DeSantis: Florida Law Enforcement To Help Secure Border With Mexico; ECSO Committed To Sending Aid
June 17, 2021
Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that state and local law enforcement officers have committed to deploying to Texas and Arizona to provide additional resources in response to the border crisis.
The announcement from DeSantis came Wednesday with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody during a press conference at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has committed to sending aid to the border, as has the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
“We talked a little bit about methamphetamines and how it’s going from the border. We talked a little bit about fentanyl. It’s easy to say that, but let me tell you how that hits home here in a place like Escambia County. Not a shooting, not a violent crime that goes by that we investigate that’s not involving methamphetamine,” Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said.
“Not a day goes by at all, we don’t go to a call where someone has overdosed on fentanyl,” Simmons continued. ”We can talk about the sheer numbers and the pounds and the kilos coming from the border through the interstate into our own Escambia County. But what does that mean? It means people are dying in our city streets, our county streets and it makes a difference. And it again it makes a difference when we decide to do something. We acknowledge this is an issue, this is a problem, we have got to come together and do something with it.”
“America’s border security crisis impacts every state and every American,” said DeSantis. “The Biden Administration ended policies implemented by President Trump that were curbing illegal immigration, securing our border, and keeping Americans safe. Governors Abbott and Ducey recently sent out a call for help to every state in the nation, needing additional law enforcement manpower and other resources to aid with border security. I’m proud to announce today that the state of Florida is answering the call. Florida has your back.”
“As attorney general, I am dedicated to ending human trafficking, protecting our children from sexual predators, and fighting the opioid crisis now claiming 21 lives a day in our state, but President Biden is hurting, not helping us achieve these vital public safety goals,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “The crisis the President created at our southern border makes all of us less safe, and I am proud to stand with Governor DeSantis as he tries to fix the President’s disaster at the border to protect Floridians.”
The move comes following a letter late last week from Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona requesting immediate assistance to quell the surge of illegal migrants, apprehend illegal criminal aliens, and secure our border.
The Governor’s Office said the following sheriff’s offices and state law enforcement agencies have already committed to sending aid:
- The Florida Highway Patrol
- The Florida Department of Law Enforcement
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
- Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
- Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
- Holmes County Sheriff’s Office
- Lee County Sheriff’s Office
- Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
- Pasco County Sheriff’s Office
- Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office
- Walton County Sheriff’s Office
The Florida Division of Emergency Management is coordinating this deployment of the law enforcement officers under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). The Emergency Management Assistance Compact is a national mutual aid system that allows states to share resources from all disciplines, protect personnel who deploy, and be reimbursed for mission related costs.
Pictured: Gov Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody flanked by law enforcement during a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Woman Accused Of ‘Samurai Style Sword’ Attack Now Charged With Tampering In The Case
June 17, 2021
A Century woman accused in an altercation involving a “samurai style sword” last month is facing a new charge for tampering in the case.
Mariah Brianna Moore, 29, was charged with tampering in a felony second degree proceeding. The new charge is a second degree felony.
In May, Moore was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after she allegedly cut a woman across the forehead with a what Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies described as a “samurai style sword”. The victim required medical treatment for a large laceration.
The victim told deputies that since that time, Moore has threatened her with violence on three different occasions. The victim said Moore yelled at her and threatened to “cut her again”. The victim began to video the incident, and Moore can be seen and heard screaming at the victim, according to an ECSO arrest report. While the deputy was speaking to the victim, he could hear Moore continue to scream and threaten to fight the victim, the report continues.
During a court appearance after the original incident, Moore was ordered by a judge to have no contact with the victim.
She remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday morning without bond.
$260,000 In Scholarships Awarded To Take Stock In Children Graduates
June 17, 2021
Take Stock in Children and the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation recently awarded $260,000 in scholarships to Take Stock’s 2021 graduating seniors. Each of the 19 students received a four-year tuition scholarship and a new laptop.
The 2021 Take Stock in Children graduates are:
- Escambia High School: Briana Stack, Nevaeh Vaughn
- Northview High School: Maggie Amerson, Maille Kilcrease, Kenna Redmond
- Pensacola High School: IB student, Gabrielle Vines
- Pine Forest High School: Jayla Williams
- Tate High School: Hannah Thorne
- Washington High: Paige Hotopp, Pedro Hernandez-Mendiola
- West Florida High: Halima Almanasrah, Kathryn Campbell, Vi Dang, Aireal English, Jean Hakaumotu, Selalina Hakaumotu, De’mayla Jenkins, Ja’vontae Manning, Sha’tee McDonald
Take Stock in Children was established in 1995 as a non-profit organization in Florida that provides a unique opportunity for deserving low-income students to escape the cycle of poverty through education. Students are selected through a need-based application process in middle school and sign an agreement to maintain good grades, attendance, and citizenship and remain crime and drug free. Each student is matched with a volunteer community mentor and receives a college scholarship, college readiness skills, and hope for the future. The program’s comprehensive services continue through high school and include students’ transition into college and beyond.
Scholarships are funded through a unique public-private funding model. Local donations from family foundations, community organizations, businesses, and individual donors are matched by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation when scholarships are purchased. Laptops are donated through a program started by Nick and Nathan Gupta and currently coordinated by Aiden Hayward.
Escambia County Offers Free Sand For Tropical Weather Prep
June 17, 2021
Escambia County is offering free sand for residents living in flood-prone areas in advance of possible heavy tropical rain this weekend. The sand is available on a first come, first served basis at the following locations:
- John R. Jones Jr. Athletic Park – 555 E. Nine Mile Road
- Don Sutton Park – 2320 Crabtree Church Road, Molino
- Travis M. Nelson Park - 4541 Highway 4, Bratt
- Equestrian Center – 7750 Mobile Highway
- Escambia County Road Department – 601 Highway 297A
- Brent Athletic Park – 4711 N. W St., Pensacola
- Ferry Pass Middle School -available on northwest corner of school property on Parazine Street
- Baars Field Athletic Park – 13001 Sorrento Road, Pensacola
Residents must bring their own sandbags and shovels. Sandbags are usually available for purchase at home improvement and hardware stores.
Pictured: Sand at Travis M. Nelson Park in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Biscuits Beat The Wahoos 7-3 In Second Game Of Series
June 17, 2021
A night after a signature, walk-off win, the Blue Wahoos played a game Wednesday they will quickly seek to forget.
They committed five fielding errors and assorted other miscues in a 7-3 loss against the Montgomery Biscuits in the second game of their week-long series.
The game included 312 pitches, including 165 by the Wahoos’ four pitchers. The Blue Wahoos had nine hits, including a 3-for-4 night from first baseman Lazaro Alonso.
It was a contrast to Tuesday when catcher Nick Fortes’ dramatic two-run homer in the ninth produced a 5-4 comeback win and on-field celebration.
Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Will Stewart worked out of a bases-load jam in the first and overcame a leadoff error in the second inning. The biggest damage occurred in the fifth inning when the Biscuits took extended a 2-0 lead with three runs.
Stewart finished the night working 4.2 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs, all off singles.
Jerar Encarnacion got the Blue Wahoos back in the game on a two-run double in the sixth inning. The Blue Wahoos then had the tying run at the plate in the seventh after Nick Fortes and Alonso began the inning with singles.
After coming up empty in that inning, however, the Biscuits added two more runs in the eighth to put the game away.
The series continues Thursday with the Blue Wahoos sending Max Meyer, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, to the mound for his eighth start this season. Meyer has a 1.38 earned run average which is the fourth best in Double-A among starters.
On Friday, Edward Cabrera, the Marlins’ No. 4 rated overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, will make his first start for the Blue Wahoos as he progresses in his fifth minor league season.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
New Owner Making Good On Promise To Clean Up Century’s Alger Sullivan Mill Property
June 16, 2021
For the first time since it was ravaged by tornado five years ago, the former Alger Sullivan Lumber Mill property in Century is almost cleaned up.
The 38-acre abandoned industrial site was heavily damaged and was mostly untouched since EF-3 tornado winds of 150 mph on February 15, 2016.
The property was purchased March 1, 2021, by Creighton Sounds, LLC of Pensacola for an industrial project, the nature of which has not yet been announced. But the company is making good on a promise to clean up the property.
The principal owner of Creighton Sounds was involved in “Project Fusion” that in November 2020 canceled a pending contract with the Town of Century to purchase the former Helicopter Technology building and about 40 acres in the Century Industrial Park. The company had promised 80 new jobs and a $15.3 million capital investment during their first five years.
“We’re very excited that we’re in Century to help the fine folks of that town to bring jobs and to clean up an area that’s been devastated by a tornado since 2016 that ravished their neighborhood,” Creighton Sounds representative Kipp Anglin told NorthEscambia.com in March, when he appeared before an Escambia County Special Magistrate Robert O. Beasley to ask the county to put code enforcement violation fines on hold.
Environmental enforcement costs and fines of $50 a day had accumulated against the previous property owners since 2016 and stand at an estimated $85,000. Beasley ordered the fines on the property put on hold as of March 1, the date of the property purchase by Creighton Sounds. The previous owner, DMT Holdings LLC of Navarre, will still be responsible for the $85,000 and has placed the amount in a trust fund.
Creighton Sounds worked over the past few months to salvage about 60,000 square feet of one large building on the property. The structure has now been stripped to its metal skeleton, weeks in advance of the 90 days Anglin promised the code enforcement magistrate.
The magistrate said that the general cleanup is Escambia County Code Enforcement’s top priority The magistrate said if there are any unforeseen delays for engineering, permitting or other reasons and the building deficiencies cannot be corrected with 180 days, he would be willing to work with the developers.
“I think we would all like to see a clean site with all the debris and garbage cleaned out and the red iron (building framework) standing. That would put you in the best situation for success here,” Beasley said.
Escambia County received three bids for the demolition and cleanup of the mill in 2017, but bids ranged from $800,000 to $3 million — far in excess of the county’s entire 2017 cleanup budget of $463,425. Property records show the value of the property was $802,189 before the tornado, but the most recent assessment shows what remains was worth $226,535.
Pictured above and below: The current state of the former Alger Sullivan Lumber Mill property in Century. Pictured inset: A 2019 view of the building as seen from an adjacent neighborhood on Front Street. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Amy McCrory Named New Bratt Elementary School Principal
June 16, 2021
The Escambia County School District has named Amy McCrory as the new principal at Bratt Elementary School.
McCrory is retiring at the end of June as principal of Monroeville Elementary in Monroeville, Alabama. She has worked in education Monroe County for over 25 years, serving as an elementary and middle school teacher, high school administrator, a district curriculum director and as a principal.
“I want to say how excited I am to meet my new children and just become a member of that community in Bratt,” she said.
McCrory’s appointment was confirmed Tuesday night by the Escambia County School Board.
Bratt’s previous principal, Karen Jeanene Hall, has retired.
School Board Gives Nod To Updated Progression Plan With No Change To Valedictorian And Salutatorian Awards
June 16, 2021
The Escambia County School Board voted Tuesday night to move forward with advertising updates to the Student Progression Plan, with no change to the current practice of naming a valedictorian and salutatorian at each of the county’s high schools.
In a proposal presented to the board at a Monday workshop, Lesa Morgan, the school district’s director of high school education, had requested the elimination of the valedictorian and salutatorian awards beginning with the Class of 2025.
After public outcry overwhelmingly against the idea, Superintendent Tim Smith removed the section from the plan before it was approved Tuesday night.
For more information on the original plan and board member comments, click or tap here for a Monday NorthEscambia.com story.
Nick Fortes Provides Walk-Off Blast In Ninth For The Blue Wahoos
June 16, 2021
His previous at-bats Tuesday night had left Blue Wahoos catcher Nick Fortes frustrated at himself.
One sweet swing in the ninth inning changed that feeling.
Fortes squared up on a 3-1 fastball and powered it over the left-center wall for a two-run, walk-off, home run that lifted the Blue Wahoos to a dramatic 5-4victory against the Montgomery Biscuits and wowed a bayfront stadium crowd staying around to see it happen.
It was the first time in his career Fortes ended a game with a home-run stroke.
“It is honestly kinda crazy,” said Fortes, who also drove in the Blue Wahoos second run on a fielder’s choice play. “You kinda black out for a little bit rounding the bases.
“I remember hitting first and a snap of the fingers I’m already at home greeting my teammates. It is a pretty cool feeling.”
This became the Blue Wahoos (22-15) third walk-off win in 19 home games. It continued the team’s success in one-run games. They are now 11-4 in that category after Tuesday’s series-opening win. The teams will continue a six-game set at Blue Wahoos Stadium through Sunday.
“It’s exciting. It makes for some really good baseball games,” Fortes said. “You can just tell the intensity picks a little bit once we get to the later innings.
“Obviously we would like to have those at-bats through the entire game, but it is really encouraging to see us not do so well early on, but then be able to lock it in, and put together good at bats later in the game and pull out some wins.”
While Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Jeff Lindgren gave up four runs in his five innings, he avoided worse damage in the second and fourth innings after yielding home runs.
The Biscuits (16-20), the Tampa Bay Rays Double-A affiliate, took a 3-0 lead in the second on shortstop Ford Proctor’s 3-run homer that kept carrying until clearing the left field wall.
Leadoff batter Garrett Whitney hit a solo home in the fifth. Three Blue Wahoos relievers produced shutout innings. Zach Wolf earned his first win by stranding Whitney at third base in the top of the ninth after he was hit by a pitch, advanced on a wild pitch, then moved to third on a groundout.
The Blue Wahoos got a pair of runs in the fourth on JJ Bleday’s double and Fortes’ one-out grounder. They got another in the eighth when Demetrius Sims hit into a double-play with runners on the corners.
In the eventful ninth, after Bleday grounded out, Jerar Encarnacion singled off Biscuits reliever Ivan Pelaez. Up stepped Fortes, who worked a 3-1 count and saw a 88-mph fastball that he left no doubt where it was heading after contact.
“It was a great feeling. My first three at-bats weren’t my best,” Fortes said. “Just really happy to go up there and put a good swing on one and send us home with a win.
“Honestly, we just had a feeling we were going to get ‘em in the ninth. A bunch of the guys were like, ‘Don’t worry about it, we’re going to get them.’
“From the seventh inning on we had some good at-bats. Everyone just had a feeling we were going to make some noise in the ninth.”
The Blue Wahoos had several roster moves prior to the game, led by the arrival of pitcher Edward Cabrera, the Miami Marlins No. 4 rated prospect by MLB Pipeline. The move provides the Blue Wahoos with three of Miami’s top four rated prospects in 2021.
Outfielder JJ Bleday (No. 2) and pitcher Max Meyer (No. 3) are the others.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer.
ECUA Lifts West Nine Mile Road Boil Water Notice
June 16, 2021
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has lifted a precautionary boil water notice that was issued Saturday for customers along West Nine Mile Road from Pine Forest Road To Beulah Road.
Results of all independent bacteriological samples have returned as clear, ECUA said.
ECUA crews completed repairs Saturday to a 16-inch pipe in the area.