Greg Blackmon Named New Interim Assistant Principal At Tate High School
July 16, 2025
Greg Blackmon was approved by the Escambia County School Board on Tuesday night as a new interim assistant principal at Tate High School.
Blackmon was most recently athletic director at Tate High.
Pictured: Greg Blackmon (left) is congratulated Tuesday night by Escambia County School Superintendent Keith Leonard. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vandalism Strikes Bratt Park Dedicated to Fallen Marine
July 16, 2025
Vandalism at a Bratt Park dedicated to the memory of a fallen Marine is under investigation.
Someone spray-painted several parts of Travis Nelson Park on Highway 4. Pavilions and the playground were painted, much of it with vulgarities that we are choosing not to show. The vandalism was discovered on Monday.
Some of the vandalism appears to refer to the rapper Tyler, The Creator and his music.
Escambia County Parks and Recreation stated the vandalism will be cleaned up this week.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620, or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Tax Collector Bringing Mobile Services to Century Thursday
July 16, 2025
The Escambia County Tax Collector’s Mobile Identification and Licensing Office (MILO) will be in North Escambia this week.
MILO, a fully functional tax collector office on wheels, will be at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century on Thursday, July 17, From 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
MILO offers a convenient way for residents to access essential tax collector services, including:
- Driver License Services: Renewals, replacements, out-of-state license conversions/reciprocations, and address/name changes.
- Identification Cards: First-time issuance and renewals.
- Vehicle Services: Registration renewals and replacements, title transfers, and parking placards.
- Tax Payments: Property tax payments.
- Business Tax Receipts: Applications and renewals.
- Certified Driver Transcripts
Written and driving tests are not available at the MILO unit.
This initiative aims to bring services to areas of Escambia County that may have limited access to traditional tax collector offices, particularly during disaster recovery or for residents in assisted living facilities, community centers, and correctional facilities.
Future MILO Dates in Century:
- August 14, 2025: Billy G. Ward Courthouse
Florida drivers may renew their vehicle registrations for a period of one or two years and may renew up to three months in advance of the registration expiration. Vehicle registrations expire at midnight on the first owner’s birth date unless the owner is a business.
Pictured: The Escambia County Tax Collector’s MILO at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
80% Chance Of Rain Tonight And Thursday
July 16, 2025
Rain chances are high the next several days due to a tropical disturbance.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Low around 75. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 86. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then showers and thunderstorms between 1pm and 4pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. High near 89. South wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Friday Night: Thunderstorms likely before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 75.
Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 94.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 76.
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 76.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
New Splash Pad Coming To Flomaton
July 16, 2025
Flomaton will soon have a new splash pad.
Plans were approved this week by the Flomaton Town Council. The new splash pad will have an overall diameter of 45 feet, with a 40-foot play area.
The splash pad, which will be located behind the Flomaton Library, will feature several play elements. The total price tag will be about $25,000 from the town budget. Concrete for the project is being donated.
“This is an exciting thing for us,” Flomaton Mayor Jim Johnson said Tuesday. “It’s going to be a major local attraction, and it will draw a lot of people downtown, especially during warm downtown events like Railroad Junction Day.”
“It’s something we have wanted to do for a long time, and this year the budget was in good shape, allowing us to do this for our citizens.”
Images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Shot Twice Early Tuesday Morning In Century
July 15, 2025
A man was shot early Tuesday morning in Century. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting happened at a home on Ashford Alley, just off Mayes Street and Jefferson Avenue.
The adult male victim told deputies that he was asleep when he heard someone open his door and was then shot twice — once in the arm and once in the eye.
He then walked about a quarter mile to a residence in the 6800 block of Jefferson Avenue, passed numerous homes, before getting someone to call 911 around 3:20 a.m., according to the ECSO. The victim was transported by Escambia County EMS to the Marie McMurray Park on Pond Street and then airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to a Pensacola hospital as a “trauma alert”.
There was no one in the home on Ashford Alley when it was searched by deputies. The investigation is continuing, and not suspects have been taken into custody.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
‘Permit Set’ Plans Filed Monday For Costco On Nine Mile Road
July 15, 2025
Plans for a new Costco store on Nine Mile Road took another step forward on Monday.
Tampa-based Thomas Engineering filed a 42-page “permit set” site construction drawings around 4 p.m. Monday with the Escambia County Development Review Committee (DRC) for a new Costco at 225 East Nine Mile Road
The first conceptual plans were filed back in June, 2024 Then, in response to DRC feedback, updated plans were filed in late October 2024. In June 2025, a county spokesperson said that that Costco “is currently under review with some state regulatory items still pending.” A DRC hearing has not yet been scheduled but could be forthcoming soon.
So far, the proposal has not gone before the DRC for consideration. Without a development order, the project can’t move forward.
What’s new?
The updated site construction plans filed Monday are a major step towards DRC consideration and potential approval.
How long does it take to build a Costco?
The architectural firm MG2, which has partnered with Costco for 30 years on over 780 locations, says it takes under four months to build a new store.
“Costco Wholesale has set the bar by creating and maintaining the platinum standard in optimized rollouts: It takes just 110 days from the time construction begins to the moment doors open to their members” MG2 said. That means a new Pensacola Costco, if approved, could easily open by the end of the year.
What do the latest plans show?
The latest plans filed with Escambia County show the 172,580 square foot Costco retail store with a gas station and 830 parking spaces at 225 East Nine Mile Road, at the corner of East Nine Mile Road and Chemstrand Road. That’s the site of the current Planet Fitness and a former Kmart store. It’s several parcels totaling just under 22 acres.
The plans show the existing Dairy Queen, Sam’s Seafood Restaurant and Wells Fargo to remain, with a Costco gas station constructed between Sam’s Seafood and Wells Fargo in an area that is currently a parking area for the old shopping center. The current Planet Fitness building will be demolished to make room for the new Costco if it’s approved.
What happens to Planet Fitness?
Planet Fitness and the rest of the old shopping center will be demolished. As we previously reported on July 1, a new Planet Fitness is under construction at 312 East Nine Mile Road, next door to Aldi. It is in the remainder of a former Winn Dixie grocery store space that was converted into an Aldi with a smaller footprint, which opened in March.
What is currently the nearest Costco to Pensacola?
The nearest currently open Costco to Pensacola is in Mobile, Alabama.
How much is a Costco membership?
Membership is required for in-store shoppers at Costco. Members must be 16 or older to apply. The pharmacy is open to anyone, regardless of membership.
Costco offers two levels of membership for individuals or businesses:
Executive $130 annually
- Annual 2% Reward
- Costco Services Discounts
- Shop Online and in Warehouses
- Includes 2 Membership Cards
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Gold Star $65 annually
- Shop Online and in Warehouses
- Includes 2 Membership Cards
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Businesses can purchase either level to purchase items for resale or add additional people at $65 each.
NorthEscambia.com photos/graphics, click to enlarge
Portion Of West Quintette Road To Close Later This Week
July 15, 2025
About 950 feet of West Quintette Road is scheduled to be closed on Friday, according to Escambia County.
West Quintette will be closed from Dukes Drive to Highway 95A for storm drainage improvements.
The road is expected to reopen by Saturday, September 6.
It’s part of a $2.5 million project that has been underway since late March on Stacey Road. The purpose of this project is to replace the undersized drainage infrastructure from the northwest corner of Stacey Road and Quintette Road to the outfall approximately three quarters of a mile south on the east side of Stacey Road.
The project will replace the existing system with approximately 350 feet of 4-foot x 10-foot box culvert, and will include the installation of 100 feet of a 10-foot-wide paved concrete ditch upstream of the existing system,
reconstruction of three quarters of a mile of Stacey Road and the milling and resurfacing of the intersection of Stacey Road and Quintette Road, and the regrading of the existing downstream ditch.
NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge.
2025 Northview Grad, NJROTC Commander Flies Veterans In Pensacola Beach Air Show
July 15, 2025
If you attended the Friday practice for the Pensacola Beach Air Show, one of the planes you saw overhead may have been piloted by a 2025 Northview High School graduate.
Kate Stinson flew Naval T-6 and Stearmans as part of Veterans Flight 2025, with all of the veterans she flew at least 100 years old.
“I love flying because I love the sky and the feeling of being free from the ground. The vets seemed decades younger just getting to see the planes, and they were all so happy to talk about aviation,” she said. “It felt amazing to fly over the beach and be a part of the air show, and it was humbling to experience the T-6.”
Stinson was the Northview High School NJROTC commanding officer for 2024-2025. Stinson, known as ‘Kate the Great,’ completed flying lessons through the NJROTC program and took her first solo flight in June.
She plans to attend college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, commission as an officer in the Navy and become a naval aviator.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jay Man Ejected, Critically Injured In Chumuckla Highway Crash
July 15, 2025
A Jay man was critically injured when he was ejected during a crash on Chumuckla Highway, according to the Florida Highway patrol.
The 26-year-old man was driving his pickup truck westbound on Rolling Acres Road when he ran a stop sign at the intersection with Chumuckla Highway, troopers said. He was ejected when his pickup collided with a pickup truck driven by a 48-year-old Pace man that was traveling north on Chumuckla Highway.
The Jay man was airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition. The Pace man sustained minor injuries and was not transported.
File photo.