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 “If the signatures are good, this gets withdrawn the next day.”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.
Group Wants More Local Residents To Achieve A College Degree
January 19, 2018
A local group wants to increase the number of Escambia County residents with a college degree by 20 percent by 2025.
Achieve Escambia has received a $20,000 planning grant from the Florida College Access Network to support a new effort dedicated to supporting pathways to postsecondary education and employment in Escambia County.
Currently, Escambia County’s postsecondary attainment rate is 40.1%. The Florida College Access Network’s goal is to increase that achievement rate to 60% by 2025.
To reach this goal, Achieve Escambia will create a Local College Access Network. The group will include leaders representing a variety of sectors to build a culture that supports postsecondary opportunity in Escambia County. The partnership will focus not only on increasing college readiness, access and completion, but also on supporting collaborative initiatives that can raise attainment rates in tangible ways.
“We are the first local network in the Panhandle to connect with a broader statewide strategy designed to provide all high school graduates with clear paths to postsecondary success,” said Kimberly Krupa, director of Achieve Escambia.
“We know that moving the needle on something as big as postsecondary attainment is not the responsibility of one individual or organization,” said Debbie Calder, executive vice president of Navy Federal Credit Union and chair of the Achieve Escambia Leadership Council. “This is all about bringing people together across many sectors to seriously focus on what we need to do to improve education and workforce outcomes.”
Laurie Meggesin, executive director of the Florida College Access Network, said local college access networks like Achieve Escambia are in the best position to close gaps that exist between the skills of local workers and the needs of current and future employers.
Northview Grad Singleton Lobbies Legislative Committee For FFA Education Bill
January 18, 2018
Northview High School graduate Mitchell Singleton lobbied a Florida legislative committee Wednesday on behalf of a bill to benefit agricultural education and the Florida FFA.
Mitchell currently serves as the Area 1 State Vice President of the Florida FFA Assocation. He spoke to the members of the Florida House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee in favor of House Bill 3053, Next Generation Agricultural Education Student.
The bill would provide a $1.25 million appropriation — $1 million would go toward making each of over 60,ooo agricultural education students in Florida members of the FFA at no cost to them, and $250,000 would go toward updates to the FFA’s Leadership Training Center in Haines City which used by thousands of FFA members each year.
“For me personally, my FFA story doesn’t being like most of you may think,” Mitchell told the committee. “I don’t have a background in agriculture. None of my family are farmers. I joined the FFA in the sixth grade at Ernest Ward Middle School because some of my friends were doing it and I thought that would just be the cool thing to do. So at that time I was a shy little sixth grader that would not even be caught dead speaking in front of this committee this morning, but also I didn’t know that I could have a place in agriculture because at that time my plan wasn’t to grow up and to be a farmer. But through the seven years that I have zipped up that blue corduroy jacket, I have realized that I can take every opportunity that is given to me to step out of my comfort zone, to grow myself as as individual, to grow myself as a leader.”
“But equally as important, I realized even I have a place in the agriculture industry,” he said.
He told the subcommittee members that the FFA and agricultural education is about much more than production agriculture, with positions such as social media marketing, scientists, or Singleton’s personal choice of education.
He said there are hundreds, or even thousands of FFA members with similar personal growth stories.
“This funding will allow us to truly change the future of Florida FFA forever,” he said. “We are asking your support to be able to open the door for every student in ag eduation courses in Florida so that we can build a better future for them, a better future Florida and a better future for the United States of America.”
Following Mitchell’s speech, the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee voted 12-0 in favor of the bill. It next goes to the full House Appropriations Committee.
Pictured: Mitchell Singleton addresses the Florida House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee Wednesday in favor of the Next Generation Agricultural Education Student bill. Image courtesy The Florida Channel for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Stock Broker Gets 20 Years In $1 Million Scam
January 18, 2018
A stock broker is headed to prison in a scam that took $1 million from an Escambia County widow.
Ronald Ball was sentenced to 20 years in state prison and ordered to pay more than $1 million restitution by Judge Thomas Dannhieser.
An Escambia County jury convicted Ball of nine felony charges, including three counts of grand theft, two counts of money laundering, two counts of racketeering, and one count of criminal solicitation.
The prosecutor, Assistant State Attorney Russell Edgar, said the case was a complex white collar crime matter involving multiple victims and thousands of financial transactions.
The case was investigated by the Office of State Attorney based on a complaint referred by the FBI that Ball had defrauded a physician’s widow of more than $1 million of life insurance proceeds.
Prosecutors presented testimony and evidence that showed Ball, a suspended stock broker, obtained the widow’s money under the pretense he would invest life insurance proceeds for her benefit. Instead he used sham companies, to misappropriate the victim’s money, laundered it through multiple brokerage and bank accounts and then used more than $800 thousand for himself.
Using the same sham companies, Ball obtained more than $300 thousand from credit card companies, an auto finance company, a bank, and a mortgage loan company under false pretenses.
After his arrest, Ball sent a threatening text to the physician’s widow and tried to hide evidence of his actions from investigators. Ball solicited his brother to remove a laptop, e-drive, cell phone and papers from Ball’s house. Investigators discovered Ball’s plan, obtained a warrant, and seized items before they could be removed. Investigators testified they found multiple incriminating items of evidence in Ball’s house, including forged and altered business documents
and computer images of the widow’s signature.
Ice Related Wreck Claims Life Of Milton Man
January 18, 2018
A wreck on an icy road Wednesday morning claimed the life of a Milton man.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 36-year old Edward Joe Meno Santos was northbound on Highway 87 when he encountered a patch of ice which had formed across his entire lane. Santos was unable to maintain control of his 2005 Nissan Titan and rotated into a construction zone, colliding with a roadway milling machine.
Santos was pronounced deceased at Santa Rosa Medical Center.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Ice, Ice Baby: Our Favorite Sleet And Ice Event Photos
January 18, 2018
Here are some of our favorite sleet and ice photos from Wednesday.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
