Highway 90 Crash Claims One Life Friday Night
January 20, 2018
An Alabama man died in a traffic crash Friday night on Highway 90 west of Beulah.
James Swope, age 46 of Seminole, was driving a 2001 Nissan Maxima west on Highway 90 about 6:10 p.m. as a 1989 Ford dump truck driven by 39-year old Patrick Bundy of Robertsdale was exiting a weigh station. Swope and his Maxima rear-ended the dump truck, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Swope was pronounced deceased following the crash.
Further details are pending the outcome of the Florida Highway Patrol’s traffic homicide investigation.
Photo courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Tallahassee Grapples With Gambling, Storms
January 20, 2018
Plants froze. Pipes burst. Noses dripped.
Temperatures approached the teens this week in Tallahassee, causing a conundrum for visitors to the Capitol from balmier regions of the state.
But the frost outside didn’t create a chill inside the Capitol, where House and Senate committees sifted through a range of legislation that included Hurricane Irma fallout, gambling and opioids.
The legislative week also gave Rep. Ross Spano, a Dover Republican running for attorney general, an opportunity to burnish his conservative creds with a measure that would declare pornography a public health risk.
According to Spano, research shows a correlation between porn and “mental and physical illnesses, difficulty forming and maintaining intimate relationships,” and a host of other ills.
The only “no” vote on the measure, approved by a House panel Thursday, came from Republican Rep. Cary Pigman, an emergency-room doctor who said the state should focus on real health risks affecting Floridians, such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes.
Objections to pornography have historically been overridden by First Amendment protections, calling to mind Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler and other sexually graphic mags.
“Freedom of speech doesn’t protect speech you like; it protects speech you don’t like,” Flynt, who’s been entangled in several First Amendment fights, once said.
ANTI-GAMBLING PROPOSAL HITS THE JACKPOT
The “Voter Control of Gambling Amendment,” an initiative largely bankrolled by a Disney company and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, would make it harder to expand gambling in Florida by requiring voter approval for any form of casino gambling, an issue now largely controlled by the Legislature.
Backers of the amendment this week topped the 766,200 petition signatures required to get on the November general-election ballot, where it will appear as Amendment 3. The Florida Supreme Court last year approved the ballot language. Like all constitutional changes, the proposal will require 60 percent approval from voters in November to pass.
If ultimately approved, the proposal would give voters the “exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling” in the state. The change would require voter approval of casino-style games, such as slots, in the future.
The amendment pits the state’s gambling industry — and many members of the Legislature — against anti-gambling advocates in what is expected to be a high-dollar campaign before the fall election.
“It’s game over for the Legislature if that (constitutional) amendment gets on the ballot and passes. And at that point, we’ll just be spectators in the world of gaming, which will essentially be a monopoly for the Seminole Tribe,” Sen. Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who has been instrumental in gambling-related legislation for eight years, told the News Service on Wednesday.
Industry representatives also foreshadowed dire consequences if the constitutional amendment passes.
“I think it will have a huge impact on our industry, because as opposed to the Legislature regulating us, we’ll need 60 percent of the residents of Florida to regulate us in the future. And, as the most regulated business in the state, that just makes anything we want to do to grow our business in the future more difficult,” Izzy Havenick, whose family owns dog tracks in Naples and Miami, said in an interview.
SENATE ADOPTS NEW SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY
After the resignation of two prominent senators because of sex scandals, Senate President Joe Negron this week released a new sexual-harassment policy outlining do’s and don’ts — mostly don’ts — to guide senators, aides and lobbyists.
Unwelcome physical behavior that could constitute sexual harassment includes “kissing or hugging, unless welcome or clearly not objected to, when made in connection with a greeting or parting, such as a peck on the cheek.”
And “patting, pinching, or intentionally brushing against an individual’s body” are also off-limits, according to the new policy.
The policy also advises members and aides to keep in mind that a single incident may or may not constitute sexual harassment and that “conduct or communications that might have been welcome between two individuals at one time may become unwelcome at any time.”
Negron released the policy after the Senate has been roiled by the resignations of Lake Worth Democrat Jeff Clemens and Clearwater Republican Jack Latvala. Clemens resigned after disclosures about an extramarital affair with a lobbyist, while Latvala stepped down after a highly damaging investigation about sexual harassment.
IRMA, REDUX
The House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness inched forward this week with recommendations based on lessons learned from Hurricane Irma, the historic storm that swept through the state in September.
Requiring nursing homes to have adequate backup power, blocking storm-damaged properties from being rebuilt in “high-risk” areas and looking into changes in highway traffic flow during evacuations are a few of the proposals advanced by the select committee.
The suggestions focused on Hurricane Irma recovery, the impact on Florida of people fleeing Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and how to better prepare for future storms. They will be distributed to various committees and subcommittees to determine the potential impacts on the next state budget as ideas are converted into bills.
Select committee Chairwoman Jeanette Nunez, R-Miami, whittled down the list of proposals and called them a “starting point” for short-term and long-term measures.
Meanwhile, the state’s largest utility had some good Irma-related news for its customers.
Florida Power & Light said Tuesday that savings from the federal tax overhaul will allow it to avoid billing customers for the $1.3 billion cost of restoring electricity after Hurricane Irma.
FPL had initially planned to start billing customers in March for the restoration costs but put those plans on hold after Congress and President Donald Trump last month approved the overhaul, which cut corporate tax rates and made numerous other changes in the federal tax code.
In the announcement Tuesday, FPL said a 2016 agreement that set the utility’s base electric rates allowed it to “leverage” the tax savings to deal with the Irma costs.
“The timing of federal tax reform, coming on the heels of the most expensive hurricane in Florida history, created an unusual and unprecedented opportunity,” Eric Silagy, FPL’s chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “We believe the plan we’ve outlined is the fastest way to begin passing tax savings along to our customers and the most appropriate approach to keeping rates low and stable for years to come.”
NO (STATE) LOVE FOR AMAZON
After playing the key role in reducing and revamping Florida’s economic-development programs last year, House Speaker Richard Corcoran said Thursday he has no interest in developing a state incentive plan to bring Amazon’s new headquarters to Florida.
Florida suddenly became a contender for the giant online retailer’s second headquarters — dubbed HQ2 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — after Miami emerged as one of 20 finalists for the project, which could generate some $5 billion in spending and lead to 50,000 jobs.
Miami, which was competing with 238 other cities, was the only finalist in Florida, although the Miami bid also includes sites in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Gov. Rick Scott, who’s pushed state funding to lure businesses to Florida, tweeted that it was “great news” that Miami made the cut.
But Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, didn’t share the love.
In an interview with the News Service, Corcoran said he was doubtful that Florida would end up as the location for the Amazon project, citing remarks by Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Esteban “Steve” Bovo, a Hialeah Republican who formerly served in the state House.
Bovo told The Miami Herald in October that Miami-Dade’s transportation challenges would ultimately eliminate Miami from contention.
“What was the reason?” Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, asked. “There’s not enough money? We didn’t throw enough incentives? No, (it’s) because of their infrastructure and their transit issues.”
Corcoran listed the items he said “site selectors” consider when relocating.
“Here’s what we ought to do as a state. I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face,” Corcoran said. “There are five things that site selectors look at. The most important being having a great educational system.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: The anti-gambling “Voter Control of Gambling Amendment” made it onto the November ballot.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Quite simply, advising clients to grow their own marijuana based on a fake doctor’s advice is wrong and cannot now be said to be subject to interpretation based on the evolution of medical marijuana law.” — Carlos Alberto Leon, a Florida Bar lawyer who served as referee in a disciplinary case against Ian Christensen, who was disbarred Thursday by the Florida Supreme Court. Christensen and a colleague charged clients $799 for a patient identification card that they said could keep the patients out of trouble for having or growing marijuana.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Brush Fire Threatens Two Mobile Homes In Cantonment
January 19, 2018
A brush fire Friday afternoon in Cantonment threatened two mobile homes.
The fire was reported just after 2:30 near the intersection of Nowak Road and Booker Street. The brush fire burned about an acre of land and extended underneath at least one of the mobile homes. Firefighters were able to quickly bring the fire under control.
There were no injuries and no major property damage reported.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Battle Brush Fires In Bratt And Nokomis
January 19, 2018
.Firefighters responded to two simultaneous brush fires Friday afternoon in North Escambia.
A pasture fire burned about five acres in the 7000 block of Nokomis Road, near Jakes Road, and an unrelated fire about 10 miles away burned over an acre in a sod field on North Highway 99 near the Florida/Alabama state line in Bratt.
Both fire were quickly extinguished with no injuries and no damage to structures.
The Walnut Hill, Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Atmore Fire Department responded to the fires. There was no word on the cause of either fire.
Pictured: Firefighters battle a fire in a sod field on North Highway 99 near the Florida/Alabama state line in Bratt Friday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Commission Delays Decision On ECUA Request To Take Property For Sewage Lift Station
January 19, 2018
The Escambia County Commission has decided to delay action on an Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) request to exercise its power of eminent domain to acquire property on Well Line Road in Cantonment for a sewage lift station.
During a Thursday meeting, commissioners instead expressed grave concerns about the use of eminent domain while expressing the desire to find an alternative solution.
ECUA said it has been unable to reach an agreement with Robert Ross, the owner of 1.2 acres of unimproved land at 400 Well Line Road. The utility said the property is needed to replace and upgrade ECUA’s “Lift Station 143″. In order to take the property under eminent domain, ECUA must first obtain the approval of the Escambia County Commission.
The ECUA lift station on Well Line Road near Watson Avenue is outdated and deteriorated, in need of replacement and upgrades, according to ECUA. Plans call for it to potentially become a regional lift station. ECUA said the property is not large enough to accommodate a regional lift station and emergency storage tanks which may also be placed next to it.
A letter from ECUA Board Chair Lois Benson to the commission states that ECUA has been unsuccessful in negotiations to acquire the property.
Ross said he received a letter on four separate occasions wanting the property, beginning with a half acre and finally the entire 1.2 acres with an offer of $2,000. He said he just “threw a number out there” of $40-50,000 in response.
“I know I am not the only one; our entire board takes eminent domain issues very seriously,”District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said, adding that in five years on the county commission, there has only other been one other eminent domain consideration. That was for a property in the Wedgewood area related to a landfill. He said commissioners are typically able to work with property owners to find a solution or find an alternative piece of property to make a project successful without using eminent domain proceedings.
Barry said he has seen little evidence of much real negotiation or communication between ECUA and Ross…not even a response to his $40,000 request.
“I do believe there is a willingness to negotiate, possibly. I don’t think it was his intent when he responded with the 40 or 50 thousand figure that it would be the last that he heard of it. He thought that they would say ‘well that is ridiculous but we think it is worth this’ and some back and forth would happen,” Barry said. “But that does not necessarily seem to have taken place.”
Barry said the county owns several parcels of land in the Well Line Road area, and the county could possible donate one or two acres to ECUA to use for their lift station.
ECUA attorney Bradley Odom said ECUA does not take the use of eminent domain lightly and will work to increase the line of communication with Ross.
“ECUA takes it seriously; ECUA wants to do right,” Odom said. “We look at it (eminent domain) as a last resort, and we want to consier the options that are available.”
Commissioner Doug Underhill said he wants to make sure all avenues are explored before he would consider the use of eminent domain.
The commission decided to table further action on the eminent domain request as other options are explored.
Under eminent domain, Florida law allows a governmental entity such as ECUA to seize property for the public good and provide full compensation to the owner. ECUA is a public utility, established as a government agency by an act of the Florida legislature.
Proposals To Restore Felons’ Rights Move Forward
January 19, 2018
Two proposals that would automatically restore voting rights to felons who have served their sentences were approved Thursday by a Florida Constitution Revision Commission panel.
In a 6-2 vote, the commission’s Ethics and Elections Committee approved a measure (Proposal 7), sponsored by former Sen. Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale, that would automatically restore voting rights to felons who have served their prison time and completed any probation or parole requirements. Felons convicted of murder or sexual offenses would be excluded.
In another 6-2 vote, the panel endorsed a measure (Proposal 21), sponsored by Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, that would also automatically restore felons’ voting rights after sentences are completed.
But Rouson’s proposal would exclude a larger group of felons from automatic restoration. It lists more than a dozen types of felonies that would prevent automatic restoration, including such things as carjacking and burglary.
Smith’s proposal is identical to a constitutional initiative launched by Floridians for a Fair Democracy, a group that is trying to place the proposal on the November ballot by submitting petition signatures.
The group, which has already won approval from the state Supreme Court for the wording of its proposal, is close to reaching the ballot. It had submitted 750,723 valid petition signatures to the state as of late Thursday afternoon, just under the 766,200 ballot threshold.
Smith, who is sponsoring his measure along with former state Sen. Arthenia Joyner of Tampa, said he expects Floridians for a Fair Democracy to meet a Feb. 1 deadline for submitting the needed signatures and that the group has actually collected close to 1 million signatures. He said he would drop his Constitution Revision Commission proposal if the group is successful.
“No pride in the authorship, I would defer to the almost 1 million Floridians who have signed the petition at that point,” Smith said. “If the signatures are good, this gets withdrawn the next day.”
Smith said he wanted to keep his proposal, along with Rouson’s proposal, moving forward in case a last-minute problem occurs with the petition drive.
Rouson said it was “his inclination at this time” to withdraw his proposal if the voter petition drive is successful in reaching the November ballot.
He said he offered his proposal with a broader list of felonies as “a pragmatic compromise,” saying it could offset some of the opposition he expects the other amendments to attract if they get on the ballot.
Rouson also said he did not want to “confuse” voters by having two amendments on the same ballot. “But we want something on the ballot that’s significant and substantial to a number of citizens in this state,” he said.
Under the commission’s analysis, Smith’s proposal could open the opportunity for as many as 1.5 million felons to regain the right to vote, to run for office or to serve on juries. Rouson’s version would offer that automatic restoration path to an estimated 859,000 Floridians.
Advocates for voting-rights restoration argue that Florida has become an outlier among states by having so many felons blocked from voting, with their only chance to regain those rights through a cumbersome process that can take years and has resulted in an average of less than 500 restorations per year.
Some have underscored the impact on African-American residents, although Rouson said the current system is impacting all demographic groups.
“This is not a black issue,” Rouson said. “This is a human rights issue, and it affects all groups of citizens in the state.”
The proposals next head to the commission’s Declaration of Rights Committee.
Each measure would eventually need to win support from at least 22 members of the 37-member commission to win a spot on the 2018 ballot. Any constitutional measure on the ballot will need support from at least 60 percent of voters to be enacted.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Bratt Elementary Wins $1,000 Wellness Challenge For Third Year
January 19, 2018
For the third consecutive year, Bratt Elementary School has been named the winner of Escambia Superintendent Malcolm Thomas’ Choose Wellness Challenge. The school was presented a $1,000 prize at Tuesday’s meeting of the Escambia County School Board.
The challenge was to see which school or major department could achieve the highest level of participation in the challenge by the end of the school year. Participants completed four steps to promote health and wellness, potentially reducing the district’s health care and lost work time costs.
Thomas said he expected the winner to come from a school that was located near the district’s health and wellness center. But he was wrong…again.
“This year’s winner, for the third straight year, is a school that’s actually located further away from the Wellness Center than the majority of our schools, making it quite evident that mileage and inconvenience was absolutely, not a factor,” Thomas said off Bratt Elementary.
“When we started this, we made a plaque and we thought that each year we would put the winner on the plaque.” Thomas explained. “So far, we have three years and we only have one school on it. So, my challenge to the other schools and departments is – Is there anybody out there that’s willing to take on Bratt Elementary to see if you can be next year’s winner?”
The $1,000 prize is expected to be used in some manner to promote wellness among the school’s staff. All of the funds were from private donations; no taxpayer dollars were used.
The Exceptional Student Education department received a $500 prize for increase participation of about 30 percent.
Pictured: Bratt Elementary accepts their $1,000 Wellness Challenge award during a Tuesday meeting of the Escambia County School Board. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Arbor Day Tree Giveaway Saturday In Barrineau Park
January 19, 2018
The annual Arbor Day tree giveaway is coming up Saturday at in Barrineau Park.
Florida Arbor Day is observed the third Friday in January to recognize the benefits of trees, and to encourage planting and care. The Florida Forest Service and Escambia County UF-IFAS Extension will hold the Barrineau Park event with additional support from Escambia County Department of Natural Resource Management, Resource Management Services and the Northview High School FFA club.
The event will be from 10 a.m. to noon at Barrineau Park Community Center, located at 6055 Barrineau Park School Road.
Trees in one-gallon containers will be given away. Species include tulip poplar, Chickasaw plum, Shumard oak and fringetree. Special edition Arbor Day water bottles featuring the winning design from last year’s art contest also will be given away. A tree will be planted for the community center and as a demonstration of proper planting.
Pictured: Last year’s Arbor Day Tree Giveaway was held in Davisville. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Jim Allen’s Robinson Named Cat Country’s Coach Of The Week
January 19, 2018
Our NorthEscambia.com media partners at Cat Country 98.7 named Jim Allen Elementary School P.E. teacher Will Robinson as their “Cat Country Coach of the Week”. The award was presented to Robinson on Thursday. He is pictured below with the Cat and Gabby Johnson, one of the students who nominated him for the Coach of the Week award. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Baker Outpaces Northview (With Gallery), Tate Tops Milton
January 19, 2018
Baker 71, Northview 60
The Northview Chiefs lost to the Baker Gators 71-60 Thursday afternoon in Bratt.
The Gators only outscored the Chiefs by two to hold an 18-16 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Baker outpaced Northview in the second to take a 40-27 by the half. Baker scored a basket more than Northview in the third, while Northview outscored Baker by four in the fourth.
Up next, the Northview Chiefs varsity will host Pensacola Christian Academy at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday and Freeport next Thursday at 6:15 p.m. The JV boys will tipoff at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and 5 p.m. Thursday.
Tate 68, Milton 54
The Tate Aggies beat the Milton Panthers 68-54 Thursday in Cantonment.
The Aggies to a 15-9 lead by the end of the first quarter and were up 33-26 by halftime. Tate outscored Milton by seven in the third, while both teams scored 23 points each in the fourth.
The Tate Aggies (10-6, 4-0) were led by Love Bettis with 21 points.
The Tate Aggies will travel to Fort Walton to take on Choctawhatchee High School at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Pictured: Baker at Northview Thursday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
