Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Looking To November
April 28, 2018
For years, the Sunshine State has been a regular stop on the circuit for Al Sharpton, affectionately known as “the Reverend Al” to his supporters.
The MSNBC talk-show host was one of a number of national civil-rights leaders who flooded the state Capitol during the prolonged 2000 Bush v. Gore recount.
Less than a year later, Sharpton returned to North Florida to shame bar owners after a black Maryland lawmaker was forced to drink in the back of a bar, a practice that went uncontested for years at the watering hole formerly known as the Perry Package Lounge, less than an hour from Tallahassee.
More recently, Sharpton fanned the flames after George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old unarmed black teenager whose gray hoodie became an icon for civil-rights leaders.
The slimmed-down Sharpton and his pals this week again turned up the heat in Florida, this time lasering in on what many in the African-American community consider a racist vestige of Jim Crow-era efforts to keep blacks from casting ballots: the state’s beleaguered vote-restoration process.
Sharpton was the featured minister in a march and rally to drum up support for Amendment 4, a proposal on the November ballot that would automatically restore voting rights to most Florida felons who have served their sentences, completed parole and paid restitution.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a Democrat running for governor, was among those who joined Sharpton at the podium during Thursday’s event, which wavered between a Sunday service at Bethel Missionary Baptist church and a left-leaning call-to-arms.
“This is an issue that confronts all Floridians — black Floridians, white Floridians, wealthy Floridians, poor Floridians. It disproportionately affects communities of color, but we need all of the citizens of this state,” Gillum, who is black, told a crowd of more than 150 people gathered at the Capitol steps. “All we are saying is that, once people have paid their debt to society, we ought to create a pathway for them to re-enter society and make a good living for themselves and their family. Let them have the dignity around the right to vote, but also let them have the dignity.”
Gillum echoed the sentiments of other proponents of the November measure who urge Floridians to vote with their hearts. They’re relying on what they hope is a common-shared belief that people who have paid their dues to society deserve to have rights restored.
But Mark Schlakman, of the Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, said advocates might want to take a different tack. They instead might want to focus on inequities in the current vote-restoration system that prompted a federal judge to decide the process was unconstitutional.
“Part of the challenge is that so many people, understandably, don’t know about the process and don’t know about the implications. This is about fairness and respect for the rule of law,” Schlakman said.
Stanley Sims, a 52-year-old Tallahassee resident, showed up for the rally.
The convicted felon told The News Service of Florida he’s been recognized by a number of Republican leaders — including former Gov. Jeb Bush and the late Sen. Jim King of Jacksonville — for his leadership in outreach efforts in communities like Gadsden County.
But Sims said he hasn’t bothered to apply to have his rights restored.
“It’s legalized discrimination,” Sims said. “But I’d rather do something that is achievable.”
SCORE ONE FOR SCOTT
The Tallahassee rally — weeks in the planning — came less than 24 hours after a stinging defeat handed down by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which late Wednesday blocked a federal judge’s order that would have required state officials to overhaul the process of restoring felons’ voting rights by Thursday.
The appellate court ruling was a decisive victory for Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the two other members of the Florida Cabinet, who serve as the clemency board, in a legal battle in which state officials had been on the losing side in a series of rulings by U.S. District Judge Mark Walker.
“The Fourteenth Amendment expressly empowers the states to abridge a convicted felon’s right to vote,” appellate Judge Stanley Marcus wrote in a majority opinion joined by Judge William Pryor. “Binding precedent holds that the governor has broad discretion to grant and deny clemency, even when the applicable regime lacks any standards.”
Walker ruled the state’s vote-restoration process violated First Amendment rights and Fourteenth Amendment equal-protection rights of felons. Last month, he gave Scott and the board until Thursday to revamp what the judge called a “fatally flawed” process and rejected a request by Bondi to put his order on hold.
Scott and the board immediately appealed Walker’s decision and asked the appellate court to put a stay on what the governor’s office branded a “haphazard clemency ruling.”
In its 2-1 decision Wednesday, the three-judge panel not only granted the state’s request to put Walker’s decision on hold but indicated the judge’s invalidation of the vote-restoration process likely would not stand.
Echoing arguments made by Bondi’s lawyers, the majority found “there is wisdom in preserving the status quo” until the appellate court issues a ruling in the overall case.
The clemency board “has a substantial interest in avoiding chaos and uncertainty in its election procedures and likely should not be forced to employ a rushed decision-making process created on an artificial deadline now, just because a more thorough decision-making process could be employed later,” Marcus wrote. “We are reluctant to upset the system now in place — particularly since the district court order creates so truncated a schedule — when there is a good chance the district court’s order may be overturned, and the system would need to be changed again, potentially re-disenfranchising those who have been re-enfranchised pursuant to the district court’s injunction.”
CALLING KENNY ROGERS
A decision this week by House and Senate leaders to throw in the towel on gambling talks was met with frustration and anger by a handful of lobbyists and a sigh of relief from those more concerned about their vacation plans.
Incoming Senate President Bill Galvano and incoming House Speaker Jose Oliva conceded they were unable to reach a deal despite self-imposed pressure to come up with a gambling plan before the November elections.
“We’ve moved on. Will revisit next session,” Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, said in a text Wednesday afternoon.
The legislators wanted to head off a proposed constitutional amendment on the general election ballot that, if passed, would give voters control of gambling expansions, decisions now largely controlled by the Legislature.
The legislative leaders had also used a potential loss of revenue from the Seminole Tribe as a rationale for a hurried special session, after lawmakers failed to reach agreement on a gambling deal during the regular session, which ended last month.
But a new deal announced last week by Scott and the tribe and fears that a proposed expansion of slot machines could backfire put the kibosh on any gambling legislation, according to Galvano and Senate President Joe Negron.
Under the arrangement between Scott and the Seminoles, the tribe agreed to continue making about $300 million a year in payments through the 2019 legislative session. In exchange for the payments, which are rooted in a 2010 gambling “compact,” the tribe would continue to have exclusive rights to offer games such as blackjack at its casinos and would continue to be the state’s only slot-machine operator outside of Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
The Seminoles would keep up the payments “provided the state does not enact legislation to expand gaming subject to exclusivity under the compact during the forbearance period.”
The deal — and the guarantee that the incoming leaders could rely on another $300 million from the tribe, and possibly more, when they craft next year’s budget — withered the prospect of a special session.
“That reduced the sense of urgency on behalf of Speaker-designate Oliva and President-designate Galvano. I could sense that, when it happened,” Negron, R-Stuart, told The News Service of Florida.
PONDERING THE PURPLE DOTS
At their inaugural meeting, members of a commission probing the state’s most-horrific school shooting were given a stark introduction to the Feb. 14 massacre that resulted in the deaths of 14 students and three staff members.
A homicide detective led the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission through an animated re-enactment of Nikolas Cruz’s alleged assault on the Parkland school, using colored dots to represent teachers and students in different stages of the attack.
Broward County sheriff’s detective Zack Scott’s presentation relied on witness and video accounts to recreate Cruz entering Building 12 at the Parkland school at 2:21 p.m. on Valentine’s Day carrying a bag with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and 300 rounds of ammunition.
In the animation, green dots represented students and blue dots represented teachers and staff.
As Cruz, depicted by a black dot, moved through the three floors of the classroom building, many of the dots turned yellow, signifying that they were wounded. Eventually 17 dots turned purple, representing death.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Siding with Gov. Rick Scott and the other members of the Board of Executive Clemency, a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Wednesday blocked a federal judge’s order that would have required state officials to overhaul Florida’s process of restoring felons’ voting rights by Thursday.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The only thing black is you, your client and the judge’s robe.” — Civil-rights attorney Benjamin Crump, speaking about his early courtroom experiences as a lawyer in North Florida, during a rally focused on Amendment 4, a proposal on the November ballot that would automatically restore voting rights to most felons in Florida.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Beat Jumbo Shrimp
April 28, 2018
Brian O’Grady launched a solo home run into the back of the right field bleachers to break a scoreless tie in the top of the eighth on Friday night at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The blast supported Keury Mella (W, 3-0) who pitched seven spectacular innings to earn his third win of the season as the Blue Wahoos beat the Jumbo Shrimp 1-0.
Mella was locked with Jacksonville starter Pablo Lopez in a pitcher’s duel through five innings. When Lopez was lifted, Jorgan Cavanerio (L, 0-1) picked up where he left off. The Blue Wahoos had a couple of chances throughout the game, but couldn’t get a run across until O’Grady came up leading off the eighth.
O’Grady wasn’t in the starting lineup, but came in when Shed Long was removed from the game in the fifth inning. O’Grady broke the tie lifting a fly ball over the right-centerfield fence off Cavanerio in almost the exact same spot where he had homered the night before. His two homers in the last two games are his only two of the season, but they tie him for the team lead.
Mella was excellent on the hill in his fifth start of the season. He threw 89 pitches over seven shutout innings. The Shrimp scattered just three hits against him as he struck out a season-high nine batters without issuing a walk. Carlos Navas (S, 1) backed him up out of the bullpen by shutting down Jacksonville over the final two innings to get his first save of the year.
Taylor Sparks was held hitless on the night to snap his hit-steak at a team-best 12 games. It was the longest active streak in the Southern League.
Report Raises Questions About Scott’s Job Growth Claims
April 28, 2018
Gov. Rick Scott has tied his political fortunes to job creation.
Although skeptics can argue about how much influence a governor may exert over Florida’s economy, Scott has been unabashed in taking credit for job growth since he was sworn into office in January 2011.
In his monthly jobs report last week, Scott cited more than 1.5 million jobs created in Florida since December 2010, including 167,000 private-sector jobs in the 12 months ending in March.
But as Scott prepares to formally qualify for the U.S. Senate race next week, a new federal report cast Florida in an unusual role, as the state with the most net job losses, at least for the third quarter of 2017.
“R’oh-r’oh,” a Democratic consultant tweeted. “This is not good news for @ScottforFlorida.”
But it turns out that predictions of an end to Florida’s job-growth surge may be premature.
Economists say the blip in Florida’s job growth is attributable to the impact of Hurricane Irma, although the fact that Florida and 26 other states showed net job losses in the third quarter of 2017 may also be a sign of an economy reaching full employment that would bring a natural slowdown in job growth.
The quarterly report on “business development dynamics” by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that for the first time since 2010, more jobs were lost in the national economy in the third quarter of 2017 than the number of jobs created.
From June 2017 through September 2017, the U.S. had 7.3 million gross job gains compared to a loss of 7.4 million gross jobs, or a net difference of about 140,000 fewer jobs, according to the federal data.
Florida led all states in the number of net job losses at about 134,000 in the quarter, with 417,000 gross jobs gained and 551,000 lost in the three-month period.
But Sean Snaith, an economist at the University of Central Florida, said he did not see anything particularly alarming about Florida’s labor market in the report, which was issued Wednesday, given what happened to the state during that period.
Hurricane Irma, a Category 4 storm, struck the Florida Keys on Sept. 10, moving northward and impacting most of the state.
“You see something transpire that looks a little bit at first glance potentially troubling, but when you put some context around it, the reason for this third-quarter outcome is really just attributable to the outcome of Irma,” Snaith said about the new federal report.
“It was a double whammy because it hit in terms of both job gains and job losses in way that led itself to reverse the path that (Florida) had been on,” Snaith said.
The results of the quarterly report were foreshadowed by monthly jobs reports issued by the U.S. Department of Labor last fall. The reports showed a significant drop in Florida’s non-farm employment in September.
The adjusted figures showed those jobs dropped by about 167,000 to 8.4 million jobs in September, compared to August. But they climbed back another 180,000 jobs in October to a total of more than 8.6 million non-farm employment, according to the data.
“I think we’ll return to the trend where job gains are exceeding job losses,” Snaith said about the next federal quarterly report on business development dynamics.
But Snaith also said he expects the job-growth margin “to narrow somewhat” going forward, given that Florida is “in a pretty tight labor market now, maybe not at full employment but getting awful close.”
Florida’s unemployment rate has been at 3.9 percent since September, below the national average of 4.1 percent. State economists who advise the governor, lawmakers and other state officials consider an unemployment rate in the range of 4 percent to represent “full employment” in the state economy.
“The Florida economy is quite strong, and the labor market continues to do well,” Snaith said. “I don’t think there is anything to be alarmed about in terms of Florida’s labor market in this report.”
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Man Shot At Park In Century, No Word On Suspect
April 27, 2018
One person was shot at a park in Century Friday afternoon.
The shooting happened at Showalter Park, according to Maj. Andrew Hobbs, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He was shot in the wrist.
The adult male ran across the railroad tracks to the nearby Century town shop on Alger Road for help. He was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
“The victim is not being forthcoming with information on what happened,” Hobbs said.
Witnesses told deputies that dark color sedan or a dark color SUV were seen nearby may have been involved in the incident.
A K-9 was used to search for any possible suspect or any any evidence related to the shooting.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Three Century Council Seats Up For Election
April 27, 2018
Three seats on the Century Town Council will be up for election this year.
They are: Seat 3, currently held by Ben Boutwell; Seat 4, currently held by Gary Riley; and Seat 5, currently held by Sandra McMurray Jackson.
The qualifying period for the seats is noon June 18 until noon June 22.
If there are only two candidates for a seat, they will be on the ballot in the general election on November 6. If there are three or more candidate for a seat, they will be on the August 28 primary ballot with a runoff in November if no candidate receives one vote more than 50 percent.
NorthEscambia.com photos.
Bratt Resident Reaches Elite 100 Gallon Blood Donor Mark
April 27, 2018
Bratt resident Gary Goodwin joined the 100 Gallon Donor Club Thursday at the OneBlood center on Nine Mile Road.
Goodwin, an Army veteran, kept donating platelets after he moved from Tampa to Bratt, where he and his wife have horses, volunteer with the Escambia Sheriff’s Office Mounted Posse, and rescue abused German Shepard dogs.
At age 19, Goodwin started donating blood only occasionally after he joined the Army in 1972. But in 1998, he began helping cancer patients by donating platelets after a co-worker’s son was diagnosed with leukemia and needed platelet transfusions. He continues to pay it forward, having also received blood transfusions in the past for internal bleeding.
Less than 200 Florida blood donors have reached the 100 gallon milestone, according to OneBlood.
And what about all those blood donor t-shirts? Gary’s wife Lori makes quilts out of them.
Generally, healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. All donors receive a wellness checkup including blood pressure, temperature, iron count, pulse and cholesterol screening, and a gift.
For more information on donating blood, visit oneblood.org.
Pictured: Gary Goodwin of Bratt reached the 100 Gallon Donor Club Thursday. Pictured Gary and his wife Lori with one of her blood donor t-shirt quilts. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Best Of The Class Of 2018 Honored From Escambia High Schools
April 27, 2018
The top of the Class of 2018 from Escambia County’s high schools were recognized Thursday as the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation hosted the 2018 Senior Academic Awards program.
The Senior Academic Awards recognized outstanding academic achievement, represented by the top five students from each school with the highest GPA’s at the end of the first semester senior year and the top student from each of the six academic disciplines. Students from seven Escambia County high schools and the Pensacola High School Baccalaureate Program will receive a personalized medallion and a Congressional certificate. The awards ceremony also recognized nine National Merit Finalists from Escambia County, eight from the Pensacola High School IB Program, and one from Pensacola High School.
Honorees are listed below under a photo from each school, scroll down, click to enlarge.
Escambia High School
TOP FIVE: Georgia Addy, Emmanuel Apusen, Clara Bonnlander, Andrew Gregg, Nicholas Hamblin.
DISCIPLINES: Ashton Floda, Career & Technical; Matthew Arellano, English; Rachael Cox, Foreign Language; Peyton Anglin, Math; Christopher Harden, Science; Jason Banuelos, Social Studies.
Northview High School
TOP FIVE: Triston Long, Hannah Nelson, Sarah Perritt, Destiny McKenna Watson, Tara Windham.
DISCIPLINES: Cody Alan Kite, Career & Technical; Bria Hardy, English; Logan Hall, Foreign Language; Fisher Logan Spence, Math; Logan Calloway, Science; Justin Cole Hassebrock, Social Studies
Pensacola High School
TOP FIVE: Stanley Dorion, Paul Miron, Hannah Marie Mock, Joshua Ryan Wood (National Merit Finalist), Yu Grace Zhu,.
DISCIPLINES: Leigha Holstein, Career & Technical; Katie Allison Shelnut, English; Christina M. Coker, Foreign Language; Uyen Phuong Tong, Math; Davonchae Bryant, Science; Aaliyah Medley, Social Studies.
Pensacola High School International Baccalaureate Program
TOP FIVE: Lauren Hagy, Tamim Kawakibi, Cara Kizilbash, Lucas Liseth (National Merit Finalist), Dina Razek, Brandon Wu.
DISCIPLINES: Zofia Uszok, Career and Technical; Sydney Rush, English; María José Peña, Foreign Language; Michael Hoffman, Math; Bao-Tien Duong, Science; Abagail Walker, Social Studies; Kareem Bataineh, National Merit Finalist; George Hester, National Merit Finalist; Leo Zhang, National Merit Finalist; James Riggins, National Merit Finalist; Brett Winter, National Merit Finalist; James Henderson, National Merit Finalist; LiAna Patterson, National Merit Finalist.
Pine Forest High School
TOP FIVE: Kyla Cheek, LaLina Foust, Angelo Isidro Mayorga, Melissa Schumacher, Jing Wong.
DISCIPLINES: Josiah Robinson, Career & Technical; Halee Nagem, English; Osdi Flores-Cruz, Foreign Language; Caleb Whitworth, Math; Ja’Lynne Whitaker, Science; Caleb White, Social Studies.
Tate High School
TOP FIVE: Ashlyn Adams, Mollie Anderson, Matthew Blalock, Seth Godwin, Rosemary Smyth.
DISCIPLINES: Levi Shaffer, Career & Technical; Kelsey Strength, English; Madisyn Mitchell, Foreign Language; Camryn Daniels, Math; Hannah Huggins, Science; Thomas Young, Social Studies.
Washington High School
TOP FIVE: Abbigail Abbi Andrade, Meghan Doyle, Daniel Duong, Rachel Nguyen, Elizabeth Teets.
DISCIPLINES: TerriLynn Hale, Career & Technical; Grace Sill, English; Tianna Lewis, Foreign Language; Anderson Nguyen, Math; Alexa Jewel Lapid, Science; Chase Rogers, Social Studies.
West Florida High School of Advanced Technology
TOP FIVE: Amy Elizabeth Brown, Brandon Fenters, Aliya Kaufmann, Dhanvi Patel, Justin Schubeck.
DISCIPLINES: Keyshawn Helton, Career & Technical; Dylan Pitts, English; Craig Crosby, Foreign Language; Rebecca Bivins, Math; Jessica Pardue, Science; Alexander Smith, Social Studies.
Photos courtesy Kim Stefansson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
EREC Annual Meeting Is Saturday
April 27, 2018
Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s 79th Annual Meeting will be held Saturday at Northview High School.
This year’s meeting begins earlier, with voting and activities from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. prior to the business meeting at 10 a.m.
There will be entertainment by Dan Kirkland, a breakfast fundraiser for the Northview FFA, gifts for members and door prizes. There will also be children’s activities.
Tate Lady Aggies Win Fifth Consecutive District Championship
April 27, 2018
The Tate Lady Aggies won their fifth straight straight championship Thursday night, 11-1 over the Pace Patriots.
Hannah Brown earned the win for the Lady Aggies in six innings, allowing just one hit, one run and striking out six.
For Tate: Shelby Ullrich 3-4, R, 2RBI, Belle Wolfenden 2-4; Deazia Nickerson 2-2, RBI, R; Ryleigh Cawby 2-2, 2 RBI, 2R; Sydni Solliday 1-3; Shelby McLean 1-3, R; Amber Decous 1-3, 3RBI.
Up next, Tate will host Milton Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the 1-7A regional quarterfinals.
Jay Royals Top Northview For District 3-1A Championship
April 27, 2018
The Jay Royals defeated the Northview Chiefs Thursday night 8-5 in the 3-1A district championship game in Jay.
The Royals took a 2-0 lead after one inning, adding two more in the second and one in the third. The Chiefs added a run in the fifth, with the Lady Royals answering with two for a 7-1 lead after five. In the sixth, Northview had a four-run streak, but Jay went on to an 8-5 final.
Alyssa Baxley pitched the win for Jay in a complete game, striking out 11. At the plate, Christa Sanders was 3-4, and Haylee Watson, Sarah Barnhill and Alyssa Baxley each had a hit.
For Northview, Tori Herrington was 1-2, Ashley Ragsdale had a double as she went 2-4 and Valen Shelley was 1-4.
Regional play begins next Thursday with Bozeman at Jay at 7:00 and Northview at Wewahitchka.
Photos by Diann Tagert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.