Senate Signs Off On Alimony Overhaul
March 6, 2016
The Florida Senate approved an alimony overhaul that would establish formulas for alimony payments and includes a controversial provision dealing with how much time children should spend with their divorced parents.
The proposal, approved in a 24-14 vote Friday, is a compromise with the House, which originally objected to the inclusion of the child time-sharing provision. The measure now goes to the House.
The time-sharing issue was at the center of a bitter dispute between two prominent Republican lawmakers — Senate budget chief Tom Lee and House Rules Chairman Ritch Workman — that caused a similar bill to die last year. Lee wanted child time-sharing included in the bill, while Workman opposed it.
A compromise between Lee and Workman, reached late in this year’s session, did away with a proposed presumption that children spend their time equally between both parents. Instead, judges would “begin with the premise that a minor child should spend approximately equal amounts of time with each parent.”
Critics of the measure complained that there was little substantive change between the “presumption” and “premise” that children split their time between parents.
Workman has worked for years with alimony-reform advocates and the Florida Bar’s Family Law Section to revamp what all sides called Florida’s outdated alimony statutes.
The Family Law Section endorsed the alimony changes, but objected to the time-sharing provision, a position Lee’s new language hasn’t changed.
At Lee’s request Friday, the Senate amended the time-sharing provision to apply only to divorces or child custody cases filed after Oct. 1. Lee said that would address a concern about retroactivity expressed by Gov. Rick Scott in vetoing an alimony measure three years ago.
But Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner argued that the alimony portion of this year’s bill (SB 668) was still retroactive because the new guidelines would apply to people seeking modifications to their payments.
Under the proposal, the duration of alimony payments would be based on the number of years of marriage, while the amount of the payments would rely on a couple’s gross income — the higher earner’s salary minus the earnings of the spouse seeking alimony.
Joyner said the changes would “substantially reduce” payments to women, who make up 96 percent of alimony recipients.
“The reason for the change is not rationality. It is to reward the privileged,” Joyner, D-Tampa, said. “I think this is a travesty. It’s a disgrace and a shame that we would do this to those who have given their all for so many years to their families.”
But Sen. Kelli Stargel, a Lakeland Republican who sponsored the measure, said that she wanted to provide predictability for couples, who in the past have used the process of divorce to punish each other.
“Going through a divorce is heart-wrenching for all the parties,” said Stargel, who said she has been married since she was 17 years old and has never been divorced. “The parents get so angry and so mad at each other. … The children are the ones that suffer.”
The proposal is designed to provide clarity and remove some of the emotion that plays out during litigation, she said.
“This was supposed to be empowering to people who are going through a divorce,” Stargel said.
The House could vote on the legislation early next week. The annual legislative session ends next Friday.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Enjoy A ‘Night Of Nature’ Friday At The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center
March 6, 2016
The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center’s annual “Night of Nature” will be next Friday night from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. It will be a fun filled night for the entire family. Visitors can meet owls with the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, peer through telescopes into the beautiful night sky with the Escambia Amateur Astronomy Association, visit with some of the reptiles that reside at the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center, and take a naturalist led hike through the woods while learning about creatures of the night.
There will be hot dogs, chips, baked goods, and water available for a small donation.
The Center’s wish List for donated items to help them care for their wildlife inhabitants includes fresh fruit and vegetables, wild bird seed, black oil sunflower seeds for birds, and suet. The staff and their volunteers would also appreciate Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, bleach and gift cards from the big box department stores, pet stores or hardware store. The Roy Hyatt Environmental Cente is located at 1300 Tobias Road in Cantonment For more information, call (850) 937-2117.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Tornado Destroyed 1,000 Acres Of Timberland
March 6, 2016
An EF-3 tornado with winds up to 152 miles per hour that ripped through the Century area on February 15 not only destroyed homes and businesses, it also damaged or destroyed about 1,000 acres of timberland.
An estimated 900 acres of forestland in Escambia County, Florida was affected along with an additional 100 acres in Escambia County, Alabama, along the 16.5 mile path of the tornado. The estimate is based on information from the National Weather Service, Florida Forest Service and Alabama Forestry Commission reconnaissance flights along the tornado’s path and limited ground truthing.
The majority of affected forest land in Florida is commercial timberland. More than 450 acres are industrial timberland and approximately 250 acres are private landowners. The remaining acreage is noncommercial timber.
If your timberland was affected by the tornado, you may contact the Florida Forest Service or the Alabama Forestry Commission for recommendations and lists of vendors to help with salvage and recovery. In Florida, please call Cathy Hardin at (850) 587-5237. In Alabama, please call Thomas Davis at (251) 867-7798.
Pictured: Timberland destroyed by the February 15 EF-3 Century tornado. Photos by Cathy Hardin for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ashlan Harigel Named Miss EWMS (With Photo Gallery)
March 6, 2016
Ashlan Harigel, 14, was named Miss Ernest Ward Middle School Saturday night in “Celebrate Music” themed pageant at the school. She is the daughter of Dr. Sheldon and Kimberly Harigel.
Third runner-up was Tavianna Parker, second-runner up was Jayda Crabtree, and first runner-up in the annual pageant was Chloe Smith.
Other awards presented were: Miss Hospitality Raleigh Woodfin, Miss Congeniality Ashlan Harigel, Miss Photogenic Jayda Crabtree, Personality Award Cloe Smith, Physical Fitness Award Cloe Smith, Poise and Appearance Ashlan Harigel and People’s Choice Award Jordan Wilson.
For a photo gallery from the pageant, click here.
Editor’s note: Photo reprints are available. Email news@northescambia.com for details.
Pictured top: Miss EWMS Ashlan Harigel. Pictured inset: Second Runner-up Jayda Crabtree. PIctured below: First Runner-up Chloe Smith with last year’s Miss EWMS Destiny Cleckler. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Peebles Graduates From Basic Training
March 6, 2016
Army Private Brandon Peebles recently graduated from basic combat training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
During the weeks of training he received the Expert Marksmanship Badge for shooting 40 out of 40 targets for a perfect score. He was promoted from E1 to E2 during his training. He will be leaving for 44 weeks of AIT training for biomedical equipment specialist.
Private Peebles is the son of Shannon and Stephanie Peebles. He is the grandson of Raymond and Glenie Peebles of McDavid, and Thomas and Betty Jordan of Nokomis, AL.
He is a 2015 homeschool graduate.
Over 2200 Cast Ballots On First Day Of Early Voting
March 6, 2016
Early voting got underway Saturday in Escambia County with 2,202 ballots cast.
The number of ballots cast Saturday at each early voting location were as follows:
SOE Office – 182
Main Libraary – 277
Genealogy Library – 561
Bellview (5 Flags) – 236
Southwest -454
Extension Office – 368
Molino – 124
Early voting will be available at seven locations from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily through Saturday, March 12
Molino Community Center, 6450 Highway 95A North
Escambia County Extension Service, 3740 Stefani Road
Genealogy Branch Library, 5740 N. 9th Avenue
Main Library, 239 N. Spring Street
5 Flags Speedway, 7451 Pine Forest Road
Supervisor of Elections Main Office, 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor,
Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: And The Bills Begin To Die
March 6, 2016
Nothing is ever dead until the final day of the legislative session, but the bills that likely will and won’t make it across the finish line this year became increasingly clear over the last week.
A gaming agreement with the Seminole Tribe and a related rewrite of the state’s gambling laws? Almost certainly dead. An overhaul of death-penalty sentencing after a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling? Quickly sent to Gov. Rick Scott. An expansion of the state’s nascent medical marijuana industry? Looks like it will get done.
Meanwhile, the House and Senate continued to keep staff members, lobbyists and reporters in the Capitol after hours as they hammered out the final details of the state’s $80 billion (or so) budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. With one weekend of spending negotiations already in the books, another was on tap.
All the while, advocates began preparing for Hail Mary passes on a variety of long-shot initiatives, and massive legislative “trains” on education, transportation and health care started to take shape. To borrow from Shakespeare (and not from Sherlock Holmes, as some would have you believe), the game’s afoot.
But the winners and losers are already coming into focus.
GAME OVER
Calling the efforts to push gambling changes through the Legislature a “heavy lift” had become something of a joke in Tallahassee, simply because the phrase was overused. The reason it was overused was because it was accurate, and the weight of the project came crashing down this week.
Things started out somewhat promising. The House Finance & Tax Committee on Monday crafted what it called a “love note” to the Senate, passing a sweeping bill that would ratify a proposed $3 billion agreement with the Seminole Tribe and allow pari-mutuels in at least five counties to add slot machines.
The measure (HB 7109) could also have done away with dog racing and most horse racing, while allowing tracks to keep operating more lucrative betting operations, such as card rooms and slot machines, a process known as “decoupling.”
Committee Chairman Matt Gaetz said the “elegance” of the legislation was that it would provide an opportunity for the Seminoles to work with pari-mutuels to resolve their differences, because none of the elements of the bill would go into effect without the tribe’s approval.
“Nobody gets anything if there is not mutual accord and consent and agreement,” Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said. “I imagine that … you would very likely see a negotiation between the tribe and the pari-mutuel facilities who benefit under the bill. And, if there is an inequity … that inequity can be cured by contract.”
Elegant or not, gambling legislation wasn’t able to make it through the Senate. That chamber’s Appropriations Committee was supposed to hear its version of the bill Tuesday, but Senate Regulated Industries Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, asked that the measure (SB 7202) be postponed.
Senate leaders blamed the demise of the legislation on the pari-mutuel industry. Both plans would have allowed slot machines in at least five additional counties where voters approved the machines in referendums, and the bills also included 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.
There were few good options left for the Legislature. Come back for a special session on the Seminole compact? Not something that would appeal to dozens of members running for re-election. Another run at the compact next year? The negotiations might have to start all over again.
The Legislature 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.
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN
There is one bill the Legislature must approve every year: the budget that kicks in on July 1. After Monday closed out the first phase of negotiations with a good deal of the work done, the House and Senate budget chiefs took over the talks.
They didn’t meet again until Thursday, but quickly knocked off two areas of the budget, reaching agreement on funding for environmental programs and health care.
“If you’re someone who cares about agriculture and natural resources in Florida, it’s a great budget,” said House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes. “If you’re someone who cares about health care in quality and funding, I think it did very well.”
The deal has to be done by Tuesday if lawmakers want to go home on time.
And the most difficult work still remained. Almost the entire education budget is unresolved. And lawmakers are considering issuing bonds for education construction projects, something that would set up an even bigger clash with Gov. Rick Scott, who’s already unhappy with the direction negotiations have taken.
That unhappiness stems in no small part from the fate of Scott’s call for $1 billion in tax cuts. As far as the kinds of reductions that the governor asked for, by Thursday the package had been whittled down to $129.1 million.
Lawmakers are also holding local education property tax cuts steady by spending an extra $290 million in state money on public schools — but Scott didn’t ask for that and has pushed back on the idea that it’s needed.
“Unfortunately, the practical impact of rising property values is higher property taxes,” Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said in a prepared statement about the revised tax package. “This year, the Legislature is taking important steps to mitigate that impact, by reducing local millage rates and using only state tax dollars to pay for a $478 million increase in education funding.”
The biggest part of the revised package (HB 7099), approved Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee, would permanently eliminate a tax on manufacturing equipment, which has been temporarily suspended but is set to return in 2017. Scott has made a priority of eliminating the tax.
For many Floridians, the biggest part of the package will be a sales-tax “holiday” for back-to-school shoppers. However, the holiday will only last three days in August, rather than the 10 days proposed by Scott and the House.
ON THE MOVE
Other legislation was making its way through the House and the Senate in the usual final-days scramble to get everything done.
A hard-fought battle on overhauling the state’s alimony system seemed to be on track. The proposal, approved by the Senate in a 24-14 vote Friday, would establish formulas for alimony payments and includes a controversial provision dealing with how much time children should spend with their divorced parents.
Sen. Kelli Stargel, a Lakeland Republican who sponsored the measure, said she wanted to provide predictability for couples, who in the past have used the process of divorce to punish each other.
“Going through a divorce is heart-wrenching for all the parties,” said Stargel, who said she has been married since she was 17 years old and has never been divorced. “The parents get so angry and so mad at each other. … The children are the ones that suffer.”
The House could vote on the legislation early next week.
Lawmakers in that chamber have already signed off on an expansion of medical marijuana in Florida. The plan (HB 307 and HB 1313) would give terminally ill patients access to full-strength pot while revamping a 2014 law meant to allow some patients to use a milder form of marijuana.
The earlier law has been bogged down in legal challenges over the selection of nurseries to get potentially lucrative contracts.
“The focus in our debate and the media has been largely focused on who gets to grow it, who gets to make money, who gets to lobby, who gets to invest,” said Rep. Katie Edwards, a Plantation Democrat who has been heavily involved on the medical-marijuana issue. “The hell with them — who gets to benefit is the patients. That has been largely lost in our debate.”
But Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said he doesn’t think the bill is good policy.
“We’re feeding an avalanche that I think will ultimately lead to a tremendous amount of substance abuse in this state,” Baxley said.
Social conservatives like Baxley, though, won a victory when the Legislature signed off on a controversial bill (HB 43) aimed at protecting clergy members who object to performing wedding ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples. The measure comes in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that legalized gay marriage nationwide.
“The bill is a shield. It is not a sword,” said Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach. “Pastors have asked for protection because they’re fearful of being discriminated against.”
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.
And they raised the specter that the bill would open the door for pastors to refuse to marry interracial couples or divorced people.
“I’m afraid it might turn the clock back,” said Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner, a Tampa Democrat and veteran of the civil-rights movement. “I’ve been there, and I don’t want to relive history.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: Negotiations continued on the roughly $80 billion state budget, as lawmakers worked to bring the session to a successful conclusion after last year’s session imploded in a health-care fight.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The most repugnant thing is that we’re using the guise of helping these kids for a special interest food fight to expand the people that can offer this, that can make money on it. We got somebody who got left out so this bill takes care of them. … This is about making money, as much or more as it’s about helping sick people. And that’s my moral imperative to vote no.”—Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, talking about a Senate bill dealing with the medical marijuana fight.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Housing Rehabilitation Assistance Applications Taken In Century
March 5, 2016
County staffers were in Century Friday morning taking applications for housing assistance, and they will be back next week looking for more applicants.
The Escambia County Neighborhood Enterprise Division was at the Century Town Hall Friday taking applications for housing rehabilitation programs for citizens in the unincorporated areas, or outside the town limits, affected by the February 15 Century tornado.
Staff will also take applications again Thursday, March 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Century Town Hall.
Applicants must bring a social security card for all household members and a picture ID for all household members over 18. Additionally, applicants should bring the following current information with them as applicable:
- Three most recent pay stubs
- Social security award letter
- Retirement/pension statement
- Unemployment statement
- Child support/alimony verification
- Current bank statements
- Current mortgage statement
- Current insurance statement
- Utility bill
- Any other documentation related to income being received by any member of a household
Programs available include the county’s HOME, CDBG and SHIP rehabilitation programs. Income limits apply and the property must be owner occupied and current on property taxes to receive assistance. For more information, call the Neighborhood Enterprise Division at (850) 595-0022.
Century Town Hall is located at 7995 North Century Boulevard.
Pictured: Housing assistance applicants Friday morning at the Century Town Hall. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
United Way Donations Now Available To Tornado Victims
March 5, 2016
Escambia County and Gulf Coast citizens worked together to help generate resources for neighbors impacted by the EF3 tornadoes that devastated the area in February.
In order to distribute new in-kind goods donated by our community, the United Way “Store” will open Monday, March 7 – Friday, March 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1301 West Government Street. Names and addresses of assessed victims will be used to grant residents free access to the following items:
- Vouchers for clothing that can be selected at one of four Goodwill locations in Northwest Florida
- Vouchers for nonperishable food items and cases of water to be picked up at Manna Food Pantries.
- Towing vouchers for those with damaged vehicles
- 100 restaurant gift cards in $25 denominations donated by Jackson Hewitt
- 15 Whataburger gift cards in $100 increments donated by Whataburger
- 21 varying gift cards (grocery, retail outlets, home repair box stores) with values form $10 to $50
- Over 4,500 new toiletry items from feminine products to soap, shampoo, deodorant, etc.
- Over 500 new paper and plastic goods including paper towels, toilet paper, plastic flatware, etc.
- Over 200 new cleaning supplies such as detergent, disinfectant wipes, trash bags, etc.
- Over 500 baby items such as diapers, baby wipes, washcloths, blankets, etc.
- Over 600 beverages including water, soda, juice, etc.
- Over 200 other new items including pillows, sheets, etc.
In addition to thousands of in-kind donations, local citizens have generously donated or pledged over $309,000 to support recovery. The first round of a special grant application process has concluded, and United Way of Escambia County Board Members awarded eight local nonprofits funding to help affected citizens in Escambia County. Funding Awards are as follows:
- The American Red Cross Award= $22,857 to provide individual financial assistance given after the 3.4 award date to families affected by Century and Pensacola.
- Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE) Award=$28,571 to purchase supplies and materials that will be used by volunteer laborers helping homeowners recover.
- Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida Award= $24,000 for direct assistance for the client, payable to vendors in the form of payments for past due mortgage, past due rent, first month’s rent, rental deposits, home repairs, hotel/motel, utility services, prescription, food, and counseling services. 30% of the award or $7,200 is to fund part of the cost required to cover additional case management support of survivors.
- Escambia County Healthy Start Award= $586 is for capacity required in the form of additional staffing needed to disburse in-kind goods (baby supplies) that United Way will provide to Healthy Start for client’s who have assessed damage.
- Legal Services of North Florida Award= $5,000 for capacity required in the form of legal support being rendered to county residents who need help resolve financial and housing stability issues caused by the tornados.
- The Salvation Army Award= $928
- Funding Awarded is for the extended hours needed to feed and shelter residents affected by the tornados.
- United Ministries Award= $9,857 to provide financial assistance with rent, repairs, mortgages and utilities payable directly to the vendor.
- 211 Northwest Florida Award= $19,286 to provide financial assistance in the form of rental deposits, first month’s rent, utility deposits and insurance deductibles payable directly to the vendor.
The total amount disbursed during the first round is $111,085.71.
The eight local nonprofit organizations selected provide direct aid to the families who were impacted by the North Escambia and Pensacola area tornadoes. Each organization that receives funding will sign a contract stating that they acknowledge their willingness to provide weekly and quarterly reports on how the funds are used.
The application process is split into three separate rounds. United Way hopes to make close to $100,000 of collected funding available for each round. The first round of applications closed March 1 at 5 p.m. The second round applications close on March 6 at 5 p.m., and the deadline for the third round applications is to be determined. Funding not disbursed during these three rounds, or donations that are collected after the third round concludes, will be open for a fourth application at a later time. United Way will announce that date once it is set and will keep the community informed of where and how their donations support local families who most need assistance.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Lawmakers Turn Down Florida DOC Prison Staffing Request
March 5, 2016
A deal on the state’s public-safety budget that lawmakers reached late Friday would not give the Department of Corrections the 734 additional positions that the agency says are necessary to make Florida’s prisons more secure.
The new jobs were part of an effort by the department to have corrections officers work eight-hour shifts instead of 12-hour shifts. The department has been reeling from a series of reports about issues such as contraband smuggling and abuse of inmates.
Corrections Secretary Julie Jones, who took over the troubled agency last year, requested the positions after three separate audits blamed prison problems, including contraband such as cell phones, on inadequate and overworked staff.
The agency recently launched a lobbying effort, including distributing “734″ stickers, to try to convince the Legislature to approve the staffing levels. Earlier this week, on Twitter, Jones tried to stress the urgency of the situation.
“This is an officer and inmate safety issue,” she tweeted at a reporter. “The Department doesn’t just want 734 … we need it.”
But Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, a Brandon Republican leading the budget negotiations, said legislative staff members believe the agency has enough to do in handling the fallout of a health-care contracting issue.
“Our staff felt that the department pretty much had its hands full dealing with the health-care issues that it needed to deal with and that this was probably more than they could swallow at the current time,” Lee said.
He also noted that the agency already has a large number of open positions that could be filled.
In addition to finishing work on the criminal and civil justice portion of the budget, which also covers the courts system, Lee and House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran struck an agreement on funding for transportation and economic development.
A $6 million film-incentive program that the Senate wanted was dropped from the final deal. Lawmakers also agreed to a provision allowing law-enforcement officers to be assigned to protect Cabinet members.
“We’ve all been aware that the attorney general’s had some serious issues over these last few years but in looking at it and looking at the reform, it was for all the Cabinet officers,” said Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes. “If they need it and the circumstances necessitate it, then obviously we want to make sure that that’s taken care of.”
He said lawmakers would look for ways during the last week of the legislative session to make the provision a permanent part of state law; the budget language would expire after a year.
Lee and Corcoran are still working on the spending plan for education, as well as some administrative portions of the budget. The talks have to be completed by Tuesday for the legislative session to end on Friday, as scheduled, because lawmakers are required to have 72 hours to review the budget before voting on it.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida