Escambia County Explores How To Build A Bridge Faster, Smarter And Cheaper
January 12, 2018
Escambia County Administrator Jack Brown believes the county has found a way to build bridges faster, smarter and cheaper.
In early November of last year, the bridge on Arthur Brown Road (CR99A) at Freeman Springs Branch outside Walnut Hill was closed after a failed Florida Department of Transportation inspection.
Fast forward to last Friday morning….the new 24-foot wide bridge arrived on a truck from the Big R Bridge company in three main pieces, plus guardrails and buckets of bolts. Think of it as a giant Erector Set.
In just a few minutes, the three bridge sections were on the ground, and it was all hands on deck installing guardrails as simple as just bolting them on. By Saturday morning, the three sections were hoisted into place, creating the 40-foot span across Freeman Springs Branch.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“This is really promising,” Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry said as he watched the bridge assembly. “This could very well be the future of bridges in Escambia County”
“I really think this will continue to be a good thing for the citizens of Escambia County,” Brown said. “It really saves times, and saves money. It ultimately is good thing for the citizens because we can get these bridges back open faster.”
The North Escambia area from Molino north to the Alabama line has been dotted with bridge closures over the past year or more. Some of the closures were planned projects funded by the state, while others were emergency closures due to an aging and failing infrastructure…most North Escambia bridges on county roads were constructed 50 or more years ago with concrete spans on wood pilings.
“We can’t use these metal span bridges on FDOT funded projects,” Brown said. “But we can look at the costs benefits on county projects that we fund.”
These are not those temporary metal bridges that North Escambia drivers have seen alongside some projects — those metal deck bridges that make the strange sounds as vehicles roll across.
The new bridges are solid American steel with corrugated decks that are paved with asphalt after installation for decades of service.
“This bridge will probably save us over six months time in getting this road back open,” Assistant County Engineer Joy Jones said as she watched the bridge assembly on Arthur Brown Road.
“Time is important here,” Brown said, “even a life safety issue. The people on the other side of this bridge have been cut off from fire and EMS other services without a major detour.”
The cost for the actual bridge was around $80,000. The county still hired a contractor to construct the steel abutments to support the bridge and do the roadwork leading up to the bridge.
The project was slowed by the holiday period at the end of December and a week of weather too cold to pour concrete or lay asphalt, Jones said.
“We’ll probably have this back open within about a month,” she said.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
No-Fault Insurance Repeal Gets Senate Backing
January 12, 2018
An effort to eliminate the state’s “no-fault” auto insurance system got rolling Wednesday in the Senate, amid concerns the change would not significantly lower rates.
Also, questions continue over the fate of the Senate proposal (SB 150) because of medical coverage requirements that are not included in a similar measure (HB 19), which is teed up for a vote by the full House.
The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Wednesday voted 10-1 to support the bill by Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa. It would repeal the no-fault law, which requires motorists to carry $10,000 in personal-injury protection, or PIP, coverage to help pay medical expenses after accidents.
“I’m trying to make sure we don’t raise premiums on Floridians, but at the same token that we protect as many options for consumers to get medical care in the event of an accident,” Lee said after the meeting. “It’s a balancing act.”
The proposal must still go before two more committees before reaching the Senate floor.
Since a 2012 effort to reform the no-fault system — championed by Gov. Rick Scott and then-state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater — efforts have increased in Tallahassee to replace it with a tort-based system.
The 2012 law, in part, required people involved in crashes to seek treatment within 14 days, put a $2,500 cap on coverage for non-emergency conditions, eliminated massage therapists and acupuncturists from getting paid for medical coverage and set new requirements for chiropractic visits.
The 2012 changes were considered a last-ditch effort to maintain the no-fault system after rates increased because of fraudulent claims.
Lee’s measure would require motorists to carry $5,000 in what is known as medical payments coverage, or MedPay, and minimum amounts of bodily-injury coverage that would increase over time.
Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, called his vote for the measure a “soft yes,” saying he will continue to seek lower projected premium increases.
“Insurance rates will go up for those that have just PIP policies,” Garcia said. “So, that means that a lot of us in the minority communities, for a lot of us that live in South Florida, some of those rates for those that have insurance just PIP-only policies, their rates will go up.”
Under Lee’s MedPay rules, people would be required to seek medical attention within 14 days of injuries occurring.
Through an amendment, Garcia was able to attach language to the bill that would allow MedPay to also cover chiropractic and dental costs.
Mark Delegal, a lobbyist representing State Farm, which is opposed to the Senate proposal, called Lee’s amended measure “PIP version 2.0” and warned that the system will remain “costly and inefficient.”
“You’re throwing that right back on it, with a broad spectrum of providers, and without knowing the costs of that up front,” Delegal said. “It’s going to be unaffordable to a lot of people.”
Lee’s proposal is estimated to initially raise rates about $4 a year, as the savings from the elimination of no-fault would be offset by increases in premiums for bodily-injury liability coverage and uninsured-motorist coverage.
“You could lower insurance premiums, if that was our solitary goal, by gutting insurance coverage and having people drive around with almost no coverage,” Lee said. “The question is what is the most efficient system.”
The House measure sponsored by Rep. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, faces opposition from some insurers, business groups and medical providers. It has been projected to save motorists on average about $80 a year.
Grall’s proposal, which was backed by the House Commerce Committee in an 18-7 vote last month, would eliminate the system’s limits on lawsuits. Drivers at fault in accidents would be fully liable for damages, with the minimum bodily-injury coverage under Grall’s proposal being $25,000 for damages for injury or death of one person and $50,000 for injury or death of two or more people.
Lee’s proposal, starting Jan. 1, 2019, would set a minimum of $20,000 for bodily injury protection that includes coverage for the injury or death of one person and $40,000 for injury or death of two or more people.
Individual premiums would be expected to increase as the minimum coverage would grow to $25,000 and $50,000 two years later and to $30,000 and $60,000 on Jan. 1, 2023.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Lambert Announces Candidacy For Escambia (AL) Sheriff
January 12, 2018
Submitted article.
Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Lambert has announced he will be a candidate for sheriff in the June 5 Democratic primary.
Current Sheriff Grover Smith has announced he will not seek re-election to another term.
“I have the experience,” Lambert said. “I’ve learned and come up through the ranks. I know what it’s like to be a patrol officer, investigator and administrator. I know what it takes to be the sheriff.”
“My family lives in Escambia County, my children go to school in Escambia County,” Lambert said. “This is home. My wife works for the Escambia County School System and my son is a fireman at the Atmore Fire Department.”
Lambert, 48, is a native of Monroe County saying he grew up off of Butler Street at the Monroe, Conecuh and Escambia county lines.
A 1988 graduate of J.U. Blacksher High School, Lambert attended Patrick Henry State Jr. College and completed the Emergency Medical Technician Program and went to work with the ambulance service in Monroe County. He attended Wallace Community College in Selma and completed his advanced EMT certificate.
Lambert began his law enforcement career under Monroe County Sheriff Tom Tate in 1991 as a sheriff’s deputy. While working full time as a deputy, Lambert continued to work with the ambulance service.
Lambert then attended the University of South Alabama to become a paramedic, while still working as a deputy sheriff.
Lambert was promoted to the rank of corporal in Monroe County and in 1997 Escambia County Sheriff Tim Hawsey recruited him to come work with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Lambert joined the sheriff’s office as a deputy assigned to investigations. Lambert moved to the drug task force in 1999 and was promoted to sergeant in 2000.
Lambert was also the first law enforcement officer in Escambia County to be certified as a clandestine lab technician for taking down and cleaning up methamphetamine labs.
Lambert continued with the sheriff’s office when Grover Smith was elected sheriff.
He was a lieutenant when the Flomaton Police Department’s chief position came open.
“Sheriff Smith and I discussed it and I made the decision to go to Flomaton,” Lambert said.
Lambert served as police chief in Flomaton from 2005 to 2008 while also maintaining his deputy sheriff status.
In 2008, Lambert returned to the sheriff’s office as Sheriff Smith’s chief deputy.
“In July, I’ll start my 28th year in law enforcement,” Lambert said. “This is what I’ve done most of my adult life. I’ve been a deputy sheriff my entire career. I’m raising children in Escambia County like everybody else and I genuinely care about the citizens of Escambia County.”
Lambert said he feels his experience in all phases of law enforcement make him qualified to be the next sheriff.
“There’s a lot more to being sheriff than going out and arresting folks,” he said.
He’s attended multiple classes from working basic crime scenes to homicide. He has training in animal control to narcotic trafficking.
Lambert also completed administrative classes, including the Southern Police Institute Chief Executive Leadership Class in Washington, D.C.
“I’ve been trained by the DEA, ATF, FBI, Secret Service and numerous state and local agencies,” Lambert said.
Lambert is also a certified pilot and is certified as a SCUBA rescue diver.
“I’ve had a lot of training, but the main thing is working with people to make our county safe for everyone,” Lambert said. “For most of my career I’ve been in administrative positions and have worked on budgets for sheriff’s offices and police departments.”
He has helped launch community oriented policies in the rural areas of the county like neighborhood watch programs to train people to become the eyes and ears for law enforcement.
He recently launched a program where he and other deputies go to churches to implement safety programs and train members of the congregation.
Lambert also said he will continue to have deputies in the schools and continue the DARE program if elected sheriff.
“The school resource officer program is very important,” Lambert said. “If I’m elected I’ll keep them in the schools to protect our children and our teachers.” Lambert said the simple fact of having a patrol car parked outside a school and having a deputy walking the halls is a great deterrent to problems.
He said he will also continue a program to monitor registered sex offenders across the county. He said currently two deputies are assigned to that task and check on sex offenders on a daily basis to make sure they are in compliance with their sentencing orders. He said because of that, many sex offenders have been arrested for violating the Sex Offender Notification Act.
He said another key to being sheriff is to stay on top of technology, and he was instrumental in having all deputies fit with body cameras. Deputies now have laptop computers and printers inside their patrol vehicles.
“This allows them to stay out in the community instead of having to come back to the office to do reports,” Lambert said. “They can also print reports on scene and give them to victims.”
“I’ll continue to work with the county commission to make sure we have all the equipment we need to protect the citizens of Escambia County,” Lambert said.
Under Lambert’s direction, inmates are being used to pick up trash along county rights-of-way and recently began a program where inmates are out patching potholes on county roads.
“These things save the taxpayers money, but they also teach inmates about an honest day’s work,” he said. “We have some inmates in jail that have never had a real job. They won’t be here forever and when they do return to society we want them to be productive citizens. It can be as simple as having them get up everyday at 7 a.m. to go to work.”
He said operating a jail is expensive, but he’s worked with Sheriff Smith to implement programs to ease the financial burden on the taxpayers.
“Something like the federal inmate program generates about $100,000 per month that goes directly to the county budget,” he said. “I’ve worked hard to not only keep an allotted amount of federal inmates but to increase those numbers.”
“For the past 20 years I’ve tried to do anything I could, within my power, to help the people of Escambia County,” Lambert said. “I’ve always had an open-door policy and will continue that policy as sheriff. A lot of people already have my cell phone number and call me at all hours of the day and night, but that’s what I’m paid for.”
Lambert said if anyone needs him they can call him at 251-727-2575 or email him at ltmlambert@yahoo.com.
“I may not answer the phone when you call, but I promise you I’ll call you back or come see you in person,” Lambert said.
Lambert, his wife Shea and children attend Little Escambia Baptist Church in Flomaton. Lambert is also a member of the Brewton Rotary Club and the Flomaton Lions Club. They have one grandchild.
“I want Escambia County to be safe for your family and mine,” Lambert said. “I’ll do everything within my power to continue to make this county safe for everyone.”
Molino Ballpark Spring Registration Saturdays In January
January 12, 2018
It’s time to register to play ball at the Molino Ballpark.
Registration will be held at the park every Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Practices will begin February 5, so players must register by Saturday, January 27 in order to play this year.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Pensacola Beach Lifeguards Hosting Tryouts
January 12, 2018
Pensacola Beach Lifeguards will host a tryout event Saturday, January 20. Starting pay is $14.57 per hour.
The tryouts will take place at 7 a.m. at the University of West Florida Aquatic Center, located at 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 72. Applicants are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes early and to bring all relevant certifications to the tryout event.
Position requirements for employment include the following:
- Able to swim 600 yards in a pool in 10 minutes or less
- Able to run 1.5 miles on a track in 12 minutes or less
- Be at least 16 years old
- Possess a valid driver’s license
- American Red Cross Lifeguard Certification is preferred
Attending and passing a tryout is required to be considered for employment. If you pass the physical tests in the allotted time and meet all of the other requirements, you will be scheduled for an interview. If selected to be hired, you will receive paid training. Training includes, but is not limited to, successfully passing 80 hours of open water training and emergency medical training.
Please click here to fill out an online application prior to the tryout.
For more information, contact Senior Lifeguard Alexander Johnson at 850-503-1799 or at adjohnson@myescambia.com.
Local Schools, Students Place In FFA-Sub-District Career Developments
January 12, 2018
Local schools and students placed during the FFA-Sub-District Career Developments last month. They were:
Middle School Extemporaneous Speaking
1st Beulah Academy of Science
Opening and Closing Ceremony
1st Jay Middle School
2nd Central Middle School
3rd Lead Academy
Safe Tractor Operations and Maintenance
1st Zach Rutherford, Central High School
2nd Donnie Dixon, Northview High School
3rd Logan Cooley, Jay High School
High School Prepared Public Speaking
1st Avery Young, Take High School
2nd Raleigh Woodfin, Northview High School
3rd Tamara Barnes, West Florida High School
High School Extemporaneous Speaking
1st Gab Ferguson, Tate High School
2nd Kylie Schwarz, Tate High School
3rd Cody Kite, Northview High School
FFA Creed Speaking
1st Amber Gilman, Northview High School
2nd Jackson Arnold, Central High School
3rd Nathan Neal, Tate High School
Parliamentary Procedure
1st Tate High School
2nd West Florida High School
3rd Northview High School
Medicaid Work Requirement Unlikely In Florida
January 12, 2018
While the Trump administration signaled willingness this week to allow work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries, the Florida Legislature is unlikely to move ahead with such a mandate this year.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, told The News Service of Florida on Wednesday that the state’s $26 billion Medicaid program is comprised mostly of children and seniors and that work requirements are more geared toward able-bodied adults who qualify for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.
“I think that’s geared toward Obamacare expansion, not to our plan since we didn’t expand,” Corcoran said of imposing work requirements. “We don’t have childless able-bodied working age adults in our system, so I don’t know how that would transpose to us. If you look at our Medicaid population, mostly children, mostly seniors, and single pregnant moms, I don’t think that is necessarily something that we would do.”
There are about 4 million people enrolled in Florida’s Medicaid program, making it the fourth largest in the nation in terms of population, according to Medicaid Director Beth Kidder. Estimated spending on the program will be just under $27 billion this year, making it the fifth-largest program in the nation in terms of spending.
Kerri Wyland, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Scott, did not directly answer whether Scott would support work requirements or co-payments for the Medicaid program. “This would require legislative action. Governor Scott will review any bill that reaches his desk,” she said in an email.
The Trump administration on Wednesday sent a letter to state Medicaid directors announcing a policy to authorize work requirements for states with what are known as “Medicaid 1115 waivers.” Florida has such a waiver.
“Subject to the full federal review process, CMS (the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) will support state efforts to test incentives that make participation in work or other community engagement a requirement for continued Medicaid eligibility or coverage for certain adult Medicaid beneficiaries in demonstration projects authorized under section 1115 of the Social Security Act,” the letter said. “Such programs should be designed to promote better mental, physical, and emotional health in furtherance of Medicaid program objectives. Such programs may also, separately, be designed to help individuals and families rise out of poverty and attain independence, also in furtherance of Medicaid program objectives.”
States would have the flexibility to identify activities other than employment that promote health and wellness and could include community service, caregiving or job training.
Mandating work requirements has been a long-standing priority for conservatives, and the Trump administration announcement reverses previous policies that prevented states from requiring Medicaid beneficiaries to work to qualify for the program.
While Corcoran said the House won’t move ahead with the idea this year, the Republican-led chamber considered it last year. Rep. Travis Cummings, R-Orange Park, introduced a bill that would have required all Medicaid beneficiaries who are part of the state’s “managed medical assistance” program to adhere to the same work requirements that currently apply to families who receive temporary cash assistance.
The bill also would have required Medicaid enrollees to pay monthly premiums to remain enrolled in the managed medical assistance program, which involves enrolling in managed-care plans.
The Florida Senate in 2015 proposed expanding Medicaid under Obamacare and included in its proposal a mandate that eligible adults work to receive the benefits.
But Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Chairwoman Anitere Flores, R-Miami, said the Senate has not discussed requiring those currently enrolled in the program to work.
“Should eligible Medicaid recipients be looking for work or be trying to work? Yes,” Flores said. “Should that be a barrier to getting benefits? Probably not.”
by Kristine Sexton, The News Service of Florida
New Escambia County Annual Report Available Online
January 12, 2018
The Fiscal Year 2016-17 Escambia County Board of County Commissioners’ Annual Report is now available online and in printable PDF form, featuring a variety of county-related information for citizens.
To view the annual report, click here. To download the PDF version, click here.
Escambia County’s annual report is filled with information about county services throughout the community, ongoing county projects and an overview of accomplishments during the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2016 and ended Sept. 30, 2017.
The annual report also allows residents to easily access statistics, review the county’s organizational chart and learn more about the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and its departments. The statistics and budget pages include data about grant funding, local option sales tax spending and more.
Firefighters Save Dog From Molino Mobile Home Fire; Two People Displaced
January 11, 2018
Thursday morning, firefighters saved a small dog from a mobile home fire in Molino that displaced two people.
The fire was reported shortly before 8 a.m. on Rumford Road off Duxbury Avenue. Firefighters arrived to find light smoke coming from the 2,000 square foot mobile home. The fire reportedly originated in the the laundry room.
During a search of the home, a small dog was located and removed from the structure. Escambia County EMS provided the dog with oxygen and water.
Two adults living in the mobile home were temporarily displaced by the fire.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Barrineau Park Road To Close For Jacks Branch Bridge Replacement
January 11, 2018
Construction activities are scheduled to begin the week of January 22, 2018 on Barrineau Park Road (Hwy. 196) over Jacks Branch in Escambia County. Crews will remove and replace the bridge over Jacks Branch, add new guardrail, and reconstruct the approach slabs.
Barrineau Park Road will be closed and traffic detoured via Highway 29, Molino Road (Hwy. 182), and Highway 95A. The $1.97 million project is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2018.
FDOT graphics for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
