Chipley Tops Northview
March 20, 2018
The Northview Chiefs lost to Chipley Monday, 3-1. The Chiefs will host Central High School on Tuesday. Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scott Signs Bill Targeting Opiod Addiction
March 20, 2018
Saying it is critical to “stop the addiction in the beginning,” Gov. Rick Scott on Monday signed a high-profile bill designed to prevent patients from getting hooked on powerful opioids.
Flanked by House leaders and law-enforcement officers at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Scott approved the measure as the state continues grappling with drug overdoses that have surged in recent years. The bill is designed, at least in part, to prevent patients from getting addicted to prescription painkillers and then turning to street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.
“I’ve met a lot of families all across the state who are dealing with drug abuse,” said Scott, who declared a public-health emergency last year because of the opioid issue. “I have a family member that’s dealt with both alcoholism and drug abuse, and I can tell you it’s very difficult for a family.”
Lawmakers unanimously passed the bill (HB 21) on March 9, the final full day of the annual legislative session.
Perhaps the highest-profile part of the bill would place limits on prescriptions that doctors can write for treatment of acute pain. Doctors in many cases would be limited to writing prescriptions for three-day supplies, though they could prescribe up to seven-day supplies of controlled substances if “medically necessary.” Cancer patients, people who are terminally ill, palliative care patients and those who suffer from major trauma would be exempt from the limits.
Some physicians objected during the legislative session to such limits. But House Speaker Richard Corcoran, a Land O’ Lakes Republican who took part in Monday’s bill-signing event, defended the approach.
“It (the bill) also says no longer will we prescribe just blanketly 30-day prescriptions. Now we’ll say it’s a three-day prescription, and then you have to come back and warrant (it),” Corcoran said. “Is that an inconvenience? Yes. Is an inconvenience worth saving 50,000 lives nationwide? Absolutely.”
Another high-profile part of the bill will require physicians or their staff members to check with a statewide database before prescribing or dispensing controlled substances. In the past, Florida has not required physicians to use the database, known as the prescription drug monitoring program. The goal of the database is to prevent addicts from visiting multiple doctors or pharmacies to get supplies of drugs.
Opioids have caused thousands of deaths in Florida in recent years. In 2016, for example, fentanyl caused 1,390 deaths, heroin caused 952 deaths, oxycodone caused 723 deaths, and hydrocodone caused 245 deaths, according to a House staff analysis.
House Commerce Chairman Jim Boyd, a Bradenton Republican who sponsored the bill, described it as “another step to curbing this epidemic.”
“I grew passionate about this a couple of years ago because I just saw what it was doing,” Boyd said during the bill-signing event at the sheriff’s office. “There’s not a person in this room who doesn’t have a family member or a friend of a family that hasn’t been affected by this epidemic.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
13-year-old Charged With Attempted Murder By Arson
March 19, 2018
A young teen has been charged with attempted murder following a fire Saturday near Jay.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fire on Stafford Farm Boulevard off Chumuckla Highway. The fire was investigated by the Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations, which determined that the garage fire was intentionally set.
During the course of the investigation, deputies received information that a teen living nearby was involved with setting the fire.
The teen has been identified as 13 year-old Ethan Marsh-Hual.
Marsh-Hual was transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail. He is charged with multiple felonies - attempted premeditated murder, arson, burglary of an occupied dwelling and burglary of a vehicle. He was transported to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in Pensacola.
A resident of the home reported that he smelled smoke after being awakened by his daughter and found a wall to a garage to be hot. He opened the garage door, observed the fire and emptied a fire extinguisher on it before putting out the fire with a garden hose.
The teen told deputies that he had become friends with an unknown juvenile neighbor not named in an arrest report, and the two had gotten into a fight. The individual allegedly told others at school that he threw up on his mailbox and made fun of him. Marsh-Haul told investigators that he went bed at 10:30 p.m. and set his alarm for midnight. After his alarm went off, he said he went out of his window and lit a propane tank on fire inside the home.
Sheriff Says Budget Mediation Unsuccessful, Likely Headed Back To Governor
March 19, 2018
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said in a release Monday afternoon that a signed budget mediation agreement with Escambia County appears unsuccessful, and he is likely continuing his appeal to Gov. Rick Scott.
The Sheriff’s Office released the following statement:
“The attempt to resolve the budget appeal through mediation appears to have been unsuccessful. Based on communication after the mediation, the BOCC staff wants to include any future contributions or cost increases to Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment Compensation, Florida Retirement System, and Health Care, as part of what was agreed to as a salary fix. The BOCC will be free to increase their own subsidies and the other constitutional officer’s subsidies over the next 3 years while keeping the Sheriff’s Office at current levels. There would be no way to project what an employee’s salary would be in three years if subsidy increases have to come out of the salary dollars.
“We cannot go into the details of the mediation per a confidentiality agreement. More work was to be done to flesh out the details of the Mediation Settlement as evidenced the BOCC’s County Attorney (who was present during the mediation) drafting a more detailed Interlocal Agreement that was sent to us last week for review and input. There now seems to be some internal conflict between the Commissioners concerning the agreement. In addition, the BOCC is now attempting to unilaterally define the Mediation Settlement by casting aside the more detailed draft Interlocal Agreement. We asked the BOCC to join a conference call with the mediator on Friday to clarify the issues. They declined. If the Commissioners are now being told that the mediation settlement was always meant to be the final language in the Interlocal Agreement, we would encourage them to individually and directly contact the mediator for clarification of that point. We will not accept any settlement that prevents the full implementation of the salary study or fails to correct the gross underfunding of ECSO salaries. We are fully confident that when the facts are presented to the Governor that he will decide in the ECSO’s favor.”
Just before noon Monday, Joy Tsubooka, Escambia County public information officer, said the county had not yet been informed about the failure of the mediation agreement.
County Attorney Alison Rogers emailed each commissioner and Administrator Jack Brown at 4:54 p.m. Friday to inform them that an interlocal agreement affirming the mediation agreement had been emailed at 4:28 p.m. to Gerald Champagne, in-house counsel for the ECSO.
The email stated “Attached is an interlocal that incorporates the Mediation Agreement. If your client executes it, please advise.”
To read the interlocal agreement as written by Escambia County, click here (pdf).
To read the interlocal agreement with changes by the ECSO in red, click here (pdf).
For an earlier story, click here.
Driver Trapped In West Kingsfield Road Crash
March 19, 2018
One person was trapped in their vehicle in a single vehicle crash into a wooded area Monday morning.
Firefighters extricated the driver following wreck just before 7 a.m. on West Kingsfield Road near Tobie Dean Road in Cantonment. The driver’s condition was not available.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Photos by Meagan Lacy and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Updated: Three People Found After Being Lost Eight Hours Along The Escambia River
March 19, 2018
Three people were transported to the hospital early Monday morning after being lost along the Escambia River for most of the night.
They were able to call for help about 7:30 p.m. Sunday from somewhere along the river between Fischer Landing in Century and the Bluff Springs Boat Ramp. They entered a small creek and continued away from the main river until the water became too shallow for a kayak, at which point they continued to drag their kayaks further up the shallow creek. That made a rescue by boat impossible, with the operation becoming a foot search.
The men did not have a flashlight, and they were not wearing shoes, further hampering the rescue effort.
Authorities attempted to lead the men to a deer plot where a Santa Rosa County deputy was located and blaring his siren to lead them. That effort was unsuccessful.
Members of Baldwin (AL) Search and Rescue found the men about 2:30 a.m. They were brought out of the woods and transported by ambulance to the Jay Hospital emergency room for evaluation about 3:30 a.m — about eight hours after they were first reported lost.
The Jay, Allentown, Munson, Century, Molino, Cantonment and Flomaton fire departments, Baldwin Search and Rescue, Escambia County EMS, Lifeguard Ambulance, FWC, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Rosa County Sheiff’s Office, Escambia County (AL) Chief Deputy Mike Lambert and other participated in the search, along with William Burgess who provided an additional boat, according to the Jay Volunteer Fire Department.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Agencies Worry As Escambia County Slashes Non-profit Allocations To Fund Sheriff’s Budget
March 19, 2018
When the Escambia County Commission came to a funding agreement with Sheriff David Morgan last week, several non-profits saw their funding slashed.
Beginning April 1, 2018, the BOCC will reduce budgets for discretionary outside agencies by 50 percent, except for Pathways for Change and Community Health Northwest Florida (formerly Escambia Community Clinics). In fiscal years 2019-2021, funding for outside agencies in the general fund will not exceed $734,374. These funds will be used for the implementation of the sheriff’s pay plan.
But exactly how the cuts will work, and how much each outside agency will lose this year, remains to be seen.
Escambia County Administrator Jack Brown told NorthEscambia.com that the exact methodology by which outside agencies will be cut must be hammed out by the county commission at a future meeting. They must come to a consensus on how outside agency funds will be cut by 50 percent because some have already collected more than 50 percent of their BOCC allocation.
Brown said each outside agency was warned months ago by letter than up to one-half their funding could be cut.
Agencies on the chopping block include the United Way of Escambia County, approved for $90,725 during this fiscal year, which ends September 30. United Way has not drawn any of those funds from the county.
“The amount set aside for United Way of Escambia County (UWEC) goes into our community investment process to be distributed to local agencies. A reduction means there will be less money available to award to agency programs. Additionally, many of the agencies in line for the cuts.” said Naomi Kjer, marketing manager for United Way of Escambia County.
And United Way is also worried about their 2-1-1 program that has already received 100 percent of their $25,000 allocation.
“UWEC operates 2-1-1, the free information and referral phone line that connects people in need with resources to help them. 2-1-1 also receives money from the commission. Although those funds have already been received this year, it is unclear what effect the cuts will have on future 2-1-1 operations,” said Laura P. Gilliam, president/CEO of United Way.
The commission cuts to outside funding will likely hit home for some senior citizens in Escambia County as funding for the Council on Aging in jeopardy.
“We were quite discouraged to hear that the preliminary agreement between the Sheriff and County Commission calls for a 50 percent reduction in funding to our agency. We were initially approved for $41,000, of which we have drawn down about $14,000, leaving just about $6,500 left for us, assuming we will be reduced from $41,000 to $20,500, ” said Josh Newby, marketing and communications director for the Council on Aging of West Florida”
“The question now becomes from where we will make up that $20,500 difference in our overall agency budget. At this time, we do not believe that we would have to terminate any current clients; that is always the last possible option. This shortfall does, however, hurt our ability to serve those on the waiting list, of which there are about 500 people in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. We do plan to carefully look at our budget for this year. We do expect some additional state funding this year, which should help us overcome that gap. It is unfortunate that these outside agencies are seen by some as non-critical.,” Newby said.
The Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies, know more commonly as BRACE, is also facing cuts. They were allocated $81,250 in county funds, and they have already received well over 50 percent, with $50,967.07 paid out to date.
“I have been in communication with the BRACE Board and its leadership about the possible impacts of the potential funding reduction on the public safety services offered by BRACE. As you know, our work is done in partnership with over 500 organizations and hundreds of volunteers. We work as an alliance to collectively enhance disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. In light of yesterday’s news I am seeking feedback from potentially affected partners so that I will be better positioned to share their projections with my board. I expect that I will be in a better position to project impacts after connecting with the affected partners and meeting with the BRACE board to do some brainstorming,” Greg Strader, BRACE CEO, said.
Other agencies facing cuts in their county funding include the School Readiness Coalition, Klaas Kids, the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida, the Veterans Memorial Park, the Pensacola-Escambia Development Commission, the Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce and a $55,000 allocation for economic develop initiatives in Century. (A complete list with dollars amounts is below.)
Two Escambia County commissioners, Lumon May and Steven Barry, voted against the mediation agreement with Morgan.
“I support our Escambia County law enforcement wholeheartedly, as evidenced by the three percent annual pay raises for the Sheriff’s department that has been included in all five county budgets since being elected,” Barry said. “Unfortunately, the mediation agreement contains several provisions that make it impossible for me to consider supporting it moving forward. I understand the majority of my colleagues disagree, so I anticipate that the interlocal agreement containing the settlement details of this mediation agreement will come forward to the board very soon.”
Pictured top: The Council on Aging of West Florida senior dining site in Century. NorthEsambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lane Closures Planned On Highway 29 In Century
March 19, 2018
The Florida Department of Transportation says to expect lane closures after today on Highway 29 between Highway 4 and Salter’s Lake Road.
The northbound lane may be closed between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. through April 23 as crews perform underground utility work to install a natural gas pipeline. [Previous story...]
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded by FDOT 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.
Northview Yearbook Staff Attends New York City Convention
March 19, 2018
Five members of the Northview High School Tribal Spirit yearbook attend the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s 94th annual Spring Scholastic Convention last week at Columbia University in New York City.
In addition to attending convention classes and programs, the group was able to to see sights including Times Square, the Modern Museum of Art, the 911 Memorial, St. Paul’s Chapel, the New York Stock Exchange, Battery Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Grand Central Station and more. They also attended a Broadway play.
The Northview High School yearbook has been honored with multiple Gold Medal awards from the nationally recognized Columbia Scholastic Press Association, affiliated with Columbia University in New York City and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.
This was the third year the Tribal Spirit staff has attended the convention in New York City with their advisor Alison Robinson. Northview Principal Gayle Weaver also attended this year’s convention.
Pictured: Northview yearbook staffers Kayla McKillion. Anna King, Bailey Van Pelt, Delaney Reynolds and Skye Bullington in Central Park. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
EREC Warns Of Telephone Scam
March 19, 2018
Escambia River Electric Cooperative is warning members to be aware of scam artists who may call posing as electric cooperative employees.
The caller may tell EREC members that immediate payment on their account is needed to avoid disconnection of electric service. The callers then provide instructions to send money using a third-party pay system.
EREC said the company was made aware of the scam by members who called about the status of their account. EREC is advising members if they receive a suspicious call regarding their utility bill to hang up and not provide any credit card or payment information.
Members should also contact EREC to report the incident and check their account states.
“EREC will not call or email you for your account number or password, so do not disclose your account information. Do not assume you can trust caller ID to indicate where a caller is located. Scammers may use Internet calling technology, and the area code you see may not be their actual location,” the electric cooperative said.
Gulf Power has issued previous warnings about a similar scam.
File photo.