Plans Approved For New AT&T Tower In Century; Construction Expected To Take A Few Months
August 3, 2021
The Town of Century has now signed off on the development plans for a new 305 foot tall cell tower for AT&T.
Earlier this year, the town council approved a five-year lease with options out to 40 years with Diamond Towers for an AT&T tower on a small parcel of land in the town’s Anthony Pleasant Park off West Highway 4. It’s small area tucked away essentially at the back of the park.
Diamond Towers will lease the parcel from the town at $1,000 total for one year with an optional extension for one more year at $1,000. Once a tower is constructed, Diamond’s lease will increase to $1,500 per month for at least five years, with another $500 per month due for additional cellular providers collocated on the tower. There are annual options for slight increases.
Construction on the tower is expected to begin soon, with competition in just a few months. The tower area will be fenced to prevent access by those using the park.
Former Sheriff David Morgan Withdraws From Pensacola Mayor Race Due To ‘Family Medical Issues’
August 3, 2021
Former Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan is withdrawing from the race for Pensacola mayor in 2022 due to “family medical issues”.
After 12 years as sheriff, Morgan chose not to seek reelection. In April, he prefiled to seek the mayor’s seat now held by Grover Robinson, who will not seek reelection.
By July 31, Morgan reported that he had raised $38,895 for his mayoral campaign.
Here is the full text of an email from Morgan:
Mr. Stafford,
It is with regret that I must inform you, friends, and political supporters of my decision to withdraw from the 2022 Mayoral Race. Family medical issues, which I had prayed would resolve by years end will not.
Those with political experience know that campaigns are high energy and intensive affairs, where candidates and their families must be solely committed to the effort. It is not fair to a candidates supporters, and the process itself, to continue knowing you cannot remain fully engaged.
We of course will be refunding all campaign contributions. Any expenditures to date will be paid by me.
Susan and I thank all of you for your encouragement and support. You will all be forever in our hearts.
Sincerely,
David Morgan
Will Your Child Ride The Bus To School In Escambia County? School District Wants To Know
August 3, 2021
The Escambia County School District has posted a school transportation plans survey due to a bus driver shortage.
“We are asking parents to share students’ transportation plans ahead of the school year in an effort to maximize our efficiency and reduce lateness,” the survey states.
Click or tap here to take the survey.
The school district is asking parents or guardians to complete one survey for each of their children. The survey asks one simple question, along with the student’s ID number and last name.
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 11.
RELATED STORY: Here’s The List Of Adjusted Start And Dismissal Times For Escambia County Schools
NorthEscambia.com photo/graphic.
AG: Two Ensley Assisted Living Caregivers Abandoned Elderly Resident Along Road, Stole ID, Debit Card
August 3, 2021
Two Ensley assisted living facility caregivers are accused of stealing identification and a debit card from an elderly resident before abandoning them on the side of the road on a “particularly hot day” in 2019.
Following an investigation by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Tavetta Lavetta Jones and Tekera Levine were arrested over the weekend on charges related to abuse and exploitation of a senior.
As employees of Whispering Pines Assisted Living Facility on Jo Jo Road in Ensley, Jones and Levine were supposed to transfer the victim to sign bond paperwork. Instead, Jones and Levine, Jones’s manager, abandoned the victim on the side of a road and took the victim’s identification card and debit card. Jones is charged with exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult, and criminal use of personal identification information. Levine faces a charge of accessory after the fact.
“The scheme concocted and carried out by these two caregivers is horrifying—the women abused their positions to steal a patient’s ID and debit card, then abandoned the senior victim on the side of the road. Thankfully, following an investigation by my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, these suspects have been arrested and will face serious charges for this criminal scheme,” AG Moody said.
The state investigation revealed that Jones, an employee of Whispering Pines, abandoned an elderly resident on Antioch Cemetery Road in Walton County on September 3, 2019. The elderly victim identified Jones and Levine as the facility employees who orchestrated the abandonment and identified a black Volkswagen as the vehicle Jones was driving while abandoning the victim. Jones and Levine left the victim without a phone, water, money or identification on a “particularly hot day”, according to the state.
Levine, the manager of Whispering Pines, gave varying accounts about the occurrence of the abuse and Jones’s involvement. Phone records placed both Jones and Levine in Walton County near the time law enforcement responded to a 911 call by residents on Antioch Cemetery Road. Phone records also place Jones in the vicinity of ATMs where the victim’s debit card and personal identification number were used to gain access to the victim’s bank account during August and September 2019. Video footage places a black Volkswagen or similar vehicle at the ATMs during the transactions involving the victim’s debit card and PIN.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jones on one count of exploitation of an elderly person, a third-degree felony; one count of criminal use of personal identification information of a person over 60 years of age and one count of criminal use of personal identification information over $5,000, both second-degree felonies. If convicted on all counts, Jones faces a possible sentence of up to 35 years in state prison. She was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
ECSO arrested Levine on one count of accessory after the fact, a third-degree felony. If convicted, Levine faces a possible sentence of up to five years in state prison. She was also released from jail on a $5,000 bond.
The cases will be prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Christi Hankins of MFCU through an agreement with Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida.
ECFR: Smoke Alarms Did Not Function Properly In Gonzalez Apartment Fire
August 3, 2021
Escambia Fire Rescue said smoke alarms were present but did not function properly in an apartment fire early Saturday morning in Gonzalez.
ECFR responded to the 1100 block of Lake Drive, off Old Chemstrand Road, about 1:40 a.m. There was nothing showing upon their arrival at the triplex, but they found a working kitchen fire in the rear of the building.
Crews brought the fire under control by 1:53 a.m. The kitchen sustained moderate damage. The cause of the fire was classified as a cooking mishap.
The Cantonment, Ensley. Brent, Ferry Pass and Myrtle Grove stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded. The American Red Cross provided temporary assistance to the displaced residents.
Photos courtesy ECFR for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
The Bill Is In The Mail? USPS Returns Mail To Sender Six Years Later
August 3, 2021
An employee at Century Water Works received a few unexpected surprises in the mail.
Central Water Works mailed the pictured water bill to a local address on September 16, 2015.
Monday, almost six years later, the bill arrived back at the water company on Byrneville Road with a yellow U.S. Postal Service “Return to sender” sticker dated July 31, 2021.
It was one six pieces of mail addressed by Central Water Works to the same person over a three-month period in 2015 that were all just returned by the post office.
We’ve reached out to the U. S. Postal Service (by email, not postal mail) for any possible explanation, and we’ll let you know what they say.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County (AL) High School Coach Dies In Mobile Wreck
August 2, 2021
A local high school coach died in a wreck Monday in Mobile.
The Mobile Police Department said 39-year old Kasuan D. Bullard was pronounced deceased at the scene of a traffic crash Monday morning on the Cochran Causeway. Bullard was a football and basketball coach at Escambia County High School in Atmore.
Bullard was attempting to make a U-turn when his vehicle collided with a dump truck, according to Mobile Police.
The driver of truck was transported to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life threatening.
Monday Armed Robbery Of Pine Forest Road Dollar General Under Investigation
August 2, 2021
The search continues for a suspect in the Monday armed morning robbery of an Dollar General store on Pine Forest Road.
A white male armed with a gun walked into the Dollar General on Pine Forest just north of Highway 297A about 9:23 Monday morning and asked the clerk for $5. He fled in a yellow car with “small amount” of cash, according to Amber Southard, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
No additional information was available. We will post an update if surveillance images or additional details are released.
File photo.
Central Water Works Temporarily Closes Business Office After COVID-19 Exposure
August 2, 2021
Century Water Works has temporarily closed their business office to the public due to staff exposure to COVID-19.
The office is expected to remain closed until at least August 9.
Central Water Works serves about 1,000 members in the McDavid, Byrneville, Century and Flomaton areas from their business office on Byrneville Road.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Staffing Issues Temporarily Close Century Work Camp; Inmates Moved To Main Prison
August 2, 2021
The Century Work Camp has been temporarily shut down due to staffing issues.
About 60 inmates have been moved from the Century CI Work Camp into the main unit at Century Correctional Institution, Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Press Secretary Paul Walker told NorthEscambia.com.
“Staff recruitment and retention is a top agency priority,” Walker said.
Century Correctional Institution is one of several facilities across the state currently offering $1,000 hiring bonuses for newly certified correctional officers.
“Currently, a large number of FDC’s major institutions are at or below critical staffing levels. FDC is working through various measures to mitigate this staffing crisis, including the temporary suspension of some work squads. Work squads will resume when staffing levels allow them to operate while also adequately staffing the institution,” Walker said.
Some of the measures FDC is implementing to address critical staffing at institutions across the state include:
- Transitioning correctional institutions from 12-hour shifts to 8.5-hour shifts, as recommended by national experts and strongly supported through data analysis of safety trends and attrition rates
- Offering $1,000 hiring bonuses at institutions with 10% or more staff vacancy rate
- Offering $1,000 hiring bonus for returning certified staff
- Increased rate of pay to $33,500 for (noncertified) correctional officer trainees
- Opened positions for part-time OPS Certified Correctional Officers
- Reduced the wait time for Correctional Officer Trainees to enter the academy for certification
- Changed the framework of correctional officer academies to allow for mid-course entry
- Temporarily closing dorms
- Suspended FDC-supervised work squads
- Consolidating some work camps and annexes into main institutions
The Century Work Camp is located on Tedder Road, just west of Century Correctional Institution.
Pictured: The Florida Department of Corrections Century Work Camp. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
