Florida Executes Man For 1985 Murders
October 30, 2015
After months of delay as attorneys debated whether a sedative could be used in executions, murderer Jerry Correll was put to death Thursday night at Florida State Prison near Starke.
The execution was the 22nd under Gov. Rick Scott, the most for any governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Correll, 59, was pronounced dead about an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay.
Correll had been on Death Row for nearly three decades for the June 30, 1985, stabbing deaths in Orlando of his ex-wife, Susan Correll; their 5-year-old daughter Tuesday Correll; his ex-wife’s sister, Marybeth Jones; and his ex-mother-in-law Mary Lou Hines.
Scott initially signed a death warrant for Correll in January, but the execution was put on hold because of a U.S. Supreme Court case about whether a drug used in the lethal-injection process violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The Supreme Court case involved an Oklahoma execution, but Florida uses the same drug, midazolam, as part of its lethal-injection process.
The U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld the use of midazolam, but the Florida Supreme Court refused to lift a stay of Correll’s execution. Attorneys for Correll argued that midazolam posed a higher risk to him because of his alleged brain damage and history of drug use. Orange County Circuit Judge Jenifer Davis held a hearing in August and ruled against Correll.
The Supreme Court upheld Davis’ decision Oct. 2 and lifted the stay of Correll’s execution. The execution put Scott one ahead of former Gov. Jeb Bush, who oversaw 21 executions during his two terms. The most executions under the watch of any governor since 1924 is 35, coming while Spessard Holland, later a U.S. senator, was in office from Jan. 7, 1941 through Jan. 2, 1945, according to the Department of Corrections.
Century Library Holds Halloween Program; Molino Library Program Saturday Night
October 30, 2015
A “Haunting for Halloween” was held Thursday afternoon at the Century Branch Library with spooky music, a scary story and treats.
“It Happened One Night At The Molino Library” will be held Saturday night, beginning at 6:00 with activities to follow. The event begins ill a delightfully funny musical and then trick or treating in the library. Afterwards, tour the haunted Molino Museum (if you dare). The Molino Branch Library is located in the Molino Community Complex at 6450 Highway 95A North in Molino.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hundreds Attend Annual Flomaton Fall Festival
October 30, 2015
The streets of Flomaton were full of ghosts and goblins, superheroes, princesses and more Thursday evening during the community’s fall festival. The annual event draws hundreds of people from across the Flomaton and Century areas. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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FHP Aims To ‘Stuff The Charger’ During Food Drive
October 30, 2015
The Florida Highway Patrol is working to “Stuff the Charger” during their annual food drive.
Through November 7, the FHP will be collecting non-perishable food at their district headquarters at 150 Stumpfield Road in Pensacola to stuff in a Charger and deliver to a local food bank in time for Thanksgiving.
The following items are needed:
- Canned Goods: Sweet potatoes and yams, carrots, green beans, corn, spinach, sweet peas, black eyed peas, cranberry sauce, shelf-stable canned ham, canned meats, hearty soups and pie fillings
- Dried Goods: Stuffing, instant potatoes, gravy mix, macaroni & cheese, rice, cornbread mix, grits and oatmeal
- Other Goods: Nuts, evaporated milk, broth
Throughout the 2014 food drive, the department collected more than three tons of food for families throughout Florida. With the help of Floridians across the state, the department has set a goal to double that total this year.
File photo.
Woman Facing Felony Charge For Stealing Gas
October 29, 2015
A Walnut Hill woman is facing a felony charge after allegedly being involved in the theft of gas from a vehicle in Bratt.
Kristin Nicole Guinto, 20, was charged with burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, a third degree felony, and petit theft. She was released from the Escambia County Jail.
Guinto was among three suspects that allegedly left a parked vehicle at the Travis Nelson Park on West Highway 4 in Bratt and walked to a nearby home to steal gas. A homeowner reported that he heard his dog barking and spotted someone running back toward the vehicle in the park. The homeowner found a small amount of fuel had been siphoned from his pickup truck.
Later that day, deputies responded to the park to find the parked vehicle with Guinto and another suspect inside. In the trunk of the vehicle, deputies found several pieces of cut garden hose and a fuel tank, according to an arrest report.
The following day, deputes were called back to the home where the gas was stolen. The homeowner reported finding a large kitchen knife in his yard, along the path were he had observed the suspects running away.
Another suspect in the case has not yet been arrested, according to jail records, and the other suspect is a juvenile.
Driver Flees After Slamming Into School Bus
October 29, 2015
The Florida Highway Patrol is searching for a driver that took off on foot after slamming into a school bus Wednesday.
According to the FHP, the driver of a 1999 Dodge Durango rear-ended a school bus that was stopped on Airport Boulevard near Duval Street. The driver fled the scene on foot eastbound on Airport Boulevard following the crash.
The driver of the bus, 57-year old Tami C. Buzbee received minor injuries in the accident. There were five students on the bus at the time of the crash. There were no student injuries.
Century Kids, Bratt Farm Featured In State Agriculture Advertisement
October 29, 2015
A group of kids from Century and a Bratt farm are featured in a statewide magazine advertisement.
The photograph was first published on NorthEscambia.com in June 2013 showing three children from the from the day program at the Carver Community Center in Century visiting the Boyd Sigafoose Dairy in Bratt. A dairy employee is introducing the children to a young calf in the photo.
The UF/IFAS photo was used in a Florida Agriculture ad for the “Ag Tag”, the proceeds of which benefit agricultural education in Florida. The ad is in the October issue of Florida Agriculture, a statewide publication reaching 147,000 families.
To see the original NorthEscambia story, click here.
Pictured: Three children from the Carver Community Center at a Bratt dairy farm are featured in statewide ad. Pictured below: The original photograph as published on NorthEscambia.com two years ago. Images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview And Jay Teams, Individuals Qualify For 1A Cross Country Regionals
October 29, 2015
Cross country runners from Northview and Jay qualified recently to for Class 1A FHSAA Regional Championships.
The Northview Boys finished third, qualifying the Lady Chiefs for the regional championship this Saturday in Lake City. Northview’s Moriah McGahan finished in the top 15 girls to qualify for regionals.
The Jay Girls finished third, qualifying the Lady Royals for the regional championship Saturday. Austin Gonzales finished in the top 15 boys to individually qualify for regions..
Results were as follows:
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Insurance Chief Raises Possibility Of Ending No-Fault System
October 29, 2015
The state insurance commissioner said Wednesday the time might be right to end Florida’s “no-fault” auto insurance system, but lawmakers aren’t expected to focus on such a change during the 2016 legislative session.
Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty, appearing at a Florida Chamber of Commerce Insurance Summit at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, tossed out the idea of, “Let’s just repeal PIP and do nothing,” as a way to further reduce fraud in the personal-injury protection coverage system.
While some lawmakers have suggested replacing PIP with a requirement for bodily-injury coverage, McCarty said most motorists already have such coverage. As a result, lawmakers might not have to do anything to replace PIP, which is also commonly known as no-fault.
“I’m not so sure that I’m ready to move to a more litigious auto system, but I think one thing to consider, particularly if we get an adverse decision on PIP, let’s fix it or flush it,” McCarty said. “We have done everything to fix PIP you could have possibly have done. We’ve had seven sessions on PIP. … A $10,000 benefit, really. Is it worth this amount?”
Under the no-fault system, motorists are required to carry personal-injury protection coverage that includes $10,000 in medical benefits.
When lawmakers crafted legislation in 2012 to reduce fraud in the system, average motorists in Florida were paying $180 a year for the personal-injury protection portion of their auto coverage, according to the Office of Insurance Regulation. The state agency in January estimated the average no-fault annual payment stood around $125.
The law, which set benchmarks for insurers to lower rates on personal-injury protection coverage, continues to face legal challenges. It required people involved in crashes to seek treatment within 14 days and allowed up to $10,000 in benefits for emergency medical conditions, while putting a $2,500 cap on non-emergency conditions.
A Leon County circuit judge in 2013 ruled the law illegally prevented injured people from using PIP coverage to pay for treatment by acupuncturists and massage therapists and limited the services from chiropractors. The ruling was eventually overturned. Still, some lawmakers believe the law will eventually fail a court challenge and have suggested the state replace PIP with bodily-injury coverage.
State Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Gov. Rick Scott championed the 2012 changes, saying that fraud, primarily in the Tampa and Miami regions, had resulted in the cost of auto-insurance coverage spiking for Floridians.
Atwater said Wednesday he wants to be convinced before calling for additional changes.
“Two years after the passage of the PIP legislation, it’s time for the insurance industry to bring forward evidence that shows whether or not rates are going to come down,” Atwater said in a prepared statement. “If consumers aren’t going to get the relief the legislation intended, then the time to repeal has arrived.”
An Office of Insurance Regulation report in January said the average medical cost paid through PIP claims has dropped 14 percent statewide from 2011 to the first three quarters of 2014, with the average payment down 28.7 percent in South Florida in the same time. But the numbers are still considered too preliminary to show the full impact of the law.
McCarty said ending no-fault wouldn’t impact many motorists, as “only a handful of people” buy just the minimum coverage, while those engaged in fraud would look for other outlets.
“We talk about the whack-a-mole. Fraud is rampant in this state,” McCarty said. “Fraud looks for its weakest link. And if you eliminate (PIP), even if for just two years, in two years you would cut the pipeline off of PIP. You’d cut the supply of capital going into PIP.”
But PIP doesn’t appear to be a priority for lawmakers as they hold committee meetings in preparation for the 2016 legislative session, which starts in January.
House Insurance & Banking Chairman John Wood, R-Winter Haven, said Wednesday he expects to address reform to workers’ compensation insurance, continue efforts to reduce the size of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and deal with the proliferation of “assignment of benefits” lawsuits. Such lawsuits involve disputes about homeowners signing over policy benefits to contractors.
Rep. Larry Lee, a Port St. Lucie Democrat who is an insurance agent and member of Wood’s subcommittee, said Wednesday that lawsuits involving Citizens and water-damage claims are a good example of the increase in assignment of benefits cases.
“If the consumers could understand how some of these things we deal with, that we wrestle with in the Legislature, impact their premiums, they would have a better understanding of why we make certain decisions,” Lee said.
Lawmakers have been reluctant to tackle the assignment of benefits issue, but pressure has been growing.
The insurance industry argues for reform, saying the system allows contractors to set costs and demand payment for work. The building industry contends that assignment of benefits helps property owners quickly hire contractors who can perform emergency repairs and later seek payment from insurers.
On Monday, a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee, in rejecting a court challenge involving an assignment of benefit case, said it is up to state lawmakers — not the court system — to tackle the controversial issue.
“We again conclude … that it is for the legislative branch to consider this public policy problem, not the courts, at this juncture,” said the ruling, written by Judge Scott Makar and joined by judges Stephanie Ray and Ross Bilbrey. “Legislative review provides a more detailed inquiry into the current situation in the industry and greater flexibility in achieving meaningful reforms, if deemed necessary. On the other hand, courts are ill-equipped to pass judgment on the merits of the policy debate at hand, and less likely to be able to formulate a remedy that is mutually beneficial to insureds and insurers.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Higher Ed Panel To Weigh Guns On Campus
October 29, 2015
House members could continue moving forward next week with a controversial proposal that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on college and university campuses. The House Higher Education & Workforce Subcommittee is scheduled next Wednesday to take up the proposal (HB 4001), sponsored by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, and Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, according to the House calendar.
The measure has already been approved by the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, and the Senate version of the bill (SB 68) has been approved by two committees. The issue has drawn heavy debate, with gun-rights groups backing the bills and many higher-education officials opposed. The measures are filed for the 2016 legislative session, which starts in January.
by The News Service of Florida