Flood Warnings: Escambia, Perdido Rivers Forecast To Rise Nearly 15 Feet
June 18, 2026
Rivers in North Escambia are forecast to rise by nearly 15 feet by the weekend.
Escambia River
A flood warning is in effect from Friday evening until further notice. Minor flooding is forecast.
Thursday morning, the stage was 4.7 feet at Century, and the river is forecast to rise above flood stage Friday evening and continue to rise to a crest of 19.1 feet by Sunday morning. Flood stage is 17 feet, and low-lying pastures will flood at 19 feet.
Perdido River
A flood warning is in effect from late Thursday night to Monday morning for the Perdido River.
Thursday morning, the stage was 3.2 feet at Barrineau Park. The river is expected to rise above the flood stage of 13 feet to 17.6 feet by early Saturday morning before falling below flood stage on Monday. At 17.6 feet, water reaches the first floor of the Adventures Unlimited Perdido River office building.
Curiosity Catches the Kitty: Stuck Kitten Rescued From Tree By Escambia Animal Welfare
June 18, 2026
The Escambia County Department of Animal Rescue successfully rescued a curious little kitten on Wednesday.
The kitten somehow managed to get her head stuck in a tree. Animal Welfare officers were able to free the curious little kitty and get her back on solid ground. She was uninjured.
The kitten is now in the county shelter and under veterinary care.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Cantonment Residents Uninjured In Three-Vehicle Serious Escambia County Crash
June 18, 2026
Two Cantonment residents escaped injury in a three-vehicle crash Wednesday evening in Escambia County.
The crash occurred at approximately 7:05 p.m. at the intersection of Fairfield Drive and Hollywood Avenue.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the Cantonment residents, a 62-year-old male driver and a 63-year-old female passenger, were traveling eastbound on Fairfield Drive in an SUV as a 27-year-old Pensacola man driving a sedan was also traveling eastbound in the outside lane.
According to state troopers, the Pensacola driver attempted to make a left turn onto Hollywood Avenue from the outside eastbound lane. As he turned, the rear of his sedan collided with the front of the Cantonment residents’ SUV, which was traveling in the inside lane. Both Cantonment residents were wearing their seat belts.
Following the initial collision, the Pensacola man’s sedan continued through the intersection and entered the westbound lanes of Fairfield Drive. A third vehicle, a sedan driven by a 21-year-old Pensacola man with a 20-year-old female passenger, was traveling westbound and collided with the passenger side of the crossing sedan.
The 27-year-old driver of the first sedan, who was not wearing a seat belt, sustained critical injuries and was transported to a local hospital. The 21-year-old driver and 20-year-old passenger of the third vehicle both sustained serious injuries and were also hospitalized.
The crash remains under investigation by FHP.
Blue Wahoos Split Twin Bill With Barons
June 18, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Birmingham Barons 6-4 in the first half of their Wednesday doubleheader, but blew a late lead in the nightcap to lose 6-3.
Combined with a Biloxi Shuckers loss, the doubleheader split puts Pensacola in second place by 0.5 games with four to play before the end of the first half on Sunday.
In game one, the Blue Wahoos went deep three times to account for five of their six runs. Aiva Arquette hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the third inning, Dillon Lewis added his team-leading 14th later in the frame, and Cristian Hernández laced a two-run shot in the fifth inning.
Alex Williams (W, 4-5) outpitched Birmingham’s Gabe Davis (L, 0-2), working 5.2 innings of four-run ball. After surrendering a first-inning homer to Alec Briley, the righty settled down and effectively protected the Pensacola lead. Jack Sellinger (S, 3) inherited a pair of baserunners with the tying run at the plate in the sixth, but escaped the jam and returned for the seventh to secure a five-out save in a 6-4 final.
In game two, Lewis once again provided early offense with an RBI groundout in the first inning and an RBI single in the third. Connor Caskenette forced in the third Pensacola run with a bases-loaded walk in the fifth, though the Blue Wahoos squandered a chance to add on with the bases loaded and nobody out against reliever Phil Fox (W, 2-2).
Blue Wahoos starter Jacob Miller allowed a Brenden Dixon RBI double in the second inning, but otherwise looked sharp over 2.0 innings in his first start since coming off the injured list. Holt Jones was dominant in long relief, striking out seven batters over 3.0 one-hit innings, and Kade Bragg (L, 3-2) worked through a 1-2-3 sixth to send the game to the seventh and final frame.
Tasked with protecting a 3-1 lead, Bragg allowed an infield single and a pair of walks to load the bases. Colby Martin entered from the bullpen, getting a strikeout before allowing a game-tying two-run double to Pensacola native T.J. McCants. Martin struck out Samuel Zavala and intentionally walked Briley to load the bases for Caleb Bonemer, the top prospect in the White Sox organization who had made his Double-A debut in game one. A four-pitch walk forced in the go-ahead run, and Anthony DePino muscled a broken-bat single up the middle to score two more.
Jackson Kelley (S, 5) worked around a Lewis double in the seventh to close out a 6-3 Barons win.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Thursday.
written by Erik Bremer
Rev. Janet K. Lee Retires After 43 Years Of Ministry At Century UMC
June 17, 2026
A community worship service and retirement celebration was held for Rev. Janet K. Lee at Century United Methodist Church.
After 43 years, she is returning in her retirement to her home state of Kentucky.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Felon Arrested for Child Sexual Abuse Material, Drugs, And Stolen Guns
June 17, 2026
An Escambia County convicted felon has been arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on multiple counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and other charges.
Hershel Keith Cranford, 44, was charged with 20 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and one count each of promotion of CSAM, using a two-way communication device to commit a felony, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, and dealing in stolen property.
FDLE’s investigation began in May when agents identified a device that was using a peer-to-peer file-sharing platform to share files depicting the sexual abuse of children. Investigators linked the device to an IP address in Escambia County and identified the user as Cranford.
This week, FDLE agents, with the assistance of the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at Cranford’s residence. FDLE said the search warrant resulted in the seizure of an electronic device, methamphetamine, a Schedule I controlled substance, and multiple stolen firearms.
Cranford remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $80,000.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Changing Yard Waste, Bulk Debris Collections After Council, Resident Outcry
June 16, 2026
After outcry from residents and town officials, Waste Pro is making changes to yard waste and bulk collections in Century.
At their most recent meeting, town council members expressed concern with the “black can.” It’s a green can with a black lid intended for yard waste, and they said it’s not practical to fit several tree limbs and other yard debris in the can.
Now, the Town of Century is removing the black lid cans and transitioning to a grapple truck collection of yard waste once per month. Waste Pro will collect organic debris smaller than 6 feet in diameter or 6 feet in length, placed in an area no larger than 6 x 6 feet square and 6 feet high. The collections will begin in July on a schedule to be announced, but household garbage, construction debris, treated lumber and large stumps will not be collected.
Bulk pick up for household items (furniture, mattresses, appliances and other large items) that will not fit inside the regular blue can will also begin in July. Areas on the west side of Highway 29, the “town hall side,” will be collected on July 7. The areas on the east side, the “Whataburger side”, of Highway 29 will be collected on July 14. Bulk items should be placed in an area no larger than 6 x 6 feet square and 6 feet high.
Bulk items, such as furniture and appliances, should be placed in a separate pile from organic material (such as limbs, leaves and grass clippings).
For additional details, click the graphic above to enlarge, or click here to download a printable pdf.
For other questions, call Century Town Hall at (850) 256-3208.
Graphic provided by the Town of Century for NorthEscambia.com.
West Bogia Road Open To Traffic; Paving Delayed By Forecasted Rain
June 16, 2026
West Bogia Road reopened Sunday afternoon, just two weeks after washing away during torrential rainfall and flooding, but work is not yet complete.
On May 31, an estimated six inches of rain fell in a three-hour window near McDavid. While Highway 29 at West Bogia Road was under several feet of water, West Bogia Road completely washed away and collapsed at a culvert intersection.
The Florida Department of Transportation quickly stepped in to handle the emergency repairs to the county road, replacing the failed 78-inch culvert pipe and rebuilding the crossing with solid concrete headwalls and new base materials.
For more photos of the opened road on Monday, click here.
For more photos of the damage and the road as it appeared last Saturday, click to enlarge.
While the vital corridor is now open to traffic—saving local residents from a significant daily detour—the $150,000 project is not quite finished. Final paving has been delayed for a few days due to rain in the forecast this week. According to FDOT, crews will complete the paving process as soon as the weather permits.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida AG Sues TikTok, Alleges Violation Of State Child Safety Law
June 16, 2026
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed suit again TikTok, alleging the popular social media platform committed a series of violations of Florida law by actively targeting and contracting with minors while deceiving parents about the dangers of the app.
TikTok’s success hinges on its ability to addict children and teenagers to the platform,” said Uthmeier. “TikTok knowingly deceives parents and allows children to be exposed to harmful and inappropriate content in direct violation of Florida law. We have zero tolerance for companies that prioritize profit over children’s safety. TikTok should expect to be held accountable.”
The complaint alleges that TikTok is in violation of House Bill 3, Florida’s online child protections law, which took effect on January 1, 2025. Specifically, TikTok is accused of letting children under 14 years old create accounts, and letting 15- and 16-year-olds do the same without parental consent. Both violate H.B. 3, which bans children under 14 years of age from social media platforms entirely and requires parental consent for 15 and 16-year-olds to create accounts.
The lawsuit also alleges that TikTok is violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by deceiving parents about the safety and appropriateness of the content their children will have access to. TikTok advertises itself on the app store as being appropriate for children 13 years and older, and characterizes mature themes including sex content, drug content, profanity, self-harm or suicide, and eating disorders as “mild” and “infrequent” – a claim that is blatantly false. These themes are present very frequently on the app, and are often shown/discussed in graphic detail.
FDOT Completes $5.3 Million Resurfacing Project On Brent Lane, Bayou Boulevard
June 16, 2026
The Florida Department of Transportation has completed a $5.3 million project to resurface State Road 296 (Brent Lane/Bayou Boulevard), from Davis Highway to Baisden Road, in Escambia County.
Additional improvements include:
Sidewalk and crosswalk improvements, including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades.
Signalization improvements.
Stormwater management enhancements.
New signing and pavement markings.