Campus Carry Measure Advances In Florida House
November 5, 2015
A proposal that would allow concealed-weapon permit holders to bring handguns onto college and university campuses continued moving forward Wednesday in the state House, despite opposition from academic leaders.
The Higher Education & Workforce Subcommittee voted 10-3, with Tallahassee Democrat Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda joining nine Republicans, to advance the bill (HB 4001), which would allow the state’s 1.45 million concealed-weapon permit holders to carry guns while on state campuses.
Rehwinkel Vasilinda, a co-sponsor of the bill, said people already have guns illegally on campus, and “our campuses are open and not as safe and idyllic as we’d like to believe.”
Still, the fate of the bill spearheaded by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, likely remains with the Senate, where an identical measure (SB 68) must get through its next scheduled stop at the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bills are filed for the 2016 legislative session, which starts in January. Committees are taking up bills in advance of the session.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, said Tuesday no decision has been made about whether to bring up the campus-carry bill, adding the measure won’t be on the agenda for the committee’s next meeting.
A similar measure died during the 2015 session after not getting through the Judiciary Committee. In the spring, Diaz de la Portilla said he decided to scuttle the measure after polling members of the Senate and finding a lack of support for the bill backed by gun-rights groups.
The measure is one of a number of legislative proposals that would expand the rights of people who have concealed-weapons licenses. Leaders of the state university system have opposed the campus-carry proposal.
Rep. Ed Narain, a Tampa Democrat who is chairman of the Legislature’s black caucus, told the Higher Education & Workforce Subcommittee on Wednesday the 26 members of his caucus oppose any proposal that “will increase the number of guns on campus.”
Steube said permit holders who must be at least 21 years old and demonstrate competency with firearms should “be able to carry anywhere.”
Eric Friday, general counsel of the gun-rights group Florida Carry Inc., questioned an estimate by the 28 schools in the Florida College System that they would have to spend $74 million to upgrade security, training and equipment because of the campus-carry proposal.
“If we allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms on our campuses, suddenly we’re going to need armed security and police that we don’t have now, where there is nothing keeping criminals off of our campuses with guns,” Friday said. “If you believe criminals don’t have guns on campus now, you’re naive.”
Opponents of the bill said a better solution to increasing safety on campuses would be to boost funding for law enforcement.
“This is not a bill that addresses rape on campus,” said subcommittee member Kristin Jacobs, D-Coconut Creek. “This is a bill that allows certain people to carry guns and others not to. If we really want to address the issue of rape on campus, then what we need to ensure is that we have a greater number of officers on campus that can continue to protect women in that environment.”
Florida State University senior Daniela Fernandez told the panel that the bill could impact learning on the state’s campuses.
“The intellectual integrity of our institutions are at risk here,” Fernandez, who is from Miami, said. “Education is a debate process. Students and faculty will be less inclined to debate, to learn if guns are allowed on campus.”
Wednesday’s vote came less than a week after the 1st District Court of Appeal rejected arguments by Florida Carry Inc. in a lawsuit seeking to overturn a University of Florida ban on firearms in residence halls and other university housing.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Update: FHP Releases Details In Cantonment Crash That Injured Three
November 4, 2015
Three people were injured in a two vehicle crash on Highway 29 in Cantonment Wednesday morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 69-year old Jackie Roscoe Helton of Walnut Hill was southbound on Highway 29 just past Highway 95A when he crossed the median into oncoming traffic. His 2012 Ford F150 collided with the front of a 1999 Dodge Durango driven by 71-year old Cecil Wayne Carnley of Okeechobbee, FL.
Carnley and his passenger, 63-year old Robin Jeanean Carnley of Pensacola, were critically injured in the crash. Cecil Carnley was trapped in his vehicle about an hour while firefighters worked to free him from the wreckage before he was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital. Robin Carnley was also transported to Sacred Heart in critical condition. Both Carnleys were wearing their seat belts, troopers said.
Helton was airlifted to Baptist Hospital in serious condition. He was also wearing his seat belt, according to the FHP.
The FHP said alcohol was not a factor in the wreck. Any charges in the crash are pending further investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Highway 29 in Cantonment was complete shut down just over an hour by the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Smoke Reported Inside Church
November 4, 2015
Firefighters responded to the Pinewoods Presbyterian Church on Highway 297A after smoke was reported inside the building about 7:15 Wednesday morning.
By 7:50 a.m.,the exact source of a light smoke and haze inside the building had been narrowed down to an A/C unit motor after a methodical search. Other than the motor, there was no damage reported.
NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
The Bluffs: 60 Industrial Site, 15,000 Job Plan For Cantonment
November 4, 2015
A new site in Cantonment could, in the long term, be home to as many as 60 new industrial and manufacturing companies and more than 15,000 jobs.
The public/private partnership is called “The Bluffs – Northwest Florida’s Industrial Campus”. The 6,000 acre master-planned development area includes about 1,700 acres of land that can be developed in an area east of Highway 29 bordered by the Escambia River to the east, Becks Lake Road near International Paper to the north, and the University of West Florida to the south. Although located along the Escambia River, most of the property to be developed is at a high elevation, about 100 feet above sea level, and not in a flood plain.
“This location is very unique in the state of Florida,” Scott Luth, CEO of Florida West said. “The corridor has utilities already there, from heavy electrical service, high capacity natural gas, CSX rail service, reclaimed water from ECUA and wastewater treatment.” Much of the area also has barge access south down the Escambia River.
The effort includes partners already located in the corridor – Ascend, ECUA, Gulf Power and the University of West Florida – along with the Pensacola‐Escambia County Development Commission,the Florida West Economic Alliance and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
“This is a long term plan, with the corridor having the ability to grow and expand,” Luth said. “It is definitely a long-term project and a long term strategy.”
The project site plan includes four primary development areas. The area known as “Live Oak Bluff” is likely to see the first development, he said. It is about 415 acres with 13 lots in an area that is currently accessible from Becks Lake Road. A Muscogee Road freight corridor is already in the works, expanding access from Becks Lake Road and Highway 29 to an upcoming I-10 exit in Beulah.
Engineering studies have been completed on the property, identifying potential sites and accounting for wetlands, stormwater runoff, parking and roads. A marketing plan has also been developed to begin reaching out to potential companies.
The plans also include making the campus an “environmental showcase” ensuring that the natural beauty of The Bluffs is preserved by building natural trails and encouraging green features for new tenants.
“We still have a lot of work to do and this is a long-term, 20‐year vision,” Luth said. “But we know that planned growth means quality growth and that the best communities map out their future years ahead of time. We see The Bluffs as an opportunity to create an environmental showcase while creating jobs for our children and grandchildren.”
Marketing of the The Bluffs is already underway; Luth said some sites have already been shown to prospective companies.
Pictured top and below: Aerial concept maps show The Bluffs, click to enlarge to read map labels. Pictured bottom inset: The Bluffs will be designed to be an environmental showcase. Pictured bottom: Conceptual drawing of Live Oak Bluff, the likely first area to be developed off Becks Lake Road. Images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Teacher Barry Flies With The Blue Angels
November 4, 2015
Northview High School teacher Anna Barry flew with the Blue Angels Tuesday from NAS Pensacola.
“I knew it was going to be a once in a lifetime experience, but it exceeded my highest expectations,” Barry said shortly after the flight. “I don’t even have the right words to describe it…it was really awesome.”
The flight included many of the demonstration maneuvers that Blue Angels fans know from airshows, including flying upside down and barrel rolls.
“I was just surreal to be up there part of the same tricks that you see from the ground,” she said.
The history teacher was especially proud of the fact that she made it through the entire flight without passing out — even while pulling over 6 G’s — and that she did not get sick.
Barry was chosen for the flight as a local “key influencer” as the current Escambia County Teacher of the Year. And she said she can’t wait to get back to Northview to share her experience with her students and the NJROTC program at the school.
“I want to share with the kids that they should always aim high,” she said. “There are no excuses, most anything is possible if you step our of your comfort zone.”
Numerous friends and family members were back on the ground watching Barry’s flight, including her grandfather, John Calvin Davis, Sr. “He was especially proud. He was in the Navy,” she said, “training for a amphibious assault on Toyko.”
Also flying with the Blue Angels Tuesday were local Boy Scouts of America district executive Suzie West and NewsRadio 1620’s Andrew McKay. The Blue Angels will close the 2015 season at their annual Homecoming Air Show aboard
Naval Air Station Pensacola on Friday and Saturday.
Photos by U.S. Navy, Regina Barry and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power Customers To See Rate Decrease Next Year
November 4, 2015
Gulf Power customers will see a decrease in their monthly utility bill beginning in January.
The Florida Public Service Commission has approved Gulf Power’s request for the rate reduction. Starting January 2016, Gulf Power customers will see a 2.7 percent decrease in their electricity bills.
The average residential bill for 1,000-kilowatt hours of electricity will drop $3.71 to $135.58. This decrease is due mostly to continued lower prices in natural gas and coal used to generate electricity.
“We’ve worked very hard to manage our fuel mix to provide affordable, reliable electric service for our customers,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power manager of external communications. “In the end it means lower electricity bills and that’s great news for Gulf Power customers.”
Each January the FPSC adjusts Gulf Power’s prices to reflect cost changes in fuel, environmental compliance and energy conservation programs.
Tate Lady Aggies Team Raises Over $12K In Making Strides Walk
November 4, 2015
In last Saturday’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Pensacola, the Tate High School Lady Aggies Softball team raised over $12,500, placing No. 2 among teams. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Judicial Term Limits Get Backing In House
November 4, 2015
Florida Supreme Court justices and appeals-court judges would be limited to two full terms in office under a proposed constitutional amendment approved Tuesday by a House subcommittee.
The proposal (HJR 197), which would limit most justices and judges to less than 15 years in office, passed the House Civil Justice Subcommittee on an 8-5 vote. Rep. George Moraitis, R-Fort Lauderdale, joined the panel’s four Democrats in voting against the measure.
Under the proposal, members of the Supreme Court and District Courts of Appeal would be limited to two full six-year terms, though tenures would likely be longer than that because jurists are appointed to partial terms before facing voters in retention elections. No current member of the bench would be affected, and trial-court judges would not face term limits.
The proposal comes after years of rising anger in the Legislature at members of the Supreme Court. With its more-liberal majority, the state’s highest court has emerged as the only major hurdle in Tallahassee to Republicans’ conservative agenda.
Some Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to defeat three members of the court majority — R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince — in the 2012 elections. Had the trio been limited to two full terms, all three would have been barred from running that year.
But Rep. John Wood, a Winter Haven Republican sponsoring the term-limits proposal, said unhappiness with the judges has nothing to do with his measure. Wood this summer called for the impeachment of some of the Supreme Court justices over a redistricting decision striking down the state’s congressional map.
Instead, Wood said, the proposal would allow the state to get a diversity of legal thought on the appellate courts and might encourage those who serve in judicial offices to view their positions differently.
“The approach should be, it is public service. It’s not a career,” Wood told the subcommittee.
Opponents and others raised questions about whether the measure could remove judges who have built up institutional knowledge about the state’s laws and whether it might discourage younger lawyers from pursuing judgeships.
Warren Husband, who appeared on behalf of The Florida Bar, said that anyone becoming has a judge has to “essentially close up your practice, say goodbye to your clients and probably take a pay cut in order to serve as a judge.”
“So going into the proposition, you can’t really reasonably expect to serve as a judge for a few years, come out and pick up your practice where you left off,” Husband said. “Your firm has moved on, your clients have moved on and you’re essentially starting over again.”
The Bar hasn’t formally taken a position yet on the proposed amendment.
Criticism of the proposal crossed ideological lines. Moraitis said he shares some lawmakers’ concerns about judicial overreach.
“That is frustrating to me personally,” he said. “That said, I do feel like an independent judiciary is an important part of our constitutional system and I do feel like the justices’ ability to hold these jobs until they retire is important.”
Speaking to reporters afterward, Wood brushed off concerns about a loss of institutional knowledge.
“There’s extreme value to institutional knowledge. And you know where that institutional knowledge is? Right on that machine that you have there in your hand,” he said, pointing to a reporter’s smart phone. “There is more institutional knowledge in that machine than all the people combined on all of the appellate courts of this state. Knowledge is technology and we have the knowledge. We know what’s been said. We know how to analyze it. We have a lot of people that can do it.”
The proposed constitutional amendment has two more stops before it can go to the full House. It would need to be approved by 60 percent of the lawmakers in both chambers of the Legislature and the same share of voters in the 2016 elections to be added to the Florida Constitution.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Lawmakers Want To Provide Aid To Dozier Families
November 4, 2015
Two Democratic lawmakers filed bills Tuesday that would direct the Florida Department of State to preserve historical resources from the shuttered Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys and also to provide money to help families reinter bodies of children found at the Marianna site.
The bills (SB 708 and HB 533), filed by Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, and Rep. Ed Narain, D-Tampa, come after extensive excavation work by University of South Florida researchers at the former reform school. The work stemmed from allegations that children were abused and died at the school, which operated for decades.
The bills differ somewhat, but both would put the Department of State in charge of preserving such things as records and artifacts from the site and would direct the department to continue research about what took place at the school. Joyner’s bill would allow reimbursements of up to $7,500 per family to help cover costs such as reinterring bodies exhumed from the site. Narain’s bill would allow payments of $5,000.
Both call for setting aside $1.5 million in the 2016-2017 state budget to carry out the proposed bills.
Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet began discussions in late September about the future of the school site but did not make any decisions.
by The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: A trench dug in the search for human remains at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Two Charged With Rue Max Murder
November 3, 2015
Two people have been arrested for a murder that occurred in the 600 block of Rue Max Street on October 26.
Marsh and Wood are both being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond.