Florida Forest Service Suspends Burn Authorizations
October 2, 2019
In light of extremely dry and dangerous conditions, officials with the Florida Forest Service’s Blackwater Forestry Center will not be issuing authorizations for broadcast or pile burns effective Wednesday until further notice. Burn authorizations will not be issued until conditions improve and the area receives significant rainfall. There are no burn bans in effect.
Authorizations from the Florida Forest Service are required for prescribed burning – acreage burns – and piles greater than 8 feet in diameter. Authorizations are not required for residential yard debris burning in piles less than 8 feet in diameter but Forest Service officials are strongly encouraging residents to refrain from any outdoor burning until the area receives rain.
“It is extremely dry and we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of fires here recently,” said David Smith, Operations Administrator for Blackwater. “The smart thing to do – the safe thing – is to just hold off on burning, right now.”
Firefighters from Blackwater – covering Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties have responded to wildfire incidents within the past seven days and there is little relief in the near-term forecast.
The Keetch-Byrum Drought Index for the district is 617 on a scale of 800 with Escambia County registering 610, Santa Rosa County 605 and Okaloosa County 635. These measurements put the area within the “severe drought” range, normal for this time of year should be between 241-420.
The KBDI is a continuous reference scale for estimating the dryness of the soil. The index increases for each day without rain (the amount of increase depends on the daily high temperature) and decreases when it rains. The scale ranges from 0 (no moisture deficit) to 800 (high moisture deficit). The range of the index is determined by assuming that there is 8 inches of moisture in a saturated soil.
Authorities Searching For Career Criminal From Molino; He May Be Armed
October 2, 2019
Authorities are searching for a career criminal from Molino on an outstanding warrant, and they say he could be armed and dangerous.
Steven Ray Stokes, 54, is wanted for grand theft of a motor vehicle, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He has an active warrant for stealing a motorcycle from Cantonment in 2018.
Stokes is currently on federal probation for unlawful transport of firearms and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, according to federal court records. He was sentenced in 2003 to 174 months in federal prison followed by five years probation. His sentenced was later reduced.
He also served state prison time for multiple convictions. In 2002, he was convicted of running a chop shop on his property in Molino, along with racketeering. Over five dozen stolen vehicles were reportedly found on the property, along with over 50 pounds of marijuana. He would purchase wrecked vehicles at auction and swap the vehicle registration numbers onto stolen vehicles to be resold.
State records show he has also served prison time for convictions dating back to 1996 for trafficking in marijuana, selling cocaine, cocaine possession, fleeing from law enforcement and resisting an officer with violence.
Stokes’ last known address was in the 4400 block of North Highway 29, north of Highway 196.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620, Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or 911.
FDLE Arrests U.S. Air Force Officer In Escambia County On Child Porn Charges
October 2, 2019
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested a U.S. Air Force Officer on child pornography charges Tuesday.
FDLE arrested John Morgan, 29, on two counts of possession of obscene material. Morgan is an active duty and stationed in Pensacola.
The investigation began in August after an agent identified images and videos of child pornography being downloaded and shared from a residential computer on Klondike Road. The images depicted children under the age of 10.
Morgan remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Firefighters Battle Nearly Two Dozen Fires Near McDavid And Flomaton
October 1, 2019
Firefighters battled nearly two dozen brush and grass fires in the North Escambia area Tuesday afternoon.
The largest in Florida was a five acre fire in the area of Honeybee Lane and Roach Road, just west of Highway 29. There were no structures damaged, and no injuries reported. The Florida Forest Service and multiple Escambia Fire Rescue stations responded to the fire, which was reported about 3 p.m. The fire was declared out just after 5 p.m.
Something also sparked multiple fires alongside southbound Highway 29. The fires were both north and south of Champion Drive.
Fire departments in Escambia County, Alabama, responded to about 15 separate fires along Highway 31 east of Flomaton. Steve Stanton, Flomaton fire chief, said the fires were sparked by log truck traveling with blown out tire.
Forestry officials in Florida and Alabama are asking residents of both states not to burn outdoors until significant rainfall is received due to the extreme fire danger.
Pictured: Fire rages alongside Highway 31 near Flomaton Tuesday afternoon. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mobile Home Destroyed By Fire
October 1, 2019
Fire destroyed a mobile home in Ensley Tuesday afternoon.
The fire was reported shortly before 1 p.m. in the 9700 block of Fowler Avenue, just south of 9 1/2 Mile Road. The mobile home was about 75 percent involved in fire when Escambia Fire Rescue arrived on scene.
No one was home or injured in the fire, but at least one family pet perished. The American Red Cross is assisting two adults and three children left without a home.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Plans Resubmitted For New Convenience Store At Hwy 29, Hwy 97 In Molino
October 1, 2019
Developers have headed back to the Escambia County Development Review Committee with plans for a new convenience store the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
The pre-application drawings submitted the Development Review Committee show a slightly scaled-down store compared to plans considered earlier this year for the 8.22 acre property.
Drawings that went before the committee in January showed a 6,000 square foot store, while the new plans show the store to be about 4,700 square feet with two additional gas pumps.
The property is owned by DGS Holdings of Atmore. In late 2017, plans were submitted to Escambia County by Diamond Gasoline of Atmore for a convenience store on the property, but that project was not completed.
The Escambia County Development Review Committee will hold a pre-application meeting on store plans this week. Before construction could begin,the plans must go through several more steps in the county approval process. At the pre-application stage, there is no assurance that plans will ever reach the construction stage or that the facility will have the currently outlined layout.
NorthEscambia.com graphic.
ECUA Rate Increase Effective For Water, Sewer And Garbage
October 1, 2019
Rate increases took effect Tuesday for Emerald Coast Utilities Authority water, sewer and sanitation customers.
In late August, the ECUA board approved a 2.3% rate increase for water and sewer, which ECUA said translates to just a few cents for the average customer.
“For the single-family residential, it means an increase of .28 on the base rate and an increase on the volume charge of .06. In total, the proposed increase to a household with an average consumption of 6,000 gallons would be an increase of .64 per month,” ECUA Public Information Office Nathalie Bowers said about water rates.
For sewer, the base rate increase equates to 33 cents plus 17 center thousand gallons, or $1.01 for the average residential customer.
Following a motion by District 5 board member Larry Walker, the motion to increase water and sewer rates pass unanimously.
The board also approved a sanitation rate increase on a 3-1 vote, with District 1 member Vicki Campbell dissenting.
Base sanitation collection rates will increase 5%, but a disposal fee on sanitation bills will remain constant. For single family residential customers with one 90-gallon or smaller container, the sanitation rate will increase 91 cents from $23.25 to $24.16.
The water, sewer and sanitation rate increases also includes commercial accounts.
Rachel Weber Named Kingsfield Elementary Teacher Of The Year
October 1, 2019
Rachel Weber has been named the Kingsfield Elementary School Teacher of the Year. She is a third grade teacher. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Charter Review Committee To Hold First Meeting Thursday
October 1, 2019
The Town of Century Charter Review Committee will holds its first meeting on Thursday, but only general housekeeping topics are scheduled to be discussed.
The 11-member committee will learn about the Sunshine Law and public records requirements in advance of future meetings.
The committee is tasked with exploring the town charter – the document that establishes the town, outlines its powers and spells out how it should operate. The current Century charter has not been updated in almost 40 years.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
New Budget Years Begin For Escambia County, Century
October 1, 2019
Tuesday was the first day of the new budget years for Escambia County and the Town of Century.
Escambia County approved a $493,429,327 budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, up 3.41% or about $1.6 million more than the last fiscal year that ended Monday. The millage rates approved by the board are 6.6165 for the countywide millage rate, .3590 for the Library Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) and .6850 for the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU). The aggregate of these millage rates is 4.32% above the rolled back rate.
The Century Town Council l approved $3.63 million budget for fiscal year 2019-2020, up slightly from $3.43 million during the last fiscal year. The council also approved a millage rate of .9204, which is about 10% greater than the rolled-back rate of .8361.