UWF Taking Applications For CARES Act Emergency Student Aid
April 25, 2020
The recently enacted federal CARES Act provided money to colleges and universities for emergency student grants. The purpose of the money is to award emergency financial aid grants to students for specific expenses that are a direct result of the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus.
The University of West Florida will distribute CARES Act funding in a way that prioritizes students with the greatest demonstrated need and ensures that funds are distributed as widely as possible.
Students must submit a UWF CARES Act Emergency Aid Application in the UWF Scholarship Portal. Applications will be processed by the UWF Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships.
Visit uwf.edu/cares for eligibility criteria, application process and frequently asked questions.
Keaton Brown, Kendall Barrow Named EREC Scholarship Winners
April 25, 2020
Escambia River Electric Cooperative has named the winners of the 2020 Herman D. Johnson Scholarship Awards. They are Keaton Brown from Northview High School in Escambia County and Kendall Barrow from Jay High School in Santa Rosa County.
Each will receive $1,000 each for four years providing they continue to meet the scholarship criteria.
Keaton Brown is the son of Chris and Sandy Brown. He is currently ranked at the top of his class. He plans to major in aerospace engineering and was nominated by Congressman Matt Gaetz to the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Brown is an active member of the NJROTC and has served in several positions including orienting team captain, color guard commander, drill team commander and administration officer. Brown is team captain for the cross country team and vice president of the math club. He is also a member of the Beta Club and school advisory council and has volunteered with the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Walnut Hill Club. Brown served as an EREC delegate for the Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., youth tours.
Kendall Barrow is the daughter of Frederick and Jeanna Barrow. She is planning to attend the University of West Florida and major in elementary education. Barrow is an honor student at Jay High School and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Pensacola State College. She plays basketball for the Royals and is a member of the student government association, Beta Club and National Honor Society. Barrow is a K-4 assistant at Faith Christian Academy. Barrow also volunteers at the Jay Pro Rodeo, My Father’s Arrows and Kings Harvest.
Escambia (AL) Reports Additional Virus Positives; Hospitals Detail Their Test Numbers
April 25, 2020
The number of COVID-19 cases in Escambia County (AL) increased by one on Friday.
There are now 22 positive cases with one recorded death.
The Escambia County Health Care Authority reported that 17 of the confirmed patients were tested at Atmore Community Hospital, and three were confirmed at D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton.
The hospitals have performed 367 total tests with 327 negative results. There are 19 tests pending, and one test was deemed inconclusive. About two-thirds of the tests were performed in Atmore.
The Alabama Department of Health reported 6,026 total positive cases in the state out of 52,641 tests. There have been 209 reported deaths statewide.
Cleaning Up The Yard? Know Florida’s Debris Burning Regulations
April 25, 2020
Officials with the Florida Forest Service’s Blackwater Forestry Center are reminding residents to make sure they meet the legal requirements before burning debris from this week’s storms or just cleaning up the yard.
There are no burn bans in effect in our area but residents must still follow certain requirements: Burning piles of yard debris less than 8 feet in diameter is allowed if it is 25 feet from and wooded area or combustible structure, 25 feet from your house, 50 feet from a paved public road and 150 feet from other occupied dwellings.
Piles greater than eight feet require a burn authorization from the Florida Forest Service and must meet more stringent standards. For more information about authorizations, call Blackwater Forestry Center headquarters at (850) 957-5701.
Escambia EMS Rolls Out Active Shooter Kits Across County, Three New Ambulances
April 25, 2020
The Escambia County Public Safety Department has introduced three new ambulances to their fleet, along with 60 new pediatric resuscitation system units and 42 active shooter kits.
“We are thrilled to add three new ambulances to our fleet which will replace some older units,” said EMS Manager Jimmy Maddrey. “Each ambulance is upgraded with state-of-the-art equipment and provides safety for our crews and patients with features such as the airbag deployment system. The upgrades to the Handtevy Pediatric System and the active shooter kits provide better resources at our fingertips. The public will greatly benefit from these additions, and we are proud to serve the community with these new resources.”
The implementation of this new life-saving equipment will help the Escambia County Public Safety Department continue to provide a high level of emergency services to the citizens of Escambia County.
Three Ambulances with ZICO O/2 Tank Lift
- Two of the three new ambulances were placed into service at the end of March, with the third truck set to join the fleet next month, bringing the EMS fleet total to 35 numbered trucks.
- The new ambulances will be the first units in the fleet to utilize ZICO O/2 tank lift systems, providing an easier process for loading oxygen cylinders onto the trucks. The ZICO system lifts and lowers an apparatus-mounted gas cylinder for quick and easy replacement, substantially reducing risk of injury to personnel.
- The trucks also have full a air bag system and a Horton Occupant Protection System, also known as a safety restraint system. HOPS combines advanced restraints, multi-density head protection, tubular airbags and head curtain airbags to protect attendants in side-impact rollover crashes. With the addition of the three new trucks, there are now seven trucks total within the fleet utilizing HOPS.
Pediatric Resuscitation System Software and 60 HPRS Units
- The Handtevy Pediatric Resuscitation System allows Escambia County EMS to better serve and treat pediatric patients.
- The Handtevy Pediatric System software gives clinical teams rapid access to lifesaving dosing (medications) information while documenting the incident in real-time. The software allows clinicians to perform real-time verification for medications and ensure accurate scene documentation.
- The software system comes with a lightweight bag that can be used as a backpack. The bag allows for easy identification of the pediatric equipment sizes with seven age-based, color coded pouches.
- The software system and 60 HPRS bags were placed into service in late-March.
42 Active Shooter Kits
- The new active shooter kits containing tourniquets, chest seals and numerous size bandages were placed in all Escambia County ambulances and EMS supervisor SUVs in March.
- The kits allow EMS personnel to quickly treat multiple victims of a mass casualty incident.
The total cost for the three ambulances is $909,525. The cost of each individual unit is $303,175 and includes the power loads and stretchers. The cost was approved on March 7, 2019 during a regular Board of County Commission meeting. The total cost of the Handtevy Pediatric Resuscitation System and 60 lightweight bags is $52,000. An EMS state grant of $39,831 was applied to the cost. The remaining balance of $12,169 was paid utilizing funds from the EMS budget.
Two People Arrested For Escambia County Murder
April 24, 2020
Two people have been charged with an Escambia County murder.
On April 20, Cheryl Cain, 62, was murdered in the 5000 block of Yacht Harbor Drive, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
On April 24, ECSO investigators along with the help of the Tulsa Police Fugitives Warrants Task Force out of Oklahoma arrested Cody Jay Harrimon and Eugina Lynn Martorelli. Both suspects were taken into to custody without incident at a hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Further details were not made a available.
Long-Term Care Resident Is Escambia County’s 11th Total COVID-19 Death; State Deaths Surpass 1,000
April 24, 2020
Another death was reported in Escambia County from COVID-19 Friday as the number of statewide deaths surpassed 1,000.
Escambia County’s eleventh death was a 75 year old female long-term care resident with no travel history and no known contact with a confirmed case. The number of cases in residents or staff of long-term care facilities stands at 145 in Escambia County with eight deaths, and 10 in Santa Rosa County.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties increased by just nine on Friday. Escambia County cases were at 434, and Santa Rosa was at 143.
Statewide, there were 30,533 cases including 29,707 Florida residents. There have been 4,817 hospitalizations and 1,046 deaths.
- Total cases — 434 (+7 since Thursday)
- Long-term care cases — 143 (+0 since Thursday)
- Pensacola — 329
- Cantonment — 36
- Bellview — 6
- Perdido Key — 1
- McDavid/Walnut Hill — 1
- Molino – 1
- Century — 2
- Hospitalizations: 37*
- Deaths — 11
- Male — 173
- Female — 211
- Youngest — 0
- Oldest — 100
Santa Rosa County cases:
- Total cases — 143 (+2 since Thursday)
- Long-term care cases — 10 (+0 since Thursday)
- Milton — 76
- Navarre — 30
- Gulf Breeze — 23
- Pace — 11
- Jay — 2
- Residents: 129
- Nonresidents — 1
- Hospitalizations — 20*
- Deaths — 6
- Male — 99
- Female — 43
- Youngest — 2 months
- Oldest — 94
Florida cases:
- Total cases — 30,533
- Florida residents — 29,707
- Deaths — 1,046
- Hospitalizations — 4,817*
*“Hospitalizations” is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. These people may no longer be hospitalized. This number does not represent the number of COVID-19 positive persons currently hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized.
FDOH Identifies 12th Escambia County Long-Term Care Centers With Positive COVID-19 Case
April 24, 2020
The Florida Department of Health has identified another Escambia County long-term care facility with a positive COVID-19 case.
Bayside Health And Rehabilitation Center on Langley Avenue is now the 12th long-term care facility with a positive case in a resident or staff member.
As of Thursday night, there were 143 total long-term care positives cases across the facilities with seven deaths.
Here is the complete FDOH list from Escambia County:
- Arcadia Health & Rehabilitation Center
- Asbury Place
- Bayside Health And Rehabilitation Center
- Brookdale Pensacola
- De Luna Health And Rehabilitation Center
- Homestead Village Retirement Community
- Olive Branch Health And Rehabilitation Center
- Rehabilitation Center At Park Place
- Rosewood Healthcare And Rehabilitation Center
- Southern Oaks Care Center
- Specialty Health And Rehabilitation Center
- Westpointe Retirement Community Inc
The Arbors Of Gulf Breeze was the only listed facility with coronavirus cases in Santa Rosa County.
The state’s list does not indicate how many cases there are per individual facility or if the positive cases are staff or residents.
Food Trucks Coming To Beulah On Monday
April 24, 2020
Beulah residents will have new food truck options beginning Monday.
Escambia County will allow up to four food trucks to serve from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. in the parking lot of the Escambia County Equestrian Center at 7550 Mobile Highway.
“I think many of the citizens of Beulah will appreciate the opportunity to have closer hot food options, and because this helps a segment of business that is really struggling through the pandemic–this has the potential to be a win-win for Beulah,” said District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh. He also said there are currently no restaurants in Beulah, with the only local hot food options being two convenience stores and pizza delivery.
The parking lot is a large grassy area and provides ample room for residents to adhere to all CDC social distancing protocols, according to the county. Trucks will be spaced out in the lot and patrons will be asked to stay six feet apart and limit gathering to groups smaller than 10.
To participate as a food truck vendor, call (850) 941-6042 for a vendor application.
All Equestrian Center vendor fees will be waived.
Escambia Creates Economic Reset Working Group To Help Businesses Recover
April 24, 2020
The Escambia County Emergency Operations Center has established a business, industry and economic stabilization COVID-19 reset working group. The Greater Pensacola Chamber will lead the group to provide guidance and coordinate issues with Escambia County’s business community in all phases of emergency management including expediting response and recovery.
“The COVID-19 reset working group is communicating closely with all area chambers, businesses, industries, community and government leaders to assist in the rapid dissemination of information, identifying unmet needs and supporting the business community recovering from the pandemic,” said Escambia County Administrator Janice Gilley. “this work group is critical to resetting our economy, and their input is invaluable to returning our region to a thriving destination.”
The Economic Reset Working Group will provide the business community with current and relevant information and resources to assist them in their recovery efforts. They will establish a one-stop online information and resource center for business and employees.
Working Group executive committee organizations are:
Working Group Executive Committee Organizations:
- Greater Pensacola Chamber
- FloridaWest EDA
- Visit Pensacola
- Escambia County
- City of Pensacola
Escambia County Emergency Support Function 18 (ESF-18)
- Lead Coordinating Agency: Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce
- Support Agencies: FloridaWest EDA
- Visit Pensacola
- UWF Small Business Development Center
- Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce
- Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce
- Perdido Key Area Chamber of Commerce
- Century Chamber of Commerce
- Emerald Coast Regional Council
- CareerSource Escarosa
- First Place Partners
- Downtown Improvement Board
- Escambia County Emergency Management Division
- The Home Builders Association of West Florida (HBA)
“The COVID-19 situation remains fluid and while business resumption at what level is currently unknown, we must prepare for the recovery now,” said Todd Thomson, president and CEO of the Greater Pensacola Chamber. “We are looking towards economic recovery as we research and consider what resources and initiatives can be implemented to assist our businesses, workforce and community as whole.”
“The Economic Reset Working Group provides guidance and resource to local policymakers, such as myself, and the business community so we can make informed decisions to ensure a safe, orderly, and coordinated resumption of business activities in Pensacola and Escambia County,” said Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson.