Escambia BOCC Weekly Meeting Schedule
January 28, 2019
Here is a schedule of Escambia County public meetings this week:
Monday, Jan. 28
Northwest Florida Regional Transportation Planning Organization Board – 9:30 a.m., Santa Rosa County Visitor Information Center, 8543 Navarre Parkway, Navarre
Library Board of Governance – 4 p.m., 1200 W. Langley Ave.
Escambia County Delegation Public Meeting – 5:30 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, Board Chambers
Tuesday, Jan. 29
Emergency Medical Specialist Interviews – Emergency Medical Services – 10 a.m., Escambia County Public Safety, 6575 N. “W” St.
Environmental Enforcement Special Magistrate – 1:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Home How to Workshop for Residents – 5:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Wednesday, Jan. 30
Emergency Medical Specialist Interviews – Emergency Medical Services – 10 a.m., Escambia County Public Safety, 6575 N. “W” St.
Development Review Committee – 1 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Thursday, Jan. 31
ECAT Proposed Route Recommendation Workshop for Community Transportation Project – 5 p.m., Molino Community Center & Historical Museum, 6450 Highway 95-A, Molino
Friday, Feb. 1
Veterans Services Officer Interviews – 8:30 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place
Saturday, Feb. 2
Pensacola Beach Lifeguards Tryout – 11 a.m., University of West Florida Aquatic Center, 11000 University Parkway, Building 72
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Lawmakers Balk at ‘Bundled’ Ballot Measures
January 28, 2019
“Bundled” constitutional amendments, which led in November to voters casting ballots on proposals that combined seemingly unrelated issues such as vaping and offshore oil drilling, would be a thing of the past under a measure that started moving in the Senate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a proposal (SJR 74) that targets the type of bundled ballot proposals that came out of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission last year.
Sen. Rob Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican who is sponsoring the proposed change, called his measure a start. But he’s also interested in a separate measure (SJR 362) by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, that would eliminate the commission, which meets every 20 years and has unique powers to put proposals on the ballot.
“I would be interested in abolishing the CRC. I haven’t made a final decision about whether I’m going to support that bill,” Bradley said after the committee meeting. “What I do know is that if we’re going to have a CRC, they need to stop the bundling.”
Last year the 37-member commission met for months before putting seven proposed amendments on the ballot. Five included more than a single subject. All of those proposals were approved by voters.
Amendment 7, for example, dealt with payment of death benefits for first responders killed while performing official duties and the creation of a governance system for the 28 state and community colleges. Amendment 9 prohibits drilling for gas and oil in state coastal waters and bans vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes in workplaces.
Another measure, Amendment 10, requires all charter-county governments to have elected constitutional officers, including sheriffs. It also set the start of the annual state legislative session in January in even-numbered years, creates the Office of Domestic Security and Counterterrorism within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and deals with the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
In May, Brecht Heuchan, chairman of the commission’s Style and Drafting Committee which put together the final proposals, defended the use of grouping by noting it was done by constitution revision commissions in 1998 and 1978.
“In fact, it was done more prolifically than we did,” Heuchan said. “We grouped less than either of the two earlier CRCs. In fact, at the bedrock of all of this, the Constitution that we are operating under now, which was ratified in 1968 by the voters … at its point of ratification, the entire Constitution was bundled or grouped, depending on the word you want to choose, into three amendments.”
With all of the commission proposals approved in November, Bradley said Floridians apparently have a natural default to vote yes more than no.
“That is not how this is supposed to work,” Bradley said. “Voters should have clear choices presented to them when they’re engaged in amending our fundamental law.”
His proposal would require that any constitutional revision from the commission “must embrace but one subject.”
The Constitution Revision Commission doesn’t meet again until 2037.
Bradley’s proposal, if approved by the Legislature, would go before voters in 2020. The bill must still go before the Ethics and Elections and the Rules committees to reach the Senate floor.
Showing support for Bradley’s proposal, Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami, withdrew his own measure (SJR 86), which also targeted bundling. A similar bill (HJR 53) has been filed in the House for consideration during the legislative session that starts March 5.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Carsyn Dortch Named Miss Ernest Ward (With Pageant Photo Gallery)
January 27, 2019
Carsyn Laine Dortch was named Miss Ernest Ward Middle School Saturday night in a “The Greatest Show” themed pageant at the school.
Third runner-up was Jamison Abigail Gilman, second runner-up was McKenna Rae Simmons, and the first runner-up in the annual pageant was Emma Sage Gilmore.
The Personality Award went to McKenna Rae Simmons; Miss Hospitality, the People’s Choice Award and the Physical Fitness Award to Jessica Faith Stabler; the Poise and Appearance Award to Emma Sage Gilmore; and Miss Congeniality to Carsyn Laine Dortch.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the pageant, click here.
Pictured top: Miss Ernest Ward Middle School Carsyn Laine Dortch. Pictured below in descending order: First Runner-up Emma Sage Gilmore, second runner-up McKenna Rae Simmons, and Third Runner-up Jamison Abigail Gilman. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Is Sonny’s BBQ Coming To Molino?
January 27, 2019
A spray painted sign in Molino has created quite the social media stir among local residents.
There may be a Smokey Bear nearby, but don’t get your hopes up for a smoked pork plate just yet.
The sign proclaims “Sonny’s BBQ Coming Soon” at Highway 29 and Highway 196. That’s near the Florida Forest Service fire tower, the local home of Smokey.
A spokesperson for Sonny’s corporate office told NorthEscambia.com Friday that there is no Sonny’s coming to Molino anytime soon. The only new Sonny’s in the near future for Escambia or Santa Rosa counties will be in Pace.
Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
January 27, 2019
Tate High School recently announced Gustavo Pineda-Mendoza and Laya Denae Seals as November Students of the Month. They are pictured with Principal Rick Shackle. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Local Leaders Attend Governmental Prayer Breakfast
January 27, 2019
Leaders from across the area gathered Saturday morning in Pensacola for the annual Governmental Prayer Breakfast. The non-denominational event seeks to cross political lines is to encourage moral and spiritual values in government.
County Judge Robert Hilliard was honored with the God in Government Award during the event.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cold Weather Doesn’t Deter Runners In First Century Cross Country Classic
January 27, 2019
The temperature was just below freezing Saturday morning for the start of the Century Cross Country Classic 5K, but that did not stop runners in the inaugural event.
Runners and walkers took to a 5K course that wound through a mixture of grass, gravel, dirt and pavement across both Anthony Pleasant Park and Showalter Park. There was a also a half mile fun run/walk.
Top overall and male runner was Brandon Korinchak, and top female runner was Jillan Thorton.
“It’s the perfect setting for a community cross country race and it’s safer because it’s not being conducted on a city street. Anthony Pleasant and Buck Showalter are two Century sports icons. They have given notoriety to Century in professional sports. How fitting that we exercise through the parks named after them,” race director Matt Dobson said.
Results were as follows:
Brandon Korinchak – 20:16
Chance Thornton – 20:46
David Dobson – 21:02
Jillian Thornton – 23:26
Hannah Whitlock – 23:41
Roger Dobson – 26:23
Jeff Word – 28:02
Luke Broom – 31:30
Wanda Roberson – 32:02
Natalie Nall – 32:57
Michelle McClellan – 35:20
Kim Carroll – 35:22
Daphne Clark – 37:35
Carl Emmons – 38:55
Caroline McClellan – 39:47
Michele Criswell – 40:56
Gerald Mckenzie – 44:35
Liz Miller – 44:36
John Kleiner – 45:24
Marlene Brown – 45:25
Terri Emmons – 47:58
Kristina Broom – 50:32
Cheryl Boutwell – 54:11
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
ECSO Investigates Attempted Kidnapping Of 14-Year Old Girl
January 27, 2019
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the attempted kidnapping of a 14-year old girl Saturday in a neighborhood just off Davis Highway north of I-10.
The victim told deputies that a white male about 30-40 years old with green eyes and gray hair got out of a white van in the 1800 block of Atwood Drive. She said the male attempted to grab her while walking, but she was able to break free, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The victim told deputies that she had seen the van in the area two days before the incident but did not report it.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking for citizens to report any suspicious two-door white vans in the area of Blackwell Lane and Davis Highway to (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers (850) 433-STOP.
Vehicle Found Wrecked In Molino, No Driver Around
January 27, 2019
Emergency personnel responded to a vehicle wreck on Highway 196 near Highway 95A early Sunday morning, but no one was around when they arrived.
A white Nissan Versa with front end damage and deployed airbags was discovered off the roadway about 2 a.m.
The crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Quickly Moving On
January 27, 2019
“One of the hallmarks of our republic is the electorate’s trust in our elections.”
Those were the words written by Mike Ertel in a memo to his boss, Gov. Ron DeSantis, just a week before he was forced to quit his job as secretary of state after a newspaper published photos of Ertel wearing blackface while dressed up for Halloween in 2005 as a female Hurricane Katrina victim.
Ertel sported the costume eight months after he was appointed to serve as the Seminole County elections chief, a post he held until DeSantis a month ago tapped him to oversee elections in the third-largest state in the nation.
Confronted by the photos, obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat, Ertel told the capital city newspaper: “There’s nothing I can say.”
Florida already has an ugly history dating back to the Jim Crow era of disenfranchising African-American and other minority voters, and the embarrassing photos once again focused an unwelcome national spotlight on the state’s elections.
Ertel’s replacement will be under intense scrutiny, not only because of Ertel’s speedy exit. The country is watching how the state handles a constitutional amendment that automatically restored the right to vote to most felons who have completed the terms of their sentences. Proponents of the measure say as many as 1.4 million Floridians could now be eligible to register to vote.
Lawmakers are grappling with how to carry out the amendment, which excluded murderers and people convicted of felony sexual offenses from having their rights restored. Questions remain about the definitions of “murder” and whether full repayment of fines, fees and restitution should be an eligibility requirement.
TIME TO ‘MOVE ON’ AFTER 16 DAYS
The photos published online Thursday by the Tallahassee Democrat showed Ertel wearing blackface and red lipstick and clad in a New Orleans Saints bandanna and a purple T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Katrina Victim,” under which he wore falsies.
According to the Democrat, the photos were taken in 2005, two months after Hurricane Katrina’s widespread destruction in New Orleans — 60 percent of whose residents are black — and along the Gulf Coast. The Democrat shared the photos with Ertel last week and with the governor’s office Thursday morning, the story said.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday, Ertel, who confirmed to the Democrat that he was the man in the photos, submitted a 25-word email to Diane Moulton, director of the governor’s executive staff.
“I am submitting my resignation as Florida Secretary of State effective immediately. It has been an honor to serve you and the voters of Florida,” wrote the 49-year-old Ertel, who had appeared at a House subcommittee meeting earlier Thursday.
Ertel’s email “signature” included a quote from Abraham Lincoln: “These men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have.”
Ertel’s hasty exit from the Department of State is the first stain on DeSantis’ administration and came just 16 days after the Republican governor took office.
Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon, DeSantis called Ertel’s resignation “unfortunate.”
The governor said he felt it was best to accept Ertel’s resignation and “move on.”
“I think it’s unfortunate. I think he’s done a lot of good work, but at the same time I have got to have an administration that is going to be focused on what matters to Floridians. I don’t want to get mired into side controversies,” he said.
NOT A GOOD MONTH FOR GILLUM?
State ethics officials on Friday found probable cause that former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who narrowly lost the governor’s race to DeSantis last year, violated Florida ethics laws by allegedly accepting gifts from lobbyists and failing to report them.
After a closed-door hearing at the 1st District Court of Appeal, Gillum’s attorney, Barry Richard, and Erwin Jackson, a Tallahassee businessman who filed the complaint, told reporters the Florida Commission on Ethics was unanimous in its support of staff findings regarding the alleged violations. The case is now headed to a hearing before an administrative law judge.
“The month of January is not going to be good for Andrew Gillum,” said Jackson, who hopes the commission’s findings will be followed by criminal charges against the former Democratic mayor.
The alleged ethics violations include a pricey ticket to the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” a New York City boat ride and a Costa Rica vacation. Public officials in Florida are prohibited from accepting gifts of $100 or more from lobbyists and others that work with the government.
The ethics complaint and questions about an FBI investigation into Tallahassee City Hall dogged Gillum in the days leading up to the November election.
But Richard said the findings were based on Gillum receiving gifts and that the former mayor never solicited anything.
“But there is no evidence in this case, and there is no allegations that he ever did anything for anybody, as a quid pro quo for receiving a gift. There is no suggestion he took a payment he wasn’t entitled to, that he voted for somebody for something,” Richard said.
MUNIZ MAKES THREE
In the final step in reshaping the Florida Supreme Court, DeSantis on Tuesday named Carlos Muniz, general counsel at the U.S. Department of Education, as his third selection to the state’s highest court.
The appointment of the 49-year-old Muniz, who served as chief of staff to former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and deputy general counsel to former Gov. Jeb Bush, solidifies a conservative majority on the court after years of justices regularly thwarting the Republican-led Legislature and the GOP governor.
“The court is going to apply the law as written,” DeSantis said while announcing his selection outside the governor’s mansion.
“You may not agree with every decision, but they are not going to go off on a major tangent. I think that is very good for us. I think that the separation of powers will be strengthened with the newly constituted court.”
Muniz said in his new role he has a “solemn duty to set aside my own policy preferences.”
“The role of a judge is to preserve the Constitution, not to add to it or subtract from it,” Muniz said. “I believe strongly in judicial independence, but judges have to earn that independence through their fidelity to the Constitution.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: Former Florida Secretary of State Mike Ertel was forced to resign after less than three weeks on the job, following the publication of Halloween photos from 2005 in which he was wearing blackface while dressed as a Hurricane Katrina victim.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I think he regrets that whole thing 14 to 15 years ago, but at the same time I want people to be able to lead and not having any of these things swirling around them.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis, referring to Ertel.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida