Escambia Animal Shelter Offering Free Cat And Dog Adoptions Through Today
July 26, 2026
The Escambia County animal shelter is offering free adoptions for cats and dogs one year older through Sunday, July 26 in partnership with the Bissell Pet Foundation.
A $15 licensing fee will be applied to all adoptions for Escambia County residents. To see a full list of adoptable pets in Escambia County, visit 24petconnect.com.
The adoption fee for pets younger than one year old will be $50 for puppies and $25 for kittens.
The Escambia County Animal Welfare and Adoption Center is located at 200 W. Fairfield Drive. Hours of operation on Sunday are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Florida Weekly Roundup: Return of the Mack
July 26, 2026
Florida Weekly Roundup is a look back at last week in a Florida politics and government.
Florida landed a new education commissioner this week and the wife of the Republican gubernatorial frontrunner approved.
And political viewers also watched as two others on the GOP gubernatorial ballot took their bickering to court over one’s residency.
TEACH TO THE WORKFORCE
The Florida Board of Education unanimously approved Henry Mack as the state’s new education commissioner Wednesday.
Mack, a former senior chancellor at the Department of Education and most recently the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor, was recommended for the position by Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.
“It is an honor beyond words to be entrusted with stewarding Florida schools at this pivotal moment,” Mack told the Board.
Mack replaces Anastasios Kamoutsas, who recently became president of Polk State College, and interim commissioner Paul Burns, a senior chancellor at DOE. The position pays approximately $330,000 a year.
Among those applauding the board action was Erika Donalds, wife of Congressman Bryon Donalds, who described the appointment as a win for Florida’s students.
“Dr. Mack believes in academic excellence and education freedom for all, and he understands better than most what Florida’s workforce demands. I am confident he will help lead all of our students to achieve the Florida Dream,” Erika Donalds posted on X.
Erika Donalds is a former Collier County School Board member who advocates for school choice programs.
Mack worked for DOE from 2019-2023, led the state’s career and technical education initiatives and heavily supported DeSantis’ parental rights policies.
During his time with DOE, Mack was critical of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and a proponent of “classical” education, a teaching approach backed by conservatives.
“Florida is restoring the classical aims of public education — starting by confining woke ideology to ‘the dustbin of history,’” he posted on social media in 2023.
THAT D.C. VOTE
GOP gubernatorial candidate James Fishback told a Leon County Circuit Court judge he’s always lived in Florida and only stayed in a Washington, D.C. residence “seasonally,” defending himself from an attempt to knock him from the ballot.
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins challenged his eligibility, alleging Fishback lived in the nation’s capital in 2020 and 2021, violating the Florida Constitution’s requirement that a governor must have lived in the state for seven straight years prior to taking office.
Judge David Frank indicated he plans to issue a ruling on Fishback’s eligibility on Monday.
Before the hearing, as Fishback and his retinue of about 20 supporters waited for the judge to begin, he condemned Collins for bringing the case and called him a “coward” for not being there in person.
During the hearing Fishback aimed more barbs at Collins, a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army who didn’t move to Florida until 2019 himself.
“Jay Collins, a man from Montana, hired a California lawyer … to sue a fourth-generation Floridian to illegally and illegitimately remove me from the ballot,” Fishback said. “He’s in third place. I’m in second.”
Both candidates trail Donalds, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and leads in most public polling for the primary.
Collins’ attorneys pointed to a series of documents indicating Fishback voted in Washington D.C. in 2020, bought a property in D.C. in 2021, and used that address to set up businesses and nonprofits and when filing tax returns.
Fishback, 31, said his parents moved to D.C. in 2019 and he initially was living with his grandmother in Broward County. In 2020 he ended up getting “stuck” in D.C. during the Covid-19 pandemic and didn’t want to return to his grandmother’s house because she was immunocompromised and he didn’t want to transmit the disease that was more deadly among the elderly than other populations.
That led him to live in his parents’ apartment for much of that year. Fishback said he wanted to vote for Trump in 2020, but looked into voting by mail too late. So instead he walked into a voting booth in D.C. and asked if he could use his Florida driver’s license identification card to vote.
He said he didn’t review the details of the electronic tablet he signed, which registered him to vote in D.C., which requires at least a 30-day residence in the city to vote there.
In Washington D.C. there is same-day registration, unlike in Florida where a voter must register nearly one month before an election.
ACROSS THE POND
Gov. Ron DeSantis led a trip to the United Kingdom this week with education, insurance and aerospace leaders.
DeSantis’ participation in the trip was announced after the team was already on the ground. He attended the opening of the Florida Pavilion at the Farnborough International Airshow.
Other deals, such as Relativity Space’s plan to expand its Space Coast operations, and a memorandum of understanding signed between Space Florida and the UK Space Agency that called for each to spend $200,000 toward joint research projects were announced as well.
Another deal announced at Farnborough involved the Department of Transportation and Eve Air Mobility. This deal is intended to continue the state’s effort to make Florida more friendly to battery-powered aircraft, with the goal of creating “vertiports” serving as hubs for short aerial commutes by eVTOL craft that have characteristics of airplanes and helicopters.
And later, DeSantis and Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky, after participating in a series of meetings with leaders in Britain’s insurance and reinsurance industry, held a discussion on insurance with Dame Susan Langley the Lady Mayor of London.
STORY OF THE WEEK:
Henry Mack was approved as the state’s new education commissioner.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“I am here with a proven record of trying to break down silos between education and labor, a record that evidences a deep philosophical commitment to forming both skilled talent and virtuous citizens in pursuit of the common good.” — Henry Mack, incoming Florida Commissioner of Education.
by Jine Turner, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Secure Shutout in Series Win Over Clingstones
July 26, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos earned their second shutout victory of the series over the Columbus Clingstones by a final score of 4-0.
Saturday’s game started out as almost a carbon copy of game 2 of Thursday’s doubleheader. Alex Williams pitched a flawless first two frames before Colby Shade launched his second home run in three days out to left field, giving the ‘Hoos a 1-0 lead.
The game took an unexpected turn in the top of the third, however. After Williams faced the first two batters, Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. hit a 106 mph grounder that nailed Williams in the shin. After a visit from Adam Sparks, the athletic trainer, and a couple of test pitches, Williams didn’t feel he could continue the game. So, with a man on second and two down in the third, Holt Jones (W, 2-0) entered from the pen and pitched the best game of his season thus far.
Jones proceeded to pitch the next 4.2 innings allowing just one hit, no runs, no walks, and striking out five. He faced 15 batters and got 14 outs. Before Jones was pulled in the top of the 7th, Brandon Compton continued his absurd power surge with his 10th home run in 19 games for the Wahoos. The bomb gave Pensacola a 2-0 lead and that lead would stick.
Colby Martin (S, 6) got the final 5 outs of the game, striking out three and allowing just one to reach. It was Martin’s second save of the series and the Wahoos 6th shutout win of the season. Despite a hard fought 7.0 inning effort from Clingstones starter Brett Sears (L, 3-4), he took the loss. The Wahoos improved to 50-44 overall and 14-11 in the second half. The Clingstones fell to 43-49 and 14-12.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Columbus Clingstones on Sunday.
written by Charlie Hobert
One Injured In Highway 29 Guardrail Crash, Rollover
July 25, 2026
A man injured Friday afternoon after crashing into a guardrail on Highway 29 near Molino.
A Chevrolet Silverado left the southbound lanes and collided with a guardrail at a pull-off area and overturned onto its side.
Firefighters were able to quickly extricate the driver, who was transported to an area hospital.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS responded.
Photos by Kevin Enfinger for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Update: West Roberts Road Closures Project Extended Into The Late Fall
July 25, 2026
Here’s an update to a story we brought you earlier this week:
Escambia County now says a $4.6 million West Roberts Road widening and drainage improvement project will continue into the fall due to unforeseen conditions during construction, including utility conflicts and coordination, according to county officials.
Work was expected to be completed by this Friday, July 24, on the most recent phase of the project that began June 2 with lane closures between Stallion Road and State Road.
The entire project area includes a portion of West Roberts Road between Highway 29 and Pine Forest Road. The project is expected to be completed in late fall 2026, weather permitting.
Detours will remain in place along Kingsfield Road, Stallion Road, and Tate Road for the duration of the project. Traffic lanes will be reopened on West Roberts Road upon completion of this phase of work in the fall. Drivers traveling on West Roberts Road should use extra caution and follow road crew instructions and posted signs when traveling through the work zone.
Residents, pedestrians, local traffic, and emergency vehicles will have access to properties within the work area at all times; however, there may be short periods when a driveway or entrance may be blocked temporarily as equipment and materials are moved during construction.
The project will widen the roadway to two 12-foot-wide travel lanes with 5-foot-wide shoulders from Pine Forest Road to Highway 29. The roadway from the southern turn to Pine Forest Road will be resurfaced and striped.
The $4,635,298.30 project, being funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), was awarded to contractor C.W. Roberts, Inc.
Pictured: Lane closures on West Roberts Road at Stallion Road as seen Tuesday evening, July 21. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Escambia County School Leaders Prep For New School Year
July 25, 2026
Escambia County Public Schools administrators and department heads met this week at Beulah Middle School for the annual ECPS Administrative Conference.
The group heard high-energy presentations from Superintendent Leonard and Deputy Superintendent Payne and received updates about educational law.
Teachers return to school on August 4 and the first day of school is August 12 in Escambia County.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
It’s The First Weekend Of Florida’s Back To School Sales Tax Holiday (With List)
July 25, 2026
It’s the first weekend of Florida’s month-long back to school sales tax holiday.
Through August 20, consumers in Florida can purchase qualifying back to school supplies exempt from tax.
Sales Tax Holiday Included Items
During the Florida Back to School Sales Tax Holiday, which takes place annually from July 20 through August 20, the following items are exempt from Florida sales tax if they meet the specified price limits and other conditions:
Clothing, footwear, and accessories having a sales price of $100 or less per item, including:
- Shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, shorts, and other apparel
- Shoes, boots, sandals, and other footwear
- Accessories such as belts, hats, gloves, and scarves
Wallets and bags* having a sales price of $100 or less per item, including:
- Backpacks
- Diaper bags
- Fanny packs
- Handbags
*Briefcases, suitcases, and other garment bags are excluded.
School supplies having a sales price of $50 or less per item, including:
- Binders
- Cellophane tape
- Compasses
- Composition books
- Computer disks
- Construction paper
- Crayons
- Erasers
- Folders
- Glue or paste
- Legal pads
- Lunch boxes
- Markers
- Notebooks
- Notebook filler paper
- Pencils
- Pens
- Poster board
- Poster paper
- Protractors
- Rulers
- Scissors
- Staplers and staples used to secure paper products
Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles having a sales price of $30 or less:
- Flashcards or other learning cards
- Interactive or electronic books and toys intended to teach reading or math skills
- Matching or other memory games
- Puzzle books and search-and-find books
- Stacking or nesting blocks or sets
Personal computers or personal computer-related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use having a sales price of $1,500 or less
- Personal computers* include:
- Calculators
- Desktops
- Electronic book readers
- Handhelds
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Tower computers
*The term does not include cellular telephones, video game consoles, digital media receivers, or devices that are not primarily designed to process data.
Personal computer-related accessories*+ include:
- Keyboards
- Mice
- Modems
- Monitors
- Nonrecreational software
- Other peripheral devices
- Personal digital assistants
- Routers
*The listed accessories are tax-exempt regardless of whether they are used in association with a personal computer base unit.
+ The term does not include furniture or systems, devices, software, monitors with a television tuner, or peripherals that are designed or intended primarily for recreational use.
The sales tax holiday does not apply to the rental or repair of any of the qualifying items. Additionally, the sales tax holiday does not apply to sales in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.
Highs Around 95 This Weekend; Hotter Next Week
July 25, 2026
The heat will continue to build this weekend and into early and middle parts of the upcoming week with some locations nearing or breaking daily record highs. Heat advisories or excessive heat warnings will likely be necessary for portions of the area. Daily, mainly afternoon and evening scattered t-storm chances increases middle to later parts of the upcoming week, but will still remain hot.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 95. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 77. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 96. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 75. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. West wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 77. West wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 77.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 76.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
Man Denied Entry With Livestock At Escambia I-10 Ag Station Arrested After Detouring Through Georgia
July 25, 2026
An attempted detour through Georgia ended in handcuffs for a Central Florida man accused of illegally importing out-of-state livestock after being denied entry into the state at an Escambia County agricultural inspection station.
The incident began at the Pensacola Agricultural Inspection Station on I-10. Roger Rodriguez Vega, of Maitland, arrived at the station transporting a trailer packed with 24 sheep and goats. The animals had originated from Texas—a designated high-risk zone currently under strict emergency import restrictions due to the presence of the destructive New World Screwworm parasite.
When Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) officers inspected the transport, Rodriguez Vega failed to provide a valid Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection required by state health protections. Officers refused him entry into Florida, explicitly advising Rodriguez Vega that he could not lawfully bring the animals into the state without the mandatory veterinary clearance.
Instead of turning back, Rodriguez Vega allegedly attempted to circumvent the system. Recognizing the biosecurity threat, OALE officers immediately issued a statewide “Be On the Lookout” (BOLO) alert for his vehicle.
Investigators determined that Rodriguez Vega drove out of the area and re-entered Florida by crossing the border through Georgia, bypassing the Escambia County agricultural inspection station entirely. OALE officers tracked down the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. When asked again for the paperwork, Rodriguez Vega failed to produce a valid Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for the 24 animals.
Rodriguez Vega was arrested and charged with 24 counts of unlawful entry of animals into the state and one count of resisting an officer without violence.
The enforcement action comes amid heightened statewide efforts to keep the flesh-eating parasite out of Florida’s borders.
“Florida has taken a proactive and aggressive approach to protecting our livestock, agricultural industry, pets, wildlife, and food supply from the very real threat of New World Screwworm, and we will not tolerate anyone who breaks the law and attempts to circumvent those protections,” said Commissioner Wilton Simpson, whose office announced the arrest on Friday. “I commend the hard work of our agricultural law enforcement officers, who serve as the front line of defense against devastating animal diseases and pests as well as criminal activity. This arrest also serves as a warning to others that we will hold accountable anyone who intentionally violates Florida law and threatens our state’s farmers and ranchers.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Voting Equipment Put To The Test Ahead Of Primary
July 25, 2026
Voting equipment was put to the test this week in Escambia County.
The Escambia County Canvassing Board conducted the required public Logic and Accuracy (L&A) Test of the voting and tabulation equipment that will be used in the August 18 primary election.
L&A testing is conducted prior to each election to ensure the voting and tabulation system accurately records and counts every vote.
The Escambia County Canvassing Board consists of County Judge Scott Ritchie, chair; Supervisor of Elections Robert D. Bender; and Pensacola Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier. The testing was held at the Supervisor of Elections (SOE) Warehouse and Training Center on Navy Boulevard.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.