Downtown Atmore Buildings Coming Down, Being Replaced By Green Space
February 25, 2020
An Atmore bank is working to bring new life to a large portion of a downtown block.
Work is underway on the former Western Auto property and adjacent buildings at 121 South Main Street, next to the First National Bank & Trust’s main office. New green space, lights and sidewalks will be added following demolition, and remaining buildings will feature murals depicting Atmore.
“We’re bringing life and opportunities back into community spaces that have been left empty for some time,” said Greg Davis, project lead for the bank. “Transforming this historic vacant property into beautiful, open green space not only fosters growth and stronger communities but also contributes to a cleaner and healthier Atmore.”
The property is almost across the street from the historic Strand Theatre and the Atmore Hardware building that are currently undergoing renovations and restoration. (Click here for an earlier story.)
Pictured top: A drawing of plans for part of the 100 block of South Main Street in Atmore. Pictured below: The buildings that are being demolished. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Northview Softball Takes Two From Laurel Hill
February 25, 2020
The Northview Lady Chiefs defeated Laurel Hill Monday.
Varsity
Northview 16, Laurel Hill 1
Junior Varsity
Northview 5, Laurel Hill 2
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Cloudy Tonight, Sunshine For Wednesday
February 25, 2020
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph after midnight.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 35. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 53. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 30. Calm wind.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. West wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 62. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 38. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 65.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 69.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73.
81-Year Old Cantonment Man Charged With Indecent Exposure
February 25, 2020
An 81-year old Cantonment man has been charged after allegedly exposing himself to two of his neighbors.
Harvey Edward Brewton, 81, was booked Sunday on two counts of indecent exposure for the incident last July. He was released on a $5,000 bond.
The victim told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that she had just moved in about a week prior to the incident, and Brewton was always out in his backyard “creeping” around and trying to lure her to the fence. On the day of the incident, he called her to the fence about a limb was down, and while she was speaking with him he bent over crouched in such a way to cause his genitals to be exposed, according to an arrest report.
Brewton told deputies it was an accident.
Another neighbor told deputies that Brewton had exposed himself to her multiple times. Her age is not listed in the reported, but it does sa she told her parents about it.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Brewton has been listed as a suspect in four similar incidents between November 2002 and May 2019.
Additional Charges Filed Against Walnut Hill Man Accused Of Sexual Battery Of Teen Girl
February 25, 2020
Additional charges have been filed against a Walnut Hill man accused the sexual battery of a teenage girl over a four year period of time.
In January, 40-year old William Isaiah Dunsford was charged with first degree felony sexual battery on a victim over 12 but under 18 by a custodial person. Dunsford has now been charged with two additional counts of first degree felony sexual battery on a victim over 12 but under 18 by a custodial person, lewd and lascivious molestation, and one count of battery by expelling fluids.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, the additional charges were filed against Dunsford after interviewing the victim. He was released from the Escambia County Jail after posting a $212,000 bond. He is due back in court in mid-April.
The investigation began in June 2019 after the victim went to her work supervisor and asked for more hours and a later shift. When the supervisor asked why, she admitted Dunsford had been sexually assaulting her since she was 13, according to an arrest report. The employer contacted law enforcement.
The victim told investigators that Dunsford had sex with her one to two times a week. She said Dunsford tells her that he will take care of her, and when she turns 18 they will be together, according to an arrest report. The victim said multiple times that she does not want anything bad to happen to Dunsford “because she feels as though they are in a loving relationship” and she allows him to have sex with her, the report states.
“He says that he loves me and I tell it to him back,” the victim stated, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.
The victim was confirmed to be pregnant at the time of the report last June by the Department of Children and Families, but the report does state who is the biological father of the child.
Dunsford also allegedly took multiple nude photos of the underage victim and instructed her to take photographs of herself and send them to him.
West Florida Hospital Breaks Ground On Nine Mile Road ER
February 25, 2020
West Florida Hospital broke ground Monday on a new $12.4 million standalone emergency department on Nine Mile Road at I-10.
The new freestanding 24/7 emergency room will include 11 private exam rooms, laboratory and diagnostic imaging services .The 10,820 square foot building will also include an ambulance entrance and parking area.
It is expected to open late this year.
Hilda Rockhill
February 25, 2020
Hilda Rockhill, 87, of Pensacola, FL peacefully passed away on February 23, 2020. She was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico on May 2, 1932 to parents Baldomero and Monserrate Roman. She moved to New York City when she was 13 years old and it was there that she raised her two sons, Edward and James. She later moved to Miami and became a successful banker receiving many awards. Her hobbies included pottery, knitting, fishing, and singing. Her greatest joy was following her son, Jimmy, around the world during his career in the Air Force, determined to make many memories with her grandsons.
She is preceded in death by parents, Baldomero and Monserrate Roman; son, Edward Spivak; sisters, Virginia Martinez, Alida Rodriquez, and Dolly McAnenny; and brothers, David Roman and Alberto Roman.
She is survived by her son, James (Jessica) Rockhill; brother, Cuso Roman; sister, Carmen Rivera; grandchildren, Peter (Megan) Rockhill, Jimmy (Rachel) Rockhill, Thomas Rockhill, Emma Rockhill, Abigail Rockhill, and Bennett Rockhill; and great grandchildren, Jack Rockhill and Callen Rockhill.
Viewing ceremony will be held Thursday, February 27, 2020 from 6pm to 8pm at Faith Chapel North Funeral Home located at 1000 S Hwy 29 Cantonment, FL.
Funeral services will be held Friday, February 28, 2020 at 3:30pm with Father Pathe and Pastor Calhoun officiating. Burial will be held at Rosehill Cemetery in Linden, New Jersey.
Lynn Ervin Powell
February 25, 2020
Mr. Lynn Ervin Powell 65 of Canoe, AL. passed away February 18, 2020. He was born on May 8, 1954 in Pensacola, FL. He was a millwright at Georgia-Pacific in Brewton, AL and is preceded in death by his parents K.C. and Cordie Hopkins Powell and his wife Audrey Diane Powell.
He is survived by his two sons Josh (April) Powell and Jesse Powell all of Kansas. Two brothers, Rodney Powell of Gulf Shores, AL and Bodie Baker of Oklahoma. Two sisters, Gail Godwin of Andalusia, AL. and Jane Robbins of Texas. Four Grandchildren, Alexis Powell, Jesse Lambert, Addison Powell and Jimmy Lambert.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 2PM from Atmore Memorial Chapel. Interment will follow in Serenity Gardens.
Active pallbearers will be David Jones, Leon Crawfor, Jeff Hall, Wayne Baker, Ricky Golson and Gary Hall.
Family will receive friends Sunday, February 23, 2020 from 1 PM until service time at 2 PM at Atmore Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Suspect Shot During Apparent Home Invasion Near Nine Mile Road
February 24, 2020
Gunfire was exchanged and a suspect was shot during an apparent attempted home invasion just north of Nine Mile Road Monday afternoon.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shots fired call on Sunnehanna Boulevard shortly after 2 p.m.
It appeared one of the suspects was shot during the gunfire, according Major Andrew Hobbs of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. That suspect was driven by someone to a local hospital and dropped off.
“Not everyone at the residence is being completely forthcoming at this time,” Hobb said as the ECSO continued their investigation into exactly what happened. A second suspect was believed to have fled, but no description was provided by the resident.
The condition of the person who was shot was not available. Additional details will be posted as they are released.
Photos courtesy Renee Beninate/WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cheat On Your Homestead Exemption In Escambia County? Here’s How The Property Appraiser Is Looking For You.
February 24, 2020
Cheating on your homestead exemption in Escambia County? Forgot to remove a homestead exemption that’s no longer valid? Escambia County Property Appraiser Chris Jones is looking to track you down and collect taxes reaching back up to a decade.
Jones has hired Louisiana-based Assessure Systems to comb through the tax rolls in Escambia County, using high-tech tools to track down invalid exemptions and collect what is rightfully due…plus penalties and interest. The program will begin with an audit of properties worth $100,000 or more.
“I have alway aggressively gone after homestead fraud,” he said. “It’s stealing from taxpayers, taking money out of our schools, projects and local coffers.”
Using two investigators and a floater, Escambia County’s local efforts currently uncover up to about a half million dollars per year revenue from fraudulent homestead exemptions, Jones said. With Assessure Systems, he expects that amount to easily double. Currently, about 40 percent of taxpayers identified with an invalid exemption come in and pay, while 60 percent move on to the lien process.
Once it is determined a homestead exemption is not valid, the tax appraiser can collect unpaid taxes from up to 10 years ago, plus a penalty of 50% of the unpaid taxes for each year, plus 15% annual interest. Assessure Systems will receive 28% of the collected tax amount. They receive the 28% at the time of the lien satisfaction and will have mp claim on future revenues. The taxing authority will receive the remaining taxes, along with the penalties and interest.
Once a homestead exemption is identified by Assessure as a potential violation, the process moves to the Property Appraiser’s Office. The owner will receive a 30 days notice by certified mail to explain why exemption is valid. If not, the clock starts ticking on 30 days to pay before a lien is filed. All correspondence will be signed and mailed locally by Jones’ office. The property appraiser has 100% control of the final determination of an invalid exemption.
“It’s not just Assessure making determinations,” Jones said. “Think of it as leads that we are still going to go through and vet.”
There are 163,696 real estate parcels in Escambia County. Of those, there are 70,708 homesteaded properties and 1,559 homesteaded condo units.
The property appraiser believes a higher rate of homestead exemption fraud may exist with condominiums on Escambia County’s beaches where individuals from out of town establish a Florida residence to avoid income taxes in other states.
“I’m going to go after the taxes locally on that doctor or lawyer or whoever is intentionally defrauding, and I’m going to turn them in to Ohio or wherever they are from,” Jones said. “I might deny it for a year, but I’m probably not to prosecute in a case where grandma died and it’s still in her name. I might just deny it for a year while they get everything right.”
Assessure Systems has already completed a sample audit as a test on 1,000 account submitted by the Escambia County Tax Collector. There were 44, or 4.4%, returned as suspect and 12, or 1.2%, were found to be in violation.
Escambia County, the Escambia County School Board and the Town of Century have signed memorandums of understanding with the Property Appraiser’s Office agreeing to give up the 28% fee. The City of Pensacola will likely consider their MOU this week, and the Northwest Florida Water Management District will soon vote. The program will begin when all of the taxing authorities have signed on.
In the state of Florida, a $25,000 exemption is applied to the first $50,000 of your property’s assessed value if your property is your permanent residence and you owned the property on January 1 of the tax year. This exemption applies to all taxes, including school district taxes. An additional exemption of up to $25,000 will be applied if your property’s assessed value is between at least $50,000 and $75,000. This exemption is not applied to school district taxes.
Assessure was founded 10 years ago, has a documented successful track record and is being used by nine other Florida counties. The company has several ad valorem tax related patents pending for scoring algorithms, artificial intelligence and machine learning to audit and entire tax roll in the fraction of time compared to local staff, with a substantial increase in accuracy and returns.