Not A Turkey After All? Florida TaxWatch Informs DeSantis Of Support For The Bluffs Industrial Complex In Cantonment
June 18, 2020
Last week, The Bluffs in Cantonment was included in the 2020 Budget Turkey Watch Report released by Florida TaxWatch in the think tank’s annual independent review of the state’s budget, and they recommended that Gov. Ron Desantis veto funding for the project.
But now TaxWatch says The Bluffs was named a budget turkey due to a longstanding position that programs that are not in the Florida Department of Transportation Work Program in that budget year should not be funded with State Transportation Trust Fund dollars.
“However, in the recent past Florida TaxWatch undertook a thorough independent research study, Expanding Florida’s High-Tech Manufacturing Sector, the results of which proved that an investment aiding the development of The Bluffs would help grow Florida’s Economy and create jobs for hard-working Floridians, especially in Northwest Florida,” Dominic M. Calabro, president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch wrote in a letter Tuesday to DeSantis.
“It is important to note that our issue with this project was one of a technical process, not the net economic benefits that will enrich both the Panhandle and the entire Sunshine State. Florida TaxWatch fully supports The Bluffs and we hope that you will too,” Calabro continued.
Announced in late 2015, The Bluffs was envisioned as the home of up to 60 new industrial and manufacturing companies and more than 15,000 jobs. The 6,000 acre master-planned development area includes about 1,700 acres of land that can be developed in an area east of Highway 29 bordered by the Escambia River to the east, Becks Lake Road near International Paper to the north, and the University of West Florida to the south.
Escambia County Program Putting Young People To Work
June 18, 2020
An Escambia County program is putting young people to work.
Called the “Escambia County Youth Employment Program”, participants ages 16-24 have the chance to work up to 30 hours per week at $8.56 per hour, a dime above minimum wage.
There are 95 youth participating in the program this year. They started work last week in departments across the county, including Public Works, Public Safety, ECAT, West Florida Public Libraries and more.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
24 Hours In Escambia County: Two Drive-By Shootings And A Stabbing
June 17, 2020
In less than 24 hours, there were two drive-by shootings and a stabbing in Escambia County.
Untreiner Avenue
At about 6:55 p.m. Tuesday, one person was hospitalized after a drive-by shooting that ended with an overturned vehicle.
It started on Aaron Drive when gunfire was exchanged between two vehicles. The vehicles chased each other, with one flipping over on Untreiner Avenue. One person was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside the overturned vehicle and was transported to a local hospital.
Deputies were searching for a red Kia, the second vehicle involved.
Cross Street
Another drive-by shooting happened a little before 2 a.m. Wednesday at Cross Street and North E Street. Gunfire was exchanged between the vehicles.
The Sheriff’s Office said there were witnesses, but they would not talk with deputies. Several shell casings were recovered at the scene, but there were no reported injuries.
Motel Stabbing
One person was reportedly stabbed during the 11 o’clock hour Wednesday morning at the Regency Inn on Pensacola Boulevard. He took himself to the hospital; an update on his condition was not provided.
Call Crime Stoppers
Anyone with information on any of the incidents is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP. Crime Stoppers callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward. Calls can also be made to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
ECAT Driver Tests Positive For COVID-19
June 17, 2020
An ECAT employee has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Escambia County.
ECAT management was notified by the employee on Tuesday, June 16. The individual drove on Saturday, June 13 for the first time since April 8.
The county is taking steps to notify employees, but a county news release made no mention of any attempt to notify passengers. The route driven by the employee was not released.
“Our priority remains the safety and health of our employees and passengers. The break room was fogged. Door handles are wiped down daily and there continues to be plenty of PPE and cleaning supplies. Buses are disinfected every night and ECAT operators are required to wear masks while driving buses,” the county said in a news release.
In conjunction with ECAT management, the Florida Department of Health will evaluate the ECAT facility for testing space today, and testing will be available Thursday and Friday on site for employees.
File photo.
Tate High School Names The Top Of The Class Of 2020
June 17, 2020
Tate High School has named the valedictorian, salutatorian and honors graduates for the Class of 2020.
Valedictorian is Gabriel Joseph Pfeuffer-Ferguson, and salutatorian is Nasim Said Boussarhane.
Graduation for the Tate High School Class of 2020 will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 23 at the Pensacola Bay Center. Admission tickets were distributed to each graduate for their family and friends.
The Top Ten Percent honors graduates are as follows:
- Gabriel Joseph Pfeuffer-Ferguson
- Nasim Said Boussarhane
- Melanie Rose Letourneau
- Catherine Jeline Alderman
- Kade Matthew Boyd
- Samuel Benjamin Donald Shinnick
- Sarah Grace Bryan
- Camille Leilani Macks
- Emma Grace Barlow
- Evan Michael Stojak
- Morgan Kate Yeager
- Joshua Robert Cagle
- David Alexander Dailey
- Jordan Diane Hay
- Savannah Alexis Weaver
- Mackenzie Noel Kent
- Simon Kenneth Fogle
- Matthew Kenneth Horace Johnson
- Ally Michelle-Parco Payne
- Makayla Erin McCabe
- Elizabeth Erin McConnell
- Braden Lane Boutwell
- John Joseph Pearce
- An Kien Tran
- Chase Allen Jenkins
- Charles James McKinley
- Nandini Jigar Shah
- Lydia Gay
- Tayler Christine Mills
- Shyla Nicole Penfold
- Baylor Ashton Phillips
- Alicia Star Perez
- Tyler Marcus Abner
- Bailey Mitchell Whitacre
- Lily Alizabeth Stronko
- Austin Eugene Witt
- Ronnie Alexander Plenkers
- Kayley Alexa Anderson
- Tra’lon Trae’mell Gillis
- Kaylen Brianna Lavoie
- Aaliyah Ann Marie Locke
- Matthew Kevin Hamrick
- Alexander Stephen Moorhead
- Kaley Elizabeth Mincy
- Logan Jamal Fenn
- Alexander Eugene Hicks
- Keirstin Rylie Burleson
- Samuel Ashton Shackle
Editor’s note: Due to a data transfer error, a portion of this list was originally transposed. It has now been corrected. 8:25 a.m.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Second Fountain Correctional Staff Member Tests Positive For COVID-19
June 17, 2020
Another staff member at the Fountain Correctional Facility has tested positive for COVID-19, the second positive staff report at the Atmore prison.
The Alabama Department of Corrections said the staff member informed the department of their positive status on Tuesday, and they have self-quarantined under the direction of their health care provider.
The ADOC’s Office of Health Services (OHS) has initiated an investigation to determine which, if any, ADOC inmates or employees may have had direct, prolonged exposure to the staff members. Upon completing the appropriate follow-up interviews and due diligence, OHS will advise any exposed staff members to contact their health care providers and self-quarantine for the recommended 14-day period, or as advised by their doctors.A
Another Fountain staff member was reported positive earlier this month.
Across the state, the Alabama Department of Corrections has reported 43 positive inmates and 131 positive staff members. Four inmates have died.
Cottage Hill Neighborhood Cleanup Collects 32 Tons Of Debris
June 17, 2020
About 32 tons of debris was collected during a recent Cottage Hill neighborhood cleanup.
The event allowed residents to leave items at the curb to be disposed of free of charge by the county and partnering agencies as part of the county’s ongoing efforts to keep local communities clean and safe.
In Cottage Hill, the county collected about 12 tons of yard waste, 16 tons of bulk waste, four tons of tires and 2,560 pounds of household hazardous waste placed at curbside for pickup.
The county’s neighborhood cleanup program is hosted by the Escambia County Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program. Local partners include Escambia County Waste Services, Environmental Code Enforcement, Public Works, Animal Services and Road Prison, along with the City of Pensacola Sanitation Department.
The cleanup area was generally east of North Highway 95A and north of Eden Lane.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New COVID-19 Death Reported In Escambia County, Alabama; Cases Increase To 112 Total
June 17, 2020
An additional COVID-19 death has been reported in Escambia County, Alabama, as the number of positive cases continue a steady climb.
There have now been four fatalities in the county with a total of 112 confirmed cases. There have been 37 cases reported in the past two weeks out of 442 tests, a positivity rate of about 8.4%.
Atmore Community Hospital has reported 69 positive cases, while 12 have been reported at D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton.
Pictured: Atmore Community Hospital. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Century Council Member Questions Longstanding Practice Of Sending Public Notices To NorthEscambia.com
June 17, 2020
Just weeks after saying NorthEscambia.com should not be listening to public meetings of the Century Town Council conducted only by telephone, a Century town council member is questioning why public notices are sent to NorthEscambia.com, a practice that has been ongoing for over a decade.
This week, the town council learned that a public notice intended to serve as the legal notification of the qualification period and the upcoming election in Century was never published by the weekly newspaper in Flomaton. The failure was due to a changed email address at the Tri-City Ledger, according to Town Clerk Kim Godwin.
When NorthEscambia.com questioned why the public notice was never sent to our media outlet for publication, council member Luis Gomez, Jr. began to question why we receive the notices and even went so far as to make a formal request to our publisher for records from our privately-owned business.
“I ask for your records. I ask for a records request from you,” Gomez told NorthEscambia.com. He said he wanted to see a “memorandum of agreement” between the town and NorthEscambia to publish public notices.
“If we can’t find one, that means one doesn’t exist….I would like to formally ask you for a copy of your MOA,” he said.
“There is not a MOA or no agreement that you keep referencing on your page that we made an agreement years ago with you. So if there’s no memorandum of agreement you need to cease and desist on saying that we made an agreement to send you everything,” Gomez said.
But Gomez was gravely mistaken.
During the council meeting Monday night, NorthEscambia.com made a verbal records request for copies of council minutes where the agreement was made. Godwin promptly fulfilled the request Tuesday morning by email.
The official minutes from the July 21, 2008, meeting of the Century Town Council (pictured below) substantiate NorthEscambia.com’s statements that the council voted to send all public notices to us. The minutes are signed by a town clerk and all five council members at the time, which included current council president Ann Brooks and now-mayor Henry Hawkins.
On page 10 of the minutes, it indicates Brooks said NorthEscambia.com would be a “very good place” for the town to post public notices, in addition to other places like the city hall, library and post office.
“Gary Riley made a motion to always post public notices on NorthEscambia.com in addition to other places,” the minutes state. They continue, “Henry Hawkins seconded the motion and all voted in favor.”
While not reflected in the minutes, NorthEscambia.com agreed at the time and continues 12 years later to publish Town of Century public notices at no cost to the town as part of our ongoing commitment to community service and the public’s right to know as provided by Florida law.
The 2020 Government In The Sunshine Manual prepared by the Florida Office of the Attorney General states, “The use of press releases, faxes, e-mails, and/or phone calls to the local news media is highly effective in providing notice of upcoming meetings”.
“I want to make sure I ain’t keeping no secrets either,” Gomez remarked Monday night.
Pictured top: Century council member Luis Gomez, Jr. during a January 2020 meeting. NorthEscambia.com photo.
UWF’s Pete Shinnick Named Gulf South Conference Coach Of The Decade
June 17, 2020
In four years of competition, it’s safe to say the UWF football program has been a difference maker in Division 2 college football. More proof of that came to fruition on Tuesday when the Gulf South Conference named its Football All-Decade Teams for the 2010s, which featured three Argonauts and head coach Pete Shinnick being named the Coach of the Decade.
Marvin Conley was named to the First Team, while Tate Lehtio and John Williamson were voted onto the Second Team.
Shinnick has been the architect of one of the most inspiring startups in the history of college athletics, taking UWF to the NCAA D2 Playoffs twice in the first four years of the program. The Argonauts reached the title game in their second year and won the national championship last December in year four – becoming the second-fastest startup to win a football title in NCAA history.
The Argonauts are 35-17 all-time and own the highest postseason winning percentage in NCAA history at .900 with a 9-1 record with a minimum of 10 games. Shinnick was named the National Coach of the Year by multiple outlets in both 2017 and 2019.
Conley is a 2-time All-America selection from Tampa, Fla. who is UWF’s career leader in interceptions, interceptions returned for a touchdown, solo tackles and pass break-ups. He is second with 212 total tackles and was a 2018 First Team All-GSC selection when he had 62 tackles, two interceptions and three PBUs.
Lehtio ended his career as the program leader in receptions with 215 and receiving yards with 2,463, including 70 catches for 733 yards and seven touchdowns in postseason play. He is second with 4.13 receptions per game, 14 touchdowns, and 90 points scored. He was a 2019 All-Region and First Team All-GSC honoree. The Parkland, Fla. native finished national
championship season with 1,120 receiving yards and 80 yards per game. He was also 3-time GSC Fall All-Academic selection, a CoSIDA Academic All-District choice and a NFF Hampshire Honor Society recipient.
Williamson was one of the most dominant defensive linemen of the decade. He started for two seasons at defensive end for UWF, compiling 110 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and a school-record 21.0 career sacks, which ranked fifth in GSC history at the time (currently seventh). He was particularly nasty in the 2017 national runner-up season when he set the league single-season sacks record with 14.5, earning him All-America, All-Region and All-GSC honors. The Stockton, Ala. native was a 2-time CoSIDA Academic All-District and 2-time GSC Fall All-Academic performer.
Rogan Wells of Valdosta State and Tavarius Wilson of North Alabama were named the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Decade, respectively.