Republicans Vie For District 2 Seat; Hill Boasts Double Digit Lead
May 13, 2013
Little more than a week after the end of the legislative session, Republicans in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties head to the polls Tuesday to choose a nominee to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford, R-Gulf Breeze, who died in March.
Among the candidates are insurance agents, a former mayor, a former city councilman and a tea party activist.
According to the latest survey by St. Pete Polls, Mike Hill is the front runner in the race by 12 percentage points. Hill, president of the Northwest Florida Tea Party, boasts endorsements from Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, and the National Federation of Independent Business in Florida, where he serves on the leadership council.
Hill fashions himself as a “genuine conservative” who says he will fight for limited government, lower taxes, personal freedom and individual responsibility.
But mailers targeting former Pensacola City Councilman Jack Nobles and former Gulf Breeze Mayor Ed Gray have served as a flashpoint in the race. Gray has produced an ad in which he says that Hill offers “no positive platform, no solutions, just a relentless smear campaign.”
In an interview, Nobles declined to comment in depth about the mailers, which paint Nobles and Gray as “two career politicians” who have voted to raise taxes. Gray declined to speak to a reporter Wednesday, saying he was focusing his time on contacting voters.
Hill said his campaign isn’t responsible for the mailers, but he backed up their message and said the attacks against Gray and Nobles weren’t personal.
“They’re career politicians, and that’s one thing I think that this area is kind of fed up with,” he said.
Beyond that, the race has covered everything from a feeling that Tallahassee is ignoring the area to how to use money meant to help eight counties recover from the effects of the BP oil spill.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of your governmental structure to go to Tallahassee, gain the respect of my peers over there and have state government look after the interests of northwest Florida just like they do all of South Florida and central Florida, because we deserve that,” Gray told a forum recently.
As for the BP money, most of the candidates agree that it should be spent by local officials.
“Let, at the local level, the counties determine how that money should be used,” Hill said.
Nobles adds that it should either be used to pay off debt or be invested and then used wisely.
“You give politicians money and they spend it pretty quickly,” he said.
Some of the candidates also have unique ideas and interests. Scott Miller, a businessman from Gulf Breeze and first cousin of Republican Sen. Greg Evers, says whoever represents the seat has to make sure that no one tries to use a toll to fund the replacement for the Three-Mile Bridge that runs from Pensacola to Gulf Breeze.
“I feel like we need to have somebody in Tallahassee who will watch that like a hawk,” he said.
Miller also has stressed his support for the Second Amendment, saying “people in South Florida” might try to curtail gun rights across the state.
David Radcliffe, a property and casualty insurance agent, developer and landlord, wants to return Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to a wind-only insurer. He worries that a recent measure creating a “clearinghouse” for the company will allow private insurers to “cherry-pick policies.”
“I need a good platform to go try to get my ideas heard in Tallahassee,” he said.
Mark Taylor, an insurance inspector who also works in construction and real estate, stresses workforce education, dovetailing with education reform efforts in Tallahassee. Taylor started selling real estate when he was in high school.
“Not everybody’s college-bound,” he said. “I wasn’t a college-bound guy, but still was very blessed and very successful.”
Whichever one of the half-dozen candidates emerges with the GOP nod in House District 2 will be a sizable favorite against Democrat Jeremy Lau in the June 11 general election. Gov. Rick Scott carried the district by 16 points in 2010 against his Democratic opponent, former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink; Scott narrowly won statewide. Republicans also had an eight-point edge in voter registration, according to state numbers.
By The News Service of Florida
Letter Carrier Food Drive Is Today For Local Food Banks
May 11, 2013
Today, Escambia and Santa Rosa County letter carriers will again join forces to Stamp Out Hunger in our community, providing assistance to the thousands of area citizens who are struggling to put food on their tables every day.
Now in its 21st year, the Stamp Out Hunger effort is the nation’s largest single-day food drive. In 2012, drive organizers in our community collected more than 150,000 pounds of food for local pantries. This year, the food will be distributed to the following food pantries: Manna Food Pantries, Bay Area Food Bank, Warrington Emergency Aid, Acts Ministries of Gulf Breeze and We Care Ministries of Navarre United Methodist Church.
United Way of Escambia County, the U.S. Postal Service, National Association of Letter Carriers and Feeding America, Campbell’s Soup Company, Publix, AARP, Valpak, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, the AFL-CIO, GLS Companies, Source Direct Plastics, Valassis/Red Plum and Uncle Bob’s Self Storage are supporting the drive this year.
To participate in the Stamp Out Hunger drive, Escambia and Santa Rosa County residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal, next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 11. Local letter carriers will collect these food donations as they deliver the mail and take them to postal offices for pick up by food pantries.
Pictured top: Stamp Out Hunger donations hang on mailboxes on Wiggins Lake Road in Walnut Hill. NorthEsambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Slight Rain Chance Tonight, Clearing Sunday
May 11, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
- Sunday: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 79. North wind around 10 mph.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 80. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 86. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.
- Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
- Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.
- Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86.
Local Author To Hold Book Signing Today At Molino Library
May 11, 2013
The Molino Branch Library will host a book signing with local author Lloyd Albritton today from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. He will be signing copies of his new book “Baby Blue”, which will be on sale for $20.
Albritton grew up in Nokomis, Fla., and currently lives in Atmore. Both locations are the setting for Albritton’s first novel.
Baby Blue Description
When two young boys stumble upon the gruesome, headless corpse of a young white man in the woods of Nokomis, local Deputy Sheriff J. B. Coon, a farmer and part-time deputy, is summoned to investigate. Deputy Coon quickly targets a suspect in Manse Mobley, a mysterious old Negro moonshiner who rides a magnificent stallion and carries a shotgun.
The bigger question, however, is why! Even as his boss pushes him to close the case unsolved as just another shootout between two unimportant country hooligans fighting over a bottle of whiskey, J. B. suspects more. His curiosity and subsequent investigation leads him to one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in the State of Alabama, Dr. John Blue and his wife, Marie. The Blues have secrets. Deep, dark secrets!
As the Blues’ secrets unfold, Deputy Coon begins to wish he had listened to his boss and left that door closed, but once he has crossed the threshold of truth, there is no turning back. Other lives must now be destroyed. And J. B. Coon may be one of them.
House District 2: Early Voting Continues, Today Deadline For Mailed Ballot
May 7, 2013
Today is the last day to request an absentee ballot be mailed for the special primary election in Florida House District 2.
After Wednesday, May 8, absentee ballots must be picked up from the Escambia County Elections Office.
Early voting is offered daily this week from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Early voting ends Saturday, May 11 and is available from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. that day. Early voters cast paper ballots through digital scanners, and may choose any one of the three sites. Voters must present photo and signature ID when voting in person, or will have to vote a provisional ballot.
Early voting locations are the Tyron Branch Library at 1200 Langley Avenue and the Southwest Branch Library at 12248 Gulf Beach Highway.
All registered Republican voters in House District 2 are eligible to vote in this closed primary. Florida is a closed primary state, which means in primary elections, you may only participate in the primary of the party in which you are registered. Since only one Democrat candidate qualified, there will be no Democratic primary. The Democratic candidate automatically advances to the June 11 election to face the winner of the Republican primary. All voters in House District 2 will be eligible to vote in the June 11 election, regardless of party affiliation. To find out if you are registered in House District 2, check your voter information card, visit EscambiaVotes.com, or call the elections office at 850‐595‐3900.
Cooler Weather Continues
May 5, 2013
Saturday was a great day for most any outdoor activity, including fishing at Lake Stone near Century. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast
- Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
- Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.
Tonight: Tate High FFA Rodeo
May 4, 2013
The Tate High School FFA Alumni Foundation will present its 22nd Annual Rodeo at the James C. Robinson Escambia County Equestrian Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at Farm and Nursery Mart, Southern Mill and Supply and Hill Kelly Dodge at $8 for adults and $3 for children. Tickets can also be purchased at the Equestrian Center gate at $10 for adults and $5 for children.
Sawmill Day And Car Show In Century Today
May 4, 2013
The 3rd annual Sawmill Day and Car Show will be held Saturday in Century.
The car show registration will be open until 11 a.m., with awards at 2 p.m.
The day featrues entertainment, music, Heather Leonard’s Danceworks, flintknappers, pottery demonstratons, picture IDS and fingerprinting for children, the Perdido Bay Tribe of the Southeastern Muscogee Creek Indians traveling museum, Old 100 – the restored original 1919 Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company logging and switching engine, animals from Turtle Point, and inside yard sale, a turpentine display, hot barbecue plates, cold drinks and more.
The event is taking place in the Historical Park at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Fourth Street in Century.
Pictured: The 2012 Sawmill Day and Car Show in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Unseasonably Cool, Low Near 43
May 4, 2013
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable.
- Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
- Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
- Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.
Today: Market at St. Monica’s, Palafox Market Open 2013 Season
May 4, 2013
Today is opening day for two local farmer’s markets named among the best in their size in the U.S. The Market at Saint Monica’s in Cantonment and the Palafox Market in downtown Pensacola will both be open with farm fresh produce and much more.
MARKET AT SAINT MONICA’S
The Market at Saint Monica’s will begin its third season today until 1 p.m. in the parking lot of Saint Monica’s Episcopal Church, 699 South Highway 95-A, Cantonment.
Vendors signed up participate in opening day include Ladybug Acres All-Natural Growers, Smocked with Love, Pawless Ponies & Farm, Carlos Goebels – local artist, Hastings Grass Fed Beef, F & G Craftworks, Enoch’s Walk Farm, Ray of Hope – recycled concrete sculptures, Susan’s Hot Dog’s, Jackie’s Sno-cones and more. All vendors are asked to make a donation to Manna Food Pantry.
In addition to new and returning vendors, opening day will feature a Smoked Pulled Pork Barbecue Fundraiser, music by Mr. V’s DJ Service, and special children’s activities. Barbecue plates are $6 and include pulled pork barbecue sandwich, baked beans, coleslaw, and soft drink or bottled water. All proceeds will benefit St. Monica’s outreach ministries.
For more information about Market’s vendors, special events, or schedule, visit www.st-monicas.org/market.html.
PALAFOX MARKET
The May 2013 – April 2014 Palafox Market season begins today until 2 p.m. in downtown Pensacola. As it enters its sixth season, the Palafox Market continues to expand with new vendors and more products. Customers have Saturdays to browse the unique goods offered by local farmers, gardeners, artisans and bakers.
Items originate directly from onsite vendors and include dozens of local farmers, home gardeners, culinary and area artists. Vendors reside throughout Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Baldwin counties which ensures a variety of colorful, local, and enticing products. In addition to returning vendors, new vendors will also be joining the market. Customers will get to experience new products such as homemade sauces, baked goods, additional local produce and even more original award winning artwork.
Mary Bartlett, market vendor since 2008 and owner of Bartlett Meadows Farms said, “The Palafox Market is the best way for shoppers to find locally grown and crafted products at their freshest. The exchange between people and farmers insures the best possible food on local tables. From local honey and handmade soaps to produce, baked goods, jellies, art, jewelry and handcrafted yard furniture, the Palafox Market has it all.”
The Palafox Market is every Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. rain or shine. The market is located under the shade trees in Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza on North Palafox Street between Garden and Wright Streets. For more information, including products available and how to become a vendor, or to sign up for the weekly newsletter, visit the website at www.palafoxmarket.com.