Lawmakers Ready To Sign Off On ‘Pastor Protection’ Bill
March 3, 2016
Responding to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year, the Florida Legislature is poised to pass a controversial bill aimed at protecting clergy members who object to performing wedding ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples.
The measure (HB 43), dubbed the “Pastor Protection Act,” was approved Wednesday by the House and was quickly taken up by the Senate. A final Senate vote could come as early as Thursday, with approval sending the bill to Gov. Rick Scott.
The bill was filed after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry. House sponsor Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, and Senate sponsor Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, said the bill would protect churches, clergy and church employees who decline to perform marriage ceremonies contrary to their beliefs.
“The bill is a shield. It is not a sword,” Bean said. “Pastors have asked for protection because they’re fearful of being discriminated against.”
He said 17 other states have passed similar protections since the Supreme Court ruling in June in a case known as Obergefell v. Hodges.
But in the House and Senate, opponents contended that the First Amendment already protects pastors who refuse to perform same-sex weddings. They challenged supporters to show that any religious organizations have been punished for discriminating against same-sex couples.
Rep. Kevin Rader, a Delray Beach Democrat whose wife is a rabbi, compared it to passing a bill against aliens landing in Florida.
“This is just unneeded regulation,” Rader said. “It is just a crazy thing. A pastor protection act, from what? What pastor needs it?”
Bean said lawsuits have not yet come, in part, because the Supreme Court decision was just nine months ago. He compared the bill to getting a flu shot to prevent “something bad” from happening — in this case, a lawsuit against a pastor or church for refusing to participate in a same-sex wedding.
“I hope this bill is never needed,” Bean said.
In both chambers, opponents said the bill would open the door for pastors to refuse to marry mixed-race couples or divorced people. And they said it sent a message of exclusion to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Floridians.
“It’s a mean-spirited jab at the LGBT community… a prima facie that says, ‘Not Welcome,’ ” said Rep. Ed Narain, D-Tampa.
Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach, likened the bill to “spitting at someone’s feet” and said the House is “on the wrong side of history.”
But Rep. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican and former executive director of the Christian Coalition of Florida, said the Obergefell ruling had shaken the worldview of conservative Christians.
“If there is anybody under assault and discrimination, I’ll tell you who it is,” Baxley said. “It is anyone who holds a biblical world view, and is simply trying to live by it. They are under assault. We are called haters.”
Plakon also said the final version of the bill represented a compromise with the American Civil Liberties Union and the advocacy group Equality Florida. In exchange for limiting the bill’s reach to religious institutions — and keeping it out of the private sector — those groups agreed to withdraw their opposition.
“We withdrew our opposition because one of the major agreements by both of the bill sponsors was that Florida was not going to go in the same direction as Georgia and expand the pastor-protection law to include adoption agencies and for-profit businesses that serve the public,” said Carlos Guillermo Smith of Equality Florida.
He said that Georgia last month passed a pastor-protection act that at the “11th hour” was expanded to include such things.
“Now that the bill is no longer subject to harmful amendments, we are less concerned about the legal impact,” said Michelle Richardson of the ACLU of Florida. “But the members should certainly think about the message the bill sends to gay Floridians.”
Watching the proceedings was the Rev. Chris Walker, pastor of the Cathedral Power International Church in Clermont. Walker authored an online petition about the pastor-protection issue that has drawn more than 24,000 signatures since July.
The petition came to Plakon’s attention and helped lead to the bill, which passed the House in a 82-37 vote.
“I say we need the bill, because who would have thought the Supreme Court would redefine what God had already defined?” Walker said. “We are in uncharted waters right now. We don’t know what’s going to take place, and this bill needed to be here so that we would have that protection for the future.”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Tate Names Nisewonger, Halfacre As Students Of Month
March 3, 2016
Tate High School has named students of the month for January. They are Taylor Nisewonger and Edward Halfacre, pictured with Principal Rick Shackle. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Now Issuing Demolition Permits For Tornado Damaged Structures
March 2, 2016
The Town of Century is now issuing demolition permits for structures damaged beyond repair by the February 15 tornado. In the days following the tornado, the town did not issued demolition permits to allow time for the removal of storm related debris from the roads and right of ways.
Escambia County building permits will be available at the Century Town Hall on Thursday, March 3, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. All repair work and demolition within the Town of Century requires the issuance to a Town of Century Land Use Certificate and a building permit from the county.
Permitting fees for tornado repair resulting from the February 15 storm have been waived, upon submission of the required permit application documentation, by the Town of Century and Escambia County Board of County Commissioners.
Pictured: Debris cleanup continued Tuesday on Front Street in Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Work Continues To Replace 75 Year Old Highway 97 Bridge
March 2, 2016
Construction is continuing on the replacement of a 75-year old Highway 97 bridge over Little Pine Barren Creek in Walnut Hill. Tuesday, the first layer of asphalt to the new bridge was nearly completed.
Work at the site began back in March 2015, with traffic moved to a temporary bridge in July. The work is part of a $2.5 million contract which consists of replacing the existing structurally deficient bridge, including roadway reconstruction, milling and resurfacing, guardrail, drainage, new signs and pavement markings. Drivers will utilize a temporary roadway and bridge during construction of the new bridge. Work is anticipated to be completed this spring.
The bridge is located at the intersection of Wiggins Lake Road, about one mile north of Ernest Ward Middle School. The bridge being replaced was constructed in 1940.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Miss Tri-County Beauty Pageant Registration Underway
March 2, 2016
The Northview High School Senior Class is sponsoring the “Miss Tri-County Pageant on Saturday, April 2 beginning at 10 a.m. at the school.
The entry deadline is Friday, March 11 at 3:30 p.m.
For complete details and a registration form, click here (pdf).
Northview To Visit Jay In Spring Football Game
March 2, 2016
A spring football game between 1A rivals Northview and Jay has been announced. The Northview Chiefs will travel to Jay to face the Royals on Tuesday, May 24 at 7 p.m.
The Northview Chiefs defeated Jay 7-0 during the last regular season.
Pictured: Last season’s Northview at Jay game. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Teen Charged With Alabama Arson
March 2, 2016
A Cantonment teen is behind bars in Alabama after allegedly trying to torch a home early Sunday morning.
The Atmore police and fire departments responded to a reported fire at 3:58 a.m. on 5th Avenue. Firefighters were quickly able to contain the blaze and extinguish the fire before it spread beyond the outer wall of the home.
Officers investigating the scene were able to determine that debris picked up from around the outside of the home was used to start the fire. Their investigation also determined that a 17-year old juvenile from Cantonment was responsible for the arson and several other criminal incidents that occurred earlier during the night.
Authorities beliee the juvenile was responsible for a stolen vehicle, burglary of a vehicle and unauthorized use of a vehicle, along with the arson. Two vehicles were later recovered and the juvenile was arrested and transported to the Baldwin County Juvenile Detention Center without incident on charges of arson and theft of property first degree.\
Atmore Police said additional charges may be pending against the juvenile. The identity of the juvenile was not released.
Senator Pulls Plug On Fracking Bill
March 2, 2016
The Senate sponsor of a controversial bill about the regulation of “fracking” in Florida withdrew it from consideration Tuesday, saying he didn’t have the votes to get through a key committee.
Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee that the opposition of environmentalists played a key role in thwarting the measure (SB 318).
“Emotions tend to magnify the controversy,” he said.
The bill would have set up a state permitting process for fracking, a method of drilling that involves injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to create fractures in rock formations, allowing natural gas and oil to be released.
The measure was fiercely opposed by environmental groups, who say the chemicals used in fracking could contaminate Florida’s aquifer, and thus its water supply.
Richter’s proposal was backed by the Florida Petroleum Council, Associated Industries of Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which said the state needed a regulatory framework for fracking.
Without the bill, Richter warned, fracking in Florida is regulated only by market forces and the current $30-per-barrel oil price, which is certain to rise.
“(The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is flooding the market, and they’re doing so intentionally,” he said. “When OPEC stops flooding the market, supply will drop, demand will still be there, and prices will go up. … And that’s when we’ll see fracking again in this state.”
The House voted 73-45 last month to approve its version of the fracking legislation (HB 191), sponsored by Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, and Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park.
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 10-9 against Richter’s measure, but a procedural move gave Richter more time to build support — to no avail.
“The opposition got drummed up against it,” Richter told reporters. “Colleagues that voted for my bill last week received a magnitude of mean emails, I’m told, calling them names for voting for me and ‘ignoring the environment of the state.’”
Among other things, the bill would have required companies to inform the state Department of Environmental Protection of chemicals they inject into the ground, although with some restrictions that opponents said would have kept the public in the dark.
Also, the bill called for setting aside $1 million for a study on the impact of fracking, with a temporary moratorium until the completion of the study in June 2017. Critics say that would be a small amount of time and money with which to conduct such an important study.
In addition to environmentalists, the bill also was opposed by a number of local governments that have approved fracking bans. Under the bill, only the state could have imposed such a ban.
On Tuesday, Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, agreed with Richter that “the ability of local governments to address the issue of fracking is at best exceedingly weak, a patchwork at best and a total nullity at the worst.”
Although Richter is facing term limits, Simmons said, “We’re not going to give up on this. I’m not going to give up on this.”
Richter also called out by name the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, one of the environmental groups that opposed his bill. He called the group “disingenuous” for working on a compromise and then speaking against the bill last week.
But Jennifer Hecker of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida said she spoke against the bill because it would not have regulated matrix acidization, a technique to mine oil and gas by dissolving rock with chemicals rather than fracturing it.
“(The bill) would have only looked at the fracturing techniques, and as we know now, those are less likely to be used in our state,” Hecker said. “The more common technique would have not been studied, would have not been suspended, and that’s why, ultimately, this was a bill that was going to do more harm than good.”
Hecker also said her group “had made every effort to work in good faith and to get the right information — science, not emotion.” She said the group hired hydrologists and legal experts to inform its position on the bill. “It was clear that there wasn’t an interest, or the political will, by those that were pushing this legislation to make the changes that were needed,” she said.
The issue is certain to return, and the hard feelings are likely to linger.
“We had some extreme environmental groups that were ginning up controversy” in the House, Rodrigues said. “Many of these groups were people that we brought to the table — and put their suggestions into the bill — which begs the question of why work with these groups if they’re not going to be supportive of what they bring forward to you in the future.”
If and when the proposal returns, Rodriques said, he will not collaborate with those environmentalists “that dealt in bad faith” on this year’s measure.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Gambling Plans Melt Down In Senate
March 2, 2016
A proposal that would have ratified a $3 billion gambling deal between the state and the Seminole Tribe folded Tuesday in the Senate, indicating the bill is doomed for the legislative session that ends next week.
Publicly, Senate leaders held out the slim hope that a gambling agreement could still be reached before the March 11 finale of the session.
“Never say never. It’s not over,” Senate President Andy Gardiner, an Orlando Republican who has consistently opposed any expansion of gambling, told The News Service of Florida Tuesday afternoon.
But privately, leading lawmakers in both chambers acknowledged that the effort is dead.
“It’s certainly on life support. Procedurally, it will be difficult to make it to the floor,” said Senate Regulated Industries Chairman Rob Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican who has sponsored his chamber’s gambling measure.
The collapse of the proposal came a day after a key House committee approved a sweeping bill (HB 7109) intended to bring the two chambers’ gambling measures closer together.
The Senate Appropriations Committee was supposed to hear its version (SB 7202) Tuesday, but Bradley asked that it be postponed. Committee Chairman Tom Lee told reporters late Tuesday he hadn’t decided whether to hold another meeting, and, even if he does, it is unclear whether the gambling bill would be introduced.
Senate leaders blamed the demise of the legislation on the pari-mutuel industry. The House and Senate plans would have allowed slot machines in at least five new counties and included a number of other perks for dog and horse tracks and jai alai operators.
“The bill had a lot of ornaments added to it, and the tree eventually gets too many ornaments and it falls over,” Bradley said Tuesday.
Bradley, along with Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, had worked alongside Gov. Rick Scott’s general counsel for months in negotiations with the Seminoles to reach a deal.
Scott and tribal leader James Billie signed the agreement, called a “compact,” in December, but lawmakers insisted it would have to be amended in order to get the requisite support from the House and Senate. Under the proposed compact signed by Scott, the tribe pledged to pay $3 billion to the state over seven years in exchange for being allowed to add craps and roulette to its casino operations.
The compact also would have allowed for slots in Palm Beach County, where voters have approved them, and at a new facility in Miami-Dade County without affecting the revenue-sharing agreement.
The proposed addition of slots in five other counties where voters have also signed off on them — and at potentially more sites in the future — proved the death knell for the legislation.
“Some people view what I call the wealth redistribution bill, which is the ransom being demanded by the industry to pass a compact, as untenable because it results in a massive, historically large expansion of gambling in Florida. Then you have a group of people who believe we should let the litigation work itself out and then you have folks who are trying to broker a deal and get something done. There’s not enough people in any one of those groups to pass a piece of legislation right now,” Lee, R-Brandon, said.
Gambling lobbyists, meanwhile, pointed the finger at Senate leaders for killing the bill. Critics have accused Gardiner of wanting to protect Orlando theme parks, which oppose expansions of gambling.
“There are many folks in leadership in the Senate who never wanted a gaming bill and were probably surprised that the House had taken such meaningful action,” said Brian Ballard, a lobbyist who represents the Palm Beach Kennel Club.
Ballard said the Senate would have passed the measure had it reached the floor for a full vote.
“So the only way to stop it is to have it not available for the Senate floor,” he said.
But Gardiner said Bradley made the decision to delay consideration of the bill Tuesday.
“The bills that have been amended in many ways have very little to do with the compact. It is about the expansion of gambling. Five other counties plus give everybody a hall pass for a referendum to get on board to also have slots,” Gardiner, R-Orlando, said. “All these gambling bills, everybody gets greedy and they die under their own weight.”
Diaz, chairman of the House Regulatory Affairs Committee, said he was surprised by what happened in the Senate.
“It’s confusing. Was this always the plan? Was there some change of heart? Was there something in particular that killed it? What was the cause? Nobody’s determined the cause of death yet,” Diaz, R-Miami, said.
Lawmakers could revisit the gambling proposal during a special session, an unlikely scenario in an election year — especially one in which every senator who is seeking reelection will be on the ballot.
Or they could grapple with the issue during next year’s regular session, “but we would essentially have to start from scratch,” Diaz said.
They could also do nothing, while two lawsuits play out in court. One of those lawsuits involves the expiration of part of a 2010 deal between the Seminoles and the state, while the other involves whether a small horse track in Gadsden County should be allowed to offer slot machines.
Barry Richard, a lawyer for the tribe, said Scott and lawmakers wanted to negotiate a new deal after an agreement giving the Seminoles exclusive rights to operate banked card games, such as blackjack, expired last summer. Richard described the proposed compact signed in December as a “hard-fought” agreement reached by “very competent people.”
Richard said it was too early to write off the gambling proposals.
“Everybody recognizes the issue is the pari-mutuels. To me, it makes no sense. And that’s why I’m not assuming that it’s over,” he said.
Richard said he could not predict what a new round of talks with the tribe would bring.
“I don’t know any other thing that can be negotiated,” he said.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Atmore Man Killed In Single Vehicle Crash
March 2, 2016
An Atmore man was killed in a single vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon.
David Lee Hudson, 41, lost control of his 1987 Ford Mustang and struck a utility pole on Pouncey Road about 2 p.m. according to Alabama State troopers. Hudson was transported to an area hospital where he later died from his injuries
Further details have not been released by troopers as they continue their investigation.