Scott Orders FDLE To Investigate Shooting Response; Lawmakers Call For Sheriff’s Removal
February 26, 2018
Gov. Rick Scott on Sunday directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to “immediately” investigate the response of law-enforcement authorities to the mass shooting this month that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
The directive came as House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, sent a letter requesting that Scott suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel. The letter, which was joined by 73 Republican House members, came a day after Rep. Bill Hager, R-Delray Beach, called for Israel’s removal. Local Reps. Clay Ingram, Frank White and Jayer Williamson all signed the letter.
A Broward County deputy resigned Thursday after it was determined he failed to enter the school while the shooting was ongoing. Other questions have been raised about whether law enforcement adequately responded in the past to warnings about shooter Nikolas Cruz.
Scott’s directive to FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen did not detail the reasons for the request or how long the investigation could take.
During a television appearance Sunday, Israel pushed back against Hager’s removal request, which came in a letter to Scott.
“It was a shameful letter. It was politically motivated,” Israel told CNN’s Jack Tapper. “I never met that man (Hager). He doesn’t know anything about me. And the letter was full of misinformation.”
In the letter, Hager, who is chairman of the House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, called for Scott to remove Israel for “neglect of duty and incompetence.” The letter Sunday from Corcoran used similar descriptions.
“Sheriff Israel’s fundamental duty is to keep the peace and protect the citizens of Broward County,” said Corcoran’s letter, posted on Twitter. “He has the power and responsibility to appoint highly-qualified deputies and to ensure they receive state-of-the-art training. Sheriff Israel failed to maintain a culture of alertness, vigilance and thoroughness amongst his deputies.”
Along with the highly publicized failure of school-resource officer Scot Peterson to enter the building during the shooting, Hager and Corcoran wrote that Israel’s agency had received numerous calls previously about threats posed by Cruz, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas student charged with 17 counts of murder in the shooting spree.
In his letter, Hager also said other agencies, including the Florida Department of Children and Families and the FBI, did not properly follow up on signals that Cruz could be a threat.
“Sadly, he (Israel) was not the only one that ignored it,” Hager wrote. “DCF, Broward County Schools, the FBI and the BSO (Broward Sheriff’s Office) all had the pieces to put this puzzle together but failed to communicate. While you do not have authority to remove anyone at the FBI, you do have the authority to remove Sheriff Israel, and I encourage you do to so immediately.”
Scott has called for FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign over the federal agency’s acknowledged failure to follow protocol on a tip regarding the shooter. He has not made discussed changes in leadership at the Department of Children and Families, which deemed Cruz, who admitted cutting himself and planning to purchase a gun on Snapchat posts, a “low” threat to harm himself or others in late 2016
Hager blamed Israel for failing to coordinate with the Department of Children and Families and has requested that state money intended for the Broward Sheriff’s Office be redirected to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to start a pilot program in the county to better assess risk.
On Saturday, Israel sent a letter to Scott, disputing information from Hager as “riddled with factual errors, unsupported gossip and falsehoods.”
Israel wrote that Peterson was the only officer on campus at the time of the attack and that despite assertions by Hager and others, the sheriff’s office didn’t make 39 visits to Cruz’s home.
Israel agreed with Hager that the sheriff’s office received 23 calls regarding Cruz’s home but contended most were “routine” parenting issues and five involved the shooter’s brother.
Israel noted two encounters involving Cruz remain under investigation. One, for example, involved the school resource officer referring Cruz to the Department of Children and Families, which closed the case a couple of months later. He also touted the work of law-enforcement agencies, including police from Coral Springs, Sunrise and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“I am very proud of the incredible work that so many from BSO and other agencies (including CSPD, FDLE, Sunrise, FBI, ATF and others) performed on February 14,” Israel wrote. “And I am equally appalled that Rep. Hager felt the need to engage in disingenuous political grandstanding, perhaps in the hope he will garner some headlines, at the expense of the truth.”
ECSO: Drunken Cantonment Man, 82, Fired Shots At His Neighbors From His Porch
February 25, 2018
A an 82-year old Cantonment man is accused of firing multiple shots at his neighbors while he was allegedly drunk.
Joseph Durwood Burdeshaw was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, discharging a firearm while under the influence and resisting arrest. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Sunday morning with bond set at $6,000.
A neighbor who lives cross the street from Burdeshaw told deputies he was working on a fence in his front yard on Wiggins Lane when Burdeshaw fired multiple shots just over his head while making the statement “I will kill you”.
At least three other neighbors witnessed the incident, with two of them saying Burdeshaw went inside his home before stepping back onto his porch and firing multiple shots in the air, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
The report states Burdeshaw refused to comply with a deputy’s commands to show his hands, and pulled away with the deputy’s handcuffs once he attempted to take him into custody.
Hundreds Attend Annual Ruritan Auction (With Photo Gallery)
February 25, 2018
Hundreds of people attended the 43rd4th Annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Auction Saturday in Walnut Hill.
Farm equipment, lawn and garden equipment, household items and more were sold at auction during the event, which is held each year on the last Saturday of February. All proceeds from the auction benefit the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club’s community service projects in the Walnut Hill area.
There were about 250 registered individuals bidding on about 400 lots of items from about 40 sellers.
Pictured: Hundreds attended the annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club farm equipment auction Saturday in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Fire Rescue Volunteers Receive Wildland Fire Training
February 25, 2018
Escambia Fire Rescue volunteers attended Firefighter Training and an Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior classes Saturday and the Escambia County 4-H facility off South Highway 99 in Molino. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Volunteer Needed For Seat On Escambia County Planning Board
February 25, 2018
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to be considered for an at-large appointment to the Escambia County Planning Board.
At-large members serve a two-year term of office and attend one meeting per month (generally the first Tuesday of the month). Meetings are generally from 8:30 a.m. to no later than noon; however, occasionally may go beyond noon depending upon the agenda. No travel is involved unless the Planning Board members decide to view a particular property for informational purposes. Financial disclosure is required.
Resumes submitted to a BCC agenda for consideration will become part of the official minutes and are subject to public records requests.
Escambia County residents interested in being considered for a possible appointment to the Escambia County Planning Board to begin serving in April are asked to submit a resume and letter indicating their desire to serve by close of business on Thursday, March 8. Letters and resumes should be submitted to Kayla Meador, 3363 West Park Place; Pensacola, FL 32505; or emailed to krmeador@myescambia.com.
Beef Cattle and Forage Boot Camp Held In Molino
February 25, 2018
The UF/IFAS Beef Cattle and Forage Boot Camp was held Saturday at the Escambia County 4-H facility in Molino.
Attendees were able to learn about cattle handling, management, nutrition and forages.
Courtesy photos for NorthEsambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia BOCC Weekly Meeting Schedule
February 25, 2018
Here is a schedule of Escambia County public meetings for the week of February 26-March 2:
Selection Committee – Facilities Management Director Interviews – 8:30 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place
Library Board of Governance – 4 p.m., 239 N. Spring St., Pensacola
Tuesday, Feb. 27
February Coffee with the Commissioner – Jeff Bergosh, District 1 – 6:30 a.m., 5 S. Blue Angel Parkway, Pensacola
Environmental Enforcement Special Magistrate – 1:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place (Agenda)
Wednesday, Feb. 28
Sick Leave Pool Committee – 11 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, Human Resources, second floor
Development Review Committee – 1 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Escambia County Disability Awareness Committee – 3 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Thursday, March 1
Board of County Commissioners Agenda Review Session – 9 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place
BCC Public Forum – 4:30 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place
BCC Regular Meeting – 5:30 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Florida Will Never Be The Same
February 25, 2018
Even the most jaded and cynical reporters struggled this week to keep a dry eye while listening to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students’ terrifying accounts of the grisly bloodbath on their Parkland campus.
In many ways, the kids who roamed the halls of the Capitol on Wednesday were much like any other teenagers.
They were glued to their cell phones, texting or scrolling through their social media feeds. They held hands and huddled in cliques. They giggled about fashion, BFFs and crushes.
But on Feb. 14, the freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors were transformed into survivors. And they’re on a mission.
“We will make change in this country. And if not today, tomorrow. And if not tomorrow, the day after that and the day after that until we achieve the change we want in this country, until the day that safety is preserved in all schools in our beloved country of America,” Lorenzo Prado, a 17-year-old who said he was mistaken for the shooter at the Parkland high school, told a rapt audience of state, national and international media at a press conference Wednesday in the Capitol.
The students who launched #NeverAgain almost overnight have become national figures, as evidenced by television appearances and the sudden acquisition of tens of thousands of Twitter followers. They’ve been pilloried by gun-rights proponents and lauded by advocates of stricter gun laws.
In Tallahassee, they were eloquent, impassioned and, at times, teetered between anger and grief. And nearly all of them patiently and politely answered the myriad questions lobbed by journalists looming behind cameras, cell phones and microphones.
Some of the students want to get rid of assault-style weapons like the one 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz used to slaughter their friends. Others are seeking what they call more reasonable restrictions. None of them said they feel safe going back to school on Monday.
They delivered their message to lawmakers in the White House, Tallahassee and back home. And when asked what should be done to ensure that no other students have to undergo the horror rained upon them this month, many were uncertain.
“We’re just kids,” Alfonso Calderon, a 16-year-old junior, said. “Everybody needs to remember — we are just children.”
‘THIS HAS OVERSHADOWED EVERYTHING’
The 2018 legislative session had seemed a little mundane. Sure, lawmakers wanted to deal with big issues, such as the opioid epidemic, but the session plodded along without any great sense of urgency.
Then came Parkland.
Suddenly, Gov. Rick Scott, Republican and Democratic lawmakers, interest groups, parents and students were immersed in almost-unthinkable issues. Everything else took a backseat.
Lawmakers and other state leaders met Wednesday with the Parkland students who had piled on buses to come to Tallahassee. The message was clear: The state will take action to try to prevent such a massacre from ever happening again.
“This has overshadowed everything. This has become our priority. I cannot say it enough: We will not fail you,” Rep. Jeanette Nunez, a Miami Republican who is one of House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s top lieutenants, pledged to students.
Outside the House and Senate chambers, the calls for action were noisy — and often politically tinged. Democrats and gun-control advocates criticized Republicans, who have controlled state government for the past two decades and have generally backed the National Rifle Association on Second Amendment issues.
While Marjory Stoneman Douglas students met with lawmakers and spoke at the nationally televised press conference, a major rally was taking place outside Wednesday on the steps of the Old Capitol.
The crowd overflowed onto nearby Monroe Street, as students, activists and Democratic lawmakers expressed anger amid chants of “We want change,” “Not one more,” “Throw them out,” and “Never again.”
“This tragedy has taught us to be fearless, because we now know what it feels like to be afraid,” Rachel Catania, 15, a sophomore from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, told the roaring crowd. “How many more innocent people have to die before we make a change? Change is overdue. And we are the change. When leaders act like children and children act like leaders, you know something is about to change.”
Time will tell how much change happens in Tallahassee, or in Washington for that matter.
But at least in the short term, the Parkland shooting caused the Senate to put on hold gun-related bills.
“Right now, we understand what this week is. It’s very enmeshed in what do we do to make students safe,” Sen. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican and prominent gun-rights supporter, said. “We understand that atmosphere, and that’s why some of these things just need to be put off.”
‘NEVER AGAIN’
After meeting with the Parkland students two days earlier, Scott and Republican legislative leaders held press conferences Friday to outline wide-ranging proposals to try to improve school safety, change gun laws and address mental-health issues.
The proposals shared some ideas. For example, they would require people to be at least age 21 to buy rifles and shotguns, a requirement already in place for handguns. They also would spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 million to $500 million on issues such as school safety and mental health. And they would not ban semiautomatic rifles, commonly known as “assault weapons.”
With two weeks left in the legislative session, Scott and legislative leaders also will have to bridge differences. For instance, Scott wants to require school resource officers in every school in the state, while House and Senate leaders are pitching a plan that would allow some teachers to carry concealed weapons if they meet training requirements and are directed by law enforcement.
Critics immediately took issue Friday with the lack of an assault-weapon ban in the proposals.
“We need to be banning assault weapons,” Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said. “We need universal background checks. We need to make sure that we are addressing the root cause of the public health crisis that is gun violence in this state and in this country. It is the guns. The guns are the problem.”
But whatever the criticism and the differences between Scott and lawmakers, it’s clear a package of changes will emerge in the coming weeks from the Legislature.
“Our slogan is, never again,” Corcoran said.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland came to the Capitol to call for changes after the mass shooting this month of 14 students and three faculty members.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Unfortunately, none of the plans I’m announcing today will bring any of them back, but it’s important to remember them. The 17 lives that were cut short and all the hopes and dreams that were ruined have changed our state forever. Florida will never be the same.” Gov. Rick Scott on Friday during a news conference to announce a series of proposals to address school safety, gun laws and mental health issues.
by Jim Saunders and Dara Kam
All The Buzz About Bees At Local Seminar
February 25, 2018
The North Escambia Beekeepers Association held their annual seminar Saturday at the Molino Community Center.
“The only way to save our bees is through education. By educating both the public and beekeepers we have seen an increase in the amount of hives located in our area. More hives means more bees to pollinate crops, small gardens, trees, and flowers. A win for the bees and a win for the residents of both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties,” said Danielle Ochsenreiter of the North Escambia Beekeepers Association.
“Each year we try to bring in top research scientists in the field to keep our local beekeepers up to date on the very best beekeeping practices. By doing this we hope to keep more hives alive and more people and families interested and excited in the hobby,” she said.
The event featured a course for beginners and advanced beekeepers. There were course lectures from Dr. Dennis vanEnglesdorp from The University of Maryland, Jeff Willard from Milton, Johnny Thompson from Mississippi and Andrew Finch, the area’s state apiary inspector.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle Holds Womanless Beauty Pageant
February 24, 2018
Ernest Ward Middle School held a “womanless” beauty pageant Friday night.
Kaden “Norma Gene” Odom was named “Womanless Queen”.
Noah “Noelle Fancy” Harigel was first runner-up, and Andrew “Andrea Louise” Hatcher was second runner-up.
The fundraising event was sponsored by the Ernest Ward cheerleaders.
Pictured above: First Runner up Noah “Noelle Fancy” Harigel, Womanless Queen Kaden “Norma Gene” Odom and Second Runner-up Andrew “Andrea Louise” Hatcher. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
