One Injured In Highway 29 Wreck
June 7, 2019
One person was injured in a single vehicle wreck Friday morning on Highway 29.
The driver lost control with her vehicle coming to rest nose-down in a median ditch near the Companion Animal Clinic. She was transported to an area hospital by Escambia County EMS.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Woman, Her Friend Charged With Defrauding State Of $352K In Daycare Scheme
June 7, 2019
A Cantonment woman and her friend have been charged with defrauding the state out of more than $350,000 in a scheme involving an Escambia County daycare.
Eboni Moorer Singer, age 38 of Cantonment, and Roletta Shelton, age 47 of Pensacola, were charged with racketeering and multiple counts of public assistance fraud. In total, the Florida Department of Financial Services says the two fraudulently accepted $352,622.09 in public assistance funds.
The state says the two women knowingly conspired for Shelton to act as the owner of the business actually owned by Singer and falsified state contracts, bank accounts and other documentation in order to conceal the identity of the true owner.
In June 2011, Singer, doing business as Legendary Pre-School was disqualified by the USDA Food Program for seven years due to submitted false claims to the Department of Health for Child Care Food Program funds. In June 2012, her contract with the Early Learning Coalition (ELC) of Escambia County was terminated due to her USDA disqualification.
Singer then transferred to the business to her husband who renamed the business Legendary Kids Pre-School. His contract with the ELC was terminated in 2014 and his eligibility was revoked for five years.
Investigators said that in response to being in eligible to received state funds for their daycare, Singer and her husband recruited Shelton to act as owner of the business for them. Shelton renamed the business Legendary Christian Pre-School. Shelton then signed numerous agreements with the ELC to provide subsidized Voluntary Pre-K and childcare services.
According to investigators, Singer leased the school’s location on West Fairfield Drive, and Singer and her husband owned both of the preschool’s vans. In addition, the business bank account was joint between Shelton and Singer, and Singer made transfers to and from her personal bank account.
Eboni Singer was released from the Escambia County Jail on an $85,000 bond, and Shelton was released from jail on a $40,000 bond.
Cantonment Drug Raid Leads To One Arrest
June 7, 2019
Michael Anthony Hare was charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver within 1,000 feet of a church, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a public nuisance for drug paraphernalia.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit and SWAT team executed a search warrant in the 100 block of Mintz Lane as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation.
In Hare’s bedroom, deputies located a quantity of methamphetamine, a glass smoking pipe with methamphetamine residue, marijuana, a grinder with marijuana residue and other drug paraphernalia, according to an arrest report.
The residence is located about 200 feet from the Church of the Living God on Pace Parkway.
Hare remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $57,000.
Escambia Considering Brownfield Designation For Cantonment, Three Other CRAs
June 7, 2019
The Escambia County Commission will consider designating 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 BOCC will hold public hearings on June 20 and July 18 at 9:01 a.m. each day to discuss the brownfield designation.
A resolution seeks to designate thee four newer CRAs 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.
Hemp Workshops Planned
June 7, 2019
Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried is announcing that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) will hold hemp rulemaking workshops this month throughout the state. As the Governor is expected to sign the state hemp legislation soon, the Department is hosting the workshops to create a space for the public to ask questions and provide valuable input into the hemp rulemaking process, as this exciting new industry starts up in Florida.
“Our new state hemp program marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter here in Florida and brings a chance to strengthen our agriculture industry, increase access to safe CBD products, and diversify and fuel our state economy,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “We’re working to build the new state hemp program from the ground up, and we want to hear from the people it’s intended to serve. I encourage everyone to join us at these workshops — we’re making history, and want Floridians alongside us every step of the way.”
The North Florida Hemp Workshop will be held Monday, June 24 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. EDT at the R.A. Gray Building Auditorium, 500 S Bronough St, Tallahassee.
Six Blue Wahoos Selected To Southern League All-Star Team
June 7, 2019
The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs has announced that six members of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos roster have been named to the Southern League’s South Division All-Star Team through voting by field managers, general managers, and radio broadcasters for all 10 Southern League clubs.
Three pitchers from Pensacola’s roster, Brusdar Graterol, Griffin Jax, and Ryan Mason, will join three position players, 2B Travis Blankenhorn, OF Jaylin Davis, and C Caleb Hamilton, on the roster for the All-Star Game on Tuesday, June 18 at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Escambia County Narcotics Search Warrant Yields One Arrest
June 6, 2019
Thursday, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit and SWAT Team executed a search warrant at the 20-block of Majors Road, near Brown Barge Middle School, as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation.
Inside the home, investigators located 25 grams of cocaine, five grams of crack cocaine, 350 grams of marijuana, 215 grams of methamphetamine, two handguns and $29,000 in cash.
Maurice Malden was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of a place of worship, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of a place of worship, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Malden was given a bond of $286,000. Malden also had an active warrant for fraud and theft that was served.
Two Injured In Highway 95A Crash
June 6, 2019
Two people were injured in a two vehicle crash about 1:10 Thursday afternoon on Highway 95A just south of Roberts Road.
Both were transported to area hospitals by Escambia County EMS. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
The Cantonment and Ensley stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Shooting Victim May Have ‘Blown A Kiss’ At Suspect’s Female Companion
June 6, 2019
Police say a shooting victim may have “blown a kiss” as the suspect’s female companion, leading to the incident Monday on Navy Boulevard in Pensacola.
Pensacola Police have arrested Jamal Boyer, 23, for the attempted murder of Terrel Crayton and Clarence Williams.
Crayton was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Williams traveling east on Navy Boulevard when Boyer, a passenger in another vehicle also traveling east, began shooting at the car, according to police. Crayton was struck once in the face. He remains hospitalized in serious condition; Williams was not injured.
The investigation revealed while in a nearby apartment complex, Crayton may have “blown a kiss” at a female companion of Boyer ’s when the vehicles passed each other, angering Boyer. Shortly thereafter, when they passed the vehicle, PPD said Boyer produced the firearm and began shooting at Crayton and Williams.
According to Det. Kylan Osley, several pieces of surveillance video in the area played a key part in bringing the case to a conclusion. No other arrests are expected at this time.
Boyer has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was being held without bond.
Members of the Escambia County Sheriffs Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the State Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation and arrest of Boyer.
Century’s Financial Audit Will Be Late For The Fifth Straight Year In Violation Of State Law
June 6, 2019
The Town of Century’s Annual Financial Report, often referred to simply as an audit, will be late in violation of state law for the fifth straight year.
The legal deadline for submitting the Annual Financial Report, often referred to simply as an audit, to the Florida Department of Financial Services is June 30. But after a series of missteps, the town did not even hire an auditor until this week to do the report that’s due in about three weeks.
At a meeting this week, Hawkins said he had still not hired the auditing firm because he disagreed with a price increase, but primarily because the council had not given him the necessary approval to sign the engagement letter, which is a type of contract with a CPA firm.
Council President Ann Brooks this week said the council had previously voted to accept the increase and authorize the mayor to sign the agreement.
“They voted to accept, but they did not authorize me to sign it,” Hawkins said.
Council member Ben Boutwell then made a motion to authorize the mayor to sign the agreement, and Brooks seconded it. Council member James Smith, first up on the roll call vote, voted “no”,
“You know this is by law that we have to have an audit,” Boutwell said.
“Yeah, but he just said that there’s something he (Hawkins) feels that there’s something that needs to be addressed,” Smith said. After Hawkins told council members to go ahead and vote in favor of him signing the agreement, Smith changed his vote.
“What we have to do is take this harsh lesson that we have to make sure it’s done properly ahead of time,” Smith said.
Mayor Never Received Authority To Hire Auditor
At their last meeting in May, council members learned that the auditor disagreed with claims by Mayor Henry Hawkins as to why the audit had not started for this year, and the council learned for the first time publicly that the town had yet to sign an agreement to hire the auditing firm.
A check of a NorthEscambia.com audio recording of the May 20 meeting confirmed Hawkin’s claim that the council did not give him approval to sign off on the auditor’s contract.
“Can we have a motion to authorize our auditor to proceed with the audit at a minimum fee of $30,000?”, Brooks asked during that meeting. The motion was made by council member Ben Boutwell to pay the $30,000 fee to the auditing firm, up from $21,000 last year.
“I would think you have to vote to authorize the mayor or the clerk to sign the engagement letter,” accountant Robert Hudson advised the the council.
“Any other questions before we vote?”, Brooks asked. The original motion was not amended before being passed unanimously after several minutes of discussion and did not give the signature authority to the mayor.
“Let the records show that we’ve decided to take $9,000 from CTA (funds received from the town’s Capital Trust Agency partnership) and put it with the $21,000 budgeted for the audit,” Brooks said after the May 20 vote.
Why Didn’t The Auditor Start Months Ago, And Why The $9,000 Fee Increase?
Century’s annual audit will cost thousands of dollars more due to several factors, including a scathing grand jury investigation, and the mayor tell did not inform the council for weeks, as NorthEscambia.com learned and first reported last month.
The town was informed in an April 8 email sent to Mayor Henry Hawkins, Town Clerk Kim Godwin, and town CPA Robert Hudson that the auditing firm Warren Averett was increasing their fee from $21,000 last year to a minimum of $30,000 this year.
Hawkins repeatedly told the town council over the last several weeks that the firm would begin the audit after tax season, but he never mentioned receiving any communication from the auditor or the $9,000 fee increase to the council. In the meantime, the audit did not begin due to a lack of an engagement letter (a type of contract with a CPA firm).
But an email obtained by NorthEscambia.com shows Hawkins forwarded the auditor’s email to Chief Deputy Clerk of Finance Kristina Wood on April 9. “FYI,” Hawkins wrote. “Now where do they think we’re getting the money from?”
CPA Kristen McAllister of Warren Averett said in a May 20 email to Town Council President Ann Brooks, “I do not think you have been informed correctly. I reach out to the Clerk, Mayor, and Robert (Hudson) a month ago to discuss a change in the audit contract before we can begin.” She added the delay “did not have anything to do with waiting until after tax season”.
McAllister said the higher audit fee was due to concerns over the utility billing cycle, concerns noted in the grand jury report, incorrect information provided that required multiple adjustments in the past two audits and a failure to follow the audit timeline.
For a previous story with details on the March grand jury report, click here.
Century’s Late Financial Report Submission History
Century’s last five audits were submitted to the state as follows:
- The 2016-2017 report due June 30, 2018, was completed August 10, 2018.
- The 2015-2016 report due June 30, 2017, was completed October 31, 2017.
- The 2014-2015 report due June 30, 2016, was completed February 15, 2017
- The 2013-2014 report due June 30, 2015, was completed November 17, 2015.
- The 2012-2013 audit was completed on time on June 30, 2014.
Pictured: This week’s meeting of the Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.