New Red Light Cameras Now Active At These Pensacola Intersections
January 2, 2025
New red light cameras are now active in Pensacola, and police will soon be issuing tickets.
The cameras are located at:
- 9th Avenue & Bayou — north, south, east, and west approaches (near Cordova Mall)
- 9th Avenue & Airport — north, south, east, and west approaches (also near Cordova Mall)
- 9th Avenue & Fairfield Drive — east and west approaches
- Davis Hwy & Fairfield Drive — east and west approaches
- 9th Avenue & Gregory Street — west approach
These intersections were chosen based on traffic crash data collected over several years and have historically been sites of Pensacola’s most major crashes., Pensacola Police said. In the past two years alone, these five intersections have accounted for 377 vehicle crashes.
There’s a grace period in place for now. After February 1, each violation will be reviewed by a Pensacola Police officer, and citations will be issued. These citations will n
Escambia County Value Adjustment Board Seeks Volunteers
January 2, 2025
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to be considered for an appointment to the Value Adjustment Board. The VAB provides for the hearing of all petitions, complaints, appeals and disputes concerning taxable assessment of properties. The term of office is one year.
Escambia County residents interested in serving on the Value Adjustment Board are asked to submit a resume and letter indicating their desire to serve by 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9. Resumes and letters should be submitted via email to boardapply@myescambia.com or by mail to:
Jose Gochez, Program Manager
Escambia County Board of County Commissioners
221 Palafox Place, Suite 420
Pensacola, FL 32502
Resumes submitted for consideration are subject to public records requests and are included in Escambia County Commission meeting information, including the agenda and official meeting minutes.
The Board of County Commissioners’ VAB appointee must meet the following requirements to be eligible to serve:
Must own homestead property in Escambia County.
Cannot be a member or employee of any taxing authority.
Cannot represent property owners in any administrative or judicial review of property taxes.
The VAB meets for approximately 30-40 minutes twice a year, usually in August and December.
Escambia County Attempted Homicide Suspect Arrested
January 2, 2025
An attempted homicide suspect wanted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office since last week is now behind bars.
Terrance James Franklin, 45, is charged with an attempted homicide that occurred after an argument on Christmas Day in the 3000 block of Michael Drive. He allegedly shot someone in the chest and leg with a shotgun. The victim was expected to survive.
Franklin was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon or ammo by a convicted felon. He remained in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Atmore Police Investigate Shooting; 20 Rounds Fired Into Vehicle
January 1, 2025
The Atmore Police Department is investigating a shooting that happened late Monday night on Ashley Street.
Atmore Police responded to multiple reports of shots fired in the 100 block of Ashley Street at about 11:13 p.m.
“Atmore officers immediately responded and found a male with a single gunshot to the lower extremity,” Chief Chuck Brooks said. “The male was transported by EMS to Atmore Community Hospital.”
Brooks said the male was sitting in a vehicle when the suspects began firing into the vehicle with what believed to be a high-powered rifle.
“Officers recovered approximately 20 .223 (caliber) shell casings from the scene,” he said.
The name of the victim has not been released.
Anyone with information is asked to call Atmore Police at (250) 368-9141.
Here Are Escambia County’s Teachers Of The Year
January 1, 2025
Escambia County’s Teachers of the Year have been named to represent their respective schools.
One of them will named the Escambia County overall Teacher of the year in late January from a list of five finalists. Those finalists are highlighted in bold below.
- Jim Allen Elementary – Jacey Taylor
- Bellview Elementary – Natalie Hardeman
- Beulah Elementary – Brooke Ferrara
- Blue Angels Elementary – Christina Cardenas
- Bratt Elementary – Sherri Carter
- Brentwood Elementary – Jill Stewart
- Hellen Caro Elementary – Erin Quinlan
- N. B. Cook Elementary – Kheri Murphy
- Cordova Park Elementary – Margaret Fox-McClellan
- Ensley Elementary – Mary Springer-Alonzo
- Ferry Pass Elementary – Jina Bradley
- Global Learning Academy – Kelly Reed
- Holm Elementary – Lynette Chandler
- Kingsfield Elementary School – Laura Wiggins
- Lincoln Park Elementary – Janie Hayes
- Lipscomb Elementary – Aurora Paul
- Longleaf Elementary – Christine Dunson
- McArthur Elementary – Jodie Langford
- Molino Park Elementary – Heidi Robar
- Montclair Elementary – Maxine Mathis
- Myrtle Grove Elementary – Carrie Lawson
- Navy Point Elementary – Tanya DeGruccio
- Oakcrest Elementary – Deja Ramsey
- Pine Meadow Elementary – Kristen Whiddon
- Pleasant Grove Elementary – Theresa Restifo
- Scenic Heights Elementary – Amanda Byers
- O.J. Semmes Elementary – April Scott
- Sherwood Elementary – Patrice Majewski
- A. K. Suter Elementary – Tracy Eiser
- Warrington Elementary – Sylvia Harvey-Thomas
- C. A. Weis Elementary – Brianna English
- West Pensacola Elementary – Brittany Langlois
- Bailey Middle School – Clif (William) Cone
- Bellview Middle – Vicki Davis
- Beulah Middle – LeAnne Jenkins
- Brown Barge Middle – Nora Guy
- Ernest Ward Middle – Maria Willis
- Ferry Pass Middle – Kristen Amerson
- Ransom Middle – Stacey Hammer
- Workman Middle – Cynethia Gosse
- Escambia High School – Alicia Gifford
- Northview High School – Obreonne Parker
- Pensacola High School – Justin Aultman
- Pine Forest High School – Jonetta Moody
- Tate High School – Kristin Maum
- Booker T. Washington High School – Karen Privett
- West Florida High School – Tiffany Odom
- Alternative Education – Christopher Baker
- Beulah Academy of Science – Kara List
- Achieve Academy – Jayla King
- Success Academy – Pam Carter
- Escambia Virtual – Kimberly Rayburn
- Escambia Westgate – Terri Michelle Price
- ESE – Kirsten Kappler-Bennett
- Hope Horizon – Heather Turner
- George Stone Technical College – Garry Ellison
- Pensacola Beach Charter – Heather Gagnet
New Year’s Resolutions? Personalize Them In Your Own Journal At The Molino Library
January 1, 2025
Have a great list of New Year’s resolutions?
Begin 2025 with inspiration at the Molino Library’s “New Year, New You Resolution Journals” event on Friday, January 3. This all-day workshop invites participants to design personalized journals to help achieve their goals for the year ahead.
All materials will be provided, so attendees only need to bring their aspirations and creativity. The event is open to all and offers a space for crafting meaningful resolution journals.
The Molino Library is located at 6450-A Hwy 95A. The library will be open from 10 am. until 7 p.m. on Friday.
Tate Aggies Play In Orlando Holiday Tournament
January 1, 2025
The Tate Aggies took part in the KSA Events 2024 Holiday Basketball Tournament at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando.
Scores were as follows:
Middletown (OH) 69, Tate 27 (Friday)
Tate 91, Knoxville Catholic (TN) 86 (Saturday)
Beechwood (KY) 59, Tate 47 (Monday)
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Escambia County Fires Add Red Bulbs To Fire Safety Wreath
January 1, 2025
Escambia County Fire Rescue has placed red bulbs numbers 13 and 14 on the wreath during “Keep the Wreath Green” following structure fires off Ely Road and Crabtree Church Road.
On Thursday, Dec. 26 at approximately 3:40 p.m., Escambia County Fire Rescue units including a hazmat team responded to a commercial structure fire with hazardous materials at Pall Membrane Technologies, located on the 8700 block of Ely Road. Upon arrival, crews found a working fire in a storage building containing nitrocellulose in isopropyl alcohol. Since foam and dry chemical agents would have caused an adverse reaction with the materials involved and therefore could not be used, crews established a water supply using two fire hydrants and boosted water pressure from ECUA. The fire was extinguished at approximately 5 p.m. Fortunately, the facility was evacuated and no injuries were reported. The shed and materials were destroyed. The Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives is investigating the incident.
At 1:46 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29, Escambia County Fire Rescue units from Cantonment, Molino, Beula and McDavid responded to a residential structure fire at the 3200 block of Crabtree Church Road. Smoke was showing upon arrival at the two-story home with all occupants and pets outside. A fire was discovered in the truss loft between the first and second floors. ECFR applied water to the flames and brought the situation under control by 2:16 a.m. However, the occupants have been displaced due to the damages. There were no injuries or fatalities. ECFR determined a lightning strike caused the fire.
The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with the City of Pensacola to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign. Five-foot wreaths are on display at locations that included 21 county fire stations. Each time firefighters respond to a residential or commercial structure fire with damage, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by fires in residential and commercial buildings.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FPL Plans To Seek Nearly $2.5 Billion In Rate Increases Due To Customer Demands, Inflation
December 31, 2024
Florida Power & Light plans to seek new rate increases in 2025.
In a letter to the Public Service Commission, FPL President and CEO Armando Pimentel said FPL plans to ask for rate increases of about $1.55 billion in 2026 and $930 million in 2027 due to “significant growth in our customer base over the last few years” with a quarter million new accounts. He said the growth has required “significant capital to meet the needs of these additional customers by building transmission and distribution infrastructure, including poles, wires, transformers, substations and other components”.
Pimentel said the utility plans to seek unspecified increases in 2028 and 2029 “to allow FPL to recover the costs of building and operating additional cost-effective solar and battery projects”.
“The last four years were unlike any in our recent history. Over this period, we experienced meaningful and unanticipated increases in inflation and interest rates, which rose by 21% and over 180%, respectively,” Pimentel said in the letter. “This, combined with significant migration to Florida, presented new challenges for FPL to navigate.”
FPL estimates that its proposal, along with projections for fuel and other costs, will grow a typical residential customer bill by an average annual rate of approximately 2.5% from January 2025 through 2029.
“We know the bill our customers pay is important to them, which is why we work tirelessly to provide reliable power while keeping bills as low as possible. Even with the proposed increase, FPL bills will remain significantly below the national average and below many other Florida electric utilities,” Pimentel wrote in his letter to the PSC.
“While we know there is never a good time to request a rate increase, we need to continue to make smart investments in the grid and in new generation resources so we can continue to deliver reliable electricity, enhanced resiliency and diversify our generation mix to power our fast-growing state,” Pimentel said. “That is our never-ending commitment to our customers and that’s what this balanced plan does.”
Pictured: The Florida Power and Light First City Solar Energy Center near McDavid, online since 2023. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Here’s The New Year’s Closure And Trash Schedule You Need To Know
December 31, 2024
Escambia County
In observance of New Year’s, Escambia County offices will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 31 and Wednesday, Jan. 1::
- Escambia County Board of County Commissioners (all departments)
- West Florida Public Libraries (all locations)
- Escambia County Property Appraiser
- Escambia County Tax Collector
- Escambia County Supervisor of Elections
- Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare
- Escambia County Extension Office
- Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller
- Waste Services Administration and Perdido Landfill
- Escambia County Area Transit Administration
The Perdido Landfill will close at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Regular hours will resume Thursday, Jan. 2.
The Clerk’s Official Records, Finance, Treasury and Clerk to the Board offices will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 31. Clerk offices located at the MC Blanchard Judicial Building, Theodore Bruno Juvenile Justice Building, Public Records Center, and the Century Courthouse will be open. All Clerk offices will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 1
ECAT Bus Schedule:
ECAT buses will run a modified schedule Tuesday, Dec. 31. The last bus will depart from ECAT at 5:30 p.m., and commuter route 60 will depart at 6 p.m. Service will not run Wednesday, Jan. 1. Regular service will resume Thursday, Jan. 2.
The UWF Express Trolley will resume service Saturday, Jan. 4, and the campus trolleys will resume service Monday, Jan. 6.
ECUA
Residential and commercial for New Year’s – Wednesday, Jan 1: Collection will be made on Thursday, Jan 2. Thursday’s collections will be on Friday, and Friday’s collections will be on Saturday. ECUA offices will be closed Jan 1. The customer service and walk-in payment areas only will also be closed on Dec. 31. All other ECUA officers and the drive-thru window will be open on Dec. 31.
Century
The Century Town Hall will be closed Wednesday, Jan 1. The regular Wednesday trash pick up will be delayed to Thursday, Jan 2.