Sports Note: Jay Girls JV Basketball Finishes Undefeated Season
February 4, 2018
The Jay High School Lady Royals junior varsity girls basketball team finished their season undefeated. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
DHSMV Launches MyFlorida Mobile App; Pay And Renew Registrations
February 4, 2018
To expand customer options for motor vehicle and vessel registration renewal services and to offer additional conveniences to customers, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) has partnered with PayIt, LLC to launch a mobile app called MyFlorida. In addition to allowing credit card payments, the app offers customers the option to use a checking account to remit payment and generates more specific clearance information for the customer in the instance there is a stop preventing registration of the vehicle or vessel.
“Customers continually request more convenient options for receiving required driver license or motor vehicle services, and it is critical that the department remain agile to meet their needs,” said DHSMV Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes. “DHSMV is committed to identifying efficiencies for our customers, and this new app provides an additional option for customers to complete their registration renewals anywhere, anytime.”
“Tax Collectors and the department are continually looking for ways to innovate in the area of e-government service delivery to our customers,” said Sharon Jordan, Suwannee County Tax Collector and President of the Florida Tax Collectors Association. “This app is another option our customers can use to conduct business.”
MyFlorida is available on all mobile devices and allows customers to securely renew a registration on an eligible vehicle or vessel and receive a digital document to use until the registration arrives in the mail. Customers choosing to use the app will pay a convenience fee to PayIt of $4.00 for transactions paid by a credit card, or $3.75 for transactions paid through their checking account, and can renew up to five vehicles and/or vessels at once with only one processing fee. The MyFlorida app is available to download for free now via iTunes and Google Play.
In addition to the app, customers may still choose to complete renewal transactions in an office or online via www.GoRenew.com.
Cantonment Man Charged With Aggravated Child Abuse
February 3, 2018
A Cantonment man has been charged with aggravated child abuse for allegedly hitting a toddler with various objects.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was called to the emergency room at Sacred Heat Hospital where they made contact with Albert Lee McClammy and a 3-year old suffering from two black eyes, one of which was swollen shut and bruising to his torso, face and head.
McClammy told deputies that he was watching his fiance’s child while she was at work and the child fell off a scooter. When the mom returned home and found the injuries, she did not believe the injuries were consistent with a fall from a scooter. The child told investigators at the Gulf Coast Kid’s House that McClammy hit him with baseball and pushed him while he was in a car seat, causing his head to hit a window, an arrest report states. He also allegedly hit the child in the face with a toy remote control police car and put a rag in his mouth. The baseball referred to by the child was later found to be hard stress ball.
McClammy was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $10,000 bond
Multiple Injuries In Hwy 29, Hwy 97 Crash
February 3, 2018
Three people were reported to be injured in a two vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino.
The accident happened about 5:55 p.m. Friday, with one vehicle coming to rest in the intersection and one crashing into a ditch. The accident shut down the intersection, with traffic routed through the Tom Thumb parking lot.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Woman Allegedly Exploited Elderly Woman With Dementia To Take Molino Property
February 3, 2018
A Cantonment women has been charged with exploiting an elderly woman with dementia to obtain a property in Molino that has been involved in a long-standing family dispute.
The property valued at $260,000 once belonged to the parents of 59-year old Fran Fillingim Rogers and her sister.
Clinical evidence showed the victim is suffering from dementia and needs round the clock care at the Sabel House. Her communications skills are severely degraded, and she requires assistance performing routine daily activities, according to investigators.
Rogers, accompanied by her realtor, went to the Sabel House in the evening and had the victim signed a quitclaim deed conveying the Molino property to Rogers. The realtor prepared the document and signed it as a witness. The quit claim deed was recorded with the Escambia County Clerk of Courts the following day.
The Florida Department of Children and Families found that the elderly woman was victimized, the arrest report states, noting that the victim has dementia and cannot make decisions for herself.
Rogers was charged with exploitation of the elderly, grand theft in excess of $100,000, and unlawful filing of a false document against real or personal property.
Rogers was released the same day she was arrested from the Escambia County Jail on a $60,000 bond.
Two Injuries In Two Highway 29 Crashes, One Wreck Involves An Ambulance
February 3, 2018
Two people were transported to the hospital and about a half dozen others were uninjured in two wrecks Friday night on Highway 29 at 10 Mile Road.
The two injured were in the first crash at the intersection and were transported to area hospitals for treatment.
The second crash was minor and involved a van and an Escambia County EMS unit responding to the first accident. There were no injuries in the second crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Jay’s Watson Takes Second In State Weightlifting Championship
February 3, 2018
Haylee Watson of Jay High School placed second in the state weightlifting championships Friday in the Class 1A-139 lbs. Division. Watson had a bench press of 185 pounds, just five pounds of first place and a clean/jerk of 165 pounds, equal to the first place finisher.
Pictured top: Haylee Watson, far left, placed second in her division in the state weightlifting tournament. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
A Very Special Mardi Gras Parade (With Photo Gallery)
February 3, 2018
A very special Mardi Gras parade was held Friday morning for the special needs students of Escambia Westgate School.
With plenty of beads, Moon Pies, stuffed animals and smiles, the parade rolled through the school parking lot for students that might not otherwise be able to attend a regular Mardi Gras parade.
Photos courtesy Escambia School District for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
North Escambia Couple Opens ‘The Yellow Garden’ Floral And Events Store In Atmore
February 3, 2018
North Escambia residents A.J. and Mallorie Beachy held a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting for their new business The Yellow Garden in Atmore Friday morning.
The store offers a variety of merchandise, including fresh flowers, gift baskets with candles and body scrubs, stuffed bears, balloons, Valentine’s gifts, rentals and much more. Delivery is available.
For more information, call The Yellow Garden at (251) 368-5998. The store is located at 301 North Main Street in Atmore.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Budgets And A Bombshell
February 3, 2018
With the 2018 legislative session nearing its midpoint, lawmakers are doing their duty.
Dozens of bills are moving through committees, and, maybe most important, the House and Senate have drawn up initial budget plans that tip the scales at more than $87 billion.
But Florida’s political world doesn’t simply focus on the state Capitol during the annual 60-day session, as was apparent this week.
A Tallahassee federal judge issued a bombshell ruling about restoring the voting rights of felons who have done their time. Meanwhile, more than 400 miles to the south, Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis held a coming-out party for his gubernatorial campaign.
CLOSE, BUT YET SO FAR
First, the good news about the initial budget proposals that key House and Senate committees approved this week: The total amounts of the proposals are only about $100 million apart, a difference that really isn’t a big deal in the context of divvying up more than $87 billion.
“I think we’re in great shape,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said Wednesday after his committee unanimously passed the $87.3 billion Senate budget bill (SB 2500). “The overall numbers are very similar.”
But in the budget world, big numbers can be somewhat deceiving. That’s because the House and Senate will still have to agree on all of the details about how money should be spent.
In the coming weeks, House and Senate leaders will have to work out differences in several policy areas.
For example, the Senate wants to spend more money than the House on higher education, a top priority of Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart. Meanwhile, the House, which has an overall $87.2 billion budget proposal, wants to set aside more money for school-choice programs, a priority of House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes.
Also, the two chambers differ on health-care issues such as how the state pays hospitals to care for Medicaid patients.
The proposed budgets will go to the full House and Senate during the coming week and likely will be tweaked. That will set the stage for negotiations to try to agree on a final spending plan before the scheduled March 9 end of the legislative session.
NO MORE KOWTOWING?
Restoration of voting rights for ex-felons has long been a controversial issue in Florida. But a federal judge, in no uncertain times, ruled this week that Florida’s system of deciding whether rights should be restored is arbitrary and unconstitutional.
“Florida strips the right to vote from every man and woman who commits a felony,” U.S. District Judge Mark Walker wrote in a 43-page ruling Thursday. “To vote again, disenfranchised citizens must kowtow before a panel of high-level government officials over which Florida’s governor has absolute veto authority. No standards guide the panel. Its members alone must be satisfied that these citizens deserve restoration. Until that moment (if it ever comes), these citizens cannot legally vote for presidents, governors, senators, representatives, mayors, or school-board members.”
Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis serve as the state’s clemency board, which determines whether rights should be restored. Under the system, ex-felons must wait five or seven years after finishing their sentences — including probation, parole and fines — before they can apply to have their rights restored, according to Walker’s ruling.
But applying doesn’t mean that Scott and the Cabinet members will agree to restore the felons’ rights. In his ruling, Walker focused heavily on what he saw as the arbitrariness of the system, which he ruled violated First Amendment rights and equal-protection rights under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
The voting-rights group Fair Elections Legal Network filed the lawsuit last year. Walker did not decide how the rights-restoration process should change and gave the plaintiffs and the state until Feb. 12 to file briefs on the issue.
But Scott’s office issued a statement late Thursday indicating it doesn’t plan to back down.
“The discretion of the clemency board over the restoration of felons’ rights in Florida has been in place for decades and overseen by multiple governors,” John Tupps, a Scott spokesman, said in the statement. “The process is outlined in Florida’s Constitution, and today’s ruling departs from precedent set by the United States Supreme Court.
“The governor believes that convicted felons should show that they can lead a life free of crime and be accountable to their victims and our communities. While we are reviewing today’s ruling, we will continue to defend this process in the court.”
Regardless of Walker’s ruling, voters will decide in November whether to approve a proposed constitutional amendment on the restoration issue.
The proposal, backed by a political committee known as Floridians for a Fair Democracy, seeks to automatically restore the voting rights of most felons who have served their sentences, completed parole or probation and paid restitution. Automatic restoration would not apply to murderers and sex offenders.
DESANTIS DIVES IN
As the 2018 elections draw closer, one of the most-watched issues will be how candidates are affected by their ties to President Donald Trump.
But as DeSantis formally launched his gubernatorial campaign this week during an event in Boca Raton, he touted his relationship with Trump.
“I want to thank the president for his support,” DeSantis said. “As we’ve seen in the aftermath of this tax bill, the president and his supporters in Congress, we’re keeping our word in getting the American economy moving again.”
That type of message could help with the Republican base, as DeSantis squares off with Putnam and probably Corcoran for the GOP nomination. But the Trump ties could be trickier in a general-election campaign.
Democrats quickly moved to make an issue of DeSantis’ relationship with Trump, who continues to suffer from low overall poll numbers.
“Congressman Ron DeSantis (R-Fox News) officially rolled out his campaign for governor with a speech that was ’light on policy’ but heavy on love for Donald Trump,” the Florida Democratic Party said in an email.
During his campaign kickoff, however, DeSantis also hit on some time-tested themes for Republicans, who have dominated state government for the past two decades.
“I’m proud to stand here today before you, as a veteran of our Armed Forces, as a principled conservative leader and with the support of our president, to be running for governor of Florida — the greatest state in the union,” DeSantis said. “A governor needs to lead, and I pledge that I will work every day to secure Florida’s future by expanding economic opportunities, promoting innovation and education and keeping our streets and communities safe.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled that the state’s system for restoring rights of ex-felons is unconstitutional.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Here, plaintiffs’ protected expressive and associational activities are at risk of viewpoint discrimination because the (clemency) board may defer restoration of rights for years — or forever. Defendants (the state) cannot — whether arbitrarily or motivated by political, racial, or religious bias — kick the can down the road for so long that they violate former felons’ rights to free association and free expression without offending the Constitution.” — U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, in his Thursday ruling on restoration of rights.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida