Manufacturing Company Opened In Century Last Week. Now They Are Ready For $1.6 Million Expansion.
January 30, 2025
Less than a week after celebrating their official grand opening in Century, a 50-year-old Brazilian manufacturing company is looking to expand their facility in the Century Industrial Park.
In May 2023, AlgaPlast Corp. signed a lease on a town-owned industrial park building formerly known as the Helicopter Technology Building. AlagaPlast is the new American subsidiary of Grupa GA230 of Arujá, Brazil.
This week, the company went before the Century Town Council seeking permission to begin the process, such as soil testing and engineering, leading to constructing a new warehouse and operations building. Company officials say the company needs more space and a higher ceiling for larger equipment and an overhead crane.
The town council has voted to allow Algaplast to begin soil testing and design of a new 18,200 square feet warehouse expansion to their current building. Algaplast is estimating that they will invest nearly $1.6 million in the new construction with an estimated 10 additional fulltime jobs.
Since Algapast will pay for the new construction, they are asking the town to keep the current monthly rental fee for the excising building.
In Century, Algaplast produces a variety of projects, including plastic injection products such as the front panels of retail gas station fuel pumps and laser cut and welded metal parts for other companies. Some of their custom metal parts are used by Blue Wind Technology and GE Vernova in Pensacola. The metal parts for GE are used to secure wind turbines as they are transported by train out of Pensacola.
Algaplast current employs five people in Century, according to CFO Marcos Martins.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Town of Century re-acquired the 40,000 square foot industrial space at public auction for less than $1 out of pocket back in August 2009, following the town’s foreclosure judgment against the now defunct Helicopter Technology company. The building sat empty since empty from 2009 until AlgaPlast’s occupancy.
Martins said the company has already invested $2.5 million in the new Century facility.
RELATED: Ribbon Cutting Held For Brazilian Manufacturing Company’s Expansion In Century
Pictured top and bottom: Algaplast in the Century Industrial Park. Pictured bottom inset: Algaplast Operations Engineer Pyetro Curvelo explains the company’s expansion plans to the Century Town Council this week. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Respond To Reported House Fire In Century
January 30, 2025
Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to a reported house fire in Century Wednesday night.
The fire on George Avenue was reported about 6:47 p.m.
Firefighters arrived to find a burnt pot on a stove and smoke filling the interior. There was no significant damage.
An adult male was evaluated on scene by Escambia County EMS but not transported to the hospital.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Three Atmore Residents Charged, One Wanted, For Brewton Attempted Murder
January 30, 2025
Three Atmore residents have been charged and a fourth is wanted on attempted murder charges after shots were fired into a home in Brewton.
About 2 a.m. on Sunday, the Brewton Police department responded after several shots were fired into an occupied home in the 1300 block of Sowell Road. There were no injuries.
Brewton PD attempted to stop a vehicle that fled from the scene. After a pursuit, four suspects were detained, and police later obtained warrants for their arrests.
The driver of the vehicle, 27-year-old Shakera Nicholson was charged with attempted murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling, and attempting to elude. Jalen Martin, 22, and Ahmad Daily, 24, were arrested in Atmore Wednesday by U.S. Marshals on charges of attempted murder and shooting into an occupied dwelling.
A fourth suspect, 27-year-old Scottie McNeal, is wanted on outstanding warrants for attempted murder and shooting into an occupied dwelling. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call their local law enforcement agency.
Celebrate Literacy Week: Career Dress Up Day At Lipscomb Elementary
January 30, 2025
It’s Celebrate Literacy Week at schools across Escambia County.
Wednesday at Lipscomb Elementary School was “Constructing Young Minda Career Dress Up Day”. Students went to school dressed in their career attire as community leaders and workers took time out of their busy schedules to read to them.
Participants included the Escambia County Public Schools and Superintendent Keith Leonard, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, Fishbein Orthodontics, Escambia County Property Appraiser Bubba Peters, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry and more.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Boys, Girls Basketball Earn Wins Wednesday Night
January 30, 2025
Boys
Tate 67 Washington 64
Girls
Tate 71 Escambia 37
The Tate Lady Aggies defeated Escambia 41-37 Wednesday night. Brelynn Morris scores a dozen points for Tate, while Amerie McGee added 11. Tylor Malone and Sam Williams each had eight points, while Sarah Mitchell recorded two points.
High School Students Named To Escambia Superintendent’s Student Council
January 30, 2025
Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard recently named 13 high school students to the 2024-2025 Superintendent’s Student Council, comprised of student leaders from each high school in the district.
- Natalie George – Tate High
- Aiden Bramblett – Tate High
- Braden Glick – Northview High
- Maddie Driskill – Northview High
- Randelaysia Grier – West Florida High
- Chrissie Fuller – West Florida High
- Delaria Pogu – Pine Forest High
- Westin Rhymer – Washington High
- Da’Rieon Gilbert – Washington High
- Grace Guerrier – Pensacola High
- Alex Kinney – Pensacola High
- Payten Sim – Escambia High
- Xandria Smith – Escambia High
The group will meet with the superintendent several times throughout the school year in order to help keep district leadership in tune with the students’ perspectives, priorities, and issues.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Schools Will Make Up One Snow Day On February 17
January 29, 2025
Escambia County Public Schools have announced that students will make up one snow day that was missed last week.
Monday, February 17 will now be a full instructional day for students.
Initially, February 17 was scheduled as a professional development day for teachers and staff. The school day said it will be necessary to use this day to ensure ECPS remains in compliance with Florida Department of Education instructional time parameters.
“No one could have predicted four days off for ice and snow in Escambia County,” said Leonard. “In order to be sure our students are receiving optimal instructional time, we will use February 17th as a make-up day.”
All schools and offices will operate on normal schedules, to include transportation and food services for students.
Pictured. Snow falls the afternoon of January 21 at Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Jimmy Patronis Easily Wins Republican Congressional Primary To Replace Matt Gaetz
January 29, 2025
Jimmy Patronis easily won the Republican special primary Tuesday in the race to replace Matt Gaetz in Congress.
Patronis, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, defeated nine other Republican candidates with a commanding 66% of the vote. Joel Rudman received just under 10% of the vote; Aaron Dimmock, Gaetz’s primary opponent last cycle, received about 7%. Former Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino received 6% of the vote. Other candidates in the race included Michael Dylan Thompson (5%), Greg Merk (2%), Jeff Peacock (1%), Kevin Gaffney (1%), John Mills (1%) and Jeff Macey (under 0.4%).
“You know, I am humbled beyond words,” Patronis told our news partners WEAR 3 at his victory celebration. “This was probably the biggest race I feel like I’ve personally had. I’ve won two statewide races, but this is different. This is a very large county congressional race. You have four counties you had to win over. It was much more of a personal campaign. I had to earn the trust of the voters, and it was much more than running TV ads. You had to get out and touch them, you had to let them know who you were. And I’m just humbled by the show of support today.”
Patronis will face Democratic candidate Gay Valimont independent Stephen Brody, plus a few write-in candidates in an April 1 special election. She ran against Gaetz in 2024 and lost by a 2-1 margin.
Win or lose, Patronis had to resign his Cabinet position as Florida chief financial officer. His last day as CFO will be March 31, the day before the special election. His replacement will be appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The First Congressional District became vacant when Gaetz resigned after being nominated by Trump as attorney general. He later withdrew from the nomination.
Pictured top: Jimmy Patronis speaks at his victory party Tuesday night. Courtesy image from WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Council Deadlocks On New Member Pick, Sets Special Election Dates For Council And Mayor
January 29, 2025
The Century Town Council was deadlocked Tuesday night on a choice to fill an empty seat after setting special election dates for council and mayor.
Seat 4 on the council was left open when Alicia Johnson was appointed interim mayor after Luis Gomez, Jr., resigned.
Three candidates submitted applications to be considered for the seat:
- Constance Brookhart, who described herself as a very detailed person that is a supervisor at a water utility with over 20 years’ experience in dealing with people and finances. She would love to see Century “as a vibrant business area” that should be clean and decorated.
- Kathryn Fleming, who previously worked as a mental health case manager for about two years in Brewton that describes herself as a problem solver. She said Century is a gateway to Pensacola beaches and aviation that should draw tourists, and the county is growing north. She served on the Century Charter Review committee from 2022-2023.
- Lizbeth A. “Sparkie” Harrison, who has lived and worked as a director of PSC Century Center for two years that is “driven by the desire to help others and enhance the quality of life for all who call Century home. She attached a cover letter and a three-page “Vision Plan for Century” to the town’s basic application.
Brookhart did not attend Tuesday night’s meeting and received no votes from council. The votes for Fleming (pictured top left) and Harrison (pictured top right) were split 2-2 with Sandra McMurray-Jackson and Shelisa McCall voting for Harrison, while Henry Cunningham and Dynette Lewis chose Fleming.
The council seat will remain vacant until after an upcoming special election.
Lewis reminded both Fleming and Harrison that they can for the seat, or even for mayor.
Also Tuesday night, special election dates were set to fill the council seat and for mayor, a position currently occupied on an interim basis by Johnson.
The council gave preliminary approval to the following dates for a special election:
- Special Primary Election Date: March 18, 2025
- Special General Election Date: April 29, 2025
- Qualifying Period:
- Monday, February 10, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Tuesday, February 11, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Wednesday, February 12, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- Voter Registration Deadlines: February 19, 2025, for the primary; April 8, 2025, for the general election
The dates will become final after a second reading and approval of an ordinance, currently scheduled of February 4. The council plans to swear in the winning mayoral and council candidate during a special meeting on Tuesday, May 13.
Pictured top: Century town council applicants Kathryn Fleming (left) and Lizbeth A. “Sparkie” Harrison (right) answer questions from the town council Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged With Attempted Video Voyeurism In Dillard’s Bathroom
January 29, 2025
A Cantonment man has been charged with attempted video voyeurism in the bathroom of a Cordova Mall store.
Kyler Marion Vickery, 20, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on a charge of attempted third degree felony video voyeurism and third degree felony use a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony.
According to a Pensacola Police Department arrest report, police responded to a possible fight in the downstairs bathroom at Dillard’s in Cordova Mall. The victim told police that he was using a urinal when an iPhone appeared over the top of the stall in what he believed was an attempt to video him while he was using the urinal.
A loud verbal altercation ensued, with Vickery dropping his phone as he ran off, police said, with witnesses observing him running away. An arrest report states that Dillard’s security video shows Vickery running out of the bathroom area. The iPhone was taken into evidence.
Vickery told police that the accusations were false and that he had only taken a photo of the floor tiles. Police were unable to locate any evidence on the phone with cursory examination of the phone but later obtained a search warrant.
When asked if the downstairs Dillard’s bathroom is a popular gay hookup site for men, Vickery told police it was on website used for discreet cruising to for men, the report states, adding that the location-based app is designed for men or other individuals “to facilitate real-time casual meetups, friendships or connections.” Vickery told police that he had not been to “Dillard’s for anything like that in a year’, but he did something “dumb” while in college. He told police he was at Dillard’s to compare prices and had used a coupon at Bath and Body Works.
When the search warrant was executed on Vickery’s phone, police said a video file about two seconds in length and time stamped to match the alleged incident was located.
“The video began with a beige screen. It pans over the top of the bathroom stall next to it. A person’s shadow is visible, but not the person. It then pans back into its own stall. In the video’s audio you can hear what is assumed to be a male urinating and then a male’s voice express, ‘Geez’,” the report states. Police said the video appeared to be same bathroom as the incident.