Escambia County Fire Rescue Lt. Darren Snipes Retires After 27 Years of Service
September 10, 2026
Escambia County Fire Rescue Lt. Darren Snipes has retired.
Snipes had 27 years of service in the fire service, including 24.5 years with Escambia County, according to Escambia County Professional Firefighters.
Tuesday was his last day on duty, working as the Engine 4 officer with the Cantonment Fire Station.
“We thank you, Lt. Snipes, for your service and dedication to the department and the citizens,” an all-call on the ECFR main radio channel said on Tuesday afternoon. “We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.”
For several minutes, a steady stream of well-wishes continued from fire stations and officers across the county.
While Tuesday was Snipes’ last day on the job, his last official day with ECFR will be this Friday, September 11.
Photo courtesy Escambia County for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier Files Suit Against Netflix In Tech Crackdown
September 10, 2026
Attorney General James Uthmeier’s push against major tech companies is expanding to include Netflix.
He filed a lawsuit against the entertainment streaming company Wednesday, claiming it violated state law by telling consumers it wouldn’t track and sell their data to advertisers, and that it’s keeping targeting children to keep them “tethered to the screen.”
The lawsuit, filed in the 7th Judicial Circuit in St. Johns County, details how Netflix told consumers for years it didn’t track user data, before switching to sell their subscribers’ information to advertisers.
“Netflix’s representations that it would remain ad-free, refrain from collecting and integrating user data, and design kids profiles to protect children were made at the highest levels of the company,” the lawsuit states. “But behind the scenes, Netflix was accumulating years of consumer data and building the behavioral-surveillance infrastructure that it would ultimately deploy for its advertising business in November 2022.”
For Uthmeier the lawsuit is part of his efforts to combat large technology companies that have failed to ensure protections for consumers, especially children.
“This lawsuit is about parents, because it’s parents who should oversee the privacy of their kids, not a big tech company that’s profiting despite public safety,” Uthmeier told reporters in Miami. “Parents, not streaming corporations need to direct the upbringing of children.”
The lawsuit comes one day after Uthmeier said he’ll push for new laws to put criminal penalties on artificial intelligence companies whose products abet in crimes. He’s already investigating OpenAI for how the alleged gunman who killed two and wounded five at Florida State University last year used its ChatGPT product to carry out the shooting.
A lawsuit against Roblox, an online gaming platform, over its alleged failures to protect children from sexual predators, is also pending. And Uthmeier didn’t sign on to the recent settlement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, making Florida one of the only states not included in the settlement. Uthmeier said the protections Meta is pledging to put in place for teenage users aren’t enough.
In March, Uthmeier said his office will investigate the messaging platform Discord over concerns the company was allowing children to be groomed by predators. And in April 2025 he sued Snap, Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, a popular messaging platform, for violating a new state law barring social media companies from including design features to keep users scrolling.
Uthmeier also chided Netflix for using “tricks” to keep kids on their platform.
“If a company is going to be monitoring every single click and scroll and swipe then you need to put people on notice,” Uthmeier said. “We do not want them creating addictive features for kids.”
by Gray Rohrer, The News Service of Florida
ADEM Backs $1.4M Overhaul To Fix Flomaton Wastewater Compliance Violations
September 10, 2026
The Town of Flomaton is moving forward with a major overhaul of its wastewater system to correct ongoing treatment issues and address state regulatory compliance.
Backed by financial assistance through the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the proposed project carries an estimated total cost of $1,423,200.
Flomaton’s wastewater treatment facilities have struggled to consistently meet standards for E. coli and total suspended solids (TSS) removal, resulting in ongoing enforcement actions for non-compliance.
The planned improvements aim to overhaul critical infrastructure to better handle waste loads and reduce overflows. Work will include replacing floating aerators, completing various facility repairs, and rehabilitating collection lift stations with new pumps, controls, piping, and security fencing.
ADEM determined the project meets the criteria for a categorical exclusion from further environmental review, allowing the town to proceed toward construction to modernize its collection network and improve discharge quality at the treatment plant.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Century Neighborhood Watch Meetings Resume Thursday
September 10, 2026
After a summer break, the Century Neighborhood Watch meetings are resuming on Thursday.
The group will meet at 5 p.m. at 150 Pond Street, Suite 5B, at the Century Business Center.
There will be a special presentation from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division. Century area residents, community leaders, business owners, and concerned citizens are encouraged to attend.
Pictured: A previous Century Neighborhood Watch meeting. NorhtEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia, Santa Rosa Partner To Turn Damaged Signposts Into Artificial Reefs
September 10, 2026
Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are teaming up on an innovative “reef-cycling” initiative to repurpose damaged metal signposts into underwater micro-habitats. By embedding the scrap metal into concrete reef modules, the
collaboration unites local governments, vocational education, and coastal stewardship to enrich local marine ecosystems and coastal communities alike.
The pilot effort aims to test whether adding metal frameworks to selected concrete modules creates effective shelter for small fish and invertebrates. Funded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission through the Natural Resources Damage Assessment program, the broader undertaking will place 124 concrete reef units in the Escambia County near-shore east site, with the salvaged signposts serving as supplementary habitat structures.
Welding students from George Stone Technical College are playing an active role in fabrication, shaping the decommissioned signposts into attachments engineered for the reef modules. The work provides these students with direct, hands-on shop experience on a project that delivers tangible environmental value to their home waters.
“We’re excited about this partnership between both counties and George Stone Technical College, which not only provides valuable experience for George Stone welding students, but also benefits local divers, anglers, and marine life through this new underwater habitat,” said Robert Turpin, Escambia County Marine Resources Division Manager. “This new habitat will be a great addition to our artificial reefs, providing opportunities for important scientific research into the relationships between reef habitat and marine species.”
“Working with Escambia County on this project has shown what we can accomplish when we look for creative solutions together,” said Chris Verlinde, Natural Resources Coordinator for Santa Rosa County. “This collaboration extends beyond jurisdictional boundaries to protect and enhance our shared natural resources. By repurposing materials into artificial reef habitat, the counties are reducing waste, strengthening the region’s reef network, and creating benefits for marine life, education, and recreation.”
By turning roadside waste into submerged living systems, both counties are cutting landfill debris, reinforcing Northwest Florida’s artificial reef infrastructure, and training the area’s future technical workforce.
Tate Aggies Fall To Visiting Toros In Straight Sets
September 10, 2026
The Tate High School Aggies fell to the Spanish Fort Toros in straight sets Wednesday evening in Cantonment.
Spanish Fort, visiting from Alabama, took the match 25-14, 25-20, 25-14.
The loss comes just one day after Tate picked up a 3-1 victory over Booker T. Washington on Tuesday.
With the result, the Aggies moved to 8-2 on the season, while the Toros improved to 21-1.
Next up, Tate remains at home Thursday to host Pensacola Catholic (9-3).
Wahoos On The Wrong End Of Blowout In 9-2 Loss
September 10, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell to the Biloxi Shuckers 9-2 on Wednesday night. It was the first time the Shuckers bested the Wahoos since July 19th.
For the second straight night, the Shuckers scored in the top of the first. And, for the second straight night, it was a sacrifice fly off the bat of Eric Bitonti with the bases loaded. The 1-0 lead didn’t hold long however, with Connor Caskenette blooping an RBI single into left field scoring Aiva Arquette.
Starters Alex Williams and Bishop Letson (W, 7-6) both locked it down for the remainder of their respective outings. Williams completed 3.0 innings and allowed just an unearned run on one hit and 5 Ks. Letson put together one of his best starts of the season, going 6.1 innings and allowing just four hits (one past the first inning) and one run on 9 Ks.
Biloxi managed to get to the Pensacola bullpen, putting up four runs off of Justin Storm (L, 2-1) and Mason Vinyard. All four runs came via the longball with Braylon Payne hitting an opposite-field solo shot in the 5th and Mike Boeve smashing a three-run tater in the 6th. With a 5-1 lead and Letson out of the game, the Wahoos got a run back in the 8th from a run-scoring single off the bat of Ethan O’Donnell.
The Shuckers put up four more runs in the top of the 9th off of the reigning Southern League Pitcher of the Week Juan Reynoso. Jesús Made, Josh Adamczewski, Eric Bitonti, and Jheremy Vargas all drove in a run on four base hits. Reynoso was unable to finish the inning, with Jack Sellinger entering to put out the fire by getting Darrien Miller to fly out to right.
Travis Smith and Ryan Birchard combined to get the final 8 outs and sink the Wahoos. The Shuckers improved to 64-66 overall and 29-36 in the second half while Pensacola fell to 77-56 and 41-23.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biloxi Shuckers on Thursday night.
written by Charlie Hobert
Florida AG Seeks Criminal Penalties For Chatbot Companies Abetting Crimes
September 9, 2026
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who already has a probe underway involving an OpenAI chat platform, said Tuesday he’ll push for new laws imposing criminal penalties on tech companies whose artificial intelligence products aid or abet crimes.
“These chatbots are designed to mimic human emotions,” Uthmeier said at a press conference in Tampa. “We’re going to propose criminal sanctions for these companies when their chatbots break the law.”
Under his proposal, any company that owns, controls or distributes an AI product that participates in a crime is liable. Tech companies with “practical control” over the design, training, deployment and safety settings would be targeted, and face hefty fines, payment to victims, court-ordered monitorship and even suspension of activity in the state.
Uthmeier said he’s spoken with several lawmakers interested in the issue, but unless a special session is called, any legislation won’t be considered until the next regular legislative session begins in March.
“AI is only going to get more advanced,” Uthmeier said. “If we don’t get in front of it now as public citizens, as community leaders, as law enforcement, it will be too late.”
The ongoing investigation was first announced in April and expanded two weeks later into a criminal probe over the use of ChatGPT by Phoenix Ikner, the alleged gunman who killed two people and injured five others in a 2025 mass shooting on Florida State University’s campus.
Other incidents have been cited by Uthmeier, including those involving chatbots encouraging users to take their own lives. AI is also being used to create child sexual abuse material, Florida Department of Law Enforcement director Mark Glass said, and legislation may be needed to combat it.
“Child sexual abuse material is dangerous and deeply damaging, even when fabricated. AI generated child sexual assault material can delay investigations, creates new pathways for exploitation, and can devastate real children and families,” Glass said. “By staying vigilant and protecting our children, we can ensure AI is used to strengthen our communities, not harm them.”
Another plank of Uthmeier’s plan involves holding chatbots liable for giving medical advice, which he said, has already led to incidents of adverse health issues resulting from people relying on AI bots instead of medical professionals. Uthmeier said he’ll work with the state Board of Medicine to develop rules around the AI chatbots and their unlicensed practice of medicine.
Uthmeier has consistently called for harsh punishments for tech companies whose products abet crimes or cause harm, but he acknowledged Tuesday that AI isn’t going away.
“This is not a ban on AI. AI is here, whether we like it or not it,” Uthmeier said. “We want AI to facilitate mankind … to give us the tools to be successful to go out and catch bad guys.”
Molino Tax Collector’s Office Enhances Safety While Highlighting Florida Specialty Plates
September 9, 2026
The Escambia County Tax Collector’s Office in Molino has taken an innovative approach to safety, while also taking the chance to promote two specialty license plates of local interest.
Previously, photo background screens hanging from the ceiling were used for driver’s license photos. Sometimes, people would lean against the screens, which were not stable, creating a fall hazard, according to Escambia County Tax Collector Scott Lunsford.
Now, the two photo screen backgrounds are mounted on a sturdy metal frame. The backs of the metal frames, which face the waiting area, are being used for signage to promote two Florida specialty license plates — “Save the Bees” and the Florida Agricultural Education specialty license plate.
Florida offers over 100 different specialty license plates for various organizations in support of the causes they represent. The money raised from the sale of these license plates goes directly to the organization. Since the inception of specialty license plates, millions of dollars have been raised for the organizations.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Eagles Celebrate 8th Grade Night; Fall To Central
September 9, 2026
The Ernest Ward Middle School Eagles celebrated 8th Grade Night on Tuesday night, honoring 8th grade football players and cheerleaders.
For a photo gallery, click here.
In game action in Walnut Hill, Ernest Ward fell 16-0 to the Central Jaguars.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
