Escambia County Beaches Are Back Open. Here’s The Info To Know.
May 1, 2020
Beaches in Escambia are now open – with times and conditions — as of May 1.
Here’s the info to know:
- Escambia County beaches, including the sound side, Gulf side, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key open 30 minutes before sunrise and close 30 minutes after sunset, daily. [More: What is sunrise/sunset time a the beach?]
- Pavilions, the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier and the area around and under the fishing pier will remain closed.
- The area under the pier is closed.
- Groups are limited to 10 people or fewer. Beach goers should adhere to CDC social distancing measures by keeping a six-foot distance between others who are not in their immediate household.
- Beach bathroom facilities remain closed and portable toilets are in place. Hand-washing stations will be provided.
- Hand-washing stations will be provided. Dog parks will be reopened and permitted in designated areas.
- Pensacola Beach Lifeguard towers are in place and lifeguards will continue to provide coverage at up to seven towers.
- Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier will reopen Saturday, May 2. The pier will open 30 minutes before sunrise and close 30 minutes after sunset. The pier will be accepting anglers only. No pedestrians at this time. Every angler will be required to remain 6 feet apart. The pier will be clearly marked with 6-foot markers to ensure everyone is able to follow the CDC social distancing guidelines. Once the pier is at full capacity, new anglers will be admitted as spots become available with anglers leaving.
- Pensacola Beach Lifeguards, Escambia County Code Enforcement, Escambia County Parks and Recreation staff and Santa Rosa Island Authority staff will monitor public beaches for social distancing compliance.
- Residents and visitors are urged to exercise caution when visiting the beach and swimming in the Gulf, especially when lifeguards are not present.
- Tolls to the beach are now all electronic, no cash. [More info...]
- Dog parks will be reopened and permitted in designated areas.
- Beaches in the Gulf Islands National Seashore are not open.
Pictured: Final preparations were made Thursday with the placement of social distancing sign requirements on public beaches in Escambia Count. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Car, Semi Truck Crash On Highway 29 In McDavid
May 1, 2020
There were no injuries in a wreck involving a passenger car and a semi-truck Thursday evening on Highway 29 at Highway 164 in McDavid.
The driver of the southbound car apparently left the roadway, over corrected and crossed into the side of a southbound semi.
The McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The Beach Is Open From 30 Minutes Before Sunrise And 30 After Sunset. But Exactly What Time Is That?
May 1, 2020
Escambia County beaches are now open from 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset. But exactly what time is that? Here’s a convenient table from NorthEscambia.com showing the times through Saturday, May 9 for Pensacola Beach. NorthEscambia.com graphic.
Toth Prefiles For Escambia County Soil and Water Conservation, Group 5
May 1, 2020
Louis Toth prefiled Thursday for Escambia County Soil and Water Conservation, Group 5. This is a nonpartisan office that appears on the 2020 ballot.
The Escambia County Soil & Water Conservation District is a “special district established to provide for control and prevention of soil erosion and for furthering the conservation, development and utilization of soil and water resources, and the disposal of water, to preserve natural resources, control floods, assist in maintaining the navigability of rivers and harbors, preserve wildlife, protect the tax base and public lands, and protect and promote the health, safety and general welfare of the people”.
The Second Hole Was The Hottest Thursday At Cypress Lakes. Hot Enough To Call The Fire Department.
May 1, 2020
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to a small woods fire near the second hole at the Cypress Lakes Golf Club on Old Chemstrand Road late Thursday afternoon. Photos by Jason Cawby for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Cantonment Firefighters Battle Vehicle Fire
May 1, 2020
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue battled a vehicle in the 1100 block of Woodlake Drive Thursday afternoon. The fire appeared to originate in the engine compartment. There were no structures threatened and no injuries reported. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
COVID-19 Testing Site Saturday At UWF With No Pre-screening Required
April 30, 2020
A new mobile testing site with no pre-screening required will be open to Escambia and Santa Rosa County residents Saturday at the University of West Florida and continue for two weeks.
The drive-through test site will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the SP2 parking lot, which is on the east side of campus near the East Sports Complex. Individuals are asked to remain in their vehicles. The National Guard will be there to assist.
“We want to thank the Governor’s Office for initiating this testing site at the University of West Florida for Escambia and Santa Rosa County residents,” said Escambia County Board Chairman Steven Barry. “I’d also like to thank Dr. Martha Saunders and the University of West Florida for the use of their campus to accommodate residents from both counties in such a central location. Furthermore, this site will provide residents the opportunity to be tested, both for their own peace of mind and for the overall health of our community.”
The site is is being opened at the request of the Governor’s Office under the direction of the Florida Department of Health in conjunction with both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Santa Rosa County Chairman Don Salter added, “We appreciate the governor bringing these much needed resources to our part of the state. Increased testing capacity is the key to safely reopening the Florida panhandle.”
“We are happy to provide the opportunity for this much needed testing site,” said UWF President Martha Saunders. “UWF will always do its part to protect the health and safety of our community.”
The site will be open for first responders only on Friday, May 1.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
A Mom Remembers A Daughter Lost As Search Continues For Molino Woman’s Killer
April 30, 2020
“April 30, 2017, our lives were forever altered. You see, our youngest daughter was taken out of this world; someone took her life. She breathed her last breath as a wicked and vile person left her lying, alone on the side of the road. God, in His Mercy and Grace and compassionate Love, whisked her to Heaven. She is with Him, safe with her Savior and Lord.”
Those are the words of Sue Brown as she remembered her daughter Anna Louise Brown. Thursday marked three years since Anna was found shot and killed on Gibson Road off Crabtree Church Road in Molino. Her family is hoping for closure and the arrest of a suspect.
Brown, 38, was pronounced deceased at the scene; her body was discovered face down by the roadway.
Investigators believe the murder was not a random act of violence, and they believe Brown knew the person that killed her. No suspect has been named by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
“We miss her; her children miss her. Her family, friends, relatives and co-workers mourn her loss. A loving and free spirited young woman was taken before her time. In the prime and beauty of her life, when the world and her family needed her, she was gone. We know and understand we will see her again; we will embrace and have a joyous reunion one day when the Lord calls His people home,” Sue Brown said.
When Anna joined a class at Hamilton Baptist Church in Robertsdale before her death, she as asked to write down something about her life.
“I am …doing life as a working, blessed Mom of two amazing children,” Anna wrote. “I love being a mom! There are moments and days and situations that are tough and rough and painful and challenging and hard; but the joy of loving and having the privilege to nurture and teach my kids is a gift. I know they are each God’s first, and that helps me worry less when they are away,” Anna wrote. “I work as a Physical Therapist Assistant …I love doing therapy!”
She continued, “I have a great family. I have wonderful parents and I have a growing relationship with my Creator, my Lord, my salvation, my strength, provider, comforter and friend. With my natural family and my church family, I am never alone or separated. I receive love and support and physical, tangible help when it’s needed. That support and encouragement makes single parenting not so single! Yay!”
Anyone with information on the murder is asked to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or call Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Below: NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Man Charged In Shots Fired Incident On West Highway 4 In Bratt
April 30, 2020
A Walnut Hill hill man is facing felony charges after allegedly shooting at houses Monday on West Highway 4 about a mile from Northview High School.
Rudy Matthew Lamar Marquardt, 26, was charged with three counts of felony aggravated assault. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday with bond set at $20,000.
About 2:30 p.m. Monday, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrived in the 3000 block of West Highway 4 to find Marquardt sitting on the porch. He was detained and placed in a patrol vehicle. As deputies cleared the house, they found several .22 caliber rifle shells throughout the house and found a mirror and cabinet “which had been shot up”, according to their report. Outside the residence, the reported finding a “sign and other stuff that had been shot up”.
They also located a .22 caliber pistol tied to a bamboo stick inside a concrete block, the report states, along with three .22 caliber hollow point pistol cartridges and a spent shell cartridge.
A neighbor reported that Marquardt walked over to his porch, pointed the gun toward his house and shot one time, according to the ECSO. Another neighbor told deputies she was watching Marquardt through binoculars and “he was acting weird and then he shot a gun at the house,” the report states.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the house about 7:20 Sunday night after a caller told the ECSO that shots had been fired at their residence by a relative. An individual was taken into custody without incident under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows someone to be transported to a mental health facility. Due to HIPAA, the federal medical privacy law, the ESCO was unable to confirm the individual’s name from the Sunday night incident.
Pensacola Beach Reopening: Here’s How The Cashless Tolls Work
April 30, 2020
[Updated] Headed to Pensacola Beach after it reopens Friday? Don’t forget the new all-electronic tolling system on Bob Sikes Bridge to Pensacola Beach went live on March 20, which was earlier than anticipated to adhere to social distancing for toll booth workers.
The toll remains $1, but cash and coins are no longer accepted. Revenues from the toll are currently being used to pay for the 2020 bridge rehabilitation project and the bond payment for the widening of Via De Luna Lane through 2031. Revenues will also go toward a replacement bridge needed in approximately 15 years.
All tolls will be collected electronically. Motorists will use either SunPass, another interoperable transponder or be billed utilizing the toll-by-plate system. Toll-by-plate customers will be charged a $1 toll, plus a monthly $2.50 administrative fee and will receive a bill by mail. Cash can be used at SunPass kiosks to replenish and pay toll-by-plate invoices.
There are many ways to get to Pensacola Beach. Transponders are available at the Santa Rosa Island Authority and any retailer where SunPass and E-Pass are available. Other options for passes include the NC Quick Pass, Peach Pass and tolling apps such as PayTollo.
SunPass
With SunPass, the $1 toll will automatically deduct from your prepaid account when you pass through the Bob Sikes toll plaza.
Simply drive through without slowing down.
Without Sunpass, tThe toll will still be $1 each time you pass through the toll plaza, plus a $2.50 administrative fee that is charged each billing cycle. No matter the number of trips you take to the beach, you will only be charged the administration fee once per billing cycle.
Get your SunPass® transponder:
- Step one: Purchase online at www.SunPass.com or in person at the SRIA office, a tollbooth window or retail outlets including Publix, CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens. For a full list, visit https://www.sunpass.com/sunPassRetailers.
- Step two: Activate at www.sunpass.com or by calling 888-865-5352.
- Step three: Load funds into a prepaid account or enroll in the SunPass Automatic Easy Pay at www.sunpass.com, or by calling 888-865-5352 and using a credit or debit card. Customers may also replenish with cash by visiting any of thousands of retail locations statewide. For a complete list of locations, visit www.sunpass.com/cashReplenishment.
- Step four: Drive to Pensacola Beach!
Please note that a SunPass Mini transponder costs a one-time fee of about $5 and SunPass requires a minimum opening balance of $10 for a personal account. If your overall SunPass account balance decreases to $0 or below, your SunPass is no longer active and neither is your Annual Pass if you have one. You must carry at least a $10 balance on your overall SunPass account balance in order to purchase or renew an Annual Pass.
Pensacola Beach Annual Pass
The Pensacola Beach Annual Pass integrated with SunPass® provides frequent beach goers and Pensacola Beach residents a true 365-day pass for the Bob Sikes Bridge, providing unlimited passage for one full year from the date of purchase.
Need assistance or have questions? Contact Escambia County’s customer service office located in the Santa Rosa Island Authority office at 850-916-5421.
How to get your Pensacola Beach Annual Pass:
Step one: Purchase a SunPass transponder
Step two: Enroll in the Pensacola Beach Annual Pass program
- Online
- In person: Visit the Santa Rosa Island Authority office.
Note: A SunPass transponder must be purchased and activated before participating in the Pensacola Beach Annual Pass program. Once the SunPass transponder has been purchased, it may take two to four hours before you are then able to purchase a Pensacola Beach Annual Pass. The Pensacola Beach Annual Pass is only valid for the Bob Sikes Bridge toll plaza.
How much is a Pensacola Beach Annual Pass?
- Effective May 1, 2017 - Pensacola Beach Annual Passes are $20 per year for public annual passes and $70 per year for commercial annual passes (all vehicles displaying any commercial markings or advertising, including magnetic or rooftop signs, or vehicles owned by a commercial business).
- Homestead residents are allowed up to two $5 Pensacola Beach Annual Passes, and you must visit the Santa Rosa Island Authority Office, located at 1 Via De Luna Drive on Pensacola Beach. To be a homestead resident, you must obtain the designation of your primary residence on Pensacola Beach from the Escambia County Property Appraiser’s Office. Beach residents must bring a proof of homestead exemption from the property tax office when going to purchase an annual pass. To be a homestead resident, you must live 50%+ of your time during a year at primary residence on Pensacola Beach. Please note, these passes are available for two-axle non-commercial vehicles only.