Saturday Night Traffic Stop Nets Drugs, Cash
December 27, 2015
The Flomaton Police Department recovered a quantity of drugs, drug paraphernalia and cash during a routine traffic stop Saturday night.
After receiving an alert from an assisting K-9 unit from the Castleberry (AL) Police Department, officers found methamphetamines, marijuana, synthetic marijuana or spice, and digital scales in the vehicle. The driver was arrested and booked into the Escambia County Detention Center Brewton.
The name of he driver and the exact charges have not yet been released by the Flomaton Police Department as they continue their investigation.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power Donates To Veterans Organizations
December 27, 2015
Gulf Power CEO and President Stan Connally recently presented checks to three organizations — Members of Building Homes for Heroes, the University of West Florida’s Military & Veterans Resource Center and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Each of these organizations supports veterans and their families. The charity proceeds were raised during the third annual Clay Shoot event in November at the Santa Rosa Shooting Center. More than $90,000 was distributed. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sheriff’s Office Seeks Two For Questioning In Murder
December 27, 2015
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking to speak with two people after a recent murder.
Kelvin Dwayne Clemson (pictured left) and Clifford Bernard Gandy, both 25-years old, are wanted for questioning only in the homicide of Raymond Stokes. Stokes was shot and killed on West Jackson Street on December 22.
If you have any information on their whereabouts or the shooting, call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9630 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: The Year Of Governing Messily In Florida
December 27, 2015
It was the year of governing messily in Florida. That is, when state officials were governing at all.
As 2015 wound down, four legislative sessions had been held; three of them ended in failure, and the fourth only succeeded with the threat of a government shutdown looming. Gov. Rick Scott spent much of the year on the road and away from the squabbling in the Legislature, but he also had to shake the biggest political crisis in his nearly five years in office.
Two of the three redistricting plans passed by the Legislature in 2012 — one of them tweaked in 2014 — were declared unconstitutional, either by the courts or by lawmakers themselves. The Department of Education wrestled with an embarrassing technology meltdown.
And in the background was a presidential race where real-estate mogul Donald Trump took the lead for the Republican nomination over a crowded pack of candidates, including two of Florida’s favorite sons: former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
Through it all, the denizens of the Capitol were learning new terms and trivia — the meaning of the Low Income Pool (a hospital program), the significance of Reock scores (a redistricting measurement) and an obscure provision of the Constitution that governs when lawmakers can and can’t leave town. It was educational, entertaining and bizarre. It was a year unlike any other in recent memory — and many in Tallahassee hope it stays unlike any other for quite some time.
LIPSTUCK: THE BUDGET CRISIS
As lawmakers prepared for the annual legislative session that began in March, there were concerns about the Low Income Pool, or LIP, a program that had provided as much as $2.2 billion a year to Florida health-care providers. The federal government was hinting strongly that major changes were coming that could dramatically reduce how much money the state received.
No one expected the issue to make the legislative session go supernova, ending in a spasm of lawsuits and recriminations between the House, the Senate, Scott and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal by the end of the regular session for the first time since 2009, when a recession was ravaging the state’s finances. By the end of the regular session, they couldn’t even agree on what to negotiate about.
Not that the regular session ended as planned. Angered by the Senate’s refusal to drop its insistence on a version of Medicaid expansion backed by federal dollars — which supporters said would help hospitals cope with the loss of LIP funding — the House went home early. The session was scheduled to end May 1, but Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, brought the gavel down on April 28.
“I made a promise to you when you elected me to be your speaker that I’d never ask you to vote for something that I wouldn’t vote for myself,” Crisafulli said. “Accordingly, I will not force anyone to expand Medicaid. … I do not see a need to keep you here waiting around, away from your families, away from your businesses, until the Senate decides they are ready to negotiate with us.”
Senate leaders were outraged and said the maneuver violated a little-known (at least until then) provision of the Florida Constitution saying that “(n)either house shall adjourn for more than seventy-two consecutive hours except pursuant to concurrent resolution.” Senate Republicans threatened legal action against the House, but Senate Democrats actually took the step, dramatically marching across the street to the Florida Supreme Court a couple of days later to ask justices to force the House back into session.
Lawmakers were not forced back to the Capitol, but a sharply divided court ruled that the House had violated the Constitution by going home early.
In the meantime, Scott had sued the federal government to try to unlink any discussion of LIP funding and Medicaid expansion. He also called for the Legislature to approve a “continuation budget,” something Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, called “a made-up word.”
After a bit of a cooling-off period, lawmakers returned to Tallahassee for a June special session. On June 19 — one day early this time — the House and Senate voted to approve a $78.7 billion spending plan that included state money to help make up for lost LIP funding. The plan also included $300 million worth of spending initiatives that were added close to midnight on the final day of negotiations.
But there was one last reminder of how fractured the state’s Republican establishment had become. Scott used his line-item veto pen to slash more than $461 million from the spending plan, which brought howls of protest from the Senate.
“While I respect the governor’s authority to veto various lines within our budget, his clear disregard for the public policy merits of many legislative initiatives underscores that today’s veto list is more about politics than sound fiscal policy,” said Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando. “It is unfortunate that the messaging strategy needed to achieve the governor’s political agenda comes at the expense of the most vulnerable people in our state.”
WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?
Lawmakers had barely cleared out of town — hoping to get free of the Tallahassee bubble for at least a little while — when the Supreme Court ordered them to return. This time, it wasn’t to deal with the state budget, but with the districts used to elect Florida’s 27 U.S. House members.
Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis had already ordered the congressional map tweaked in 2014, when he asked lawmakers to make a relatively minor change to a few districts to fix lines he found to violate the anti-gerrymandering Fair Districts standards approved by voters in 2010.
But in a July 9 ruling, a majority of the Supreme Court essentially found that Lewis was too timid in his ruling and that he deferred to lawmakers too much when deciding which districts should and shouldn’t be thrown out and how drastic any changes should be.
“To do so is to offer a presumption of constitutionality to decisions that have been found to have been influenced by unconstitutional considerations,” Justice Barbara Pariente wrote. “The existence of unconstitutional partisan intent is contrary to the very purpose of the Fair Districts Amendment and to this court’s pronouncements regarding the state constitutional prohibition on partisan political gerrymandering.”
Having lost almost every legal battle over the maps, lawmakers decided to cut their losses on a separate challenge to state Senate districts. The Legislature reached a settlement, conceding that the current Senate map would likely also be found unconstitutional.
“This appears to me to be an unprecedented admission,” crowed David King, a lawyer for voting-rights organizations that fought the maps. “This is remarkable. The Florida Senate has admitted that they drew an unconstitutional map and, as a consequence of that, they now have agreed to fix the problem.”
Special redistricting sessions to redraw the congressional and Senate maps were just as rocky as the regular session had been. In August, lawmakers returned to redraw the congressional districts. But a proposed set of changes to districts along the Interstate 4 corridor prompted another standoff between the House and the Senate. Once again, the session ended without an agreement.
That led to a hearing in front of Lewis, who recommended a plan proposed by the voting-rights groups. The Florida Supreme Court would later agree with Lewis’ recommendation.
A special session in October and November to fix the Senate lines was no more successful. The Senate crafted one version of the lines, the House another. Eventually, Senate leaders agreed to take the House plan to their chamber, where senators voted it down. Lawmakers on both sides blamed the anti-gerrymandering standards that voters approved in 2010 for the latest collapse.
“Having been living intimately in this world, I have concluded that the amendments to our Constitution pulled the soul out of map drawing, pulled the soul out of districts,” said Senate Reapportionment Chairman Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton.
At the end of the year, Leon County Circuit Judge George Reynolds was weighing whether to go with a Senate plan authored by Galvano or one of four plans that the voting-rights organizations asked the court to consider.
I FIRED THE SHERIFF
When he wasn’t flying around the state to talk about jobs, Scott spent the first part of 2015 fighting off perhaps the worst political crisis he has faced since being elected. The situation centered on questions about whether Scott or his staff improperly maneuvered in late 2014 to oust former Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey.
Things got curious when, following a January Cabinet meeting at which Rick Swearingen was approved as Bailey’s replacement, Scott offered little insight into the former FDLE head’s departure, saying merely that Bailey had “resigned.”
“Commissioner Bailey did a great job. Commissioner Swearingen, he’s going to do a very good job,” Scott said before essentially repeating the same statement two more times.
Informed of Scott’s comments, Bailey told the Tampa Bay Times that “I did not voluntarily do anything.”
After that, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater said he wanted to review the personnel change at FDLE. For his part, Scott said he wanted the Cabinet to discuss making additional leadership changes at the Office of Insurance Regulation, the Office of Financial Regulation and the Department of Revenue, though such changes ultimately were not made.
Outside groups started to call for investigations into Scott’s role in Bailey’s ouster, and media organizations and open-government advocates filed a lawsuit arguing that the handling of Bailey’s departure violated the Sunshine Law.
Eventually, Scott and the Cabinet — which includes Atwater, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam — approved new steps to review the work of agencies they jointly oversee. Scott and the Cabinet also agreed to a new selection process for agency heads and to pay about $55,000 in legal fees as part of a settlement to close the Sunshine Law complaint.
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
For years, testing had been a central part of Florida’s education reform efforts. But when the state rolled out its new Florida Standards Assessments early in the year, a technical meltdown paired with parents’ frustration with perceived over-testing added urgency to efforts to scale back the number of exams given to students.
In a report delivered to Scott, Education Commissioner Pam Stewart called for getting rid of an 11th-grade language-arts test that was viewed as unnecessary. Stewart recommended that Scott issue an executive order to suspend the test, with lawmakers later approving legislation to permanently scrap the assessment — all of which happened.
“I am recommending that we eliminate as much testing as we can,” Stewart told reporters.
But as the new Florida Standards Assessments started being administered, horror stories started pouring out of school districts about technical problems hampering students’ ability to take some of the tests online. Just as the technical problems started to taper off, state officials announced they were investigating a cyber-attack against the program.
Despite all the acrimony of the regular legislative session, the House, Senate and Scott agreed on a bill to address concerns about testing. The bill, for example, put a hold on the use of student test data for school grades, teacher evaluations and student promotion to fourth grade until the Florida Standards Assessments could be independently validated, something that happened months later. It also scrapped a law requiring school districts to come up with end-of-course tests in classes where the state doesn’t administer such exams; capped the amount of time students can spend on state and school district tests at 45 hours a year; and reduced the portion of a teacher’s evaluation tied to student performance from the current 50 percent to one-third.
And more changes could be on the way. By the end of the year, Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who chairs the Senate panel overseeing education spending, said he was crafting legislation that would allow districts to choose “brand names” in the testing world to replace the Florida Standards Assessments.
“The idea is not to take the place of the Florida Standards Assessment,” said Gaetz, a former Okaloosa County schools superintendent. “The idea is to prove an alternative for districts and for students.”
QUOTES OF THE YEAR:
“I think we have three political parties in Tallahassee — the Republicans, the Democrats and the Senate.”—Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach. (June)
“This is the way government should work.”—House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, after legislative leaders agreed in 30 minutes to 194 projects worth just over $300 million. (June)
“But all I get is squid ink when I talk to these people — a bunch of mumbo jumbo that, ‘well, this is my theory.’ Well, show me in some court precedent. Show me in some legal proceeding. Stop telling me what you want the answer to be and tell me what you think it is based upon the law. And I get nothing.” — Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, expressing frustration as lawmakers tried to redraw Senate districts. (October).
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Escambia Heath Department Encourages Flu Vaccine For Residents
December 26, 2015
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County is encouraging residents to get vaccinated against the flu.
Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness and can sometimes lead to death. The flu season usually begins in early October and lasts until May, peaking in January and February in Escambia County.
Pregnant women are especially encouraged to get vaccinated. Pregnancy’s effect on the immune system can cause a more severe infection leading to poor outcomes for both mother and baby. Others who should get vaccinated include caregivers of infants younger than 6 months, infants and children older than 6 months, and adults 65 and older. It is also important for those with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart or lung disease to get vaccinated.
Flu vaccine may be given as a shot or a nasal spray. The flu shot is approved for use in people 6 months of age and older, including people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women. The nasal spray is approved for use in people 2 through 49 years of age who do not have underlying medical conditions and are not pregnant. Flu vaccines are available at many physicians’ offices, clinics, and local pharmacies. The vaccine takes approximately two weeks to become fully effective.
Symptoms of the flu may include cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and fever. Some people may also experience diarrhea and vomiting. Health officials advise individuals who are at risk of complications from influenza to contact their physician immediately if flu symptoms appear. Individuals should see a physician early, as antiviral medications may be effective in reducing the severity of symptoms or the length of the illness.
Individuals can protect themselves and their families from the flu by practicing preventive behaviors. While the best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated every year, frequent hand washing is another important key to prevention. Other healthy behaviors such as avoiding close contact with those who are sick, getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, and eating nutritious food can also help to prevent getting the flu.
Individuals can spread the flu to others before they even know they are sick. The most effective ways to avoid spreading the flu are by covering coughs and sneezes with the elbow rather than the hand and by staying home when sick.
Woman Dies In Christmas Day Wreck On Chumuckla Highway
December 26, 2015
A Pace woman died in a Christmas Day traffic crash.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 43-year old Jennifer Michel Neal of Pace was traveling south on Chumuckla Highway about 7:39 a.m. when her Dodge Caliber left the roadway and ran into a concrete ditch. The vehicle then struck a concrete culvert before coming to rest in a driveway.
Neal was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital where she was later pronounced deceased.
Escambia Property Tax Discount Ends Soon
December 26, 2015
All four Escambia County Tax Collector offices will be open regular business hours on New Year’s Eve, according to Tax Collector Janet Holley. Persons paying their 2015 real estate and tangible personal property taxes who want to receive the three percent discount must make their payments by December 31.
In order to receive the three percent discount and have your tax payment receipted with a December date, payments must be:
- received in the tax office by close of business December 31 or
- made on the tax collector website by midnight December 31.
Additionally, payments mailed with a December 31 postmark or left in a 24-hour drop boxes after hours on that date will receive the three percent discount but will be dated in January.
Residents are encouraged to pay taxes online; however, other options are available, such as payment by phone, by mail, and in person at any of the four convenient tax collector offices.
Drive thru service and 24-hour drop boxes are available at all locations.
Escambia County Tax Collector Offices will be open regular business hours — 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Offices are located at:
- Downtown – 213 Palafox Place
- Marcus Pointe – 6451 North W Street
- Molino – 6440 Highway 95-A North, Suite A
- Warrington – 4051 Barrancas Avenue, Suite A
All offices will be closed December 24 and December 25 in observance of Christmas, and closed January 1 for New Year’s Day.
For more information, call (850) 438-6500, ext. 3252.
No Serious Injuries In Christmas Day Cantonment Crash
December 26, 2015
One person was injured in a single vehicle crash Christmas afternoon on Pompano Street, between Tate Road and East Kingsfield Road in Cantonment. Their injuries were not considered life threatening. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not yet been released. Escambia County EMS and the Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
FEA Files Complaint Against Teacher Bonus Program
December 26, 2015
The state’s largest teachers union filed a complaint over a program that rewards teachers for high scores on college admissions tests, saying the “Best and Brightest” bonuses discriminate on the basis of age and race.
The charges, filed by the Florida Education Association with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Florida Commission on Human Relations, come weeks before lawmakers are set to consider extending the bonus program, which was added to the state budget during a June special session.
“Too many high-quality teachers in Florida were denied access to this bonus program because of the unfair and discriminatory rules and short timeline set up by lawmakers,” union President Joanne McCall said in a statement announcing the challenge. “This bonus plan wasn’t thought out very well and wasn’t properly vetted in the Legislature and that has resulted in many good teachers unfairly denied access to this bonus.”
The “Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Program” gives annual bonuses of up to $10,000 to teachers who are highly rated and have SAT or ACT scores that rank in the top fifth of test results. Lawmakers set aside $44 million for the program this year, but the spending plan only made it temporary.
During its regular session beginning next month, the Legislature is set to consider bills that would extend the program.
Until now, critics have mostly knocked the program for misusing SAT or ACT scores, which are generally used for college applications. But the complaint goes beyond that, saying that the way the award is structured precludes older teachers from getting the bonuses, gives an unfair advantage to younger teachers and discriminates against African-Americans and Latinos.
For example, the union said there is no “percentile data” — used to determine the top fifth of test takers — for SATs or ACTs taken before 1972. The association also claims that “teachers older than 40 years old” had trouble getting the required information about their test scores before an Oct. 1 deadline.
The program also exempts first-year teachers from the requirement that recipients be rated “highly effective,” something the union says is an unfair advantage.
Meanwhile, critics of the SAT and ACT have long complained that the tests are biased against African-Americans and Latinos.
A spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Education, which was targeted in the charges along with the state’s school districts, said in an emailed statement that the agency hasn’t received the complaint the union “alleges it filed” against the program.
“The department has no comment other than to state that, as always, the department will cooperate fully with any required regulatory process or review,” spokeswoman Meghan Collins said.
Rep. Erik Fresen, a Miami Republican who has pushed the Best and Brightest program, blasted the union’s complaint in a text message. Fresen, who chairs the House committee that oversees education funding, said more than 5,000 teachers qualified for the award this year.
“It is unfortunate that the teachers’ unions constantly oppose any payment structure effort that is not based on time served,” Fresen wrote. “It’s akin to the infantile argument of ‘if I can’t have any neither can you.’ ”
by The News Service of Florida
Recipes: Rice Krispie Treats, Oatmeal Cookies, Hot Chocolate
December 26, 2015
Here are some family time favorite recipes for this Christmas weekend.
Today’s recipes include Traditional Oatmeal Cookies, Crockpot Candy and Rice Krispie Treats — perfect recipes for the family to make together. And what would Christmas be without Hot Chocolate? Our quick and easy recipe can easily be increased to make enough for everyone, plus it’s easy to include some extra cocoa powder for a deeper, darker treat.
Crock Pot Candy
- 16 oz Salted Peanuts
- 16 oz UnSalted Peanuts
- 4 oz German Chocolate Bark
- 1 pkg Almond Chocolate Bark
- 1 pkg Butterscotch Morsels
Put all ingredients into crock pot. Cook on low for 2 hours. Do not stir or open lid. After 2 hours, turn off crock pot, stir candy and drop in clusters onto wax paper. Let cool and enjoy. This recipe will make 70-90 pieces of candy, depending on the size.
Traditional Oatmeal Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 3 cups of Quaker Oats (Quick)
- 1 cup raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Slowly stir in oats. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on sheet, remove to wire rack.
Rice Krispie Treats
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 (10 oz., about 40) pkg. regular marshmallows or 3 cups miniature marshmallows
- 6 cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal
In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and continue to stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal coating them well with the melted marshmallow mixture. Using a buttered or silicone spatula, press the mixture evenly into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan which has been buttered or sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with wax paper. Cut into squares when the mixture cools. Makes 24 squares.
MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
Microwave butter with marshmallows on high setting for 2 minutes in a microwave safe mixing bowl. Stir together when melted. Microwave again on high for 1 additional minute. Stir in cereal, mixing until well coated. Press into pan as above.
Hot Chocolate
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tbsp. water
- 1 c. milk
- a bit of vanilla, if desired
Combine cocoa, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Heat it on low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the paste from sticking to the pan. After about 1 to 2 minutes, add milk and vanilla. Mix it all together until it reaches your preferred temperature.