Tropical Storms Kyle And Josephine Won’t Be A Problem For Us
August 15, 2020
Two tropical storms are churning in the Atlantic, but neither will be a problem for the United States.
Tropical Storm Kyle formed Friday night off the U.S. East Coast. Both tropical storms are expected to head out in the Atlantic. Details on Kyle and Josephine are in the graphics on this page.
Benny Earl Barnes
August 15, 2020
Benny Earl Barnes, born May 6, 1934, passed away August 18, 2020 at his home with his loving wife, Edna Earle, son, Keith and wife, Beth and granddaughter Chelsea at his side.
Mr. Barnes was born in Santa Rosa County, and had been a member of the Century community since 1960 coming from the Byrneville area. He was a veteran of the United States Marines, and had worked at Monsanto as a power house operator. He served as councilman and Mayor of Century for 13 years. Mr. Barnes was a member of Community of Christ Church of Atmore where he served as an Elder, and he was preceded in death by his parents, Elias and Martha French Barnes and eight siblings.
He leaves behind to cherish his memories his wife, Edna Earle Barnes of Century, FL; son, Keith (Beth) Barnes of Ft. Walton Beach, FL; sister, Catherine (Larry) Balkcom of Perry, FL; grandchildren, Chelsea Barnes of Ft, Walton Beach , FL and Luke Barnes of Wichita, KS ; two great-grandsons; many nieces and nephews, numerous other family members and friends.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a later date by Mr. Barnes family.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers that you honor his memory with donations to the campgrounds he loved so much, Bluff Springs Camp Grounds at 1300 Liahona Trail McDavid, FL 32568.
Friday: Seven New COVID-19 Deaths Reported In Two-County Area
August 14, 2020
THIS STORY IS OUTDATED. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST.
There were seven additional COVID-19 deaths were reported in the two-county area Friday, according to the Florida Department of Health.
In Escambia County, six fatalities were men ages 72, 79, and 86, and women ages 59, 71, and 80. The Santa Rosa County death was a 78-year old female.
Escambia County cases increased 85 to 10,122. An additional 37 cases brought the Santa Rosa County total to 4,125.
Of the 1,018 tests results returned on Thursday in Escambia County, 7.9% were positive, and 9.8% were positive from 378 tests in Santa Rosa County. Over the past week, the overall average positivity rate for Escambia County is 12.5%.
There were 193 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Escambia County as of Friday, according to data from the three local hospitals.
Of the 147 deaths in Escambia County, 79 have been long-term care facility residents or staff. There have been 45 deaths in Santa Rosa County, at least seven of those at the Blackwater River Correctional Facility and nine in a long-term care facilities.
Statewide, there were 563,285 cases including 557,337 Florida residents. There have been 33,155 hospitalizations* and 9,141 deaths. The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals.
Escambia County cases:
Total cases — 10,122 (+85 since Thursday)
Non-Florida residents — 909
Pensacola —7,379 (+69)
Century — 865 (+3)
—-including at least 759 Century prison inmates
Cantonment — 698 (+7)
Molino— 115 (+1)
McDavid — 52 (+1)
Walnut Hill — 13
Bellview — 11 (+1)
Gonzalez — 7
Perdido Key — 5
Current hospitalizations: 193
Deaths — 147 (+6)
Male — 4,442
Female — 4,579
Youngest — 0
Oldest — 105
Median Age — 38
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases — 4,125 (+37 since Thursday)
Non-Florida residents — 36
Milton — 2,273 (+10)
Gulf Breeze — 597 (+6)
Navarre — 501 (+17)
Pace — 317 (+2)
Jay — 111 (+2)
Bagdad — 9
Cumulative Hospitalizations — 202*
Deaths — 45 (+1)
Male — 2,329
Female — 1,715
Youngest — 2 months
Oldest — 101
Median Age — 39
Florida cases:
Total cases — 563,285
Florida residents — 557,337
Deaths — 9,141
Hospitalizations — 33,155*
*“Hospitalizations” in the statewide and Santa Rosa County totals is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. These people may no longer be hospitalized. This number does not represent the number of COVID-19 positive persons currently hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
Only One Company Wants To Lease Century Industrial Building. The Town Told Them No Once Before.
August 14, 2020
Only one company responded to Century’s request for proposals to lease a 40,390 square foot building in the town’s industrial park, and Century has told them no once before. But this time, they are offering more money.
Known as the Helicopter Technology Building — named for the defunct company that was based there — it has been empty since 2008. The town is still footing the bill for utilities, insurance, maintenance and other costs for the vacant property, and they are looking to turn it into a positive cash flow and create jobs along the way.
The town accepted lease proposals for several weeks, with only the one response.
South Alabama Gin Company, doing business as West Florida Gin in Walnut Hill, proposed a lease of $6,000 per month for five years with an option to renew the contract for an additional five years. They want to occupy the building by October 1 and estimated that six employees would be associated with the activity.
West Florida Gin will warehouse processed cotton bales and distribute them from the location.
In 2017, the building was appraised for $550,000 with a fair market rent of $80,000 per year ($6,667 per month). The office and warehouse space has full climate control, sprinkler system, new HVAC and energy efficient lighting.
The town council will consider the proposal at an upcoming meeting.
Last Potential West Florida Gin Lease Was Rejected
A previous lease offer by the gin was rejected by the Century Town Council.
In May 2019, West Florida Gin Manager Robert Earl Godwin and businessman Larry Baxley, who were in the process of setting up North Escambia Warehouse and Storage, LLC, made a preliminary lease-to-own offer on the town-owned building at $4,000 per month for five years, for a total of $240,000. The company offered an $8,000 deposit, pay the first month’s rent in advance, and pay for any upgrades to the building. At the end of the lease term, they would have had the opportunity to buy the building for $100. The building would have been used primarily for cotton storage.
A motion by then council member Ben Boutwell to proceed with negotiations and work on an agreement failed on a 3-2 vote with council members James Smith, Sandra McMurray-Jackson and Luis Gomez voting against. The dissenters expressed objections against the business because it would likely not create any jobs.
“I don’t see the benefit for us,” Smith said at the time. “Where’s the employment?”
Smith and Gomez expressed concerns at the May 2019 meeting that if the council were to lease the building below market value, the town would not have any available industrial space if another company wanted to located in Century with new jobs.
“Someday it could produce jobs, even it’s 10-15 jobs for Century,” Gomez said.
“Let’s talk about y’all’s track record and my track record,” Baxley said after pointing out that no company had seriously considered the building in the past decade but he had developed several similar properties. “For 46 years now, I’ve been making payroll.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate High: Virtual Tour, Orientation And Important Dates Before Back To School
August 14, 2020
Tate High School has made a virtual orientation and tour available online and announced several important dates before the first day of school on August 24.
The orientation and virtual tour of the school videos are available at www.tatestudents.com. The website also contains other valuable information, including a link to a new bell schedule and updated maps of the campus and classrooms.
Schedules will be available via the Focus portal on Thursday, August 20. Instructions on how to access schedules and tips for reading will be posted.
Open campus hours for students to walk around the campus and find their classes will be:
- Friday, August 21 from noon until 3 p.m.
- Saturday, August 22 from 10 a.m. until noon
On August 24, the first day of school, students will first report to their homeroom.
Meet The Candidates: Escambia County Commission District 5 (With Videos)
August 14, 2020
NorthEscambia.com asked the three candidates for Escambia County Commission District 5 to answer a series of questions. The questions were emailed to each candidate with a deadline to submit their answers.
The candidates were required to answer one question in a video up to three minutes in length, and they were told the video was their “pitch time” to share their message. The video response question was “What’s your background, why are you seeking office, and what’s your plan?”
The remainder of the questions had written responses, which we did not edit. Many of the questions were submitted by NorthEscambia.com readers; the top three most submitted reader questions dealt with broadband internet, trains in Cantonment, and roads and bridges. And so you could learn more about the person, we asked a few light hearted questions about their favorite bingeable shows, music playlists, food and even a question about a secret at the very end.
In alphabetical order, here are candidates with a link to their video and written answers.
John Reading (did not respond)
Early voting continues through Saturday, and the polls will be open Tuesday, August 18 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
State To Offer COVID-19 Testing In Walnut Hill On August 28
August 14, 2020
The Florida Department of Health is bringing COVID-19 testing to Walnut Hill later this month.
The state-supported drive thru testing site will be at the Walnut Hill Community Center on Friday, August 28 from 3-7 p.m. It will be the first testing location made available in the Walnut Hill community.
“We want to make testing available for anyone that wants to be tested,” Escambia County Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore told NorthEscambia.com.
Results from the Walnut Hill testing site will be available within 24 hours, according to FDOH.
The Walnut Hill Community Center is located at 7850 HIghway 97 in Walnut Hill, just north of Ernest Ward Middle School and the Walnut Hill Fire Station. It is also known as the Walnut Hill Ruritan Building.
Man Shot, Killed In Escambia County
August 14, 2020
A man was shot and killed in Escambia County Thursday afternoon.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Gregory Bradley was shot just after 5 p.m. on Crescent Drive, adjacent to I-10 south of Texar Drive.
According to investigators. two mask men arrived at the home and robbed Bradley before shooting him. The ECSO believes Bradley knew the gunmen.
The suspects were described only as two black males.
Anyone with information on the murder is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620
Motorcycle Crash Claims One Life In Escambia County
August 14, 2020
A motorcyclist was killed in a crash on Navy Boulevard Thursday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 29-year old was southbound on Navy Boulevard when a sedan driven by 23-year old man pulled out from as stop sign on Patton Drive, failing to yield the right of way to the motorcycle.
The motorcyclist was transported to Baptist Hospital were he was pronounced deceased. The driver of the sedan and his 18-year old passenger were not injured.
Charges are pending further investigation, according to FHP.
FHP no longer releases the names of individuals involved in a traffic crashes.
Gulf Power Crews Return After Helping Restore Power After Hurricane Isaias
August 14, 2020
Gulf Power crews returned home safely this week from New Jersey after restoring power to thousands of customers who were left in the dark following Hurricane Isaias. Gulf Power sent nearly 70 lineworkers and support personnel, along with nearly 50 contractors, to help assist FirstEnergy to restore electric service and aid in the recovery efforts following the storm that knocked out more than 3 million customers from North Carolina to Maine.
Crews worked 16-hour days in difficult conditions to restore power in northeast New Jersey, about 30-35 miles east of New York City. Gulf Power crews helped restore power to more than 7,000 homes and businesses. Gulf Power joined its sister company, Florida Power & Light, which sent approximately 450 employees and contractors as well.
“We understand what the customers are going through, and how difficult it is to be without power – especially in the midst of the pandemic, when we are all spending more time at home,” said Gulf Power President Marlene Santos. “Just like when utilities came from all over the nation to help us after Hurricane Michael, Gulf Power employees have the experience and stand ready to lend support. It’s been a busy hurricane season already, and I am so proud of our men and women for leaving their families to help other communities during a time of need.”
Before making the decision to send help, Gulf Power makes sure its customers are taken care of and that no other storms are on the immediate horizon.