on road and avoid any form of texting while behind the wheel.”

The legislation does not change the existing penalties associated with texting and driving. The first violation of the ban is a non-moving violation, carrying a $30 base fine plus court costs and fees. A second or subsequent violation committed within five years is a moving violation, carrying a $60 base fine plus court costs and fees.

Wahoos Fall 3-1 In Series Finale In Jackson

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell 3-1 in their series finale against the Jackson Generals on Monday afternoon, finishing off what has otherwise been an overwhelmingly successful month for the team. The Blue Wahoos will head back to Pensacola sporting their best April record in club history (17-8), having won all five series in April for the first time in franchise history.

The Blue Wahoos continued their habit of scoring early in games, going up 1-0 in the top of the first on a solo home run by Travis Blankenhorn, his first in Double-A after a promotion from A+ Fort Myers. With the home run, the Blue Wahoos have now scored first in 20 of 25 games this season and scored in the first or second inning for the 14th time.

The Generals answered with a solo home run of their own in the home half of the first inning from Jeffey Baez off of Wahoos starter Griffin Jax, who had entered the game with the best ERA in the Southern League (0.41). Following the solo shot, Jax settled in and provided 5.1 strong innings, allowing no additional runs on just three additional hits.

Generals starter Matt Peacock matched Jax zero-for-zero after the first inning, allowing just two hits over 4.0 innings. He combined with a quartet of relievers to keep the Wahoos from scoring further in the game, as just two Pensacola base runners reached scoring position in the contest.

The score stayed locked at 1-1 until the seventh inning. Ben DeLuzio worked a one out walk against Wahoos reliever Jovani Moran. After a strike out of Galli Cribbs Jr., Andy Young pulled a two-run shot to left field to put the Generals up 3-1.

Kevin Ginkel (1-1) earned his first win of the season for the Generals, throwing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief and striking out a pair. Former Twins farmhand Michael Kohn picked up his league-leading sixth save by striking out the side in the ninth inning.

Offensively, the Wahoos had just four hits in the game, the eighth time this season they’ve had four or less hits in the game.

After an off-day on Tuesday, the Blue Wahoos will welcome the Biloxi Shuckers (12-13) to Pensacola for a five-game set to open the month of May., continuing the ongoing Seafood Buffet Rivalry Series between Pensacola, Biloxi, and Jacksonville. The Wahoos currently have a 7-3 record in the series. Sean Poppen (2-0, 0.75 ERA) is scheduled to start the opener for the Wahoos.

Sunny And Upper 80s Tuesday, A Few Showers By Wednesday

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. East wind 5 to 15 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday Night: Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 84. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.

Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.

Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.

Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.

Escambia Names Janice Gilley Of Molino As Next County Administrator

The Escambia County Commission has chosen Janice Gilley of Molino as the next county administrator.

The choice came after a day of interviews.

Gilley has held the position of vice president of External Affairs at the University of West Florida for 10 years. She served one year as the national policy director for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, one year as deputy chief of staff for the Florida House of Representatives and served as policy director and deputy policy director for year in the Executive Office of the Governor in Florida. She served as an Escambia County commissioner from 2002-2004.

The county will work to negotiate a contract with Gilley. In the event an agreement is not reachws, the county will negotiate with Patrick Thompson of Woodbury, MN, the commission’s second choice.

Pictured: Janice Gilley of Molino addresses the Escambia County Commission Monday afternoon. Image for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

John Dosh Named Interim Escambia Public Safety Director

Escambia County Emergency Manager John Dosh has been named interim public safety director amid a state investigation into Escambia County EMS.

Dosh replaces Assistant County Administrator Matt Coughlin who was acting interim public safety director. Coughlin submitted his resignation April 22, citing “tribalism”, a failed mission and a downward progression in Escambia County.

Coughlin was appointed to the interim public safety post by Interim County Administrator Amy Lovoy, who has also submitted her resignation.

Longtime public safety director Mike Weaver resigned in early April, one day after a firefighter union called for an investigation of the EMS department. Rusty Nail, the county fire chief who also served as deputy public safety director, resigned in early April.

Escambia County Could Name A New Administrator By Tonight

UPDATE: Escambia County has chosen Janice Gilley of Molino as the next county administrator. Click here for updated details.

Previous story:

By the end of Monday, Escambia County may have a new administrator.

There are five finalists to be interviewed today by commissioners. They will hold one-on-one interviews in the morning before the candidates appear before the entire board in the afternoon. The commission’s agenda calls for the selection of an administrator at the end of the day.

There were eight names on the finalist list days ago, but three have been removed.

Ricardo Mendez of Miami withdrew due to a family emergency, and Kimberly Washington of Molino removed her name from the list after accepting another position. Both were added to the list by Escambia County Commission Chairman Lumon May. Mendez was most recently finance director in Sweetwater, FL, and previously served as COO/CFO of Harrisburg, PA. Washington is currently engineering manager with Mississippi Power.

Cedric Alexander also removed his name from consideration. He was added to the list by Commissioner Robert Bender. Alexander has 13 years government experience including deputy chief in the Office of the Mayor in Rochester, NY, public safety director in Dekalb County, GA, and a federal security director for the Department of Homeland Security.

The five finalists remaining are:

1. Craig Coffey from Flagler Beach, FL. County administrator in Flagler County from 2007-2019, has 20 years experience as a city/county manager with extensive Florida county government experience and 11 years additional local government experience.
2. Patrick Thompson from Woodbury, MN. County administrator in St. Croix County, WI. Over 36 years local government experience.
3. David Strahl from O’Fallon, MO. County administrator in City of O’Fallon, MO. 30 plus years local government administration experience, none in county government.
4. Christopher Martin from Gulf Breeze. He served as the commanding officer of Pensacola Naval Air Station and spent 27 years in the Navy.
5. Janice Gilley from Molino. She has held the position of vice president of External Affairs at the University of West Florida for 10 years. She served one year as the national policy director for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, one year as deputy chief of staff for the Florida House of Representatives and served as policy director and deputy policy director for year in the Executive Office of the Governor in Florida. She served as an Escambia County commissioner from 2002-2004.

The county paid the Florida Association of County Managers $5,000 to create a short list from the 120 plus applicants.. Coffey, Thompson and Strahl are the only candidates that remained from a short list created by the county managers association. Martin was added to the list by Commissioner Jeff Bergosh, and Gilley was added by Commissioner Steven Barry.

Week Begins Sunny And Warm, A Few Showers By Mid-Week

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 83. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Monday Night: Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 62. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Tuesday: Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light southeast in the evening.

Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.

Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.

Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.

Local Gas Prices On The Upswing

Florida gas prices have steadily declined for the past two weeks. On Sunday, gas prices in Florida averaged $2.71 per gallon. But In Escambia County, gas prices are on the upswing.

Since setting a new 2019-high of $2.80 per gallon on April 12, the state average has declined for 16 consecutive days for a total discount of 9 cents. Florida is now 11th in the nation among states with the lowest daily average price. The top three states with the lowest average prices in the U.S. are Alabama ($2.51), Mississippi ($2.53) and Louisiana ($2.55).

The average price by gallon was $2.73 per gallon in Escambia County on Sunday, up from $2.68 one week ago.

“Gas prices are moving lower in concert with wholesale, gasoline and oil futures, which all dropped last week,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “The lowest gas prices in the country are mostly found in the southeastern United States. Since most of these states are supplied by Gulf Coast refineries, this could be a positive indicator that refineries in the area are moving past their various issues that have affected fuel supplies and led prices higher.”

This Week’s Traffic Delay Hotspots

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

Escambia County:

• U.S. 29 Widening from Interstate 10 (I-10) to U.S. 90A (Nine Mile Road) – The following traffic impacts will occur from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, April 28 through Saturday, May 4.

• • Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 Overpass: Nine Mile Road will be closed at the U.S. 29 overpass in Escambia County from 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 1 to 6 a.m. Thursday, May 2 as crews paint the bridge. Traffic control officers will be on-site to help direct traffic. The following detour will be in place
    • Eastbound Nine Mile Road will be reduced to one lane, directed to U.S. 29 southbound, U-turn at West Hood Drive, and return to Nine Mile Road.
    • Westbound traffic will perform the same operation at West 9 1/2 Mile Road.
  • U.S. 29 between I-10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road: Drainage and paving operations continue. Drivers can expect alternating lane closures Monday through Saturday.

• U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement Bridge- Bridge construction will require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, April 28 through Sunday, May 5:

• • U.S. 98 east and westbound from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to just east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
  • North 17th Avenue in Pensacola between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).

• U.S. 98 East Chase Street Resurfacing from North Palafox Street to Bayfront Parkway- Intermittent lane restrictions are expected from 9 p.m. Sunday, April 28 to 6 a.m. Monday, April 29 as crews mill and replace asphalt.
• U.S. 90A (Nine Mile Road) Widening from State Road (S.R.) 297 (Pine Forest Road) to U.S. 29-  Southbound Fowler Avenue at Nine Mile Road remains closed until 5 p.m. Friday, May 3 as crews place drainage pipes across the roadway. Traffic will be detoured as follows:
  • Nine Mile Road east and westbound: Untreiner Avenue, Detroit Boulevard, Fowler Avenue.
  • Northbound Fowler Avenue: Detroit Boulevard, Cove Avenue or Untreiner Avenue
  • During the temporary closure, the left turn from westbound Nine Mile Road onto Untreiner Avenue will be reopened
• S.R. 292 (Barrancas Avenue) near Kincaid Street- Motorists will encounter westbound, outside lane restrictions on Barrancas Avenue near Kincaid Street in Pensacola from 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 until 5 a.m. Thursday, April 25 to allow crews to access a manhole.
• S.R. 289 (Ninth Avenue) over I-10 Routine Bridge Maintenance- Drivers will encounter alternating and intermittent, north and southbound lane restrictions on S.R. 289 over I-10, half a mile north of S.R. 742, from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7 as crews perform routine bridge maintenance.
• U.S. 90 Bridge Maintenance over Eleven Mile Creek- Eastbound traffic will be restricted to one lane over Eleven Mile Creek from 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8 to 4 a.m. Thursday, May 9 as crews replace joint, repair the deck surface, and clean the bridge.
• County Road (C.R.) 168 Bridge Replacement over Unnamed Branch- Activities associated with the bridge replacement project on C.R. 168 over Unnamed Branch, Northwest of Century, are underway. The project is anticipated to be complete late 2019.
• Crary Road Bridge Replacement over Pritchett Mill Creek- Crary Road is closed between Tedder Road and Byrneville Road as crews continue to construct a bridge culvert.  Motorists will be detoured via C.R. 4 and Byrneville Road. The project is anticipated to be complete summer 2019.
• Bratt Road Bridge Replacement over Canoe Creek - Bratt Road will continue to be closed near Canoe Creek. Drivers on Bratt Road, west of the bridge, will be detoured to Pine Barren Road and C.R. 4.  Drivers east of the bridge will be detoured east on Bratt Road.  The project is anticipated to be complete summer 2019.
• Hanks Road Bridge Replacement over Breastworks Creek - Construction activities continue. The roadway will be temporarily closed during construction. Drivers on Hanks Road, west of the bridge, will be detoured to C.R. 99 and C.R. 4.  Drivers east of the bridge will utilize Pine Barren Road.

Santa Rosa County:

• U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement Bridge- Bridge construction will require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, April 28 through Sunday, May 5:

• • U.S. 98 east and westbound from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to just east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
  • North 17th Avenue in Pensacola between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).

• I-10 Widening from the Escambia Bay Bridge to Avalon Boulevard (S.R. 281/Exit 22) –Crews will be placing the final layer of asphalt on the following ramps between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.:
  • Sunday, April 28, I-10 eastbound off-ramp.
  • Monday, April 29, I-10 westbound off-ramp.

Additionally, drivers may encounter alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard, near the I-10 interchange, and on I-10, from the Escambia Bay Bridge to east of S.R. 281, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, April 28 through Friday, May 3 as crews perform construction activities.

• U.S. 98 Utility Operations from Pala Alto Avenue in Santa Rosa County east to Woodland Avenue in Okaloosa County- Drivers will encounter intermittent and alternating lane restrictions between Pala Alto Avenue in Santa Rosa County and Woodland Avenue in Okaloosa County from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 1 as Pike Electric performs routine maintenance on power lines. In addition, there will be intermittent daytime shoulder closures until Thursday, May 2.
• U.S. 98 Safety Improvements at Constitution Drive and Navarre School Road- The westbound, left turn lane at Sunrise Drive is open to traffic. Improvements at Navarre School Road and drainage improvements at Thresher Drive and Newport Street are complete. Crews will soon place the final layer of asphalt and striping, perform general project clean up, and place sod.
• S.R. 87 Multilane from Eglin AFB boundary to C.R. 184 (Hickory Hammock Road) - Traffic on S.R. 87 from C.R. 184 (Hickory Hammock Road) to two miles south of the Yellow River will be shifted to the outside lanes of the newly constructed north and southbound roadways Friday, April 26 as crews perform median work and place the final layer of asphalt on the inside travel lanes

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.

Northview Track Athletes Advance To State

Both the girls and boys 4×1 relay teams from Northview High School area advancing to state, along with Sarius Davis in the girls 400m. Pictured top: Boys 4×1 team (L-R) Keyshawn Breedlove, Daniel Merit, Quay Thomas and Jarius Moorer. Pictured below: Girls 4×1 team Sarius Davis, Lexi Broadhead, Nene Findley and Karelis Morales. Submitted photos.

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