Scott Signs Key Health Bills, Vetoes Dental Measure
April 15, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday signed a series of health-care bills, including a measure that supporters say will help shield patients from getting hit with surprise tabs after going to hospital emergency rooms.
Scott also vetoed a bill that would have provided financial incentives for dentists to practice in underserved areas of the state. The bill (HB 139) had been unanimously approved by the House and Senate during the legislative session that ended March 11.
The measures signed Thursday included some of the most heavily lobbied health-care bills of the session. As an example, Scott signed a measure (HBÂ 221) that drew attention from health insurers, doctors and hospitals and addresses an issue known as “balance billing.”
That issue primarily deals with patients who have preferred provider organization, or PPO, coverage and go to hospitals for emergency care. Patients have sometimes gotten unexpected bills because doctors at the hospitals are not part of the insurance plans’ networks.
The legislation seeks to prevent patients from getting hit with those surprise expenses and, in part, sets up a dispute-resolution process for health-care providers and insurers to work out payment issues. State Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, who has been an outspoken supporter of the measure, said it establishes a “balanced solution to the complex issue of medical billing.”
“This new law protects consumers by holding them harmless in times of both emergency situations when choosing a provider is not an option, and in non-emergency situations when communication may not be made clear regarding out-of-network providers who may be offering care,” Atwater said in a prepared statement. “As a result, consumers are left with a more affordable bill comparable to what they would have paid if the provider had been in their network.”
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, and Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, also will require health insurers to cover such services as speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy for people with Down syndrome. That provision, which expands part of a law that took effect in 2009 for people with autism spectrum disorder, was a priority of Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, and was added in the final hours of the session.
Among the other bills signed Thursday was a long-debated measure (HB 423), sponsored by Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park, Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, and Sen. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, that will allow advanced registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe controlled substances. The bill would place some limits on the authority, such as restricting the prescribing of what are known as “Schedule II” controlled substances, such as codeine and oxycodone, to seven-day supplies.
Also, Scott signed a measure (HB 1175), sponsored by Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, and Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, that is aimed at creating greater transparency for patients about health-care costs and quality. In addition, Scott signed a bill (HB 7087), sponsored by Sprowls, Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, and Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, that will create an advisory council that would make recommendations about increasing the use of “telehealth.”
In all, Scott signed 20 bills Thursday dealing with a range of issues including health care, education, transportation and property insurance.
Scott’s veto of the dental bill was something of a surprise — and was only the second bill he has vetoed this year. The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Travis Cummings, R-Orange Park, and Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, would have created a program to provide awards of $10,000 to $100,000 to dentists who work in underserved areas, such as rural areas or low-income areas.
The money could have been used for such things are repayment of dental-school loans or investment in facilities and equipment. But in a veto letter, Scott said, in part, that the bill was duplicative of other programs that provide dental care, such as the statewide Medicaid managed-care system.
“While I agree with the bill sponsors that maintaining good oral health is integral to the overall health of Florida families, I cannot support a program that does not place appropriate safeguards on taxpayer investments,” the veto letter said. “The bill does not require dentists who receive taxpayer dollars to hire a specific number of new employees or to serve a certain number of low-income patients each year. Furthermore, the bill opens the door for state dollars to be used to incentivize other high-income professionals.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Escambia Mira Awards Honor Most Creative Seniors
April 15, 2016
The Escambia County Public Schools Foundation honored 68 of Escambia County’s outstanding creative high school seniors at the 2016 Mira Creative Arts Awards Ceremony Thursday night in Pensacola.
Mira Creative Arts Awards recipients were nominated by their high school teachers for their achievements in the creative arts. At the ceremony, the students received commemorative engraved medallions and Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition from Congressman Jeff Miller.
Recipients of the 2016 Mira Creative Arts Award were:
Honorees are listed below under a photo from each school, scroll down, click to enlarge.
Escambia High School
Megan R. Berrian, Theatre/Chorus
Brody Cecil, Instrumental Music
Tyler Crowe, Instrumental Music
Rebecca Lin Edwards, Visual Arts
Carly Gill, Digital Multimedia
Veronica Guersney, Culinary Arts
Trevor King, Instrumental Music
Avery Lockett, Instrumental Music
Brianna Renee Miller, Yearbook
Kayla Jean Wood, Visual Arts
Northview High School
Jessica Amerson, Yearbook
Tamara Barrows, Visual Arts
Cheyenne Gray, Visual Arts
Abbie Johnson, Instrumental Music
Bethany Reynolds, Yearbook
Elizabeth Sanders, Visual Arts
Jordan Taylor, Yearbook
Harmoni Till, Theatre
Bradley Van Pelt, Writing
Haylee Weaver, Public Speaking
Pensacola High School
Allison Cramer, Theatre
Katherine Englemeyer, Instrumental Music
Lauren Heidenreich, Photography
Kierstan Johnson, Journalism
Darriell Jones, Visual Arts
Christian Kyles-Smith, Theatre
Ariel Noethlich, Visual Arts
Jonathan Voyles, Instrumental Music
Pine Forest High School
Benjamin Blevins, Robotics
Jasmine Brown, Visual Arts
Amanda Faller, Television Production
Trey Haynes, Vocal Music
Alyssa Javier, Vocal Music
Kristina McKinnon, Journalism
Tabitha Reno, Cyber Security
Jordan Riddle, Instrumental Music
Christopher Schofield, Instrumental Music
Callastasia Williams, Visual Arts
Tate High School
Sarah Mae Cagle, Mock Trial
Bryce Coots, Instrumental Music
Troy Craig, Theatre
Michele Danley, Visual Arts
Jessica Edge, Vocal Music
Tiffany Griffin, Instrumental Music
McClain Houdashelt, Theatre
Brianna Snyder, Instrumental Music
Cody Swilley, Instrumental Music
Kaela Tibbs, Vocal Music
Booker T. Washington High School
Kristen Bonanno, Visual Arts
Isaiah Gonzalez, Theatre
Kina Kawakami, Instrumental Music
Yuliya Sola Lee, Instrumental Music
Madison G. O’Toole, Visual Arts
Alana Marie Pacheco, Journalism
Cody Alan Paquette, Instrumental Music
Anna Safko, Theatre
Hannah Spears, Theatre
Jackson Van Matre, Instrumental Music
West Florida High School
Lynn Ruth Arthur, Photography
Cheynne Byrd, Instrumental Music
Lane Markham Isbell, Graphic/Digital Design
Melissa Jansen, Graphic/Digital Design
Katie McArthur, Graphic/Digital Design
Mariah McMullen, Instrumental Music
Bianca Mutter, Journalism
Stephen Rodgers, III, Visual Arts
Yana Thompson, Visual Arts
Stephen Woodson, Theatre
In 1987, a group of teachers at J. M. Tate High School created the Mira Awards to recognize talented and creative students in the arts and sciences. The following year, the committee approached the Foundation to bring the awards under its umbrella and to initiate county-wide student participation each year in the areas of writing, performing and visual arts, and other creative disciplines. The term “Mira” is Latin for the name of the brightest star in the constellation Cetus.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge
Escambia Man Indicted For Premeditated Murder Of His Wife
April 15, 2016
An Escambia County Grand Jury has indicted 44-year old Christopher Crain for first degree premeditated murder in the death of wife, June Ann Crain.
June Ann Crain was found beaten to death of March 20, 2016, at the couple’s home in the 4100 block of Tonbridge Circle.
A witness found her in bed with blood on the wall and floor around her. She called 911 and deputies responded to the home.
Christopher Crain was taken into custody at the residence. He is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Scott Signs Education Bills
April 15, 2016
A wide-ranging education bill dealing with everything from funding for high-performing universities to school membership in athletic associations was signed into law Thursday by Gov. Rick Scott.
The 160-page measure (HB 7029), which ended up almost three times as long as its original version, was approved by lawmakers on the last day of this year’s legislative session. It touched on virtually every level of public education in the state.
The measure would allow parents to transfer their children to any public school in the state that isn’t at capacity through an “open enrollment” process; add to state law performance-funding formulas for colleges and universities; allow private schools to join the Florida High School Athletic Association or other organizations on a sport-by-sport basis; and give charter schools that serve lower-income students or those with disabilities a bigger slice of construction funding doled out by the state.
The bill would also send additional funds to “emerging pre-eminent” universities — possibly the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida. Those schools are approaching the pre-eminent status that provides extra money to the University of Florida and Florida State University.
“This is a great day for students across Florida as Governor Scott signs into law historic legislation to increase school choice options across our K-12 education system by allowing parents to have a greater say regarding which of our neighborhood public schools their child will attend,” said Senate Education Appropriations Chairman Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who handled the bill in the Senate.
Scott and other leaders praised the performance-funding portion of the bill. State universities are entering their third year of receiving a share of state funds under the formula, but the new law makes the change permanent.
“We have seen the positive impact performance-based funding has had on our state universities and students,” Scott said in a statement issued through the university system. “Performance funding helps increase graduation rates, which translates into less debt for our students and their families.”
A handful of other education measures were included in a batch of 20 bills Scott signed Thursday. The governor touted a bill (HB 7019) aimed at holding down higher-education costs by pushing textbook affordability measures and repealing a law allowing the Florida Board of Governors to give individual universities’ boards of trustees the ability to increase graduate tuition.
Also, Scott signed bills that will create a pilot program aimed at giving principals more autonomy in the way they run schools (HB 287); more clearly spell out how education for homebound and hospitalized students should be handled (HB 585); and deal with emergency allergy treatments in schools (HB 1305).
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Erupt For Four Runs To Beat Jacksonville
April 15, 2016
Barrett Astin, Wandy Peralta and Alejandro Chacin combined to pitch four scoreless innings, allow one hit and strikeout five as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Jacksonville Suns, 4-1, Thursday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Blue Wahoos are off to their best start in team history at 6-2, surpassing the 2012 team that started 5-3.
Chacin earned his second save of the season in four games and now has four strikeouts in four innings pitched. The relievers came in and got out the first 10 batters they faced after Sal Romano pitched five strong innings. He got six of his seven strikeouts in the first three innings, while allowing three hits and one earned run in the first inning.
Romano, the Cincinnati Reds No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America, also showed some defensive skills, reaching out to nab a hard hit grounder and getting the speedy Suns lead-off hitter Yefri Perez out at first.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he had questions about his bullpen coming into the year but has called Chacin “fearless.”
“It’s been nice to have great pitching,” Kelly said. “We have a lot of flexibility and some good arms. They’ve been doing really good.”
The Blue Wahoos now lead the Suns, 2-1, in the five game home stand. In 2015, Pensacola didn’t win its first series until May. But this year, they’re going for their second straight series win to start the season.
Pensacola trailed, 1-0, until it erupted in the sixth inning, scoring four runs and sending nine hitters to the plate.
Jacksonville took the lead in the first inning when Suns shortstop J.T. Riddle singled on a soft liner to right field. Suns left fielder Austin Dean then smashed a high fly ball over the head of left fielder Pin-Chieh Chen, which scored Riddle easily.
However, first baseman Donald Lutz led off the sixth with a walk and scored Pensacola’s first run when the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases and catcher Joe Hudson then earned a walk to tie the game, 1-1. Then Chen, who had a bunt single, scored on pinch hitter Ray Chang’s blooper to centerfield that put the Blue Wahoos up, 2-1.
But the biggest hit in the sixth inning when Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej slapped a two-out single that dropped in front of the center fielder and scored both right fielder Sebastian Elizalde and catcher Joe Hudson. The runs gave Pensacola some breathing room, 4-1.
Vincej said he was just looking for a good pitch to hit.
“The previous at bat, I popped up with guys on base,” said Vincej, who’s hitting .290 this season. “I was just trying to put some barrel on it.”
Four of the first five innings, Pensacola’s first batter reached base. But the runners remained stranded. The best chance to score came in the fourth inning when Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin walked to lead off the inning and Lutz followed by smashing a single over the head of the shortstop. But Lutz rounded first base and was tagged out in a rundown.
Jacksonville right-hander Austin Brice, the Marlins No. 14 prospect, ended up pitching five innings allowing two hits, walking four and striking out two. In his two starts this season, Brice has pitched 11 scoreless innings.
“What I saw was a pretty good pitcher,” Kelly said. “Brice threw extremely well. On a cold night, he pitched us inside.”
But it has been Pensacola’s bullpen that has consistently impressed Vincej.
“They have come in and shut the door,” Vincej said. “It makes it a lot easier on the defense. We can go out and play relaxed.”
Tate, Jay Softball Disrict Championship Games Postponed Due To Weather
April 14, 2016
Softball district championships scheduled for tonight have been delayed to Friday night due to weather.
The Jay Royals and South Walton game has been moved to Friday at 6 p.m. at Northview in District 3-1A.
The Tate Lady Aggies and Pace at Escambia game has been moved to 6:30 p.m. Friday in District 1-7A.
More Narcotic Arrests In Flomaton, Including McDavid Woman
April 14, 2016
The war on drugs in Flomaton is continuing with additional drug arrests Wednesday.
Wednesday morning, a Flomaton Police Department officer spotted a suspicious vehicle sitting next to the Tom Thumb. A K-9 unit from the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office responded and alerted on the vehicle.
Over 100 grams of liquid cocaine, one gram of cocaine powder and a gram of methamphetamine were recovered from the vehicle, according to Flomaton Police Chief Bryan Davis.
Valene Alaine Walker, 30, of McDavid, and Jeremy Anderson Pete, 29, of Castleberry, AL, were each charged with multiple felonies include possession of controlled substance, possession of controlled substances including cocaine and methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and cocaine trafficking.
Both were booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton.
The Flomaton Police Department reported another double drug arrest Wednesday night. Details were not immediately available as officers inventoried a quantity of pills.
Wednesday’s drug arrests in Flomaton came on the heels of several other narcotic arrests. Click here for an earlier story.
Pictured top: Drugs recovered from a vehicle Wednesday morning in Flomaton. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jay Woman Arrested Second Time For Sexual Assault On Juvenile
April 14, 2016
A Jay woman has been arrested a second time for sexual misconduct with a minor.
Kimberly Anne Seevers, 45, was arrested in Santa Rosa County on a charge of sexual assault on a victim 16 or 17 years old. In an unrelated case, Seevers was arrested last November for sexual assault on a victim 16 or 17 years old and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The two arrests involved separate incidents involving different juveniles age 16 or 17, according to Assistant State Attorney James Parker.
“The victim described a physical encounter with Seevers,” he said.
Parker said the second male victim was discovered during the course of the investigation into the first set of charges.
The first arrest came after the school resource officer at Jay High School received information in regards to a possible sexual relationship between Seevers and juvenile males. Seevers is not employed by or connected with the Santa Rosa County School District.
Both sexual assaults allegedly occurred at her home, the second between September and November 2015.
Seevers was released Wednesday from the Santa Rosa County Jail on $5,000 bond. Parker said prosecutors had request the judge set bond at $50,000. She previously entered a plea of not guilty and is awaiting trial on the November charges.
White Quickly Piles Up Money For Hill’s House Seat
April 14, 2016
Preparing to run for a Northwest Florida House seat, Pensacola Republican Frank White raised nearly $62,000 during the last week of March, according to a newly filed campaign-finance report.
White opened a campaign account March 23 to run in House District 2 and quickly raised $61,970. He also loaned $50,000 to the campaign, according to information posted on the state Division of Elections website.
White is the vice chairman of the Pensacola State College Board of Trustees and is managing director of an investment group. He is also the son-in-law of car dealership owner Sandy Sansing.
District 2 is held by Rep. Mike Hill, a Pensacola Beach Republican who could run this year for the state Senate. Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, is weighing a bid to replace Republican Congressman Jeff Miller, who has announced he will not seek another term.
by The News Service of Florida with contribution from NorthEscambia.com
Wildlife Commission Sets Sights On Another Bear Hunt
April 14, 2016
Armed with updated data showing a “robust” and growing black-bear population, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is working to hold another bear hunt.
Commission Chairman Brian Yablonski on Wednesday directed staff and commissioners to prepare to discuss during a June meeting how a hunt could be managed. A commission spokeswoman said later that a decision has not been made to hold a hunt.
“There is a process of how the hunt is set up, what the quota objectives are,” Yablonski said during a commission meeting at the Wyndham Grand Jupiter at Harbourside Place in Jupiter. “There’s a ton of options out there.”
The Florida Administrative Code already includes an outline for an annual bear hunt to be held in late October, and Yablonski said it’s up to the commission to set quota numbers.
The commission in October 2015 held its first bear hunt in more than two decades as a means to slow the increase of black bears in the state and to reduce dangerous interactions between bears and humans. But the hunt was highly controversial, with opponents protesting in various parts of the state.
Jacki Lopez, the Center for Biological Diversity’s Florida director, said Wednesday opponents have “been anticipating” the commission putting the quota issue on an upcoming agenda.
Conservation groups headed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Animal Legal Defense Fund have petitioned the federal government to approve an endangered-species protection designation for Florida black bears.
The commission last year set a collective “harvest objective” of 320 bears that could be killed in four parts of the state opened for the hunt. The areas were the eastern Panhandle region, which includes the northwestern Big Bend area to west of Apalachicola Bay; the South region, which includes Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties, the North region, which goes from Jacksonville west to Hamilton and Suwannee counties, and the Central region, which includes the St. Johns River watershed to the Ocala National Forest.
The quota was based on an estimated 3,000-plus bears being in the state.
A limit of one-bear-per-hunter was set. Hunting permits were sold at $100 to state residents and $300 for people from out-of-state. A total of 3,778 permits were sold. Money raised through the permits is supposed to be used for measures, such as bear-proof garbage containers, to reduce human-bear conflicts.
The 2015 hunt was projected to last up to a week. Instead the hunt was called off after two days as the bear death count quickly reached 304.
Commission officials admitted to being caught off guard by the success of the hunters.
On March 24, the commission increased the estimate of the number of bears in the state to 4,350 adults, based on survey results taken before the 2015 hunt.
The commission also estimated about 2,000 bear cubs statewide, of which about half are expected to survive into adulthood.
The bear population had been as low as 300 to 500 statewide in the 1970s, when bears were put on the state list of threatened species because of a mix of hunting and humans impacting their natural habitat. Bears were removed from the list in 2012 when a new management plan was approved.
In 2015, lawmakers increased penalties for people who repeatedly are found feeding bears not in captivity.
This year, Florida lawmakers included $500,000 to reduce human-bear conflicts in the state’s new $82 billion budget. Commission Executive Director Nick Wiley said Wednesday that the majority of the money must go to local governments with ordinances in place requiring residents and businesses to secure their trash.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida