AAA Is Forecasting Record Memorial Day Weekend Travel
May 28, 2023
AAA is forecasting record travel for Floridians on this Memorial Day weekend.
According to AAA’s 2023 Memorial Day Travel Forecast, nearly 2.4 million Floridians will journey 50 miles or more. That’s 172,000 more than last year and 96,000 more than before the pandemic, in 2019.
Florida travel numbers are set to reach new record highs in both the auto and air travel categories. An estimated 2.1 million Floridians will drive, which is 137,000 more than last year. Meanwhile, 208,000 are forecast to fly, which is 25,000 more passengers than last year’s holiday.
“Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff to what promises to be a very busy summer travel season,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Despite various inflationary pressures, consumer spending is strong, and Americans still want to travel. Because of that, we’ve seen demand come roaring back, beyond pre-pandemic levels in Florida.”
Although state holiday travel figures are poised to reach record highs, overall national travel numbers are still slightly below pre-pandemic levels.
Total Travelers – AAA projects a total of 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend*. That’s 2.7 million (+7%) more travelers than last year, but fewer people than what was reported in 2019 (42.8 million) and 2005 (44 million).
Memorial Day road trips are up 6% from last year. An estimated 37.1 million Americans will drive to their destinations. That’s 2 million more than last year, but 500,000 fewer than 2019 numbers. Driving remains the preferred mode of transportation for 88% of holiday travelers.
For purposes of the AAA forecast, the Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Thursday, May 25 to Monday, May 29. The five-day holiday length is consistent with previous holiday periods.
Small Chance Of An Isolated Shower Sunday Night
May 28, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Memorial Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 88. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.
Blue Wahoos Battered By Braves In 10-1 Loss
May 28, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos suffered their most lopsided defeat of the season on Saturday night, falling 10-1 to the Mississippi Braves.
After a pregame rain delay, the Blue Wahoos managed just one run on three hits as the Braves rode a six-run fourth to a blowout victory.
Troy Johnston led off the fourth inning with a double against Scott Blewett (W, 2-2), and scored on a José Devers sacrifice fly to give Pensacola a brief 1-0 lead.
M.D. Johnson (L, 0-2) cruised through 3.0 hitless innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. The righty loaded the bases with a hit batsman and a pair of walks, and Drew Lugbauer made the Blue Wahoos pay with a three-run double. Three batters later, Landon Stephens capped the big inning with a three-run homer.
Tyler Tolve added an RBI single in the fifth, and Beau Philip hit a homer of his own in the sixth. The Braves ended their night with two more runs in the eighth against Noah Gotsis in his first Blue Wahoos relief appearance.
The Blue Wahoos lost a game in the standings, and are now 5.0 games ahead of second place Biloxi in the South Division with 25 games to play in the first half.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Braves on Sunday.
by Erik Bremer
DeSantis Awards $2.6 Million To EREC’s North Escambia, Santa Rosa Fiber Broadband Project
May 27, 2023
Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced over $2.6 million in funding for rural fiber internet in northern Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The $2,615,434.62 for Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s broadband project was awarded through the Broadband Opportunity Program to expand broadband Internet access in Florida’s unserved communities.
According to the state, the award will specifically add 1,015 miles of fiber optic cable to provide 1,193 unserved locations in and around Walnut Hill, Jay, Pine Level, Berrydale, Brownsdale, Dixonville, Mount Carmel, Munson, Springhill, and Whitfield.
The preliminary stages of a fiber buildout are currently underway in North Escambia, and about a month ago the member owned cooperative announced that their high speed internet service is also coming to Santa Rosa County.
The project across both counties is projected to cost $36 million and will include availability across the entire EREC electrical service area.
In March, the Escambia County Commission voted to contribute $6.3 million from American Rescue Plan funds toward a network that will span approximately 600 miles of fiber in Escambia County, reaching over 4,000 EREC member locations.
The network is expected to be complete in Escambia County by mid-2024, with initial service availability targeted as early as the third quarter of 2023.
DeSantis announced a total of $60 million in awards Friday to support 22 broadband projects in 19 Florida counties, impacting nearly 58,000 locations. That brings the total to more than $226 million that has been awarded to expand broadband Internet access across the state, helping to connect more than 250,000 homes and businesses.
“This $60 million in awards brings our total investment in broadband to more than $226 million to expand broadband Internet access in Florida’s under connected communities,” said DeSantis. “With this investment, we are connecting more than 250,000 unserved homes and businesses and expanding opportunities in rural communities.”
Tiny Chance Of A Scattered Sunday Shower
May 27, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65. West wind around 5 mph.
Memorial Day: Sunny, with a high near 87. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. West wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east after midnight.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east after midnight.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Florida Disaster Sales Tax Holiday Underway
May 27, 2023
The first of two Florida Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays is underway through Friday, June 9. Floridians are expected to save an estimated $144 million on the purchase of tax-free items.
Eligible items include flashlights, batteries, tarps, generators, fuel containers, and coolers. Some new items included in this year’s list are toilet paper, paper towels, soap, sunscreen, cleaning products and trash bags.
A second disaster preparedness sales tax holiday will run August 26 through September 8. A complete list of items is below.
Memorial Day Ceremony Set For Pensacola’s Veterans Memorial Park
May 27, 2023
A Memorial Day ceremony is scheduled for Sunday at Veterans Memorial Park in Pensacola.
The Veterans Memorial Park Foundation of Pensacola is inviting active duty military personnel, veterans, families and all community members to attend the program at 1 p.m. at 200 South 10th Avenue.
A Marine Corps Color Guard will present the colors and the Pensacola Opera Chorus will perform a patriotic medley of songs. In addition, the Blue Anchor Belles will sing an assortment of 40’s and 50’s and patriotic style music, and McGuire’s Pipe Band will also be featured at the ceremony.
Guest speaker will be sportscaster Dan Shugart from WEAR TV 3. A Marine Corps bugler and honor guard will close the ceremony by rendering honors.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have given their lives in the service of our great nation,” said Veterans Memorial Park Foundation of Pensacola President Rob Doss. “Memorial Day is set aside to honor and remember these men and women so that their service and their sacrifice is never forgotten.”
Myers Homers In Wahoos 4-0 Win Over Braves
May 27, 2023
Dane Myers hit an inside-the-park home run to start off a fun Friday night for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, who defeated the Mississippi Braves 4-0 for their second win in a row.
Myers circled the bases in the first after his sinking liner got past diving Braves center fielder Jacob Pearson. It was just the fifth inside-the-parker in team history, and the first since Ivan De Jesus Jr. in 2019.
Evan Fitterer (W, 4-1) worked the first 5.2 innings of a four-hit shutout for the Blue Wahoos. The righty worked out of trouble in every inning, and got help from relievers Austin Roberts and Josan Méndez to complete the scoreless game.
Alan Rangel (L, 1-4) took the tough-luck loss for Mississippi, allowing only the Myers homer in 5.0 innings of work. The Blue Wahoos added some insurance with a three-run eighth, as Cody Morissette and Griffin Conine punched RBI singles past a drawn-in infield.
Norel González was 3-for-4 with a double, and José Devers finished 2-for-4 with a triple, stolen base and impressive double play on the defensive side with a diving stop at third base.
The Blue Wahoos gained a game in the standings, and are now 6.0 games clear of second place Montgomery and Biloxi in the South Division with 26 games to play in the first half.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Braves on Saturday in Mississippi.
by Erik Bremer
Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Nets 190,853 Pounds Locally
May 27, 2023
The Stamp Out Hunger food drive two weeks ago collected 190,853 pounds locally.
The food was donated to food banks in Northwest Florida, providing the equivalent of 219,862 meals.
The May 13 event marked the 31st year for the National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive – the largest, national, single-day effort to put food on the table for millions of Americans.
Escambia and Santa Rosa letter carriers collected food donations that will benefit individuals and families served by Manna Food Pantries, Feeding the Gulf Coast, ACTS Ministries, We Care Ministries, and Warrington Emergency Aid Center.
ECSO Hosts Free Movie Night In Beulah
May 27, 2023
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office hosted free movie night Friday evening at the Escambia County Equestrian Center in Beulah.
Free hotdogs and hamburgers were available before the showing of “Onward”.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
