New Escambia County Teachers Prep For The New School Year
August 2, 2026
The first day of school is just around the corner, and last week new Escambia County Public Schools teachers gathered for a two-day introduction to the system.
The new teachers familiarized themselves with ECPS, learned from experienced teachers, and prepared for the coming school year at the “Great Beginnings Conference” at Beulah Middle School.
The first day of school for students in Escambia County is Wednesday, August 12.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: See The Century Library Pollinator Garden
August 2, 2026
In May, the Escambia County Extension Service Horticulture team, installed and planted a Pollinator Garden at the Century Library.
Now, the plants are maturing and have a variety of colorful blooms.
The garden includes a mix of native and Florida-friendly plants for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds grown by Escambia County Master Gardener volunteers. The garden was planted in Bloom Compost from the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority.
Pictured top and middle: A Pollinator Garden recently in bloom at the Century Library (NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge). Pictured bottom: The garden was being installed and planted in May by the Escambia County Extension Service Horticulture team.
Florida Weekly Roundup: Judicial Wordsmithing
August 2, 2026
As the primary draws closer without any gubernatorial candidates tossed from the ballot, a far-reaching property tax cut proposal set to go before voters later this year had a day in court this week.
Now the wait is on for Leon County Judge David Frank to decide whether to toss a series of lawsuits or order the state’s attorney general to rewrite what voters will read.
BALLOT ADVOCACY
Three groups of plaintiffs, including former local government elected officials and a former Republican legislator, contend the title and ballot summary for Amendment 3, approved by the GOP-led Legislature in June, uses “emotional and political rhetoric” designed to mislead voters.
“I don’t think there is anybody who can say when this amendment was drafted that it’s not partial and it’s not advocacy,” said former Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican, who brought one of the lawsuits against the property tax cut proposal. “All we are asking the court to do is follow the law and follow what the constitution lays out when it relates to advocacy.”
Opponents argue the measure could cost cities and counties as much as $12 billion annually and shift the tax burdens to renters and businesses, which isn’t reflected in the ballot language that is under the amendment’s title of “Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes.”
Representing one of the opposition groups, attorney Jamie Cole told Frank the wording voters see “has to be fair and it has to be accurate.”
“It should not be political rhetoric, it should not be emotional language,” Cole said.
Benjamin Gibson, an attorney representing the state, said the onus was on the plaintiffs to prove the ballot summary was defective. Also, the measure’s title wasn’t misleading because it spells out the danger to homesteads: excessive taxes.
He also downplayed arguments that the measure would essentially give the Legislature veto power over how local property taxes are spent because it restricts such spending to infrastructure, education, public safety and other major needs.
“The ballot title and summary does not need to explain unknowns or hypothetical consequences,” Gibson said.
FISHBACK STAYS
Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback remains on the primary ballot.
Judge Frank ruled Monday that Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, another GOP candidate for the governor’s office, didn’t prove Fishback lived outside the state within the last seven years.
Collins alleged Fishback voted in Washington D.C. in 2020 and established a homestead there when he bought an apartment in 2021, making him ineligible due to the state’s seven-year residency requirement for the office.
With Fishback testifying that he never gave up his Florida residency and voted in D.C. to support President Donald Trump, Frank determined the burden of proof was on Collins to show Fishback abandoned his residence in Florida.
“This isn’t just a victory for our campaign. It’s a victory for the constitution and for every Floridian who believes elections should be decided by voters, not politicians trying to rig the system,” Fishback stated after the ruling was released.
DOUBLE EXECUTION
Florida completed a rare day-night execution Tuesday, putting Dominick Anthony Occhicone to death about five hours after James Aren Duckett was pronounced dead.
After a flurry of emergency applications and petitions were turned down the past few days at the federal level, including the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, Occhicone, 80, became the oldest inmate executed by the state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty described the twin executions as an “unprecedented escalation” of the state’s use of the death penalty.
“These are two profoundly different cases, but they point to the same troubling reality: Florida continues to expand the use of capital punishment, despite mounting evidence that it is not what Floridians want,” said Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
Occhicone and Duckett were put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison, bringing the number of inmates executed this year to 12.
DeSantis signed his 14th death warrant of the year Thursday, for Harold Gene Lucas to be executed Sept. 1. Lucas received the death sentence for the murder of his 16-year-old former girlfriend in Bonita Springs almost 50 years ago.
On Tuesday, DeSantis said he didn’t “take joy” in presiding over the double execution or take “pride” in signing the warrants even though it will be “more than any administration in the history of the state.” But DeSantis said capital punishment is needed to “bring justice,” as “some of the victims’ families have been waiting a long time.”
“We do owe it to them to do it,” DeSantis said Tuesday night at the Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference at Trump National Doral.
STORY OF THE WEEK:
Opponents of a Florida property tax-cutting ballot measure, Amendment 3, get their day in court, but must wait on a ruling.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“You shouldn’t be going for 20 years. You should be able to try and maybe appeal, but then at some point, we’ve got to get cracking here.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis on the death sentence appeal process while at the Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference on Tuesday.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Blue Wahoos Hold On For Extra-Inning Win Over Smokies
August 2, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos continued their winning ways on Saturday night, outlasting the Knoxville Smokies 3-2 in 10 innings.
With the win, the Blue Wahoos have now won 9 of their past 11 games and 4 of their first 5 during their series in Knoxville to move to a season-high 10 games above .500.
Brendan Jones opened the scoring for Pensacola with a two-run homer in the top of the third inning against Smokies starter Brooks Caple. It was the 10th homer of the season for Jones, with four coming during the Blue Wahoos’ road trips to his home state of Tennessee.
After 3.0 scoreless innings from Blue Wahoos starter Orlando Ortiz-Mayr, the Smokies evened the score 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run homer from Ariel Armas against reliever Josh Hejka. That would be all the damage done against the Pensacola bullpen, however, as Hejka got through 3.0 innings for his longest appearance in more than two seasons to keep the game tied into the late innings.
The Blue Wahoos left the bases loaded in the seventh and eighth innings, but effective relief from Nigel Belgrave and Colby Martin (W, 4-4) sent the game to extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, Juan Matheus singled against Tyler Schlaffer (L, 1-7) to advance placed runner Cristian Hernández to third base. Brandon Compton, who had collected three singles already in the game, then sent a scorching grounder to second base that turned into a double play but also brought home the go-ahead run.
Handed a 3-2 lead, Martin returned for the bottom of the 10th and worked around a leadoff single to Drew Bowser to retire the next three batters and end the game. For the fourth time in five games in the series, the losing team left the potential tying run at third base when making the final out.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Smokies on Sunday.
written by Erik Bremer