‘The Town Is At Great Risk’ Century Mayor Says After Council Again Refuses Gas Department Hire
April 17, 2025
The Century Town Council has again refused to hire an employee recommended by the interim mayor for the town gas department.
Billy J. “BJ” Johnson applied March 12 for a position described as “gas department employee” in the town’s natural gas department, where he previously worked for about a decade. Interim Mayor Alicia Johnson requested permission to rehire him, saying that he holds several needed certifications. The town charter requires the council to approve all hires by the mayor. Earlier this month, the council denied her request because they felt the position was not properly advertised.
The interim mayor made her request against this week, but a motion from council member Shelisa McCall died without a second, despite the position being advertised with no applicants other than Billy Johnson.
“I would strongly recommend that y’all consider the ramifications if you do not fill this position,” she said. “We don’t have an option whether we follow regulations or not; we have to follow state regulations.”
Johnson’s term as interim mayor will end when newly re-elected mayor Ben Boutwell takes office on May 9, but she says she will ask again to hire someone for the gas department.
“I have one more council meeting, and I will bring the council any qualified applicants that we have,” she said. “I will bring this one (Billy Johnson) back, but I do want to say to you as the town council that if we were to have a major gas explosion, we as a governing body are going to be held responsible for any accidents, that kind of thing.”
If the town cannot attract qualified applicants, Johnson said it may be advantageous to hire a contractor to fill the void in the gas department.
“It is imperative, I cannot stress enough, the town is at great risk if we do not cover our regulatory bases.,” she concluded.
NorthEscambi.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Assistance Program Provides New Home For District 5 Resident
April 17, 2025
For Escambia County District 5 resident Luverne Bonner, the dream of having a brand-new home to call her own once seemed out of reach.
Now, that dream is a reality thanks to Escambia County assistance programs, which provided Bonner with a new home that she and her family can enjoy for years to come.
After living in her previous home for over 25 years, Bonner said she experienced numerous issues with the house that became unmanageable and overwhelming, including electrical problems, major leaks, roof and flooring issues, and more.
In need of help, she applied for the Escambia County Neighborhood and Human Services Department’s Housing Demo and Replacement Program, which demolishes deteriorating houses and replaces them with brand-new houses for income-eligible residents in need. The program is funded through a grant from the State Housing Initiatives Partnership, or SHIP, program.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
“It is incredibly rewarding to see lives changed for the better through county programs like this, which help greatly improve the quality of life for residents in need of a helping hand in our community,” District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said. “Thank you to our county staff for their hard work to make this possible, and congratulations to Ms. Bonner and her family on this exciting new chapter. I wish you many happy memories together in your new home.”
Bonner was joined by county staff, family and friends for a ribbon cutting to celebrate her recent move-in day when she received the keys to her new home.
Bonner said the new home is lifechanging for her, especially since she will now have a clean, safe space to host her children, grandchildren, and other family members.
“It means everything to me,” Bonner said. “With the old house, I really couldn’t have my kids or grandkids come stay with me. If they did, they couldn’t stay long, and I didn’t feel comfortable with them being here, because there was so much work to be done in the house.”
When her old home deteriorated to a point where she couldn’t safely live there anymore, Bonner said she was incredibly grateful to have a place to stay with her daughter until her new home was constructed. Without the assistance from Escambia County, Bonner said she would not have been able to move forward with making repairs or replacing her home.
“Now I can just be comfortable,” Bonner said. “I can just relax and not worry about things. It’s amazing – I just don’t have the words. I really, really appreciate it so much.”
Additional assistance may be available for income-eligible homeowners in Escambia County. Limited funding is available, but eligible residents in need of assistance are encouraged to reach out for more details. For information about eligibility requirements and assistance programs for Escambia County homeowners,contact the Neighborhood Enterprise Division at ned@myescambia.com or (850) 595-1642.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Michelle Salzman Higher Education Bill Strongly Opposed By DeSantis Overwhelmingly Approved By House
April 17, 2025
The Rep. Michelle Salzman bill strongly opposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday was overwhelmingly passed by the Florida House on Wednesday.
The House approved the bill on a 104-8 vote.
HB 1321 repeals a 2002 law that created public records exemptions for choosing university presidents and puts the process back into the sunshine under Florida public records law. The bill also removes the state university system Board of Governors’ approval to confirm presidential choices and attempts to limit the governor’s influence in the selection process.
It removes the ability of us to ensure that we’re holding universities accountable,” DeSantis said.
“We are not removing the governor’s power from anything,” Salzman said on the House floor on Wednesday. “There is no removal of powers; he appoints the people that are making these choices. You can’t get any better than that. You can’t. This isn’t an attack on the people that have been selected; this isn’t an attack on the Board of Governors. This isn’t an attack on our great governor.”
“This is simply bringing the second largest component of the state budget into the sunshine. Choices we are making for one of the largest components of our tax dollars should be in the sunshine,” Salzman added. “The bill brings transparency. It is good governance.”
DeSantis spoke out against the bill during a press conference Tuesday morning at Pensacola State College, saying Salzman was “behaving like Democrats”. The governor claimed Salzman’s bill was “cosponsored by the most flamboyantly left-wing Democrat”.
In a lengthy exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com, Salzman explained her bill and responded to the governor. To hear her complete response, see the video below or visit the NorthEscambia.com Facebook page.
In a lengthy exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com first published Wednesday morning, Salzman explained her bill and responded to the governor. To hear her complete response, see the video below or visit the NorthEscambia.com Facebook page.
Pictured top: Rep. Michelle Salzman speaks about HB 1131 on the floor of the Florida House on Tuesday. Courtesy The Florida Channel for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Local Elementary Students Shine At Sunshine Math Competition
April 17, 2025
Nearly 500 students from 23 elementary schools in the Escambia County Public Schools district participated in 2025 Annual Sunshine Math Competition recently.
Co-sponsored by the Escambia County Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the event brought together bright young minds from third, fourth, and fifth grades for a day of spirited academic competition.
For more photos from North Escambia area participants, click here.
Top Third Grade Individual Winners:
- Grayson Polk – Blue Angel
- Draper Dupree – Pine Meadow
- Samuel Goble – Bellview
- Liam Alamazan – Beulah
- Cambria Marroquin – Bellview
- Thien My Nguyen – Lipscomb
- David Menard – Pine Meadow
- Jackson Gray – AK Suter
- Abigail Kusy – Pine Meadow
- Benjamin Nguon – Lipscomb
Top Third Grade Teams:
- Pine Meadow Team B: Lucas Albano, John Butler, Draper Dupree, Natalie Smith
- Jim Allen Team B: Chase Dunlap, Bryson Salon, Penelope Clyburn, Desmond Mims
- Bellview Team B: Samuel Goble, Amarii Wilson, Emily Green, Princess Agcaoili
- Jim Allen Team A: Elizabeth Cooley, Piper Allen, Lukas Hattabough, Paisley Black
- Pine Meadow Team A: Benjamin Pearce, Abigail Kusy, David Menard, Gracie Ballwey
Top Fourth Grade Individual Winners:
- Dowling Butler – Pine Meadow
- Salvatore Gargiulo – Blue Angel
- Beatriz Diniz – Pine Meadow
- Geovanny Sanchez – Scenic Heights
- Jace Johnson – Kingsfield
- Keayon Fields – Pine Meadow
- Lyric McHenry – Jim Allen
- Parker Nichols – Beulah
- Bryson Windham – Beulah
- Daniel Ryan – Pine Meadow
Top Fourth Grade Teams:
- Pine Meadow Team A: Dowling Butler, Daniel Galvez, Beatriz Diniz, Evelyn Rowley
- Kingsfield Team A: Conner Gormely, Easton Bellringer, Jace Johnson, Haper Dove
- Pine Meadow Team B: Daniel Ryan, Allegra McCaw, Keayon Fields, Craig Macks
- Jim Allen Team A: Lyric McHenry, Taka Lindsay, Thea Helms, Easton Cobb
- Beulah Team A: Lana Pham, Bryson Windham, Carly Syverson, Parker Nichols
Top Fifth Grade Individual Winners:
- Pax Fisher – Pine Meadow
- Skylar Gibbons – Pine Meadow
- Liam Olson – Pine Meadow
- Deleia Marshall – Pine Meadow
- Jaxson Albano – Pine Meadow
- Avery Smith – Beulah
- Kenneth Eichelberg – Beulah
- Grayson Pettit – Scenic Heights
- Harper Peeterse – Pine Meadow
- Henry List – Beulah
Top Fifth Grade Teams:
- A.K. Suter Team A: Ezra Johnson, Isla Rex, Dempsey Henry, Nathalia Ramos
- Pine Meadow Team A: Skylar Gibbons, Deleia Marshall, Liam Olson, Harper Peeterse
- Hellen Caro Team A: Rowen Lefler, Skipper Ward, Lael Armendariz
- N.B. Cook Team B: James Chavez, Silas Chivers, Rylind Morgan, Lucas Senkbeil
- Scenic Heights Team A: Odette Brown, Alexandria Allen, Louis Tran, Grayson Pettit
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Overnight Fog, Low In The Middle 50s
April 17, 2025
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 55. South wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Patchy dense fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Areas of dense fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light in the evening.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 82.
8u NEP Lady Rockies Win Mid-Season Tourney
April 17, 2025
The 8u NEP Lady Rockies went undefeated at the GCGSA mid-season tournament to win the 8u A Division Championship. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Woman Charged With Attempted Drone Delivery Of Prison Contraband
April 17, 2025
The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Law Enforcement Services has made another contraband arrest an Atmore prison — this time involving a drone.
On Tuesday, the agency charged Andrea Robinson with attempting to commit a controlled substance crime, two counts of possession of marijuana first, two counts of illegal drone operation, and promoting prison contraband second. She was booked into the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton.
ADOC said the charges stemmed from an incident on February 27, 2025, in which drones were utilized in an attempt to introduce contraband into Holman Correctional Facility.
“The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be pending,” ADOC said.
Selling Stellar In 4-1 Wahoos Win Over Columbus
April 17, 2025
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos evened up their first road series of the season at one game apiece on Wednesday night, beating the Columbus Clingstones 4-1 thanks to a dominant outing from Robby Snelling.
Snelling (W, 2-0) worked 6.0 scoreless innings of one-run ball, striking out six and walking only one, to earn his second win. He outdueled fellow ace Drue Hackenberg (L, 1-2), who pitched 5.2 effective innings for the Clingstones but struggled with his command at critical moments.
The Blue Wahoos (8-3) jumped ahead early in the second inning, as Nathan Martorella drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third base on a pickoff throwing error and wild pitch. Jake Thompson drove him in with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 Pensacola lead.
A similar progression followed in the fourth inning, as Joe Mack coaxed a leadoff walk from Hackenberg before scoring on a Josh Zamora sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead. The Blue Wahoos lineup went only 1-for-10 with men in scoring position, but provided enough offense for Snelling to pitch comfortably.
The Clingstones (5-5) scratched across their lone run on an Adam Zebrowski RBI single in the fourth, but Snelling dug deep to retire Zebrowski with two men aboard in the sixth to end his night on a high note.
Thompson added an insurance run in the sixth inning with a two-out RBI double after Josh Zamora had reached on an unusual catcher’s interference call, and Dalvy Rosario forced in Pensacola’s fourth run in the ninth inning with a bases-loaded walk. The Blue Wahoos drew eight walks as a team on the evening, including three leadoff walks that all came in to score.
Josh White pitched a scoreless seventh before Dale Stanavich (S, 2) entered in the eighth and got the final six outs to earn the save.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Clingstones on Thursday night. First pitch from Synovus Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET/6:05 p.m. CT.
Gov. Ron DeSantis Slams Local Rep. Michelle Salzman Over Higher Ed Bill; She Fires Back
April 16, 2025
During a Pensacola press conference Tuesday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fired the first shots in what has since erupted in a war of words between the Republican governor and fellow Republican District 1 Representative Michelle Salzman.
Salzman, who said she was not even invited to the presser, is firing back.
During the press conference at Pensacola State College, DeSantis said both local representatives, Salzman and Alex Andre, were “behaving like Democrats”.
DeSantis’ beef with Salzman, who represents all of Escambia County except for the more southern end, is over a bill she filed. HB 1321 will remove the governor’s office from searches university presidents and puts the process back into the sunshine under Florida public records law.
DeSantis claimed Salzman’s bill is “cosponsored by the most flamboyantly left-wing Democrat”.
“She had been a very good, good ally for many years. She had a good conservative record. And I think what happens is these people go to Tallahassee, and they go native,” DeSantis said in an apparent slight to Salzman’s Native American heritage. She is a member of the Santa Rosa Creek Band of the Lower Muscogee.
“She’s doing the bidding of the leadership and the staff. She’s not doing what you sent them there to do. You did not elect her to undo our conservative reforms in higher education because I’m confident if she ran on that, you wouldn’t have elected her in the first place,” the governor said.
Salzman said DeSantis did a statewide phone callout across the state Monday night, asking Floridians to flood her office with phone calls. She said the call only prompted eight people to call her office, and only three of those were from her local district, and they support her bill.
Salzman said she and her supporters were not allowed to attend the press conference, with the only elected officials there being from Santa Rosa County. Escambia County Chairman Mike Kohler, a Republican, said he was also turned away.
In a lengthy exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com, Salzman explained her bill and responded to the governor. To hear her complete response, see the video below or visit the NorthEscambia.com Facebook page.
Century’s New $35,000 Sign Has Been Installed
April 16, 2025
The Town of Century’s new $35,000 sign has been installed.
Last December, the town council approved the purchase from Plastic Arts Signs in Pensacola for the new sign, which includes an electronic message center. According to an agenda item by then-Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr., the sign will “enhance community visibility and branding” with a more modern design than the town’s non-functioning brick-based electronic sign. The brick sign has been removed.
Century funded the sign with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
The old sign (pictured bottom) also included the Century Branch Library. Gomez said in December that the town was in discussions with the West Florida Public Libraries, a system owned and operated by Escambia County, about potential cost sharing for the sign. The library is not on the new sign.
Pictured: A new sign outside the Century Town Hall on Tuesday, April 15. Pictured bottom: The town’s former sign, which has now been removed. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
