Exclusive: Who Traveled To Century On Mayor’s Airline Ticket Purchases And Why
April 4, 2019
EXCLUSIVE: NorthEscambia.com has learned the identities of two people flown to Century last month by Century Mayor Henry Hawkins, and the purpose for their visit.
To date, the town has refused to provide unredacted documents showing the names of the travelers despite repeated public records requests. But NorthEscambia has independently obtained unredacted documents from a source outside the town showing the completed travel and the names of those that traveled.
Travel itineraries from Expedia show the travelers to be Tyson Diavalpham and Mark Endo. With a slightly different spelling, “Tyson Diaz-Lapham” identified himself as a marketing executive with ADC Energy in proposals Hawkins emailed to Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry. Mark Endo, according to an email forwarded by Hawkins to Barry, is with Emesgy Consulting. Both companies are located in California.
Hawkins also emailed Barry on October 29, inviting him to attend an alternative energy presentation by Endo on October 30 at Century Town Hall.
The companies were involved in proposals to sell Century $200,000 worth of energy saving upgrades at three town properties.
Hawkins Reimburses Town For Tickets
Monday night, Hawkins provided town council members with a copy of a PenAir cashier’s check for $1,751.70 to reimburse the cost of the tickets and hotel rooms, along with a written statement.
“The Town of Century will never move forward as long as we’re stuck on what’s not being doing [sic] with other’s approval. I am repaying the Town for airline tickets and hotel fees for two gentlemen that I brought to the Town to discuss economic development,” Hawkins wrote. “This is not an admission of guilt but a gesture of good faith in moving Century forward. It seems that there are those that do not want our Town to prosper. We grown [sic] when businesses come into the Town and our citizens are given a chance for better paying jobs. When we don’t strive for economic development then we all lose.”
In December, the town council approved payment of $1,751.70 to Expedia and three airlines on a bill list.
Under the town’s charter, Hawkins is required to seek advance council approval for purchases in excess of $200. The council never gave Hawkins permission to purchase airline tickets.
Hawkins repeatedly contended that Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry promised to reimburse the costs with county economic development, but Barry has denied even communicating with Hawkins about travel expenses. During a public council meeting, Hawkins called Barry “a lie.” ”
What Happened When The Travelers Were In Town
EMESGY, a consulting company in Torrance, CA, presented written proposals for potential cost saving energy upgrades from ADC Energy of California to the electrical systems at the Century Town Hall, the “Ag Building” community center on West Highway 4 and the former Helicopter Technology building in the Century Industrial Park. The industrial park building is currently unoccupied.
On October 29, Hawkins emailed the general Escambia County District 5 address inviting Barry to attend a presentation from Mark Endo of EMESGY. The presentation was set for the following afternoon.
On November 27, Century Mayor Hawkins forwarded a copy of the proposals in an email to Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry. “I’m hoping to get your approval on using economic money to do these. If we can do either City Hall or the Community Center would be great,” Hawkins wrote.
Barry said he did not respond to either email, and he never presented the proposals to the Escambia County Commission.
Escambia County has committed $105,000 for economic development in the Century area this fiscal year. Proposals for the money are presented to Barry who in turn seeks approval of the entire commission at a regular meeting. So far, the commission has approved only $24,500 to the University of West Florida Haas Center for a market analysis.
The Energy Proposal
“ADC Energy is patented technology that allows transmission of low-voltage DC to travel long distance using existing wiring. It is now possible for you to battery power your entire facility with ADC Energy,” the company states on its website.
The proposals were in three phases. In the first phase, lighting in each building would be upgraded to “24V Battery powered facility lighting”. The second phase would add solar panels, and third phase would be a solar-powered HVAC system.
The total cost of the equipment, design and installation totaled $197,642 for just the first phase, itemized as follows:
- Town Hall: $34,593
- Community Center: $43,368
- Industrial Park Building: $119,681
Endo proposed the project would be a “renewable energy showcase … to secure massive visibility in local, national, and international media viewed by domestic and international audiences” in an email to Hawkins.
The email also stated, “Century and EMESGY will invite Miami International University (MIU) who is the 4th largest R & D University in the US to work with Century to establish an offsite joint R & D initiative with MIU funding, new jobs, and technology development.”
According to their website, the Miami International University of Art & Design “is one of The Art Institutes, a system of schools throughout North America,” and MIU offers degrees in design, fashion and media arts.
Endo suggests in his email that notification be sent to governors, senators, local to international media, and educational institutions to alert them of Century’s renewable energy initiatives and make Century a showcase.
Hawkins never presented the proposals to the Century Town Council in a public meeting.
The Airline Tickets, Unfilled Public Records Requests
As part of a public records request on January 8, NorthEscambia.com asked for the “airline invoices or receipts that have been discussed and appeared on the bill list at recent meetings, along with reservation information for such.”
That request was ignored by the town until it was mentioned at a March 4 council meeting when Hawkins told us and council president Ann Brooks that he would provide the receipts, but he would “black them out.” He refused to answer questions about the legal justification for the proposed redactions.
The following day, a town staffer emailed documents to NorthEscambia.com and Brooks. On each page from Expedia, the name of the traveler was redacted, marked out by hand. No justification for the redactions was provided as required by Florida statute.
No explanation was given as to why it took nearly two months to produce the redacted documents. Florida’s Sunshine Law dictates that records must be produced in a reasonable time, and the only delay permitted “is the limited reasonable time allowed the custodian to retrieve the record and delete those portions of the record the custodian asserts are exempt.”
When pressed Monday night, April 1, as to why the complete public records request as not fulfilled, Hawkins said, “I’ve paid it back, so I’m not obligated.”
The documents included two itineraries and one sheet labeled as a receipt. The “receipt” from Expedia did not indicate the purchaser, but it did show the last four digits of a Visa card used for payment.
In March, the town provided redacted versions of the following documents. The travelers’ names listed appear on the documents obtained by NorthEscambia.com.
- An Expedia itinerary showing a cost of $560.92 for an American Airlines flight departing October 28 from Los Angeles to Pensacola, and a room with double beds for one adult for two nights at the LaQuinta Inn on Davis Highway in Pensacola. The traveler’s name was Mark Endo.
- An Expedia itinerary showing a cost of $689.38 for a Delta flight departing October 29 from Los Angeles to Pensacola, a return flight on Frontier Airlines on October 31, and a room with double beds for one adult for one night at the LaQuinta Inn on Davis Highway in Pensacola. The traveler’s name was Tyson Diavalpham.
- An Expedia receipt for $501.40 for a one-way flight from Pensacola to Eugene, Oregon, on October 31. The receipt does not specify the airline, and the traveler’s name is redacted.
The items provided in early March by the town total $1,751.70.
The December town bill list showed payments were made for charges incurred in October as follows:
- American Airlines $501.40
- Delta $366.90
- Expedia $668.50
- Frontier Airlines $214.90
The items total $1,751.70, equal to the itineraries and receipt provided but the payee entries listed differ.
NorthEscambia.com photos and graphics.
Man Seriously Injured In East Kingsfield Road Rollover Crash
April 4, 2019
One person was seriously injured in a single vehicle rollover crash Wednesday night on East Kingsfield Road near Berrydale Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 60-year old Wendell Stephen Graham of Pensacola was eastbound on East Kingsfield road when he failed to negotiate a curve and left the roadway. His Mazda pickup overturned, colliding with a street sign and shearing off a fire hydrant before coming to rest upside down.
He was trapped in the pickup truck until extricated by firefighters.
Graham was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by Escambia County EMS follow the wreck about 7:10 p.m.
Graham was cited with careless driving by the FHP.
NorthEscambia.co photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Teen Rescued From Deep In Sand Pit
April 4, 2019
A teenager was rescued from deep in a sand pit Wednesday night.
The incident happened at Clark Sand at 1100 Capitol Boulevard near Highway 29 and I-10.
Escambia Fire Rescue used a rope system with a basket to get the teen out of the pit. He was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital as a trauma alert by Escambia County EMS.
Further information has not been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Kendall Signs Coastal Alabama Tennis Scholarship
April 4, 2019
Tate High School’s Gabriel Kendall signed a full ride tennis scholarship Wednesday with Coastal Alabama Community College. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Baseball: Tate Freshmen, Pine Forest Get Wins
April 4, 2019
Tate 3, Navarre 0 (Freshmen)
The Tate Aggie freshmen team improved to 7-0-1 Wednesday night with a 3-0 win over Navarre.
Josiah Glodfelter pitched the shutout for the Aggies. He went four innings, allowing four hits, no runs, no errors, walking one and striking out eight.
For Tate: Warren Henke 2-4, R; Dagan Gay, 1-4, 2R; Paul Whitson 1-2, RBI; Kirk Mosley 1-2; Glodfelter 1-3, RBI; Tucker Griffin 1-2; Wiley Griffin 1-2, 3B.
Pine Forest 5, Christian Education Consortium of Kentucky 2
The Pine Forest Eagles beat the Christian Education Consortium of Kentucky 5-2 Wednesday night in the Adidas Beach Blast Tournament.
Jared Riddell got the win for Pine Forest. He went five and a third innings, allowing two runs on nine hits, striking out six and walking zero. Timmy Williams threw one and two-thirds innings in relief out of the bullpen. Williams recorded the last five outs to earn the save for the Eagles.
Jason Roberts, John Pinette led the Eagles with three hits each.
Feds Settle Teen Sexual Harassment Lawsuit With Owner Of Atmore Arby’s
April 4, 2019
Beavers, Inc. has entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to settle a sexual harassment case involving teenage female employees at an Atmore Arby’s restaurant.
Beavers agreed to pay $84,000 to three women named in the complaint. The company is also required to conduct training for managers and employees.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit against Beavers, in May 2016, Arby’s hired a team leader trainee with a known history of sexual harassment who repeatedly pressured young female employees to have sex with him, and regularly used sexually graphic language to describe sexual acts he sought to perform on female employees and customers. The EEOC also alleged that the man deliberately touched one female employee in an unwelcome and sexual manner, and attempted to follow female employees home.
The EEOC further contended that these employees and others complained about the harassment up the chain of command to supervisors and managers, but Arby’s took no action for several months until the harasser physically injured one of the victims.
By entering into the consent agreement filed Wednesday, Beavers did not admit any liability or wrongdoing.
Pictured: The Atmore Arby’s restaurant Wednesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Congressman Matt Gaetz Introduces His ‘Green Real Deal’ Climate Plan
April 4, 2019
Northwest Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz announced his “Green Real Deal” Wednesday afternoon during a news conference on Capitol Hill.
The Green Real Deal is Gaetz’s plan to address climate change by harnessing the power of free markets, embracing technological innovation and entrepreneurship, and cutting excessive governmental red tape. The plan is a conservative response to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (NY-14) “Green New Deal” introduced earlier this year.
“The Green Real Deal is a love letter to the American innovator and it is a real serious plan to address climate change,” he said.
Gaetz’s Green Real Deal recognizes that a national commitment to innovation, competitive markets, and the deployment of advanced energy technologies will help the United States as the global leader in clean energy. The Green Real Deal calls for increased investment in clean energy technology and sources, like solar and nuclear power, while improving transparency and accountability for the benefit of customers, investors, and shareholders alike.
He said the Green Real Deal harnesses the power of the free market to create millions of U.S. energy jobs and secure the nation’s position as a global environmental leader.
Pictured: Congressman Matt Gaetz announced his “Green Real Deal” Wednesday on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
$1.9 Million Project Begins This Month To Replace Highway 168 Bridge
April 4, 2019
A $1.9 million project will begin later this month to replace a bridge on Highway 168 between North Highway 99 and Pine Barren Road in Bratt.
The Florida Department of Transportation will replace the structurally deficient bridge on Highway 168 over an unnamed branch. The new bridge will consist of two 12-foot travel lanes with 6-foot shoulders and a concrete barrier wall.
A temporary bridge will be in place during the project.
The current bridge was constructed in 1967.
Escambia Fire Rescue Fights Woods Fire Near Highway 29, Old Chemstrand
April 3, 2019
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue battled a woods fire Wednesday night near railroad tracks alongside Highway 29 at Old Chemstrand Road. They were forced to use a chainsaw to make access to the fire, which was reported about 7:45 p.m. No structures were threatened. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Battle Debris Fire On Nine Mile Road
April 3, 2019
Escambia Fire Rescue spent hours extinguishing a debris fire Wednesday afternoon on Nine Mile Road near I-10. Black smoke from the fire could be seen for miles. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
