Scott, Legislators Pitch Changes In School Safety, Gun Laws
February 24, 2018
Pledging “change is coming” and “never again,” Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislative leaders on Friday released proposals encompassing gun laws, safer schools and mental health, with the goal of preventing future tragedies like last week’s mass shooting at a Broward County high school that left 14 students and three faculty members dead.
The plans came nine days after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz went on a shooting spree at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the school deaths.
The sweeping plans — which total up to $500 million — swiftly drew the ire of Democrats, who said the measures don’t go far enough, and National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer, who blasted the proposals as punishing gun owners for the crimes of a madman.
The Republican leaders released their plans two days after meeting with Marjory Stoneman Douglas students who traveled to the Capitol to plead for stricter gun laws to stop murderers like Cruz, who a year ago legally purchased — with no waiting period — the assault-style weapon he used to mow down students and faculty at the school he once attended.
Scott said he has been speaking with students and parents from the school and attending funerals since the shooting.
“My message to them has been very simple. You are not alone. Change is coming, and it will come fast,” Scott told reporters at an 11 a.m. press conference, an hour before House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Senate President Joe Negron held a separate media event to announce their plans.
Details of Cruz’s troubled history, frequent interactions with law enforcement and the FBI’s failure to investigate at least one alert that the teenager posed a threat to schools helped spark Scott and Republican legislative leaders to craft multi-faceted proposals encompassing school safety measures, new gun restrictions and mental health services.
The governor and the legislative leaders parted ways on two significant elements: a controversial program to allow trained teachers and administrators to bring guns to school and a three-day waiting period on the purchase of long guns — as endorsed by the House and Senate and already required for handguns, but excluded from Scott’s plan.
Scott and legislative leaders agreed on a plan to require people to be at least 21 years old to purchase any gun, a requirement already in place for handguns but not long guns such as rifles and shotguns. The powerful NRA opposes such a change.
And Scott and lawmakers would ban “bump stocks,” an idea also opposed by the NRA. Bump stocks are used to speed up the rate of firing of semiautomatic weapons.
Hammer, the NRA’s Florida lobbyist who is widely considered one of the most powerful lobbyists in the Capitol, had harsh words for the governor and lawmakers, accusing them of floating “political eyewash” that “punishes” gun owners.
“This is a betrayal of law-abiding gun owners who did absolutely nothing. All of the laws in place to identify and stop this kind of activity failed. So since they can’t actually punish those failures, they’re going to punish law-abiding gun owners. And of course, we always obey the law, so they don’t have to worry about us before or after they pass this gratuitous gun control,” Hammer said Friday.
Among the disclosures during the past week has been that Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ school-resource officer, Scot Peterson, did not enter the building to try to stop the shooting. Peterson resigned Thursday after being suspended by Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel.
Hammer said the NRA endorses part of the legislative proposal, which involves the concept of a “school marshal” program. Under the program, teachers or other school employees who’ve undergone extensive training and been deputized by local sheriffs could bring guns to school. Current Florida law allows only law enforcement officials to carry weapons on school property. The marshal proposal is similar to a program created by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
If passed, Florida would be the first state to launch such a program, according to Corcoran, who said qualified people would be both teachers hired by school systems and law-enforcement officers working under sheriffs.
But Scott balked at the idea of armed teachers, saying “my focus is on bringing in law enforcement.”
His plan would require at least one school resource officer — a police officer or sheriff’s deputy — in each of the state’s 4,000 public schools, including charter schools. Scott, who wants to spend $500 million on his overall package, is recommending a ratio of one resource officer for every 1,000 students.
The governor and Republican leaders are also divided about another element likely to face pushback from the NRA. Scott is proposing a “violent threat restraining order” that would allow family members or law enforcement officials to get court orders to take guns away from people who have shown evidence of being a danger to themselves or others.
“No one with mental issues should have access to a gun. It’s common sense,” Scott said.
But House Rules & Policy Chairman Jose Oliva and his colleagues rejected such a plan.
“We took a long, hard look at this,” said Oliva, a Miami Lakes Republican slated to take over as House speaker this fall. “Whenever you are going to deprive someone of something, you have to do it under a condition that provides clear evidence that that is necessary. In the way that we’ve seen it, giving people outside of either the authority or the understanding of what is clear and present danger — a family member, a neighbor, or someone like that — to directly make that appeal, we think goes beyond.”
The Florida Education Association teachers’ union offered support for Scott’s proposal, while Democrats argued the measure fails to go far enough by not including a ban on “assault” rifles like the AR-15 used by the Parkland shooter.
FEA President Joanne McCall said Scott’s outline is “very close” to a recommendation from the union, while any discussion about “weapons designed for war” is something that can be addressed after “sensible gun policy” is enacted.
Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon noted that Democrats had already filed bills that would raise the age to purchase long guns and create the gun restraining order.
“We can beef up mental health screenings, raise the age for gun purchases, and dream up other stopgap measures, but the threat to our children and our citizens will continue until we finally take bold action to ban assault weapons designed for the battlefield from easy access in our communities. Without that, the voices of the students, and the will of the people, continue to be ignored,” Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, said in a statement.
But Scott rejected “a mass takeaway of Second Amendment rights.”
“That is not the answer. Keeping guns away from dangerous people, and people with mental illness, is what we need to do,” he said.
At Corcoran’s urging, Republican legislative leaders are also pushing creation of a commission, to be headed by the parent of one of slain students, and a special counsel to investigate how different agencies handled Cruz and identify any potential shortcomings in the law-enforcement and school systems.
Lawmakers are racing against the clock to pass a wide-ranging measure before the legislative session ends on March 9.
“Our job is to lead. Government has failed on multiple levels. It can never happen again. Our hope is that we will put together, jointly with the Senate, a proposal that will ensure it never happens again and we don’t fail our school students again,” Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, told reporters.
by Dara Kam and Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Gov. Rick Scott discusses school safety on Friday. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Molino Park Elementary Celebrates The Arts
February 24, 2018
Molino Park Elementary School held its annual Arts Day on Friday, with the students spending the day immersed in a variety of arts.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: Dancing to the beat of the Northview High School drum line during Arts Day Friday at Molino Park Elementary School. Pictured below: A performance by members of the Pensacola Symphony, twirlers from Twirl Girlz, and pottery with Larry Manning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Highway 29 Traffic Shifts Early Sunday North of I-10
February 24, 2018
Northbound traffic on Highway 29 between I-10 and Hannah Street (just south of Walmart) will be transitioned to the existing southbound lanes between during the early morning hours Sunday, weather permitting, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. Southbound traffic will continue traveling on temporary lanes. This traffic shift will be in place for several months as crews prepare for the next phase of construction on the east side of Highway 29. Image courtesy FDOT for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
‘Mr. Pervert’ Gets Prison Time For Cyberstalking
February 24, 2018
A man who called himself “Mr. Pervert” has been sentenced to prison for cyberstalking over two dozen individuals.
Sean Michael Vest of Pensacola pleaded no contest to 18 counts of aggravated stalking and eight counts of obscene or harassing phone calls.
He was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation.
Prosecutors said between December 2016 and January 2017, Vest cyberstalked at least 26 people in the area, mostly in Escambia County.
Vest’s conduct included repeatedly calling and text messaging the victims obscene messages in which he threatened sexual violence to them or their loved ones. In the messages, Vest referred to the victims by their names. He also sent many of them altered photographs of themselves and loved ones he had taken from social media sources. In the messages, Vest referred to himself as “Mr. Pervert”, according to the State Attorney’s Office
Freeport Tops Northview In Chiefs’ Home Opener (With Gallery)
February 24, 2018
The Freeport Bulldogs topped Northview 3-0 in the Chiefs’ home opener Friday night in Bratt.
The game was scoreless until Freeport picked up two in the fifth before adding one in the sixth inning.
The Northview Chiefs will head to Foley on Monday to face Snook Christian before hosting Escambia County High School of Atmore on Tuesday.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Wrestlers Place At 1-2A District Championship
February 24, 2018
The Tate High School Wrestling Team recently placed fifth overall in the District 1-2A championships and regional qualifier. Individual medalists were (bottom row, L-R) Nate Golmon 152 pound district champion, Jacob Cochran 113 pound district champion, Brandon Biello 120 pound fourth place, Asst. Coach Patrick Brown; (top, L-R) Asst. Coach Dean Williams Jr, Anthony Stafford 182 pound second place, Azaya Purifoy 195 pound third place, Matthew Blalock 132 pound district champion, Head Coach Reggie Allen. Not pictured: Assistant Coach Vaughan Gehman and 160 pound forth place Juan Alvarez Jr. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Edibles To Plant In February
February 24, 2018
Now is the time start planning your spring garden.
by Matt Lollar, UF/IFAS Extension
Know Your Season
Vegetable crops are usually grown by season. We are lucky in Florida because we have both a warm season and a cool season. We are unlucky too because we have very hot summers! Usually our spring crops suffer from too much heat and humidity in July and August. Cool season crops are typically planted from September to March, while warm season crops are typically planted in February and March or August and September. Eggplant and okra are outliers because they can usually make it through the summer. It’s important that you follow tried and true planting dates for the crops you intend to grow. You can find a very helpful table embedded in the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide that lists what to plant when.
As you may have noticed, North Florida has a very humid climate year-round. We not only have to give our crops extra care due to rain and humidity, but we also need to grow varieties adapted for our climate. Some recommended varieties are listed in Table 2 of the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide. You can also find some recommended varieties in Seed Sources for Florida Homegrown Vegetables. (Please note that some of the seed sources listed in this publication are geared more toward commercial growers, so they may be unavailable unless you intend to plant quite a few acres in one crop.)
Know How Green Your Thumb Is
Probably the most important thing about gardening is your level of commitment and experience. Take a few minutes to assess your skills as a gardener and the amount of time you are willing to commit to your garden. Then use the following list to help you determine what to plant.
- Easy to Grow in Florida – Radish, Collard, Turnip, Kale, English Pea, Green Bean, Sweet Potatoes
- Somewhat Easy to Grow in Florida – Okra, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Eggplant, Watermelon, Sweet Corn
- Hard to Grow in Florida – Tomato, Cantaloupe, Muskmelon, Pumpkin
This is only a short list, but I hope it gives you a starting point to help you determine your skill set.
Know the Difference Between Open Pollinated, Heirloom, and Hybrid Varieties
- Open-pollination of crops occurs when insects, birds, wind, or other natural mechanisms carry pollen from flower to flower. Seed can be saved from open-pollinated varieties which will produce crops with similar characteristics to their parents.
- Heirloom varieties have a history of being passed down within a family or community. As the name suggests, seed can be saved from heirloom varieties which will produce crops with similar characteristics to their parents.
- Hybridization is a controlled method of pollination in which the pollen of two different varieties or species is crossed by human or natural mechanisms. Seed saved from hybrids will most likely not produce as vigorously as their parents and may produce crops that are significantly different from their parents.
Escambia 4-H Members Join 750 More In Green For 4-H Day In Tallahassee
February 23, 2018
About 800 members attended 4-H Day at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee Thursday, including over 60 youth from Escambia County.
4-H Day Day at the Capitol is a unique day where the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee is overrunning with a sea of 4-H green. The youth were able to learn about their state government and experience the political process first hand. Throughout the day, 4-H members heard from public officials, participated in educational workshops, and watched their legislators in action.P
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged With Sending Explicit Photos Of Himself To Underage Teen
February 23, 2018
A Cantonment man has been charged with allegedly sending sexually explicit photographs of himself to a underage teen girl.
Zackery Ray Bowman, 21, was charged with two felonies — distribution of obscene material to a minor and cruelty toward child/transmit information harmful to minors.
Bowman allegedly sent the two photos to the girl using the account “Zack Bowman” on Facebook Messenger According to arrest report, he communicated on Facebook with the girl, trying to get her to cheat on her boyfriend, despite her requests to leave her alone and a statement that she was underage.
Bowman told her via Facebook that he didn’t care about her age, that age was just a number, the report states.
Deputies reported being able to see the photographs and messages and identify Bowman based upon the Facebook profile photos and tattoos on his left
Early Friday morning, Bowman was being held in the Escambia County Jail due to a violation of probation charge in an criminal mischief case.
Molino Museum Exhibit Features Midwife Bama Holley
February 23, 2018
The Molino Mid-County Historical Society is presenting an exhibit for Black History Month that features Missouria “Bama” Holley, a well loved and locally well known midwife. She delivered numerous babies in the Molino and North Escambia area from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.
Very little information has been found about Bama, mostly memories and stories which have been passed down through the generations.
Bama was born three days before Christmas 1877 in Alabama to parents that were likely slaves. She moved to Barth sometime shortly after the turn of the century. She married Aaron and continued to live with her three daughters in Barth. Census records from 1920 show her to be a 31-year old midwife, and her husband Aaron a 29-year old carpenter. In 1920 her daughters, considered to be Aaron’s stepdaughters, were listed as Janie M. Turner, 11, Elizabeth Turner, 5 and Mary Turner, 19. It is not known if the children were adopted or Bama’s children by a previous marriage.
By 1930, daughter Janie M. Turner had married to a Straughn in Molino. Janie died in 1943.
Bama was central figure in Barth, Molino, Cantonment and surrounding areas in North Escambia. She helped bring hundreds of children, both black and white, into the world, including the late Lillan Fillingim King. The museum housing the Bama Holley exhibit bears King’s name.
Bama died February 13, 1970, after a brief illness and is buried in Barth in the White Lily Baptist Church Cemetery.
The Bama Holley exhibit will be on display through February at the Lillian F. King Museum in the Molino Community Center, 6450 Highway 95A North. Museum hours are: 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and is open every day except Wednesday, Sunday and holidays. For more information, call (850) 587-2011. Admission is free.
Pictured (top row) Jeanette Ward Parker, midwife Bama Holley holding baby Charles Ward, Almedia Ward, (middle row) Jean Parker, Ida Parker, Jessie Ward, Jr. (bottom row) Doug Parker, Jacob O. Parker, Jr., Bessie Ward and Annie Ward in an undated photograph. Pictured below: The Bama Holley exhibit in the Lillian F. King Museum in the Molino Community Center. Pictured bottom: Bama Holley’s obituary. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
