FHP Issues Travel Advisory
October 7, 2017
The Florida Highway Patrol would like to remind motorists that during the upcoming storm to stay off the roadways during possible tropical storm force winds.
The FHP recommends that citizens follow the tips below:
• Slow down –. The roads remain slick after the storm so if you have to drive, decrease your speed to avoid hydroplaning.
• Buckle up – When it is finally safe to venture out, take the extra time to buckle your seatbelt. It is the law in Florida, and statistics continue to show that seatbelts save lives. Four of the reported deaths related to Tropical Story Fay involved motorists who were not wearing their seatbelts.
• Be cautious of high winds – Windy conditions adversely affect all vehicles, particularly high profile vehicles, such as buses and trucks, as well as motorcycles. Gusty wind makes driving difficult, especially when it is rapidly changing speed and direction.
• Turn around; don’t drown – Prepare for standing water. Never drive through flooded areas, even if you are familiar with the roads. The area of roadway you cannot see beneath the water may be washed out or the water may conceal debris, tree branches or even power lines.
• Pay attention – You may come up on an intersection that is no longer controlled by a traffic control device. If a police officer is directing traffic, follow their directions. Otherwise, treat the intersection as you would treat an intersection governed by a four-way Stop sign.
Jay Royals Beat The Northview Chiefs (With Gallery)
October 7, 2017
The Jay Royals beat the Northview Chiefs for the first time in a decade Friday night. The Royals topped the Chiefs 48-18 in Jay.
“Early turnovers hurts us,” Northview Coach Dereck Marshman said. “Big plays and missed tackles work hand in hand….we felt pretty good about our preparation on tackling coming in, but it failed us. And then we’ve got to learn to finish drives. We moved the ball between the 30 and 30 pretty good, but once we got into the red zone, it just stopped. The better team tonight won.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
For a bonus gallery click here – features cheerleaders and bands from both teams.
The Chiefs were the first on the scoreboard on a hand-off from quarterback Seth Killam to sophomore Aunterio Minor from eight yards out. With a missed point after attempt, the Chiefs were up 6-0 with 9:35 to go in the first quarter.
The Royals responded with six points of their own in the first quarter before exploding in the second quarter with 24 more points. The Chiefs were held to just six more points on a Trent Peebles touchdown dive with 1:17 to go in the second quarter.
At the half, the Royals were up 30-12.
The Royals added another TD in the third and two touchdowns in the fourth. The Chiefs’ only score of the second half came as Tim Bush score a touchdown with 3:43 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Jay Royals improved to 2-5 with the win. Northview’s season record fell to 1-6.
The Royals will face J.U. Blacksher of Uriah, AL, next Friday night. The Chiefs will celebrate homecoming as they host Pensacola Catholic in Bratt.
“We will reevaluate everything from the top down — coach, players — everything will be reevaluated,” Marshman said of the preparation for Catholic. Despite of a 1-7 record, Catholic will be one of the top teams Northview plays this season, he said. “It’s going to be a great challenge for us. They have great program with a lot of tradition.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
For a bonus gallery click here – features cheerleaders and bands from both teams.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power And EREC: ‘We Are Ready’
October 7, 2017
Both local electric utilities, Gulf Power and Escambia River Electric Cooperative, say they are ready for Nate.
GULF POWER
As Gulf Power customers and residents along the Gulf Coast prepare for impacts from Nate, the energy provider is preparing for potential impacts to its service area of heavy rain, wind and storm surge.
If Nate affects Northwest Florida, Gulf Power is expecting most of its impacts to be to the western portion of its service area. That does not rule out some minor impacts farther east to Panama City, Fla.
In preparation of the storm, all of Gulf Power’s 1,328 employees are shifting into storm mode and the company expects to activate the McCrary Storm & Training Center in Pensacola Saturday afternoon.
If Northwest Florida is impacted, Gulf Power crews are ready to restore power to customers after the storm, as soon as it’s safe to work. As a part of Southern Company, Gulf Power has secured extra crews from Georgia Power. The energy provider also has secured crews from Tennessee and Kentucky. These extra crews will be staging at Pensacola Fairgrounds.
As Gulf Power prepares for restoration, the utility encourages its customers to prepare to be without power for an extended period if tropical storm or hurricane-force winds and storm surge occur.
“Gulf Power has invested $225 million in ongoing storm resiliency projects across our region since Hurricane Ivan in 2004,” said Kimberly Blair, Gulf Power spokesperson. “Investments in our smart grid doesn’t mean customers won’t lose power during a storm. It means that our ongoing investment in our grid maintenance, upgrades and technology makes it much more resilient than years ago when Hurricane Ivan hit. Even though customers may lose power in a storm, a stronger grid means faster restoration times.”
Gulf Power teams rapidly deployed to restore power in less than two days when tropical force winds from Irma knocked out service to some 13,000 customers in the Panama City area.
“Our Gulf Power team trains and prepares for these storm events that have such a large impact on our communities and our customers’ lives,” said Blair. “We work hard to cultivate what we call a ‘culture of preparedness’. This culture has served our communities well in previous successful storm restoration events.”
The safety of Gulf Power customers is also important.
“We urge our customers to view storm safety tips on our website in preparation for the storm,” Blair said. “Most importantly we stress two important safety messages. If you see a downed power line, stay away and call 911 immediately. The line could still be energized and could also energize fences and other objects it’s touching. Also use your generators safely. Never use them indoors or in a garage. Three people died and several others were hospitalized from carbon monoxide poisoning when running a generator inside their homes after Hurricane Irma left them without power.
ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC
Escambia River Electric Cooperative, Inc. (EREC) employees have been placed on storm alert, and the emergency response plan has been activated in anticipation of possible effects of Nate. Members are encouraged to stay abreast of storm developments and take necessary safety precautions.
“We are watching Nate closely and all emergency response personnel are ready to respond to whatever the storm may bring our way. Additional co-op crews are on stand-by status to speed the recovery process if needed,” said Clay Campbell, EREC CEO/general manager.
EREC reminds the public that, in the event of outages, crews will begin making system repairs as soon as safely possible. Members are also encouraged to be mindful of their surroundings and to take safety precautions in the storm’s aftermath.
Storm Related Traffic Info From FDOT
October 7, 2017
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is providing an update on road and bridge closures and restrictions in Northwest Florida due to Nate.
FDOT has suspended interstate and highway construction in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties through Sunday, Oct. 8 to allow for the possible increase in traffic. All rail, transit and seaport facilities are functioning as normal. All construction activities will resume Monday, Oct. 9.
FDOT will assist first responders with traffic control, detours or road closures, but the department will suspend emergency response activities if Nate’s sustained winds reach tropical storm force of 45 mph or higher. Once conditions improve, crews will go back to working around the clock to clear all roadways.
Motorists are encouraged to monitor weather reports and road conditions and to be on the lookout for flooded roads. If the road ahead is flooded, turn around and find an alternate route. Flooded roads may hide the fact that the roadway is washed out underneath and as little as six inches of rushing water can force your car off the road.
For the latest closures and updates, travelers can access Florida’s 511 service from cell phones, landlines and online at www.FL511.com. For more information, follow FDOT on Twitter @myfdot_nwfl or on Facebook at Facebook.com/MyFDOTNWFL.
Bonus Gallery: Northview And Jay Bands And Cheerleaders
October 7, 2017
The Northview Chiefs visited the Jay Royals Friday night.
For a photo gallery featuring the Northview and Jay bands and cheerleaders, click here.
For a photo game action story and photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Football Finals
October 7, 2017
Here are Friday night final football scores from around the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
Jay 49, Northview 18
West Florida 17, Pine Forest 7
Escambia 35, Navarre 27
Madison County 45, Pensacola Catholic 6
Gulf Breeze 31, Fort Walton Beach 23
Crestview 30, Milton 7
Tate – Open
ALABAMA
Satsuma 30, Escambia County (Atmore) 14
Escambia Academy 38, Clarke Prep 8
Mobile Christian 51, Flomaton 19
W.S. Neal 34, Monroe County 14
.R. Miller 35, Excel 0
Pictured: The Jay Royals defeated the Northview Chiefs Friday night in Jay. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pickup Runs Off Road, Hits Peanut Vendor’s Trailer
October 7, 2017
A pickup truck ran off Highway 29 and struck a peanut vendor’s trailer Friday afternoon.
At least one person was reported to be inside the food trailer at the time of the accident. Two people were transported by ambulance to area hospital following their crash at Highway 29 and North Tate School Road.
Additional details have not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Northview Homecoming Dance Canceled
October 7, 2017
Northview High School’s Homecoming Dance scheduled for Saturday night has been canceled, according to school officials.
It will be rescheduled, with the date to be announced. It may be a few weeks from now, but likely in October.
Century Council To Hold Workshop On ‘New Policies’
October 7, 2017
The Town of Century has set a special workshop meeting for Monday to discuss new town policies.
The meeting will be held at the town hall at 5:15 p.m. and will include policy discussions on the following topics:
- Budget – Overtime
- Overtime
- Adopt a Street
- Water Meter
- Reinstate Service
- Wastewater
- On Call
- Call Out & Vehicles after Hours
- Curbside Pickup
- Travel
- Town Logo
- Employee Handbook
- Smoking
The meeting is open to the public. Any discussion items will not become final until approved at a regular council meeting.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: November 30 Can’t Come Soon Enough
October 7, 2017
Hurricane Irma tore through Florida almost a month ago.
But the state continues to count its losses and look for ways to better prepare for hurricanes — all while hoping the latest storm doesn’t make a right-hand turn in the Gulf of Mexico.
Nov. 30 can’t come soon enough.
Maybe then, with the end of hurricane season, Floridians can let down their collective guard. And maybe Gov. Rick Scott will be able to shift out of emergency-management mode and hang up his Navy hat.
But while Scott and other officials have remained focused on hurricanes, the business of state government has resumed after Irma. One sign is that lawmakers will be back in the Capitol next week to prepare for the 2018 legislative session.
Meanwhile, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, which meets every 20 years, is ratcheting up work as it prepares to place proposed constitutional amendments on the November 2018 ballot.
TAKING IT ON THE CHIN
All sorts of numbers spew out during and after a hurricane: the number of power outages, the number of insurance claims, the number of deaths and on and on.
But maybe the most-striking number this week was $2.5 billion.
An early estimate from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said Hurricane Irma caused more than $2.5 billion in damage to the agriculture industry when it made landfall Sept. 10 and then plowed up the state.
Making matters worse, the largest estimated losses — $761 million — came in the citrus industry, which already has been reeling from deadly greening disease. Also hit hard was the nursery industry, with almost $624 million in estimated losses.
“Florida agriculture took it on the chin as Hurricane Irma pummeled the state,” said Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who called the $2.5 billion figure “only an initial assessment.”
“We’re likely to see even greater economic losses as we account for loss of future production and the cost to rebuild infrastructure,” Putnam added.
The report estimated 421,176 acres of citrus were affected in Collier, Hendry, Lee, Brevard, Glades, Charlotte, St. Lucie, Highlands, Indian River, Okeechobee, DeSoto, Hardee, Osceola, Polk and Martin counties. Meanwhile, the nursery industry estimated that 46,204 acres of greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture production was affected.
Agriculture, of course, is a major industry in Florida. But in Monroe County, where Irma made initial landfall, the concerns focus on restoring an even-bigger industry: tourism.
Scott appeared Wednesday in Key West to talk up recovery efforts. Also, the state tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida has rolled out a multimillion-dollar post-hurricane marketing plan that will include a component focused on the Keys, where tourism is a lifeblood.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get everybody to come down here,” Scott said. “We’ve already started that. On top of that we’re going to do a lot more through Visit Florida. The Legislature gave us $76 million to market our state and we’re going to put it to good use, especially right now. When people wonder, `Are we open for business?’ We absolutely are open for business.”
But it wasn’t exactly that simple. The Islamorada Resort Company estimated Monday that it may take up to six months to stagger the reopening of four resorts — Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina, Amara Cay Resort, La Siesta Resort & Marina and Pelican Cove Resort & Marina.
“We have engaged more than 500 construction workers who are currently doing everything they can to repair our properties so that we can welcome guests back in the near future,” said Eddie Sipple, the company’s area general manager.
The state’s recovery efforts could be complicated if another big storm hits Florida this fall. Scott and emergency managers were preparing Friday as Tropical Storm Nate raced up the Gulf of Mexico toward an expected landfall in Louisiana or Mississippi.
The storm, which likely will become a hurricane, could send heavy winds, storm surge and rain this weekend into Northwest Florida.
“We’re going to get rain. We’re going to get storm surge. We’re going to get wind. We don’t know how bad it’s going to be,” Scott said Friday during a briefing in Escambia County. “This storm, like all these storms, is going to change. So you have got to stay vigilant.”
STEMMING THE CONFUSION
It’s safe to say the Florida Constitution Revision Commission will never be as riveting as a hurricane. Don’t expect to see The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore reporting live from a commission meeting.
But the work of the 37-member panel could affect Florida for decades.
The commission and several committees held four days of meetings this week to sift through information and proposals. The ultimate goal is to agree on what likely will be a relative handful of proposed constitutional amendments that will go before voters in November 2018.
If approved by voters, those amendments will be the law of the state for the foreseeable future.
Drawing considerable attention this week were proposals dealing with Florida’s primary-election system.
“When it comes to the primary election, our voters are confused,” Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes told the Constitution Revision Commission’s Ethics and Elections Committee.
Many new voters move to Florida from other states with more open voting systems as opposed to Florida’s closed primaries, which are restricted to voters who are registered with parties. Florida is one of nine states using a closed-primary system.
Adding to the confusion is that more voters are opting not to join the Republican or Democratic parties but register with “no party affiliation” or in a host of minor parties. No-party affiliation is the fastest growing segment of the electorate and is particularly popular with young people, with more than one out of every four Florida voters falling into that category.
Steven Hough of the group Florida Fair and Open Primaries talked to the Ethics and Elections Committee about his proposal to change Florida’s closed-primary system to a “top-two” system where all voters could participate in primary elections.
Patterned after election systems used in California and Washington, Hough said the revision would place all candidates for an office in the primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election.
But maybe drawing more attention was a proposal to change what has become known as the “write-in candidate loophole.”
Florida opens primaries to all voters when all of the candidates are from the same party and there is no general-election opposition. But that has been undermined by a state Division of Elections ruling, upheld by the courts, that says the presence of a general election write-in candidate closes primaries, even if only one party has a primary election.
The net effect of the loophole is that the primary winner ends up as the only name on the general election ballot, virtually assuring a win. Snipes said the use of write-in candidates in Broward, the county with second-highest voter registration, is fairly common.
“What I see happen quite often is the write-in candidate is put into the race as a tool to close the race down,” Snipes said, saying many write-in candidates even drop out before the general election.
STORY OF THE WEEK: The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services estimated that Hurricane Irma caused more than $2.5 billion in damage to the state’s agriculture industry.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Sadly, (in) Florida we know what we’re doing after the Pulse nightclub.” — Attorney General Pam Bondi, as she and staff members prepared to go to Nevada to help victims of a mass shooting in Las Vegas.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida