Alabama Governor Extends Mask Mandate Until After November Election
September 30, 2020
Gov. Kay Ivey has extended Alabama’s mask mandate until after the November election.
Facial covering will be required in public places within Alabama until 5 p.m. on November 8, Ivey announced during a press conference Wednesday. Alabama’s mask order has been in effect since July 16, and it was previously set to expire on Friday.
Ivey said Alabama’s COVID-19 numbers have continued to decline since the mask order, and she mentioned the national election as one reason for extending the order.
“I want everyone to (vote) and to be able to do it safely,” she said.
Ivey also loosened the restrictions on nursing home and other long-term care facilities. Beginning October 2, each patient or resident can have one caregiver or visitor at a time.
Hurricane Sally Damages In Escambia County Approach One-Third Of A Billion Dollars
September 30, 2020
The tally of Hurricane Sally damages in Escambia County is continuing to climb, now closing in on one-third of a billion dollars.
Total damages stoodd at $309 million as of Tuesday, and that number is expected to climb.
Escambia County and the City of Pensacola are estimating $126 million in damage to private property from Hurricane Sally. Damage estimates in Escambia County are approximately $111 million and damage estimates in the City of Pensacola are $15.69 million.
In the county and city, 44 buildings were destroyed, 629 have major damage, 915 have minor damage and 168 have been affected. To date, a total of 1,756 structures were damaged throughout the county.
To date, FEMA has not awarded individual assistance for Escambia County. Without it, individuals will not receive any financial help for uninsured losses or expenses.
The latest estimate so far is $182.6 million to Escambia County, Escambia County School District, Emerald coast Utilities Authority and City of Pensacola property. FEMA has issued a major disaster declaration that will allows the governmental agencies to see reimbursement for a large portion of their losses and recover expenses.
Pictured: Personal belongings and demolition debris outside a home in Bristol Park on Tuesday. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Century Man Charged With Forcing His Way Into Home, Stealing Cash
September 30, 2020
A Century man is facing charges after allegedly forcing his way into a local home and stealing a small amount of cash.
Tavares Antonio Odom, 32, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on charges of burglary with assault and battery and petit theft. He remained jailed Wednesday morning with bond set at $50,500.
Odom allegedly slammed open the front door of the victim’s home on East Pond Street, pushed her out of the way as he entered her bedroom, and took $45 that was on the bed.
The victim told deputies that “he was going to get some powder and tore up $25 as he was walking to the street”, an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report states. The victim said there were two other witnesses but they did not want to get involved by giving a statement to deputies.
Want To Vote November 3? Monday Is The Deadline To Register.
September 30, 2020
Monday is the last day to register to vote in the November 3 general election.
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections will hold extended office hours on Monday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Florida law mandates that registration books close 29 days before an election. New registrations must be completed and received or postmarked no later than October 5 for them to be effective for the November 3 election. Address changes can be made after the books close. If you are unsure of your registration status, visit EscambiaVotes.gov and click Am I Registered? to check.
Cox Says They’re Still Working On Heavily Damaged Areas, 97% Restored
September 30, 2020
Cox Communications had restored service to 97% of customers that were impacted by Hurricane Sally as of Tuesday, and they expect to complete major network repairs by October 2.
Restoration crews have identified over 46 miles of damage to the network and are continuing to complete repairs. In more severely damaged areas, Cox network crews and our partners continue to make great progress getting those areas up and running. Crews are also continuing to repair down lines at customer’s homes this week.
The company previously identified Cantonment, Myrtle Grove and along Lillian Highway as among the hardest hit.
“First, we’d like to thank our customers for their patience while we continue to make great progress in the restoration of our network,” said David Deliman, vice president of Cox’s Gulf Coast market. “Our crews continue to work extremely hard to reconnect the Gulf Coast. We estimate that all our major network repairs will be complete no later than Friday, October 2. While the network repairs will be complete by that day, individual customer damage to their home could take longer to fix. We will not rest until all customers are connected to the services they enjoy.”
To achieve this timeline, Cox has brought in additional teams from across the country to assist with our ongoing repairs and service calls at customer homes. These crews are in addition to the network restoration crews brought in immediately after the storm.
Customers should be receiving emails with updated service restoration information. If a customer has received notice that major repairs have been completed to their neighborhood and are still experiencing issues, they can:
- Reset their device by unplugging and plugging it back in.
- If resetting the equipment doesn’t get it back online, please chat with us at cox.com/coxapp or coxbusiness.com/cbapp for Cox Business.
- If service is not restored, please contact Cox at 877-556-7815 to schedule a service call.
- If a customer had a service call scheduled already, our team will be reaching out to them with earlier service appointments, when possible.
Also, intermittent service outages may occur as providers are working to replace temporary lines with permanent ones, remove trees, install permanent power poles and restore equipment to power from generators. This infrastructure could also be damaged by debris collection.
“We ask customers please take caution to place debris away from Cox equipment boxes and infrastructure,” said Anthony Pope, senior vice president and region manager of Cox Southeast. “Keeping those areas clear allows crews to better facilitate repairing and replacing cable lines. That will allow us to restore services to all customers quicker.”
Gonzalez Baptist Church Seeks Help Finding Stolen Utility Trailer
September 30, 2020
A local church is asking for the public’s help to locate their trailer which was stolen.
The 18-foot flatbed trailer with double axles and single tires was stolen from behind Gonzalez Baptist Church sometime just after Hurricane Sally. It is faded light green with a bumper pintle hitch. The trailer was also missing left side lights; if they are there now they were added and will appear new.
If you see the trailer, call Packy Mitchell at (850 982-8933 or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
State Fire Marshal Investigating Cause Of Century House Fire
September 30, 2020
The Florida State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of a house fire Tuesday night in Century.
The fire in a single family dwelling in the 7000 block of Mayo Street was reported about 7:30 p.m. Escambia Fire Rescue units quickly extinguished the fire in the living room of the home, with no fire related injuries reported.
Most of the fire damage was reportedly contained to the living room and its contents.
The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Flomaton Fire Department and Jay Fire Department were dispatched to the blaze, but some of the units were canceled prior to arrival. Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
$126 Million In Private Property Damage In Escambia County From Hurricane Sally
September 29, 2020
Escambia County and the City of Pensacola are estimating $126 million in damage to private property from Hurricane Sally.
Damage estimates in Escambia County are approximately $111 million and damage estimates in the City of Pensacola are $15.69 million.
“This is a conservative damage estimate because it only includes destroyed and major damage (not minor or affected), the valuation from the property appraiser is utilized, and assessments are continuing throughout the county and city,” according to Escambia County.
In the county and city, 44 buildings were destroyed, 629 have major damage, 915 have minor damage and 168 have been affected. To date, a total of 1,756 structures were damaged throughout the county.
Private property includes single-family homes, multi-family homes, mobile homes and businesses.
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, Rep. Matt Gaetz Talk Hurricane Sally Damage With Local Farmers
September 29, 2020
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue toured Hurricane Sally damage on Monday.
After touring farms in Baldwin County, Perdue joined Rep. Matt Gaetz at Jenkins Farm on Darney Road in Jay where they saw damage to the cotton crop and heard concerns from Northwest Florida farmers during a roundtable meeting.
“I’m inspired to come by here and see people like this who’ve been knocked down, who are willing to get back up and keep on going,” said Perdue. “We’re going to everything at USDA to help them survive and eventually thrive again.”
“Florida’s Panhandle has suffered greatly from natural disasters since 2018, especially our proud farmers and ranchers. Many of the same communities impacted by Hurricane Sally were also devastated by Hurricane Michael, for which help has been slow in coming,” Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said. I’m glad that Secretary Perdue saw the damage first-hand. I hope he’ll tell the President that these folks need help now, and to expand his disaster declaration to include individual assistance for all affected counties. They’ve already waited two years for Hurricane Michael aid, and as we wait for Governor DeSantis to ask for the USDA’s help, it’s not fair that North Floridians are made to wait any longer.”
Fried recently got a first hand look at the Hurricane Sally damage in North Escambia and northern Santa Rosa County while meeting with farmers in Walnut Hill and Jay.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Fails To Approve Property Tax Increase, New Budget After Council Members Skip Meeting
September 29, 2020
The Town of Century was unable to approve a new budget and tax increase after two council members did not attend a Monday night meeting.
In order to approve the property tax increase a two-thirds majority of four of the five members was required.
Council member James Smith did not attend the meeting in person or via Zoom, and officials said he did not contact the town in advance with any reason. Council member Sandra McMurray-Jackson was unable to attend due to a medical emergency, according to council President Ann Brooks.
With just three members present for the meeting, the council could not take a vote. They will try again on Monday, October 5, days after the town’s new budget year begins on October 1.
The town is considering a $4.14 million budget for the fiscal year 2020-2021, up from $3.63 million during the current fiscal year. The tentative millage rate of .9204 is about 5% greater than the rolled-back rate of .8759.
The rolled-back rate is the tax rate that would generate the same amount of property tax revenue as approved for the prior year. A millage rate higher than the rolled-back rate is defined by Florida law as a tax increase.