Four Escambia Tax Collector Employees Graduate From Certified Manager Program
July 24, 2019
lorida’s Certified Public Manager program.
Four Escambia County Tax Collector employees have graduated from Florida’s Certified Public Manager program.
The four CPM graduates are:
- Lisa Scruggs, director of human resources
- Marie Bumgarner, assistant manager
- Melissa Hogan, assistant manager
- Candice Lewis, senior deputy tax collector
The CPM program is a nationally-recognized leadership development program currently offered in 38 states and by the federal government. Its purpose is to develop more effective public managers. Graduates complete a rigorous two-year program, consisting of 32 days of classroom instruction, supplemented by comprehensive homework assignments and exams.
Florida has one of the largest and most successful CPM programs in the country, with over 6,600 graduates – more than any other state. More than 100 agencies, including city, county, state and constitutional offices, have participated in the Florida CPM program. The Florida Cabinet has recognized the program as a “preferred management development program.” The CPM program is administered by the Florida Center for Public Management at Florida State University, which is part of the Reubin O’Donovan Askew School of Public Administration and Policy.
The Goat Taken Into Custody By Deputies In Century Is Back Home
July 24, 2019
The goat taken into custody by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office after a standoff near a Century grocery store has been reunited with his family.
Deputies were called to the area of the Food Giant on North Century Boulevard about 8:45 p.m. July 12 due to the goat on the run. A witness said the goat and deputies ended up in a standoff before the ECSO’s livestock officer responded and roped the goat about two hours later.
We’re told the goat is named “Bandit”.
The owner claimed what the Sheriff’s Office described as a “brown goat with horns and a beard” after the story was posted on NorthEscambia.com.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
14 Tons Of Debris Collected During Cantonment Neighborhood Cleanup
July 24, 2019
Escambia County collected and disposed of more than 14 tons of debris during the Cantonment Neighborhood Cleanup in July, as part of the county’s ongoing effort to help keep local neighborhoods and communities clean and safe. The events allowed residents to leave items at the curb to be disposed of free of charge by the county and partnering agencies.
The Cantonment Neighborhood Cleanup on July 17 saw great participation from residents, with about 22,380 pounds of yard waste, 7,640 pounds of bulk waste, 150 tires and 720 pounds of household hazardous waste placed at curbside for pickup — for a total of 28,180 pounds.
The neighborhood cleanup initiative involves an aggressive clean-up effort, targeting different neighborhoods throughout the county, with crew members picking up a variety of debris and waste, including electronics, furniture and household items. Since 2016, more than 1,943 tons (3,888,020 pounds) of debris have collected and disposed of through the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program.
The county’s neighborhood cleanup program is hosted by the Escambia County Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program. Local partners include Escambia County Waste Services, Environmental Code Enforcement, Public Works, Animal Services and Road Prison, along with the City of Pensacola Sanitation Department.
Trial Postponed For Private Investigator Murder Suspect
July 23, 2019
Trial was set to begin Monday in the case of a woman accused of killing private investigator and burying her body in Cantonment.
Ashley Britt McArthur, now 41, is facing a first-degree murder charge for the death of 33-year old Taylor Wright, a private investigator and former police officer. Wright’s body was found in 2017 off Britt Road, just west of County Road 97 near Muscogee Road in Cantonment. She also allegedly stole $34,000 from Wright.
Monday’s trial date was continued until August 26 due to new evidence in the case.
Earlier this year, McArthur received seven years in state prison for racketeering and organized fraud While employed by Pensacola Automatic Amusement, from 2015 to 2017, McArthur embezzled thousands of dollars from two clients, the Azalea Cocktail Lounge and Seville Quarter.
Pensacola Automatic Amusement serviced entertainment machines and jukeboxes for various clients in the Pensacola area for 40 years. McArthur falsified collection reports for jukeboxes at the Azalea Lounge and Seville Quarter while keeping the unreported proceeds.
Escambia Approves Brownfield Designation For Cantonment, Three Other CRAs
July 23, 2019
The Escambia County Commission has designated four Community Development Areas in Cantonment and north Pensacola as Brownfield Areas.
In 2011 the county designated the Palafox, Englewood, Brownsville, Barrancas and Warrington CRAs as Brownfields. Between 2010 and 2015 the county added four additional CRAs – Atwood, Ensley, Oakfield and Cantonment.
The four newer CRAs were designated as brownfields for the purposes of economic development and environmental rehabilitation incentives offered through state programs. The project will be consistent with the land use plan and will reduce slum and blight, stimulate commercial development, and create new jobs.
To qualify for the incentives offered through the Brownfield Redevelopment Act, a property must be officially designated a Brownfield by resolution by commission.
There are about two dozen brownfield areas in Escambia County. The only one north of I-10 is the entire town of Century.
Escambia Man Indicted On Charges Of Trying To Sell Equipment To Iran
July 23, 2019
An Escambia County man has been indicted in federal court for trying to sell equipment to Iran.
James P. Meharg, 59, CEO and president of Turbine Resources International, was indicted for conspiring to sell and export power generating equipment to a recipient in Iran, and concealing the scheme, as well as having payments routed to him via another foreign country. The five-count indictment alleges Meharg, 59 conspired with citizens of the United Kingdom and Iran to export a large turbine and parts from the United States to an Iranian recipient, in violation of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations as well as federal criminal law.
According to the indictment, Meharg, a citizen of the United States, conspired from October 1, 2017, to June 12, 2019, to violate the embargo by attempting to export a Solar Mars 90 S turbine core engine and parts from the United States, for delivery to an end user in Iran. On April 25, 2018, the indictment alleges, Meharg sent an invoice for $500,000 to a conspirator in the United Kingdom and received two partial payments of $124,950 each, on May 7 and May 24, 2018, at least one of which was routed through a company in Dubai.
“The security of the United States depends on protecting our nation from threats, whether those threats originate with foreign nationals or with American citizens who put their own profits ahead of the national interest,” U.S. Attorney Keefe said. “For decades, American presidents have declared the government of Iran to be a threat to our national security and thereby imposed sanctions, and this office is deeply committed to protecting the integrity of the United States in all ways.”
Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg, who is a National Security Cyber Specialist, is prosecuting the case following a joint investigation by the United States Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Meharg is charged with conspiring to export the turbine and its parts to Iran, submitting false and misleading export information, and defrauding the federal government by deceitfully obstructing the enforcement of laws against the export of goods to Iran. He is also charged with substantive offenses involving exporting items to Iran, filing false Electronic Export Information paperwork, and transporting funds from the United Arab Emirates with the intent to conduct the illegal activity. The defendant faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment each for the charges related to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and money laundering, and he faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment each for the conspiracy and filing false paperwork charges. A trial date has been set for September 3,
Northview Football Youth Football Camp This Evening
July 23, 2019
The Northview Quarterback Club’s youth football camp will continue this evening, and it’s not too late to register.
The camp will be held from 5-7 p.m. Registrations will be accepted just prior to camp.
The cost of the camp is $50 and includes a camp t-shirt. The camp is open for any child entering Kindergarten through 8th grade. The participants will receive instruction from the Northview High School coaches and players in offensive and defensive positions, as well as agilities and speed training.
Click here to download a required registration form and waiver.
For more information, email Coach Derek Marshman at DMarshman@escambia.k12.fl.us.
Pictured: The Northview youth football camp got underway on Monday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Attorney Launches Formal Campaign To Raise Florida’s Minimum Wage To $15 Per Hour
July 23, 2019
Orlando attorney John Morgan has announced the launch of formal campaign for a new constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage in Florida to $15 per hour.
The Fair Wage Amendment backed by Morgan would increase the minimum wage by slightly over $1 an hour to $10 per hour in 2021, then increases the hourly pay by $1 per hour each year until it gradually reaches $15 per hour in 2026. After 2026, Florida’s minimum wage would increase with the rate of inflation, just as the state’s constitution currently requires. Florida’s current minimum wage is $8.46 per hour.
On Monday, Morgan announced the launch of a new website to advocate for the amendment.
“There is no doubt in my mind that is an uphill battle. But just like there were hundreds of thousands of families with sick children or parents that needed medical marijuana, there are hundreds of thousands of Floridians earning the minimum wage that cannot afford to live in Florida. We must fight so that all Floridians can have the dignity of earning a fair wage for a hard day’s work,” Morgan said.
In order to appear on the 2020 ballot, Florida for a Fair Wage needs to collect and verify 766,200 petitions from registered Florida voters. According to the Division of Elections, 363,157 petitions have been verified so far.
If the amendment appears on the ballot in 2020, it would need a 60 percent approval from Floridians to go into effect.
Cantonment Man Charged With Felony Child Abuse After 2-Year Old Found Alone In Local Street
July 22, 2019
A Cantonment man is facing a child neglect charge after a 2-year old boy was found alone in a Cantonment street Sunday night.
Tyler Ashton Nellums, 25, was charged with felony child neglect without great bodily harm. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $2,500 bond.
About 10:20 p.m. Sunday, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was responded to Brookhills Drive off Well Line Road, according to dispatch logs. A woman told deputies she was inside her nearby residence when she heard a child screaming and and crying on her neighbor’s front porch. She told deputies that the child was there alone for about 45 minutes with no adult supervision before running and screaming down the roadway, an arrest report says.
The woman picked the child up from the street, called law enforcement and knocked on the door of Nellums’ residence with no answer.
Nellums told the Sheriff’s Office that he was sleeping before the deputy knocked on his door and did not know the child had left the residence. He said the child had exited the unlocked front door of the residence in the past, but this was the first time the child had gone into the roadway, the report states.
According to the arrest report, Nellums said that no steps had been taken to prevent the boy from escaping the residence.
The Department of Children and Families was notified of the incident.
Century, McDavid, Molino, Walnut Hill Businesses Apply Here For Free NorthEscambia.com Advertising
July 22, 2019
Up to 50 locally owned businesses in Molino, Century, McDavid and Walnut Hill can receive $3,250 worth of free advertising on NorthEscambia.com through an economic development program funded by Escambia County in cooperation with the Century Area Chamber of Commerce.
The businesses will also receive a business spotlight story, 300 to 400 words in length with up to six pictures, to be published on NorthEscambia.com. The stories will also be posted on NorthEscambia.com’s Facebook and Twitter sites.
In addition, each of the 50 businesses will receive a free Century Area Chamber of Commerce membership.
Applications are accepted online only by completing this form on a first come, first served basis (click here).
Program highlights:
- The business must be properly licensed, locally owned and located in the 32535, 32568 or 32577 zip code.
- There is zero cost or financial obligation to the business.
- The business will receive 200,000 non-animated display ads (300×250px) that rotate with other participants on NorthEscambia.com.
- Basic design of one ad is included. The ad can be linked to the business’s website or social media page.
- Ads will run on uniformly scheduled basis prior to November 30, 2019.
- Business spotlight stories, as described above, will run as scheduled by NorthEscambia.com by November 30, 2019.
- The business spotlight story link will be posted on NorthEscambia.com social media channels on day of publication.
- Ads and spotlight stories may not feature alcohol, tobacco or other age-restricted products.
- The business will receive a free, basic level, one year membership in the Century Area Chamber of Commerce.
- Final determination of eligibility will be made by NorthEscambia.com and the Century Area Chamber board of directors.
Questions? Email news@northescambia.com.