Driver Injured After Crashing Into Utility Pole In Century
February 11, 2019
One person was injured in a single vehicle crash in Century Sunday night that left part of a neighborhood in the dark.
A 33-year old female was westbound on State Line Road just west of Highway 29 when she lost control, ran off the roadway and struck a utility pole. The Dodge Dart rotated after the crash and came to rest facing east in the roadway.
The driver was transported by Lifeguard Ambulance to Jay Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The force of the collision cause a power line to snap, leaving less than a dozen Gulf Power customer without power for several hours.
The wreck is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Additional details were not released.
The Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia BOCC Weekly Meeting Schedule
February 11, 2019
Here is a schedule of Escambia County public meetings this week:
Monday, Feb. 11
Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization Technical Coordinating Committee – 8:30 a.m., 222 W. Main St.
Escambia County Area Transit Public Workshop – North Escambia Transportation Service Pilot Project – 5 p.m., Walnut Hill Community Center, 7850 Highway 97
Escambia County Marine Advisory Committee – 5:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Tuesday, Feb. 12
Co:Lab Pensacola Policy Board Meeting – 11 a.m., 418 W. Garden St.
Environmental Enforcement Special Magistrate – 1:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program Director Shortlisting Committee – 2:30 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, 4th Floor Training Room
Affordable Housing Advisory Committee – 5 p.m., 420 W. Chase St.
Merit System Protection Board – 5 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, 4th Floor Training Room
Escambia County Housing Finance Authority – 5 p.m., 700 S. Palafox St., Suite 310
District 5 Town Hall Meeting with Commissioner Steven Barry – 5:30 p.m., Molino Community Center, 6450 Highway 95-A North
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Ensley South Neighborhood Cleanup – 7 a.m.
Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization Board – 9 a.m., Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St.
Development Review Committee -1 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Santa Rosa Island Authority Board – 5 p.m., 1 Via De Luna Drive, Pensacola Beach
Thursday, Feb. 14
Committee of the Whole – 9 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, Board Chambers, 221 Palafox Place
NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Inmate Health Costs Drive Up Florida Prison Budget
February 11, 2019
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to fund the Florida Department of Corrections next year at $2.7 billion, a spending plan that has some criminal-justice reform advocates pointing to struggles facing Florida’s prison system as a result of increased health-care costs.
Following litigation, the state needs to meet court mandates requiring it to provide better treatment for inmates with Hepatitis C, mental illnesses and disabilities. Those issues, mixed with an aging prison population that is driving up health costs, has led DeSantis to propose a $120 million increase to cover inmates’ health care.
“The story this budget tells is that we are simply funding the mandated costs of court orders and trying to keep the lights on in the prison system,” said Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican who chairs the Senate panel that oversees prison funding.
The blueprint of DeSantis’ spending plan for the Department of Corrections, roughly 3 percent of the entire budget, includes $14 million for increased costs of pharmaceuticals, $37 million to better treat inmates with Hepatitis C and $86 million to enhance contracted inmate health services. While those issues total $137 million, the overall increase would be about $120 million because the budget proposal also would cut some spending included in the current year’s budget.
While the state deals with increased pharmaceutical costs, DeSantis has directed Corrections Secretary Mark Inch to explore various strategies to drive those expenses down, including further negotiations with pharmaceutical companies and bulk purchases, according to language in the proposed budget.
A lot of those costs stem from litigation brought by attorneys for the Florida Justice Institute. A federal judge found that the Department of Corrections had failed to treat prisoners with Hepatitis C despite the fact that medications had been available. The court also found the lack of treatment was due to financial issues.
With the 2019 legislative session starting March 5, Brandes has been sounding the alarm about the prison system being in “crisis” as a result of a prison guard shortage, increased contraband in prisons and a rise in officer-on-inmate violence.
“Right now, the corrections system is largely a health care provider that houses inmates,” Brandes said. “There’s a lack of education and transition programs because of the enormity of money we are spending on health care.”
DeSantis proposed an overall $91.3 billion budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, which starts July 1. Lawmakers will use the governor’s proposal as they negotiate a final spending plan this spring.
Other parts of the criminal justice system that are funded by the state include the Department of Juvenile Justice, which DeSantis wants to fund at $602 million next year, about $437,000 less than the current year.
DeSantis has appointed Simone Marstiller to head the juvenile justice department. In the past, Marstiller has been a vocal proponent of putting more focus on rehabilitation instead of incarceration, as well as giving discretion to judges to depart from mandatory minimums in sentencing.
Christian Minor, executive director for the Florida Juvenile Justice Association, was pleased to see the level of funding DeSantis proposed for prevention, intervention and residential services in the upcoming budget.
by Ana Ceballos, The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Inmate medical facilities inside the Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Cantonment Man Facing Battery, Child Abuse Charges
February 10, 2019
An Cantonment man was charged with child abuse and domestic violence charges.
Gregory Fountain, 50, was charged with cruelty toward a child and domestic battery by strangulation.
Fountain allegedly struck the child in the face multiple times, pushed them into a wall and placed them in a choke hold, according to a police report. The victim was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment. The age and gender of the child were redacted.
Fountain was highly intoxicated and told Pensacola Police officers that he was “tussling” with the victim, an arrest report states.
He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
Escambia County Receives $1.1 Million Offer For 15 Acres Of OLF-8
February 10, 2019
Escambia County has received another offer to purchase part of the Navy Outlying Field 8 (OLF -8) property on Nine Mile Road, directly west of the Navy Federal Credit Union.
Black Water Development Company of Birmingham has offered $1.1 million for 15 acres with frontage on Nine Mile Road to construct a commercial center with a mix of retail, small offices and restaurants.
Last month, Hemmer Consulting of Pensacola, 68 Ventures of Spanish Fort, AL, and their affiliated companies offered $18 million for approximately 530 acres. Navy Federal has offered to purchase the other 100 acres of OLF-8 for $4.2 million.
Escambia County acquired OLF-8 in a land swap with the U.S. Navy for property in Santa Rosa County.
If the county decides to sell the property, it is legally obligated to declare the acreage surplus and sell to the highest bidder.
Molino Library Continues Mountain Dulcimer Classes
February 10, 2019
The Molino Branch Library is continuing weekly classes were you can learn to play the mountain dulcimer.
The “Molino Melodies” class is held at 6 p.m. each Tuesday at the library. The class is free, and no experience or materials are required. Dulcimers are provided for the class.
Pictured: A January mountain dulcimer class at the Molino Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bus With 31 Children On Board Crashes Into Car
February 10, 2019
There were no injuries reported when a school bus with 31 children on board crashed into a car just off Nine Mile Road Friday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol said bus driver Christine Sanjurjo, age 64 of Pensacola, was traveling westbound on Jo Jo Road about 4:30 p.m. when she failed to yield to a Toyota Corolla driven by Alireza Taghi, age 23 of Pensacola. The front right of the bus collided with the rear of the Toyota.
Sanjurjo was cited for failing to yield while entering an intersection, according to FHP.
This Week’s Traffic Delays
February 10, 2019
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads and state projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
- · U.S. 98 (Chase Street) Resurfacing from North Palafox Street to State Road (S.R.) 196 (Bayfront Parkway)- Weather permitting paving operations from I-110 to Bayfront Parkway will continue the week of Sunday, Feb. 10. Lane closures will be in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.
- · Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Pine Forest Road to U.S. 29 – All lanes of Nine Mile Road between Pine Forest Road and the entrance to Walmart will shift northward at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12. The shift will enable workers to construct new eastbound lanes. The dedicated bike lanes will be closed throughout the shift area. Bicyclists and motorist will share the travel way. The shift will remain in effect for several months until traffic is shifted onto the new lanes.
- U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Lane closures will take place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Sunday, Feb. 10 to Sunday, Feb. 17:
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- U.S. 98 east and westbound from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to just east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
- North 17th Avenue in Pensacola between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
- U.S. 29 Widening from Interstate 10 (I-10) to U.S. 90A (Nine Mile Road) – The following traffic impacts will occur from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. from Sunday, Feb. 10 to Saturday, Feb. 16.
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- Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 Overpass: Alternating traffic shifts will direct all traffic onto the westbound or eastbound lanes as crews continue construction of the new northbound bridge deck. Nine Mile Road lane restrictions are Sunday through Friday.
- U.S. 29 between I-10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road: Drainage and paving operations continue. Drivers can expect alternating lane closures Monday through Saturday.
- S.R. 727 (Fairfield Drive) from South of Usher Circle to North of Hestia Place- The northbound lane on Fairfield Drive from South of Usher Circle to North of Hestia Place will be closed from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. from Sunday, Feb. 10 to Sunday, Feb. 24 as crews remove the existing asphalt to prepare for roadway widening.
- U.S. 98 (Lillian Highway) Resurfacing from the Perdido Bay Bridge to Dog Track Road– Drivers may encounter lane restrictions from the Perdido Bay Bridge to Dog Track Road as crews complete paving operations on the project. Lane closures will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. until Sunday, Feb. 10.
- U.S. 90 (Mobile Highway) and County Road 99 (Beulah Road) Intersection - A new traffic signal on U.S. 90 (Mobile Highway) at Beulah Road will become operational Tuesday, Feb. 12 at approximately 10 a.m. Drivers are encouraged to use caution when approaching the intersection.
- Crary Road Bridge Replacement over Pritchett Mill Creek- Crary Road is closed between Tedder Road and Byrneville Road as crews construct a bridge culvert. Motorists will be detoured via C.R. 4 and Byrneville Road. The project is anticipated to be complete spring 2019.
- Bratt Road Bridge Replacement over Canoe Creek - Bratt Road will continue to be closed near Canoe Creek. Drivers on Bratt Road, west of the bridge, will be detoured to Pine Barren Road and C.R. 4. Drivers east of the bridge will be detoured east on Bratt Road. The project is anticipated to be complete summer 2019.
- Hanks Road Bridge Replacement over Breastworks Creek - Construction activities have begun. The roadway will be temporarily closed during construction. Drivers on Hanks Road, west of the bridge, will be detoured to County Road (C.R.) 99 and C.R. 4. Drivers east of the bridge will utilize Pine Barren Road.
Santa Rosa County:
- S.R. 87 Pavement Markings Replacement- Traffic on S.R. 87 will encounter alternating and intermittent minor delays at the following locations from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday until Thursday, April 25 as crews remove and replace pavement markings in the roadway. Law enforcement will be on site to direct traffic:
- U.S 90 to Nicholas Lake Road
- U.S. 98 to Vonnie Tolbert Road
- I-10 from Black Water Bay to East of S.R. 87 (Exit 31)-Traffic may encounter alternating and intermittent lane restrictions from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, from Sunday, Feb. 10 to Thursday, March 28 as crews remove and replace pavement markings. Law enforcement will be on site to assist with traffic control.
- U.S. 98 Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Lane closures will take place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Sunday, Feb. 10 to Sunday, Feb. 17:
- U.S. 98 east and westbound from North 14th Avenue in Pensacola to just east of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in Gulf Breeze.
- North 17th Avenue in Pensacola, between U.S. 98 and the CSX Railroad overpass (Graffiti Bridge).
- Escambia Bay Bridge to Avalon Boulevard (S.R. 281/Exit 22) – The following construction related traffic impacts are planned for Interstate 10 and Avalon Boulevard from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the week of Sunday, Feb. 10:
- Drivers may encounter alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard, near the I-10 interchange, Monday through Thursday evenings, as crews perform construction activities.
- Alternating lane closures on I-10, from the Escambia Bay Bridge to east of S.R. 281, Sunday, Feb. 10 through Friday, Feb. 15 as crews work to widen the roadway.
- Drivers will encounter new traffic pattern(s) on I-10 east and westbound as crews reconstruct the inside and outside shoulders. This work will continue through spring 2019.
- U.S. 98 Safety Improvements at Constitution Drive and Navarre School Road- There will be intermittent eastbound lane closures near Thresher Drive from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday as crews construct a right turn lane.
- Drainage work is underway at Newport Street and Thresher Drive.
- Construction activities continue from Sunrise Drive to east of Cotton Bay Lane. Lane Closures will be in effect Sunday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. as crews performconcrete operations in the median.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
Beulah Elementary School Students Write Letters Of Support To Navy Recruits
February 10, 2019
Beulah Elementary School participated in a writing project to promote individual student support focused on creating happiness and motivation within U.S. Navy recruits beginning basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois.
The writing project was established in January 2018 after being proposed by a Beulah student as an idea for an assignment. Other Beulah students eagerly supported the idea and wanted to help by providing emotional support to the recruits, while also learning the formalities of writing letters.
The writing project was administered by one of Beulah’s teachers, Krystal Gibson, to her fifth grade class. The assignment consisted of the student sharing information about themselves, transitioning into words of support for those who serve their country, followed by questions about the recruits’ life and goals. Each letter closed with at least two jokes to make the recruits smile and boost morale.
Capt. Kertreck Brooks, commanding officer of the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC), accompanied by Command Master Chief Gregory Prichard, paid a visit to the class.
“My visit is motivated by my devotion to helping Navy recruits adapt to the sudden life changes they’ll experience in boot camp,” said Brooks, who previously served as the executive officer of Recruit Training Command from February 2013 to June 2015. “It’s important for me to express my appreciation to the students for their participation and thoughtfulness towards the Navy recruits.”
As a former executive officer, Brooks was able to provide details to the class about recruit life. He explained that recruits begin each day at 6 a.m. with continuous training lasting until 10 p.m. He also shared how exhausting Navy recruit training is physically and mentally, especially with the lack of emotional support from friends and family.
One of the descriptive points Brooks emphasized was the procedure that takes place when the new recruit arrives at the Great Lakes recruit training facility.
“Upon arrival, all recruits are allowed to make one final phone call home to their family, then all of their personal belongings, including their cell phones are boxed up and mailed home,” said Brooks. “The only form of communication left is through mail, which makes Mail Call a special event for recruits.”
Brooks went on to tell the students how their letters would now become a welcomed addition to that special event and add greatly to the emotional support of the recruits. The students were then invited to read their letters to the class, followed by a question and answer session.
Photo courtesy Julian Huff/U.S. Navy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Guns And Money
February 10, 2019
He insists he wasn’t trying to get the parents of two victims of the Parkland school massacre booted out of a congressional committee this week.
But Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief advisers, made international news after video of a confrontation between the Panhandle Republican and two dads went viral.
Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin “Guac” Oliver, was among the 17 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and faculty members slain last February, and Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was another victim, attended the U.S. House Judiciary Committee meeting to hear about legislation (HR 
that would expand background checks for gun sales.
But the dads took offense when Gaetz, a fierce ally of President Donald Trump, said a wall keeping out illegal immigrants would have a bigger impact on reducing gun violence.
“HR 8 would not have stopped many of the circumstances I raised, but a wall, a barrier on the southern border, may have, and that’s what we’re fighting for,” Gaetz said.
The Broward County parents erupted while Gaetz was trying to make his case. Following the outbursts, an irked Gaetz shook his finger at the men and asked whether they should be removed.
“Is there a process in the committee whereby if the very same people are repeatedly interrupting the time of the members, that those people will be asked to depart the committee?” Gaetz asked.
Gaetz later said he wasn’t trying to have the grieving parents tossed from the room.
“I did not want to throw the guy out,” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo Thursday night while continuing to push for the president’s border wall, saying it would mean “fewer people will die at the hands of illegal aliens.”
But appearing Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Oliver called Gaetz’s remarks “very offensive,” with Oliver adding that he wanted to redirect the conversation to his son — “the greatest person I have ever met” — and the other 40,000 people who are victims of gun violence every year.
“I just reacted as a father,” said Oliver, who also attended Trump’s State of the Union address as the guest of Congressman Ted Deutch, a South Florida Democrat who’s been at the forefront of gun-control legislation. “You know who’s an immigrant? I’m an immigrant. I did things by the book. My son came from Venezuela. I was trying to find a safer life here. He got shot by an American white dude. So what’s the answer for that?”
PISTOL-PACKIN’ TEACHERS?
The fracas between the Parkland parents and Gaetz played out almost a year after the Feb. 14 massacre.
As the grim anniversary approaches, Florida legislators are preparing to revisit a law aimed at addressing the numerous failures surrounding the shooting.
Senate Republican leaders this week laid out plans to overhaul school-safety measures and expand a controversial program that allows school personnel to carry guns, a proposal that has overshadowed Democrats’ efforts to move away from arming school staff.
DeSantis is among the state Republican leaders who support expanding the school “guardian” program, which was approved after the Broward County school shooting. The program includes putting money into training school staff to carry weapons on school grounds. Under current law, such “guardians” are staff members whose primary duties are outside the classroom.
The Senate’ proposal (SPB 7030) would allow school districts to arm classroom teachers, look to train guardians outside the counties where they would work, and allow school districts to contract with guardians through private security firms.
Senate Education Chairman Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, wants to see the guardian program become more accessible. He’d like to give school boards, through a majority vote, the chance to participate instead of giving sheriffs discretion to implement the program, as current law allows.
Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, has already come out in support of the proposal, which is scheduled to be heard Tuesday, two days before the Parkland shooting anniversary.
“I look forward to seeing the bill advance, and I am pleased to see that the bill will be heard next week just before the anniversary of the horrific shooting in Parkland,” Galvano said.
SOMETHING EXTRA FOR TEACHERS?
Four years after lawmakers started a controversial teacher-bonus program, DeSantis said this week he wants to scrap the “Best and Brightest” program and plow nearly $423 million into a new effort to reward teachers and principals.
The Best and Brightest program has faced opposition, at least in part, because it considers teachers’ scores on SAT or ACT college-entrance exams in determining eligibility for bonuses. The use of those scores has drawn state and federal lawsuits arguing that the program discriminates against older teachers and minority teachers.
During an event Thursday at Armwood High School in Hillsborough County, DeSantis also pointed to questions about the logic of looking at college-entrance exams in evaluating teachers.
DeSantis said the new program could provide bonuses of more than $9,000 to nearly 45,000 “highly effective” teachers at schools that showed progress on grading calculations and bonuses of up to $6,500 for principals.
“What we’re trying to do is identify those teachers that are rated highly effective and that are helping their schools move forward,” DeSantis said. “And when they’re doing that, we think they should be rewarded.”
The Florida Education Association, a statewide teachers union that has been a fierce critic of the Best and Brightest program, issued a news release that said it sees DeSantis’ ideas “as a start toward fixing the discriminatory and unfair provisions of that bad legislation.” But it also suggested that “competitive salaries” are the best way to attract and keep qualified teachers.
POT MAKES A BUZZ IN CAPITOL
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried this week named a former banker as the state’s first cannabis czar to help get Florida’s hemp industry off the ground, State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis asked Trump to allow banks to do business with cannabis companies. And lawmakers rolled out their first attempts at dealing with a ban on smoking medical marijuana.
Marijuana advocates hailed the moves by Fried and Patronis but mostly scoffed at House and Senate proposals that critics — including the sponsor of the Senate bill — say won’t increase access to smokable pot for patients whose doctors say they need the treatment.
The House proposal would require doctors get the approval of a “case review panel” before they could order smokable marijuana for patients.
Under a Senate plan (SB 182) approved by a key committee Monday, patients would have to see two doctors before being allowed to smoke, adding to out-of-pocket costs. Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican who sponsored the measure that began as a simple repeal of the smoking ban, said he would not bring the bill to the floor unless it is significantly changed.
The Legislature’s efforts came after DeSantis gave lawmakers until March 15 — 10 days after the annual legislative session begins — to address the smoking issue. If the Legislature does not act, the Republican governor threatened to drop the state’s appeal of a court decision that said a Florida law banning patients from smoking medical marijuana is unconstitutional.
But Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, blasted the House proposal, which will get its first hearing in a committee next week.
The measure “is a bureaucratic mess of red tape and additional boards that have to deliberate and approve whether a patient should be allowed to smoke medical cannabis after a doctor has already recommended it,” Smith said.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Ron DeSantis released a proposal to revamp the “Best and Brightest” program and steer $423 million into bonuses for some teachers and principals.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “This leads to medical marijuana dispensaries handling this problem in an antiquated and dangerous manner by transporting millions of dollars in duffle bags of cash and even driving the cash endlessly around in trucks.” — Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, referring to the state’s mainly cash-only cannabis industry.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida