FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
December 4, 2017
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
- Interstate 110 (I-110) Routine Bridge Maintenance over Bay Center Parking Lot- The southbound, right lane will be closed over Bay Center parking lot from 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 as crews repair bridge joints.
- U.S. 98 (Chase Street) over State (S.R.) Road 291 (Alcaniz Street) Routine Maintenance- Traffic on Chase Street will be reduced to one lane over Alcaniz Street from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, December 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5 as crews replace joints on the overpass.
- U.S. 98 (Pensacola Bay Bridge) Routine Maintenance- East and Westbound traffic can expect intermittent lane restrictions from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 and Wednesday, Dec. 6 as crews repair overhead lighting on the bridge.
- U.S. 98 (S.R. 30) Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Alternating lane closures on U.S. 98 east and westbound (Bayfront Parkway), from 14th Avenue to the Gulf Breeze side of the bridge, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27 through Saturday, Dec. 2 as crew’s place pavement markings, pour concrete, and perform bridge repairs.
- S.R. 4 over Wilson Branch Creek and East Relief Routine Bridge Maintenance- Eastbound traffic on S.R. 4 can expect lane restrictions to occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12 as crews perform a routine inspection on the bridges located over Wilson Branch Creek, 2.7 miles east of U.S. 29 and East Relief, three miles east of U.S. 29.
- I-10/U.S. 29 Interchange Improvements Phase I – The following traffic impacts are planned on I-10 and U.S. 29 near the interchange (Exits 10A and 10B) from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27 through Thursday, Nov. 30:
- Alternating east and westbound I-10 and north and southbound U.S. 29 lane closures.
- The U.S. 29 on-ramps to I-10 eastbound will be intermittently closed. Traffic will be detoured on U.S. 29 to access I-10 eastbound.
- The exit ramp from I-10 westbound to U.S. 29 south (Exit 10A) will be intermittently closed. Traffic will be detoured to U.S. 29 north (Exit 10B).
- Alternating lane closures on the I-10 westbound exit ramp to U.S. 29 north (Exit 10B).
- U.S. 29 Widening from I-10 to Nine Mile Road- Drivers traveling U.S. 29 and Nine Mile Road will encounter traffic pattern changes from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3 through Saturday, Dec. 9 as follows:
- Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 overpass: The nightly eastbound traffic shift onto the westbound inside travel lane continue as crews prepare the area for construction of the support column for the new center bridge deck.
- U.S. 29 between I-10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road: Drivers may experience alternating lane closures as crews perform drainage operations.
- S.R. 742 (Creighton Road) Construction Improvement Project from east of Davis Highway to Scenic Highway – Intermittent and alternating lane closures between Davis Highway and Scenic Highway from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 3 through Saturday, Dec. 9 continue as crews perform milling and paving operations, curb replacement, sidewalk repairs, and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades.
- Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Pine Forest Road to U.S. 29- Alternating lane closures continue on Untreiner Avenue as crews perform jack and bore operations.
Santa Rosa County:
- S.R. 87 (Steward Street) at U.S. 90 (Caroline Street) northbound to Dogwood Drive- S.R. 87 will be closed at U.S. 90 to Dogwood Drive for parade festivities Saturday, Dec. 2 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Law enforcement will be on site. Drivers use caution.
- U.S. 98 (S.R. 30) Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Alternating lane closures on U.S. 98 east and westbound, from the Pensacola side of the bridge to Bay Bridge Drive in Gulf Breeze, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, Dec. 4 through Saturday, Dec. 9 as crews place pavement markings, pour concrete, and perform bridge repairs.
- I-10 Widening from Escambia Bay Bridge to Avalon Boulevard (S.R. 281/Exit 22) - Alternating lane closures on I-10, from the Escambia Bay Bridge to east of S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard/Exit 22), from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 3 through Friday, Dec. 8 as crews work to widen the roadway. In addition, alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard, near the I-10 interchange, as crews reconstruct the overpass.
- U.S. 90 Turn Lane Construction between Shadow Oak Lane and Spears Street- The westbound lane will be restricted between Shadow Oak Lane and Spears Street from 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 and 5 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 6 as crews install pavement markers and construct new right turn lane
- S.R. 87 Multilane from Eglin AFB boundary to Hickory Hammock Road – Traffic between County Road 184 (Hickory Hammock Road) and the Eglin AFB boundary is restricted to loads less than 11-feet wide. The restriction will be in place until the project is complete.
- U.S. 90 Roadway Testing over Simpson River- Beginning Monday, Dec. 11 and continuing through Thursday, Dec. 21 east and westbound traffic over Simpson River can expect intermittent lane restrictions from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday as crews perform roadway testing.
- S.R. 87 Pipe Maintenance from Laredo Street to Nevada Street- Drivers can expect intermittent lane restrictions from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday as crews continue to seal and line existing pipes.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded 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.
Cars Collide On Canoe Creek Bridge
December 3, 2017
Two vehicles collided on the Highway 4 Canoe Creek bridge between Bratt and Byrneville Saturday night.
The cars were traveling in opposing directions as they sideswiped after one crossed the center line. The adult male driver of one vehicle as transported by Escambia County EMS to Atmore Community Hospital with injuries that were not considered serious. The elderly male driver of the second vehicle refused transport to the hospital.
The vehicles came to rest off opposite ends of the bridge about a quarter mile apart.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Names and further details have not been released.
The Century and Walnut Hill Stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Holds Annual Christmas Parade (With Photo Gallery)
December 3, 2017
The annual Molino Christmas Parade was held Saturday morning on Crabtree Church Road. After the parade, Santa Claus met with lots of good boys and girls at the Molino Ballpark.
Sponsored by the Molino Recreation Association, proceeds from the parade are used to benefit needy children in the Molino area during the Christmas season.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: The annual Molino Christmas Parade Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com by Jo Ann Hope, Haley Smith, Dara Estrin, Crystal Godwin and Kellie Odom, click to enlarge.
UWF Argos Beat UWA, 28-21 To Head To National Semifinals
December 3, 2017
The slipper still fits for the UWF football team.
The Argonauts erased a 7-point deficit with a dominating 25-minute stretch of play on both sides of the ball before stopping a late push by the 17th-ranked and top-seeded Tigers for a 28-21 win in the NCAA Division II Super Regional Two Championship.
UWF (10-3) won its fifth-consecutive game in just its 24th game all-time to advance to next Saturday’s national semifinals against No. 1/3 Indiana University of Pennsylvania (13-0). The Crimson Hawks scored with just over a minute to play to defeat Assumption, 27-22, for the Super Regional One title. Kickoff at George P. Miller Stadium in Indiana, Pennsylvania is at Noon Eastern Time.
Freshman quarterback Mike Beaudry threw for 247 yards on 18-of-29 passing with two touchdowns. He was particularly effective in the second half, totaling 134 yards on 9-of-12 with both scoring strikes.
As it has done during the entire postseason, the UWF defense turned up the intensity when it mattered most, holding West Alabama to 20 yards in the third quarter and a combined three 3-and-outs and a 4-and-out while building the 14-point lead.
The Argos held the Tigers to a season-low scoring total, well below their average of 38.3 points per game. Johnathan Coleman led the defense with a career-high 16 tackles. He has 50 stops with six sacks in the last five games.
Freshman Ka’Ron Ashley had a career-high game, finishing with six receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown. His two biggest plays came on the fourth quarter drive that put UWF ahead 28-14. He out-jumped his man on a 26-yard third-and-11 play to keep the drive alive before grabbing a 43-yarder a play later that put the ball at the two. Chris Schwarz scored a play later to give the Argonauts a cushion with 6:27 to play.
For his part, Schwarz ran down hill for much of the second half, picking up 53 yards on 14 carries after the intermission. He ended the game with 68 yards on 20 rushes. UWF had 133 yards on the ground and a 3.8 yards per rush.
Freshman Anthony Johnson had 59 yards on eight carries. He sparked the comeback with a 40-yard touchdown run on UWF’s first offensive play of the second half. Earlier in the game, his 2-yard run in the first quarter tied it at 7-7.
West Alabama (10-3) ended with 331 yards of total offense. The Tigers had 86 yards on their final two possessions. Harry Satterwhite threw for 225 yards on 19-of-36 with two touchdowns. Both quarterbacks were sacked twice.
A Gulf South Conference team has now represented Super Regional 2 in 14 of the past 16 years. Prior to Saturday’s outcome, the GSC was the only conference with two teams remaining in the Division II playoff.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to
Photo Gallery: Flomaton Christmas Parade
December 3, 2017
The annual Christmas Parade rolled through the streets of Flomaton Saturday morning. The parade featured floats, vehicles, the Flomaton High School cheerleaders and band, plenty of candy throws and Santa Claus.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
December’s First Fire: Two Red Bulbs Lit After Escambia Fires
December 3, 2017
Two red bulbs have been lit in a local fire safety wreath campaign representing residential fires in Escambia County.
Aloha Lane in Beulah
A structure fire on the 9700 block of Aloha Lane in Beulah is represented by the first red bulb on the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety wreath. Escambia County911 received a phone call reporting the residential fire at 4 a.m. Saturday. Crews arrived on scene at 4:06 a.m. to find a working fire covering approximately 75 percent of the single-wide mobile home.
Escambia Fire Rescue and NAS Pensacola firefighters responded and the fire was called under control at 4:30 a.m., with the home a total loss. The fire displaced one adult who is being assisted by the American Red Cross. No injuries were reported and the Florida State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
8300 block of Gardenia Circle
A fire in the 8300 block of Gardenia Circle is the second red bulb on the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety wreath. Escambia County Emergency Communications received a phone call reporting a kitchen fire in a single story multi-residential building at 1:55 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 3. Escambia Fire Rescue crews arrived on scene at 2 a.m. to find moderate smoke showing from the roof.
The fire was called under control at 2:22 a.m., with the unit a total loss. The fire displaced one adult and one child who are being assisted by the American Red Cross. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire was unattended cooking.
The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with the city of Pensacola to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths are on display at 18 county fire stations and five city fire stations, with wreaths also placed outside Escambia County’s Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building downtown, the Escambia County Public Safety Building, Pensacola City Hall and Cordova Mall near the food court entrance. Each time firefighters respond to a residential fire with damage, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by fires in residential home.
One Injured In Molino Rollover Wreck
December 3, 2017
One person was injured in a single vehicle rollover crash about 11:37 Saturday night at the intersection of Highway 196 and Highway 95A in Molino. The injured driver was transported by Escambia County EMS to a Pensacola area hospital. The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Who Needs Reindeer? Santa Arrives In Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet
December 3, 2017
Who needs Rudolph and those tiny little reindeer when you have a Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet? The U.S. Navy and Marine Corp welcome Santa and his helpers to Pensacola to spend time with Blue Angels families on Saturday. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Big Issues Amid A Capital Storm
December 3, 2017
With Thanksgiving already a speck in the rearview mirror, Capitol insiders are slowly plodding toward the advent of the 2018 legislative session next month.
The legislative agenda was bare this week, but the Florida Supreme Court and the Constitution Revision Commission made up for the quiet in the halls of the House and Senate.
Legislators will be in town next week to begin going through Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed $87.4 billion budget, along with a variety of other issues ranging from the salvage of pleasure boats to a Florida slavery memorial, and, of course, ubiquitous gun bills.
But, like much of the past month, the chatter around the Capitol remained concentrated this week on sexual harassment allegations lodged against Sen. Jack Latvala, a veteran politician who is defending himself, in part, against charges that he repeatedly groped Senate aide Rachel Perrin Rogers.
Scott this week stopped short of calling for the resignation of Latvala, a Clearwater Republican who is running for governor.
But on Thursday, Scott called Latvala, who is the subject of two Senate investigations about sexual harassment allegations, a “distraction” in the upper chamber and again called on Latvala to step down if the accusations are true.
Latvala remained mum about Scott’s comments throughout the day, but eventually lashed out at the governor Thursday evening via Twitter.
“I’m sure HCA stockholders thought your efforts to defend yourself in theft of billions from taxpayers was a distraction but you had a right to defend yourself! I have that same right!” Latvala tweeted.
Latvala was referring to a case in which Columbia/HCA, the hospital company Scott helped found, agreed to pay $1.7 billion in fines to the federal government. The fines, which were paid after Scott resigned from his post as CEO, stemmed from allegations of defrauding Medicare and other health programs.
The news this week from the Florida Supreme Court and the Constitution Revision Commission wasn’t nearly as sensational as the ongoing drama involving Latvala, or the overall shadow of sexual predation in the workplace, which is a serious matter that needs to be confronted.
But the issues emanating from those other arenas could have equally, if not more far-reaching, impacts on the lives of millions or even all of Floridians.
For now, it’s probable that many lobbyists, lawmakers, aides and others — in statehouses and workplaces throughout the nation — are scrutinizing their actions to see how they could be viewed in the current climate.
A Japanese proverb provides guidance for those evaluating how they govern themselves in the future: “The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.”
RECUSAL REJECTION
Scott’s attempt to have Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente removed from a case that could have a lasting impact on the makeup of the high court failed this week, after Pariente refused to recuse herself.
Scott’s lawyers had accused Pariente of being biased against the governor in the case, which centers on whether Scott or his successor has the power to appoint three new justices before he leaves office in January 2019.
Attorneys for Scott, who contends he has the appointment power, argued that Pariente should be disqualified because of comments she made that were caught on a “hot mic” after oral arguments in the case. The Scott administration alleges the comments indicated a bias against the governor.
But, accusing Scott of trying to “fan the flames of false controversy,” lawyers for the League of Women Voters and Common Cause filed a 12-page response Tuesday saying the motion to disqualify Pariente should be rejected. The two groups filed the underlying case about the appointment power in June.
According to legal precedent, Pariente alone — and not the full court — has the authority to decide whether she should step aside from the case.
The court on Wednesday issued a one-line rejection of Scott’s motion to disqualify Pariente, leading Scott spokesman John Tupps to blast the decision.
“Governor Scott expects all judges to be fair and impartial. It is disappointing that today’s decision was made without providing any plausible justification or explanation for Justice Pariente’s comments. Given the gravity of this case, Floridians deserve better,” Tupps said in a prepared statement.
In filing the case in June, the voting-rights groups argued that Scott’s successor should have to the authority to appoint replacements for Pariente and justices R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince, who will be forced to leave the bench in January 2019 because of a mandatory retirement age.
Whether Scott or his successor will have the authority could have a far-reaching impact on actions by the governor’s office and the Republican-dominated Legislature.
Pariente, Lewis and Quince are widely considered part of a four-member liberal majority on the seven-member court. If Scott makes the appointments, he could reshape the court in a more conservative mode for years, if not decades.
DOGS, RELIGION AND VAPING
The Constitution Revision Commission is moving forward with a variety of proposals in its once-every-two-decades process of proposing changes to the state Constitution.
Items that receive the 37-member commission’s approval will be placed on the ballot in November and will require 60 percent approval from voters to pass.
Altering the governing document might seem like a dry process, but committees of the commission pushed ahead this week with several initiatives sure to spark interest, including one that would ban vaping in the workplace.
Commissioner Lisa Carlton, a former state senator, backed the proposal, which received unanimous support from a committee.
Like cigarette smoke, second-hand exposure to vaping can lead to breathing in toxins, according to Carlton.
“No one should be forced to endure a cloud of harmful vapor in their cubicle as they work to support their families. No parent should have to worry about the health of their child because someone is vaping at the adjoining restaurant table, movie-theater seat, grocery store or next to them inside the mall,” she said.
Another Constitution Revision Commission proposal that’s repeatedly been floated in the Legislature but has failed to gain traction would shut down greyhound racing.
Supporters of the proposal pointed Thursday to issues such as greyhound injuries and deaths in arguing to shut down dog racing — a staple of Florida’s gambling industry for decades.
“This is, for me, a matter of conscience,” said commission member and state Sen. Tom Lee, a Thonotosassa Republican who is sponsoring the proposed ban.
Lee said society has changed and people have evolved since the heydays of greyhound racing.
“And that’s a good thing. And as we’ve evolved, we’ve banned all sorts of activities that have been considered cruel to animals — bullfighting and cockfighting and all kinds of things. To me, this is just the next step on that plane of becoming more sensitive to this kind of inhumanity,” he said.
Meanwhile, a committee advanced what will surely be one of the more controversial ballot items, if the measure receives approval from the full commission: doing away with a ban on state support for religious groups.
The commission’s Declaration of Rights Committee endorsed a measure that would eliminate the Constitution’s so-called “no-aid” provision, which prohibits public funding “directly or indirectly” for any church, religious group or “sectarian institution.”
The no-aid provision, which dates to Florida’s 1885 Constitution, has been invoked in recent years in legal fights over using publicly funded vouchers to send students to private schools. A state appellate court in 2004 cited the provision in striking down a voucher program, though the Florida Supreme Court later found the program unconstitutional on other grounds.
Commissioner Roberto Martinez of Miami said he sponsored the proposed change because he believed the no-aid provision was being used to prohibit churches and other groups from performing non-religious activities based solely on their statuses as religious organizations.
Martinez said the ban was unnecessary and that groups using state funding to promote religious activities would violate another constitutional provision prohibiting laws involving the “establishment of religion.”
“If the church was going to use it in a way that would promote a particular religious objective, then I think it would run afoul of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” Martinez, an attorney, said.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Rick Scott lost out in an attempt to remove Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente from a case that could have far-reaching implications on the makeup of the state’s highest court.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It is obvious that Senator Latvala remaining in the Senate is a distraction. It seems that everyone in Tallahassee is talking about this and not how to make Florida better.” — Gov. Rick Scott, on Sen. Jack Latvala, a Clearwater Republican who is under investigation for alleged sexual harassment.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
No Injuries In Early Morning Highway 97 Near Head-on Crash
December 2, 2017
There were no injuries in near head-on crash involving a wrong-way driver on Highway 97 in Dogwood Park early Saturday morning.
The driver of black four-door sedan was reportedly driving in the wrong lane when another driver topped a small hill south of Hendricks Lane, with the front driver’s sides of the cars colliding. The alleged wrong-way driver’s vehicle came to rest in the roadway, while the other vehicle came to rest several yards away in a ditch.
Both drivers refused transport by Escambia County EMS.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not been released.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
