Tate Holds Lil Aggie Cheerleader Camp; They Will Perform On Oct. 4

September 23, 2019

The Tate High School Cheerleaders held their annual Lil Aggie cheerleader camp Saturday.

On Friday, October 4, the Lil Aggies will cheer with the Aggie cheerleaders during the first quarter as Tate hosts Navarre. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

FDOT: Weekly Construction Traffic Delay List

September 23, 2019

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

Escambia County:

  • U.S. 29 Widening from Interstate 10 (I-10) to Nine Mile Road (State Road (S.R.) 10/U.S. 90A)– Drivers will experience the following impacts to traffic Sunday, Sept. 22 through Saturday, Sept. 28:
    • Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 Overpass: Alternating east and westbound lane shifts as crews construct the new southbound bridge, end bend, and center pier.
    • U.S. 29 traffic between I-10 and 9 ½ Mile Road may experience alternating lane closures as crews continue drainage and paving operations.
  • ·         U.S. 98 (Pensacola Bay Bridge) Replacement- Bridge construction may require the following lane closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the week of Sunday, Sept. 22.
    • ·         S.R. 291 (N. Davis Highway) Pavement Repairs near Navy Federal Credit Union- Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane north of Brent Lane from 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 as crews remove the existing driveway and place curb and gutter.
    • ·         S.R. 10A (Mobile Highway) Routine Maintenance at Shoemaker and North Z street- East and westbound traffic will encounter intermittent and alternating lane restrictions from 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 to 5 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 as crews make repairs to the road.
    • ·         U.S. 29 Resurfacing from south of Muscogee Road (County Road/C.R. 184) to Atmore Highway (S.R. 97) – North and southbound traffic may encounter intermittent daytime lane restrictions as crews perform median work.  Motorists are reminded to watch for crews and heavy equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
  • ·         U.S. 90 (Nine Mile Road) Widening from Beulah Road to S.R. 297 (Pine Forest Road)- There will be intermittent westbound lane closures between the I-10 interchange and the new bridge over Eleven Mile Creek from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the week of Sunday, Sept. 22 as crews pave for roadway widening.   Once work is complete, westbound traffic will be merging from the outside to inside lane between I-10 and the Eleven Mile Creek bridge.
  • ·         C.R. 168 Bridge Replacement over Unnamed Branch in Northwest Century- Crews continue driving production piles. Traffic will remain shifted onto the special detour until the new bridge is constructed and reopened to traffic.
  • ·         Bratt Road Bridge Replacement over Canoe Creek- Bratt Road continues to be closed near Canoe Creek. Drivers on Bratt Road, west of the bridge, will be detoured to Pine Barren Road and C.R. 4.  Drivers east of the bridge will be detoured east on Bratt Road.  The project is anticipated to be complete summer 2019.
    • Intermittent east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
    • Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola, between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
  • Hanks Road Bridge Replacement over Breastworks Creek- Construction activities continue. The roadway is temporarily closed during construction. Drivers on Hanks Road, west of the bridge, will be detoured to C.R. 99 and C.R. 4.  Drivers east of the bridge will utilize Pine Barren Road.  The project is anticipated to be complete late 2019.

Santa Rosa County:

  • U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement Bridge- Bridge construction may require the following lane closures 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. the week of Sunday, Sept 22:
    • Intermittent east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
    • Intermittent lane closures on North 17th Avenue in Pensacola, between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
  • S.R. 87 Sidewalk Repair from Vonnie Tolbert Road to Holley Point Road- There will be north and southbound intermittent outside lane restrictions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Monday, Sept. 23 as crews repair sidewalk.
  • S.R. 87 Pavement Markings Replacement- Traffic will encounter alternating and intermittent minor delays between Nicholas Lake Road and Vonnie Tolbert Road from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday until Tuesday, Dec. 31 as crews remove and replace pavement markings in the roadway. Law enforcement will be on site to direct traffic

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.

Escambia Volunteer Firefighters Obtain New Certifications During Volunteer Weekend

September 23, 2019

Escambia Fire Rescue volunteers were among those that attended the 14th annual Northwest Florida Volunteer Firefighter Weekend at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.

The Escambia volunteer obtained new certifications in various fields.

Scheduled classes were from four and 16 hours and covered a multitude of subjects, including new classes in solar farm safety, ATV safety and natural gas emergencies.

The program was funded and supported by the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Foundation, the Florida State Fire Marshal, Florida State Fire College and the Florida Forestry Service.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Escambia BOCC Weekly Meeting Schedule

September 23, 2019

Here is a schedule of Escambia County public meetings this week:

Monday, September 23

EMS – Medical Billing Senior Office Support Assistant Interviews – 9 a.m., 6575 N. W St.

Library Board of Governance – 4 p.m., 6450 Highway 95A, Molino

Board of County Commissioners 2nd Budget Public Hearing – 5:31 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, Board Chambers

Tuesday, September 24

Environmental Enforcement Special Magistrate – 1:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place

Extension Council Meeting – 5:30 p.m., Escambia County Extension Service, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment

Wednesday, September 25

September Coffee with the Commissioner – Jeff Bergosh, District 1 - 6:30 a.m., Hardee’s, 2500 Wilde Lake Blvd.

Development Review Committee – 1 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place

Visit Pensacola Board of Directors – 3 p.m., 12 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach

Santa Rosa Island Authority Committee Meeting – 5 p.m., 1 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach

Thursday, September 26

Scope of Work Review for PD 17-18.105 OLF8 Master Plan – 8:30 a.m., Matt Langley Bell III Building, 213 Palafox Place

NorthEscambia.com photo.

All Clear: Health Advisory Lifted For Pensacola Beach

September 23, 2019

The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County has rescinded a health advisory for Casino Beach near the Pensacola Beach Pier.

The warning was issued last week after testing showed a high level of enterococci bacteria.

“Enterococci bacteria are naturally present in the intestines of people and animals,” says Escambia CHD Director Dr. John Lanza. “Water samples gathered at these sites had a levels of enterococci bacteria which exceeds the recommended threshold. We advise against engaging in water-related activities at these sites until further notice.”3

The bacteriological sampling occurred during water quality monitoring activities, and the level of bacteria has exceeded the level established by state guidelines.

Additional testing now shows the water to be safe.

In Depth: New Century City Manager Job Description Has Conflicts With Town Charter

September 22, 2019

The Town of Century is now advertising to find a city manager. But an in-depth comparison by NorthEscambia.com between the duties of the Century mayor and the advertised duties of the new city manager revealed several potential conflicts, and perhaps even the wrongful removal of power from the mayor.

The job ad.

The town describes the ideal candidate as “qualified and highly motivated”, and requires a bachelor’s degree in public administration or a related field, plus five years of experience in local government administration of a senior management position. The salary is listed as negotiable based upon experience.

The city manager will serve as the chief executive officer of the town, be responsible for the management of day-to-day operations, attend all town council meetings and supervise all departments, according to the job description.

Earlier this month, the town council approved the creation of the ad by town staff, but did not require their approval before the ad disseminated for publication. The town council never approved the wording of the city manager’s job duties.


Psst. It’s a town. Not a city.

Before diving into the conflicts, it’s worth noting semantics on city manager versus town manager. There is no legal distinction between the terms city, town or village under Florida law. The job description refers only to a city manager. Century is a town, according to its charter, and the word “city” does not appear in the charter while the word town appears some 75 times. “The Town of Century, Florida, is hereby created…” is the first line of the charter.

Job may conflict with town charter.

Some of the duties of the city manager, according to the job descriptions, seem to directly conflict with the duties of the mayor as specified by the town charter. The town charter is the legal document that established the town.

For instance, both the mayor and city manager are set to be the chief executive officer of the town. Arguably, there can only be one chief executive officer. Webster’s defines a chief executive officer as “the person has the most authority in an organization or business”.

The charter directs the mayor to submit the annual budget to the town council, while the job description gives that duty to the city manager. There is only one annual budget.

There are other potential conflicts between the charter and city manager’s job, but presumably the city manager would perform those duties as directed by the mayor.

Comparisons are below between the mayor’s job per the charter and the city manager job per the job description.

The application period for the city manager job ends November 1.

Fire Damages Nine Mile Road Paint And Body Shop; Dog Rescued From ‘Allie Kats’

September 22, 2019

Fire heavily damaged a pant and body shop and several vehicles inside of it late Saturday night.

The fire at Alley Kats Paint and Body in the 1800 block of West Nine Mile Road, just west of Stefani Road, was reported just before midnight.

There were no injuries reported. Firefighters were able to rescue a dog inside the business and reunite it with family.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the blaze.

NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.

ECAT Plans To Eliminate Or Cut Back Underperforming Routes

September 22, 2019

Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) is planning to eliminate or cut back on several underperforming routes.

None of the route changes are in the North Escambia area.

The route changes proposed are:

41 – East Pensacola Heights

  • Keep route, except Hyde Park Rd to Firestone Blvd. portion
  • Add service to Pensacola International Airport (Route 59A portion)

57 – NAS/Corry/Downtown

  • Keep Saturday service
  • No service beyond Corry Station Main Entrance Gate
  • Add service to Peachtree Commons (Twin Oaks) Apartments

59A – NAS/Corry/Airport

  • Portions of Route 59A are added to Routes 41 and 59X

59X – NAS/Corry/Downtown/Cordova

  • Add service at 10:00 AM and last trip at 8:35 PM (weekday)
  • Sunday – Thursday service starts at 10:00 AM, ends at 7:50 PM
  • Friday – Saturday service starts at 10:00 AM, ends at 1:10 AM
  • Add service on New Warrington Road (Route 59A portion)

61 – Pensacola Beach

  • Keep Saturday service
  • Begin route at ECAT Transfer Center
  • Terminating south end service at Casino Beach
  • Increase from 3 to 5 trips daily

64- Beach Jumper- NAS /Downtown/Pensacola Beach

  • Keep Friday service
  • Run service from Memorial Day – Labor Day

Pensacola Opera To Present The Enchanted Forest At The Library

September 22, 2019

The Pensacola Opera will present The Enchanted Forest at West Florida Libraries branches.

The Enchanted Forest is a choose your own adventure opera. There are plenty of  dramatic twists and turns, along with music from iconic composers including Mozart and Bizet.

Each performance depends on audience participation to find the right path and make the best choice.

The free performances will be held as follows:

  • Tryon Branch Library – Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 4 p.m.
  • Molino Branch Library – Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 10:30 a.m.
  • Southwest Branch Library – Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 10:30 a.m.
  • Pensacola Library (downtown) – Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 10:30 a.m.
  • Century Branch Library – Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m

Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

No Injuries In Three Vehicle Accident On Highway 29

September 22, 2019

Four people involved in a three vehicle crash Saturday afternoon were not injured.

The wreck occurred about 12:15 p.m. on Highway 29 at West Roberts Road. Everyone involved in the accident refused transport to the hospital by Escambia County EMS.

The Florida Highway Patrol investigated.

NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.

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