Escambia BOCC Weekly Meeting Schedule
November 26, 2018
Here is a schedule of Escambia County public meetings this week:
Monday, Nov. 26
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1395 Union Negotiations – 10:30 a.m., Escambia County Area Transit Administrative Offices & Rosa Parks Bus Terminal, 1515 W. Fairfield Drive
Escambia County Marine Advisory Commitee – 5:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Tuesday, Nov. 27
Escambia County Health Facilities Authority – 4 p.m., 1019 N. 12th Ave.
Wednesday, Nov. 28
Coffee with Commissioner Jeff Bergosh – 6:30 a.m., Hardee’s, 2500 Wilde Lake Blvd.
Contractor Competency Board Special Meeting – 9 a.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Development Review Committee – 1 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
$2.7 Million Bratt Bridge Replacement To Begin After Yearlong Closure
November 25, 2018
Work is set to begin this week on a $2.7 million project to replace a bridge on Bratt Road that has been closed for almost a year.
The project includes new guardrail, drainage improvements, and new pavement markings. There will not be a temporary bridge installed as previously announced by Escambia County, according to Tanya Branton, public information specialist for the Florida Department of Transportation. The new bridge is expected by be completed by summer 2019.
Bratt Road will continue to be closed near Canoe Creek during construction. Drivers on Bratt Road, west of the bridge, will still be detoured to Pine Barren Road and County Road 4. Drivers east of the bridge are detoured east on Bratt Road.
The $2,727,550.12 contract was awarded to low bidder Murphree Bridge. The second lowest bid submitted by Roads, Inc. was about $69,000 more. Two other bids were $3.12 and $3.16 million.
The bridge averaged 425 vehicles per day prior to closure. It was constructed in 1956.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Triple Shooting Suspect Extradited To Alabama
November 25, 2018
The suspect in a triple shooting in Atmore has been extradited from the Escambia County Jail in Pensacola back to Alabama.
Anji Lynn Baker, age 34 of Bay Minette, waived extradition during a video appearance before Judge Joyce William in Escambia County (FL) court. Alabama authorities have transported him back to the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton to face three counts of attempted murder and a charge of shooting into an occupied building.
U.S. Marshals arrested Baker without incident in Pensacola November 13. He was held without bond in the Escambia County Jail as a fugitive from justice.
The triple shooting happened during an event inside an Atmore business during the early morning hours of November 11. Two victims were airlifted to a Mobile hospital where one was listed in critical condition and the other in serious condition. A third gunshot victim was transported by ambulance where he was treated and released. All three victims were adult males.
An Atmore police officer suffered minor injuries when he was struck with a barstool.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Check This Out: Hay Bale Decorating Contest Winners
November 25, 2018
The results are in from the 2018 Escambia County 4-H Hay Bale Decorating Contest. And you have a chance to check out the winners (and snap a few great Instagram photos too) this week.
First place went to the Escambia County Horse Club 4-H Club, second place to the Barrineau Park 4-H Club, and third place to the Escambia County Shooting Club 4-H Club.
The hay bales will be on display at the corner of Stefani Road and 9 1/2 Mile Road, the first intersection south of the Escambia County Extension Service, through December 3.
Pictured: First place went to the Escambia County Horse Club 4-H Club (top photo), second place to the Barrineau Park 4-H Club (below), and third place to the Escambia County Shooting Club 4-H Club (bottom). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Get Free Resume Help At The Molino Branch Library
November 25, 2018
Need help with your resume? The Molino Branch Library will provided personalized help to polish up your resume and make it stand out from the crowd.
The library offers 45 minute appointments on Monday between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
To schedule, call the Molino Branch Library at (850) 435-1760.
Gilman Named Bratt Elementary Teacher Of The Year
November 25, 2018
Heather Gilman has been named the Bratt Elementary School Teacher of the Year. She teaches second grade. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Turning The Page
November 25, 2018
Florida’s political world is built around two-year cycles.
And the latest acrimonious, head-scratching cycle finally ended Tuesday when the state Elections Canvassing Commission certified the results of the Nov. 6 elections.
The acrimony, of course, did not end with the usual campaign attack ads and nastiness. It lasted nearly two additional weeks as ballots continued to be counted and recounted and legal fights raged.
As for the head scratching, a simple question: How, 18 years after the presidential recount, can Florida keep being the butt of election jokes? Yes, this year’s elections and recounts went smoothly in most of the state. But the images beamed across the country were all about the messes in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Nevertheless, the end of the two-year cycle also signaled the start of something new. Shortly after the state canvassing commission certified the election results, the Florida House and Senate gathered to swear in new leaders and newly elected members.
And, at least for a day, new House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, and new Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, emphasized a need for civility.
ONE FOR THE BOOKS
Florida Democrats spent the past eight years criticizing Gov. Rick Scott and itching to win the governor’s mansion for the first time since the 1990s.
But when the recounts were finished and the vote totals submitted, Scott and his Republican allies got the last laugh. Just like Scott got the last laugh when he came out of political nowhere in 2010 to win the governor’s mansion and in 2014 when he defended it.
By 10,033 votes out of nearly 8.2 million cast, Scott unseated three-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and will head to Washington in January. That became official when manual recounts ended Sunday, three days after a machine recount showed Republican Ron DeSantis locking up the governor’s race against Democrat Andrew Gillum.
Scott, who said Nelson “graciously conceded” in a phone call, thanked Nelson “for his years of public service.”
While the recount process drew harsh accusations of fraud and political chicanery, numerous lawsuits and counter-lawsuits, Scott’s victory statement called for unity.
“My focus will not be on looking backward, but on doing exactly what I ran on: making Washington work,” Scott said. “I know change is never popular in Washington and that I’m just one person — but we have to start somewhere.”
Nelson’s defeat marked the end of the 76-year-old Democrat’s lengthy political career, which includes 18 years in the U.S. Senate, a dozen years in the U.S. House, six years on the state Cabinet and six years in the Florida Legislature.
“Well, things worked out a little differently than Grace and I had hoped. But let me say, I by no measure feel defeated,” Nelson said, referring to his wife, Grace, in a statement Sunday afternoon. “And that’s because I have had the privilege of serving the people of Florida and our country for most of my life.”
Three statewide races — for U.S. senator, governor and agriculture commissioner — went to manual or machine recounts.
Democrats got a victory Sunday when Nikki Fried emerged from a manual recount with a 6,753-vote win over Republican Matt Caldwell in the race for agriculture commissioner. In winning the Cabinet seat, Fried became the first woman to be elected agriculture commissioner and will be the only statewide elected Democrat during the next two years.
Fried, a 40-year-old lawyer from Fort Lauderdale, said she intends to represent all Floridians.
“You chose a new vision, one that reflects the priorities of the people,” Fried said in a statement Sunday. “To everyone who didn’t vote for me, I will be your voice in Tallahassee too.”
Caldwell, a former state House member from North Fort Myers, formally conceded Monday, though he appeared to still be smarting from the recount process.
“All I have ever expected since Election Day is a full and fair accounting of all legal votes cast, and then respecting the will of the voters,” Caldwell said. “Unfortunately, as a result of the abject failures in Broward and Palm Beach, it has become clear that we may never gain an understanding of what transpired in the hours and days after polls closed, despite the exhaustive efforts of my legal team to get to the truth. To continue this legal challenge would likely require millions of dollars and months to complete without providing any more clarity.”
A NEW CHAPTER
Democrats made some gains in the Legislature during the Nov. 6 elections, though the House and Senate will continue to be controlled by Republicans.
And in the House, where the GOP now holds a 73-47 advantage, new Speaker Oliva made clear that he wants to pursue a conservative, small-government agenda.
In a speech during Tuesday’s organization session, Oliva briefly outlined goals for the House that include continuing to pursue school choice for families, protecting natural resources such as water and wildlife and reducing state and local regulations, which he said will help raise wages and lower housing costs.
“If affordable housing is important in your part of the state, speak out against costly planning and zoning decisions and the arbitrary use of impact fees for revenue,” Oliva said. “If we are truly committed to raising wages, we must challenge the endless taking of hard-earned wages through taxes, fees, surcharges, assessments and the like. If you want people to have more, begin by taking less.”
It was also clear new House Minority Leader Kionne McGhee, D-Miami, didn’t exactly share those priorities. McGhee said, in part, lawmakers should push to expand Medicaid for about 800,000 people in Florida; teacher salaries should be “at least be $50,000 per year;” and the state needs a workforce act that protects members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
At the other end of the Capitol’s fourth floor, Galvano gave an organization-session speech that largely stayed away from detailed policy issues, though he said the Senate over the next two years will “build on our past decisions to keep taxes low, regulations reasonable and to set aside ample reserves, while making smart investments in essential government services.”
Both leaders also signaled they want to restore some calm after the elections.
Galvano told the Senate, where Republicans hold a 23-17 edge, there is little he can do “to stem the tide of modern-day incivility that has become so pervasive in an era of social media and the 24-hour news cycle.”
“But I can tell you that while I am serving as Senate president, the Florida Senate will have civility, transparency, candor and opportunity, including an opportunity for the people of Florida to be heard,” Galvano said.
STORY OF THE WEEK: The results of the 2018 elections were finalized, with Republican Gov. Rick Scott unseating longtime Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I stand before you as a Hispanic speaker of the Florida House. I know what our party represents, and during my entire time in the Florida House I have not abided by the type of partisanship that sets one person against the other because of what jersey they are wearing. I decide if I’m with someone based on their ideas and ideology.” — new House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Hurricane Michael Insurance Claims Continue To Grow
November 24, 2018
More than a month after Hurricane Michael barreled through parts of Northwest Florida, insurance claims have topped 125,000, according to numbers posted online by the state Office of Insurance Regulation.
As of Friday, insurers had reported 125,356 claims, with estimated insured losses of $3.43 billion. The bulk of the claims, 85,017, involved damage to residential property.
Overall, 55.3 percent of claims had been closed.
The largest number of claims was in Bay County, which had 75,412 as of Friday. Bay was followed by Jackson County, with 12,605 claims; Leon County, with 8,661 claims; Gulf County, with 7,231 claims; Gadsden County, with 5,255 claims; and Calhoun County, with 3,754 claims.
Hurricane Michael made landfall Oct. 10 as a Category 4 storm in Mexico Beach in southeastern Bay County and then continued north into Georgia.
by The News Service of Florida
Dental Services Cut From Molino, Ensley Health Department Locations
November 24, 2018
Dental services are being cut from the health department locations in Molino and Ensley.
Effective December 22, dental services at the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County are being discontinued at the Molino Service Center on North Highway 29 and the Northside Service Center on Palafox Street. The services were contracted through Pro Med Healthcare Services.
Community Health of Northwest Florida provides dental care for children and adults at three locations:
- Cantonment Pediatrics: 470 South Highway 29, Cantonment
- Century: 501 Church Street, Century
- Fairfield: 1295 West Fairfield Drive, Pensacola
Community Health Northwest Florida accepts DentaQuest, Medicaid, and many dental insurance plans. A sliding fee scale program is available for individuals who do not have insurance. Eligibility for the sliding fee scale program is based on household income. Payment plans are available.
For more information about Community Health Northwest Florida’s dental program, please call 850-760-0679, or visit healthcarewithinreach.org.
Patients of the closing dental centers in Molino and Ensley can request dental records at the Fairfield Service Center or by calling (850) 595-6500 ext. 1075.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
November 24, 2018
Here is the latest report from the Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties:
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Officer Allgood was working the Escambia River and saw a fire at a campsite. He approached the campsite and saw two subjects fishing. As he approached the subjects, he saw an alligator snapping turtle tied off to a tree on the bank. One subject admitted to catching and tying the rope around the turtle’s head. After removing the rope from its head and ensuring the turtle was safe, Officer Allgood seized the turtle to take to the fish hatchery. Officer Allgood issued both subjects citations for no camping permits and the male subject was issued a citation for possession of an alligator snapping turtle.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officers Lewis and Hoomes investigated a complaint of a vessel that was dumped in Blackwater River State Forest. After trying to locate the vessel’s origin, the officers utilized Google satellite imagery to locate the vessel at a residence near where it was later dumped. The officers interviewed a subject at the residence. The subject was cooperative and admitted to dumping the vessel. Charges were filed for misdemeanor littering, and the subject removed the vessel from the forest.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
NorthEscambia.com photo.