Milton High, Former Ernest Ward Teacher And Coach Jeff Larson Lost To COVID-19
January 1, 2021
A Milton High School science teacher and coach with North Escambia ties has passed away due to COVID-19.
Coach Jeff Larson passed away on Christmas Day.
He was in education for 38 years, the last 26 as a science teacher at Milton High School.
“He was probably the most revered science teacher in the department. A great teacher, a tremendous football coach, but a better person,” said Tim Short, principal of Milton High School.
Larson was a coach and teacher at what was then Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill.
Two Teen Boys Rescued From Human Traffickers, Two Arrests Made
January 1, 2021
Two teenage boys are safe from human traffickers after a traffic stop and arrest in Santa Rosa County. The boys, ages 17 and 14, are citizens of Guatemala who were recently smuggled into the country from Mexico into Texas.
The investigation began when a Santa Rosa County Sheriff’sdeputy stopped a vehicle for a moving violation on I-10 and noted indicators of possible human trafficking. The Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for assistance with the investigation.
“A deputy’s keen eye and immediate multiagency cooperation were instrumental in rescuing two children,” said Chris Williams, chief of Investigations for FDLE Pensacola Regional Operations Center. “I’m proud of the deputies and agents who teamed to bring two human traffickers to justice.”
Investigators believe the boys were trafficked into the United States for forced labor. According to the victims, their families each paid more than $1,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. Each teen was told they had to work to pay off additional travel debt. Agents believe the men were taking the boys to different cities in Central and South Florida.
Agents arrested Frank Moreno, 39, Odessa, Texas, and Jackson Perez-Godinez, 21, Guatemala. Each are charged with two counts of human trafficking and two counts of human smuggling.
Moreno and Perez-Godinez were booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail on no bond, pending first appearance.
One New COVID-19 Death, 373 Additional Cases Reported In Escambia County
January 1, 2021
THIS IS ARCHIVED STORY. NO REPORT WAS RELEASED BY THE STATE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY.
The Florida Department of Health reported one additional COVID-19 death and 373 new cases in Escambia County on Thursday.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 22,349 (+373)
Non-Florida residents: 2,433
Total deaths: 373 (+1)
Long-term care facility deaths : 165
Current hospitalizations: 198 (-7)
Number of tests reported last day: 1,782
Percent positive reported last day: 14.7%
Percent positive reported last week: 13.6%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 16,346 (+256)
Cantonment: 1,938 (+43)
Century: 1,010
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 271 (+5)
McDavid: 136 (+1)
Walnut Hill: 39
Bellview: 31
Perdido Key: 17
Gonzalez: 9
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 11,180 (+244)
Non-Florida residents: 141
Total deaths: 128 (+4)
Long-term care facility deaths: 24
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 554*
Number of tests reported day: 471
Percent positive reported last day: 33.5%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 5,515 (+76)
Navarre: 2,160 (+56)
Gulf Breeze: 1,962 (+56)
Pace: 850 (+11)
Jay: 298 (+6)
Bagdad: 26 (+1)
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,323,315
Florida residents: 1,300,28
Deaths: 21,673
Hospitalizations: 62,868*
*“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. Most of these people are longer be 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.
On cases by location, the city is based upon zip code and is not always received as part of the initial notification. There may be a delay in reporting locations as a result, and locations will not total the daily case increase as a result.
*The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.