Escambia County Sets Final Tornado Debris Pickup Schedule
March 8, 2016
Escambia County and Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) crews will begin making their final passes through neighborhoods collecting storm generated debris next week. Residents in the unincorporated areas of Escambia County that have storm related debris are asked to move all debris to the right of way no later than Sunday, March 13.
When moving your debris curbside, please remember:
- All storm generated debris must be separated and be placed in the right-of-way. Residents should avoid placing debris near power poles, fire hydrants, water meters, mail boxes or other utilities. Crews are not allowed on private property so all debris must be in the right-of-way area, typically the area from a power pole to the curb.
- No demolition debris will be picked up, please consult with your insurance company and/or contractor for demolition debris removal.
- Do not place household garbage with storm debris.
- Storm generated debris must be sorted and placed curbside in the following categories:
- Construction– furniture, carpet, tile, steel, glass, brick, concrete, asphalt roofing material, pipe, gypsum wallboard, lumber or anything used in the construction, renovation, and demolition of a structure.
- Vegetative debris – Tree limbs, leaves, logs, pallets, and tree branches
- White goods – washers, dryers, refrigerators, ranges, microwaves, water heaters, freezers and small AC units.
- Electronics – T.V.s, computers, monitors, fax machines, stereos, speakers, etc.
- Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) – Cleaning supplies, batteries, lawn chemicals, oils, oil-based paints and stains and pesticides.
Commercial Customers please contact your contracted waste services provider for disposal services. Commercial waste should not be placed on the right-of-way.
To date crews have removed 8,100 cubic yards of vegetative debris and 320 tons of construction demolition debris in unincorporated Escambia County.
Residents of Century should continue to place their storm debris on the right of way for continued pickup. Vegetative debris should be separated from construction debris.
Fire Destroys Mobile Home Near Century
March 8, 2016
Fire destroyed a mobile home in the 1200 block of West Highway 4 Monday afternoon near Century.
There were no injuries reported in the afternoon blaze. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Pictured top: Fire breaks through the roof a mobile home on West Highway 4 near Century Monday afternoon. Pictured inset and below: Heavy smoke billows from the mobile home. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Senate Seeks To End Juvenile Justice Dispute
March 8, 2016
The Florida Senate on Monday unanimously approved a bill aimed at resolving a years-long dispute between Escambia, Santa Rosa and other counties and the state over paying to detain juvenile offenders.
The House is scheduled to take up the bill Tuesday.
Lawmakers have tried to settle the dispute before, but have not been able to pass legislation amid multiple court battles. The proposal (SB 1322) by Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, would divide the cost of detaining young offenders equally between the state Department of Juvenile Justice and county governments — a 50-50 split that would replace a formula that currently requires counties to pay 57 percent and the state to pay 43 percent. The measure also would simplify a billing process in which counties pay annual estimated costs in advance.
Counties say the current system has resulted in them being owed millions in overpayments — or getting hit with unexpected bills at the last minute.
Before moving forward with the new bill, Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart, insisted the 22 counties that have been litigating the cost-sharing formula waive their claims to recoup overpayments. Broward County waived its claims last week. The last county to sign on — Volusia — did so in an emergency meeting Monday after refusing last week.
“(The counties) frankly left a lot of money on the table,” Latvala said. To start carrying out the proposal, the bill includes providing $10.8 million to the Department of Juvenile Justice. That money would be in addition to money the department receives for detention costs.
State leaders got additional incentive to close the deal on Feb. 18, when the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the counties on the matter of back payments — a ruling that Cragin Mosteller of the Florida Association of Counties estimated was worth more than $100 million to the litigating counties.
by The News Service of Florida
Power Outage In Walnut Hill, Including Ernest Ward Midle
March 7, 2016
There was a brief power outage in Walnut Hill Monday afternoon, including Ernest Ward Middle School and an unknown number of residences. EREC is pictured here working on the problem outside Ernest Ward Middle School at dismissal time. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Three Weeks: Century Tornado Cleanup Continues
March 7, 2016
The recovery effort following the EF-3 tornado that struck the Century area three weeks ago is continuing.
Escambia County has issued 84 total permits in the Town of Century. Most of the those permits were for roofing, electrical and building purposes.There have been 17 demolition permits issued to date related to the Century tornado (both in the town and in the unincorporated area).
There are multiple 30 and 40-yard roll-off dumpsters placed in the tornado damaged areas of Century for construction debris. They have been unloaded 90 times by provider Republic Services.
The February 15 tornado, rated as an EF-3 with winds over 150 mph, destroyed 52 structures in unincorporated Escambia County and inside the town limits of Century. There were 60 structures left with major damage, and 49 with minor damage, for a total of 161 structures impacted by the storm.
The assessment number from Escambia County break down as follows:
- Destroyed
- Single Family Home: 28
- Mobile Homes: 21
- Commercial: 3
- Major
- Single Family Home: 48
- Mobile Homes: 10
- Commercial: 2
- Minor
- Single Family Home: 35
- Mobile Homes: 13
- Commercial: 1
The Century tornado was the first EF-3 tornado to hit Escambia County in 45 years. It came just eight days before a second EF-3 tornado struck Pensacola.
Pictured: Roll-off dumpsters like this have been filled with construction debris and emptied 90 times within the town limits of Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Battle Sunday Brush Fires
March 7, 2016
Firefighters battled a couple of brush fires Sunday in the North Escambia area.
The first was reported about 11:45 a.m. on Pinoak Lane off Highway 29 south of Molino. The second was reported about 4:15 p.m. on Christian Home Drive, just off Pine Barren Road in the Christian Home community.
Both fires were extinguished by Escambia Fire Rescue with damage to other structures and no injuries.
Pictured: A midday brush fire on Pinoak Lane near Molino Sunday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
House, Senate Close In On Budget Deal
March 7, 2016
House and Senate budget chiefs drew closer Sunday to a final agreement on the spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1, striking deals on a slew of local projects and throwing an elbow at the leader of the state’s prisons agency for an aggressive lobbying campaign.
Heading into Sunday evening, the only major outstanding issue between the two sides was the lion’s share of the education budget, which moved to high-level talks after earlier negotiations broke down. Lawmakers have to agree on the roughly $80 billion overall spending plan by Tuesday for the legislative session to end on Friday, as scheduled.
The largest agreement Sunday between House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, and Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, could be read as a direct challenge to Gov. Rick Scott. The two sides agreed to spend more than $713.5 million on education construction projects, with an unspecified share of the funding coming from bonds.
Scott has strongly opposed bonding in the past, but Corcoran defended the move because of the current rates the state could get on issuing debt to fund needed construction projects at public schools, colleges and universities.
“Any time you have rates that are this low, you’re getting money for much cheaper. … It’s a good opportunity, a good time to do it. And we’re doing it very prudently,” Corcoran said.
Lawmakers agreed to $150 million for public school maintenance, split evenly between traditional public schools and charter schools.
Other big-ticket items on the education list included $20 million to pay for the state share of a downtown Orlando campus for the University of Central Florida. That project — approved by the university system’s Board of Governors last week — is a top priority of Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando.
Overall, UCF would receive almost $42.3 million in construction funding under the House-Senate agreement, more than any other university in the 12-school system.
The projects approved on Sunday also showed the influence of House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island. Eastern Florida State College, in Crisafulli’s home county of Brevard, received $24.5 million in construction projects, more than all but one other state college.
And $60 million worth of water projects also agreed to Sunday funded several initiatives in Brevard County, including a $1.2 million drainage project at Merritt Island High School, the second-largest item on the list.
Earlier Sunday, Corcoran and Lee finished up negotiations on pay raises and other administrative areas of the budget. They agreed to salary increases for state firefighters, Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime-lab analysts and on-duty members of the National Guard.
Struck from the budget was a House proposal to spend $7 million to replace radio equipment for law enforcement, an item that has become ensnared in a dispute over procurement for the radios.
Corcoran and Lee also pushed back against the Florida Department of Corrections, which has aggressively lobbied to get 734 additional positions that the agency says are needed to make the state’s prisons more secure.
The new jobs are 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.
On Saturday, the day after Corcoran and Lee had agreed to a criminal justice budget without the additional positions, Corrections Secretary Julie Jones issued a statement asking lawmakers to reconsider.
“We strongly believe that our request for 734 additional (positions) is an operational imperative that will increase both safety and security in our institutions,” she said. “Since the implementation of 12-hour shifts the department has observed significant increases in several areas that have contributed to increased risk within our facilities.”
On Sunday, Lee and Corcoran hit back, with Lee underscoring the troubles that have roiled the department since before Jones took over.
“What they haven’t told you is that they have 1,500 vacant positions and the reason they’re not able to hire is because of the cultural problems they have in the system, not because they don’t have enough positions authorized under statute. … We’re happy to help them over time try to get where they need to get, but they need to get their house in order,” he said.
The department says it has maintained those open positions to pay for overtime expenses that would drop if it had more officers.
Corcoran also said Jones needs to work with lawmakers to find some way to downsize the prison population — though lawmakers have in past years approved tough-on-crime bills that have extended sentences. The department also pushed for legislation (HB 1149), which lawmakers have sent to Scott, that would allow judges to come up with punishments besides jail time for some probation violations.
The agency issued a terse statement on Sunday in relation to Lee and Corcoran’s criticism.
“The department has clearly communicated the priorities in our legislative budget request,” it said. “We remain hopeful that our critical needs will be addressed by the Legislature this session.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
March 7, 2016
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
U.S. 29, Escambia County – Intermittent and alternating lane closures within the town of Century and from Champion Drive north continue.
I-10 Widening, Escambia County – Alternating lane closures between Davis Highway (Exit 13) and Scenic Highway (Exit 17) from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. the week of Monday, March 7, as crews perform paving and storm repairs. The speed limit on I-10 between Davis Highway and Scenic Highway is reduced to 60 mph.
S.R. 289 (9th Avenue), Escambia County – Crews continue paving operations between the intersection of Bayou Boulevard and Creighton Road and at Bayou Boulevard (S.R. 296) and Airport Boulevard (S.R. 750). Lane closures will be in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Motorists will also encounter intermittent and alternating daytime lane closures between Fairfield Drive and Cervantes Street as crews adjust manholes and valves.
Interstate 10 (I-10) over Eleven Mile Creek Bridge, Escambia County – East and westbound traffic reduced to one lane at the bridge as crews perform construction activities.
U.S. 90 (Scenic Highway) at the intersection of Scenic Highway Circle, Escambia County – Emergency repair work continues. New stormwater pipe will be installed beneath Scenic Highway. Traffic flaggers will be on site to assist with traffic control as construction vehicles enter and exit the work area.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
I-10 Widening, Santa Rosa County – Alternating lane closures between the Escambia Bay Bridge and S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard/Exit 22) from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, March 6 through Thursday, March 10 as crews perform construction activities. In addition, the southbound travel lanes on Avalon Boulevard near the I-10 interchange will be closed during this time. One lane of traffic will be open in each direction in the northbound lanes. The closures will allow crews to perform pile driving operations. The speed limit on I-10, between the Escambia Bay Bridge and Avalon Boulevard, is reduced to 60 mph.
U.S. 90 Milton, Santa Rosa County- Alternating lane closures near the Marquis Bayou Bridge, use caution while traveling through the construction zone.
U.S. 98, Santa Rosa County- Alternating lane closures from the Gulf Breeze Zoo to the Okaloosa County line 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews perform striping operations.
U.S. 98, Santa Rosa County- Alternating lane closures between Central Parkway and the Gulf Breeze Zoo from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday as crews mill and pave crossovers and side streets. This work is anticipated to take place through Thursday, March 10.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Motorists are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling in a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
4-H Members Learn From Local Leaders
March 7, 2016
The Escambia County 4-H Leadership Club meets monthly to learn from local leaders and study leadership principles. Recently, the youth invited local leaders that included Commissioner Steven Barry, Chief Deputy Eric Haines and Judge Michael Allen. Each official gave a brief overview of their background and their leadership philosophy. Youth were able to ask questions in a panel discussion format and spend time getting to know local leaders.
4-H is a positive youth development program of the University of Florida, IFAS Extension. New members are welcome to join us on the second Tuesday of each month at the Langley Bell 4-H Center at 3730 Stefani Road in Cantonment. For more information contact Pam Allen at pha@ufl.edu.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
United Way Donations Available To Tornado Victims
March 7, 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 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 tornadoes.
- 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.