Reminder: Take A Quick Survey About Century Celebration And Fireworks
July 10, 2026
What did you think about the Independence Day celebration and fireworks in Century?
The Town of Century wants to know, and they are asking you to take a short anonymous survey before Monday, July 13:
https://forms.gle/fbFbZth3zBGbCxy79
The event, a joint celebration presented by the towns of Century and Flomaton, was held at Anthony Pleasant Park and the adjacent Showalter Park on July 3. There were food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, and fireworks after dark.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Salzman To Host Community Food Distribution, Backpack Giveaway On August 1
July 10, 2026
Rep. Michelle Salzman, in partnership with Feeding the Gulf Coast, A Foundation of Hope, and Kevin Stephens, ECUA District 5, along with a coalition of community organizations and local businesses, invites area families to attend a Community Food Distribution and Backpack Giveaway on Saturday, August 1, at Marcus Pointe Baptist Church on W Street.
The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. and continue while supplies last. Vehicles may begin lining up at 6 a.m. to receive assistance.
Families will receive fresh food and grocery items while supplies last, along with backpacks filled with school supplies to help local students prepare for the upcoming school year. The event is designed to provide essential resources that help families start the school year with confidence.
Marcus Pointe Baptist Church is located at 6205 North W Street.
Food and backpacks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Families are encouraged to arrive early, as demand is expected to be high, so per-car amounts will be limited.
Escambia Man Found Dead Inside Pickup Discovered In Yellow River
July 10, 2026
An Escambia County man was found dead Thursday after his pickup truck plunged into the Yellow River in Santa Rosa County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
According to an FHP report released Thursday, the incident occurred at an unknown time at the dead end of Ward Basin Road near Fish Camp Road.
Investigating state troopers reported that a 68-year-old man was driving a pickup truck southbound on Ward Basin Road when the vehicle failed to stop at the end of the roadway. The truck traveled past the dead end and entered the river, where it was later discovered.
The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced deceased at the scene. His name has not been released.
UWF Mourns Loss Of Hall Of Fame Member, Supporter Darrell Gooden
July 10, 2026
The University of West Florida is mourning the loss of Charles “Darrell” Gooden, a proud alumnus, local business leader, and the largest donor in the history of UWF Athletics. Gooden passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, with his wife, Deborah “Debbie” Gooden, by his side following a battle with metastatic adenocarcinoma. He was 74.
His passing comes at a historic juncture for his alma mater. This fall, UWF Athletics officially elevates to NCAA Division I competition, joining the Atlantic Sun Conference as a multi-sport member and the United Athletic Conference (UAC) for football. Anchoring this new era is the construction of the $50 million Darrell Gooden Stadium on campus, a state-of-the-art multi-use venue made possible by his monumental lead gift of more than $10 million. While the full 7,500-seat facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2027, fans will get their first taste of the upgrade this fall with a new 85-foot-by-30-foot HD LED video board in the end zone, which will be operational for the inaugural Division I season while construction continues around PenAir Field.
In a statement, the university expressed profound gratitude for his lasting legacy: “UWF mourns the loss of Darrell Gooden, a proud alumnus and supporter whose extraordinary generosity has helped transform UWF Athletics and fund numerous student scholarships. Our thoughts go out to the Gooden family and all those who had the privilege to know him.”
“Darrell’s extraordinary generosity and commitment to UWF has created opportunities for generations of students and has transformed our campus through investments in scholarships, athletics and student success,” remarked Manny Diaz Jr., UWF president.
A Pensacola native, Gooden graduated from UWF in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He channeled his business acumen into the local housing market, founding Gooden Homes, Inc. in 1980. Under his leadership as CEO, the company built more than 3,000 homes across the Pensacola area, earning numerous Parade of Homes awards—including multiple honors for Outstanding Home—and culminating in Gooden being named Builder of the Year by the Home Builders Association of West Florida in 2009.
While his business footprint shaped the local landscape, his philanthropy transformed the university campus. Gooden was a member of the Sword & Shield Council and the UWF Foundation Board of Directors, becoming a Platinum UWF Football Founder in 2016 when he joined the initial push to launch the university’s football program. He also established an endowed scholarship to support UWF Football student-athletes.
His financial contributions completely reshaped the campus sports infrastructure. His initial lead gift funded the construction of the Darrell Gooden Center, which opened in 2018 to provide a home locker room for the football team and a sports performance center for all student-athletes. Gooden later helped spearhead fundraising for an expansion to the facility, adding the Sandy Sansing Sports Medicine Center and a new football coaches’ suite. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, Gooden was inducted into the UWF Athletics Hall of Fame in November 2025.
Gooden was able to attend the official stadium groundbreaking ceremony on February 11, 2026, celebrating a venue designed to host not only Division I football but also concerts, high school championships, and major community events.
Gooden is survived by his beloved wife of 17 years, Debbie Gooden; his sister, Debra Axley (John); nephews John Charles Axley (Page), Jason Christopher Axley (Amy), and Nicholas Gooden Woosley (Brittany); alongside several grandnieces, grandnephews, extended family members, and close friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Theodore Gooden and Cornelia Hassebrock Gooden.
In accordance with Gooden’s wishes, no formal services will be held. The family has expressed deep gratitude for the community’s influx of love, prayers, and support. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Valerie’s House.
Photo courtesy UWF for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hernández The Hero As Wahoos Win Another Walk-Off
July 10, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won their fourth game in a row on Thursday night, beating the Montgomery Biscuits 4-3 on a walk-off single from Cristian Hernández.
It marked the third late-inning comeback in a row for the Blue Wahoos, and their second walk-off in three games after Fenwick Trimble’s game-winning single on Tuesday and a five-run eighth inning rally sparked by Hernández on Wednesday.
Though the Biscuits scored the first run of the game on a Mac Horvath double, an interference call and a Caden Bodine sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning, Brendan Jones leveled the score for the Blue Wahoos with a solo homer in the bottom of the second.
Luis Palacios allowed just an unearned run over 3.1 innings in his start for the Blue Wahoos, and fellow lefty Christian MacLeod was outstanding in long relief with six strikeouts over 2.2 scoreless frames.
The Blue Wahoos took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth, as Dylan Jasso singled, advanced to third on a Cam Cannarella base hit, and scored on an errant throw when Cannarella stole second base.
Staked to a 2-1 lead, Blue Wahoos reliever Jack Sellinger allowed an unearned run in the seventh when Gregory Barrios tripled and scored on a passed ball from catcher Ryan Ignoffo.
In the top of the eighth, Nigel Belgrave (W, 3-5) allowed a leadoff double to Bodine and nearly got out of the jam, recording a pair of outs before Theo Gillen grounded a single to right field to give the Biscuits a 3-2 lead.
For the third consecutive game, the Blue Wahoos mounted a late rally against the Montgomery bullpen. Beleaguered Biscuits reliever Tommy McCollum (L, 2-7) surrendered a game-tying homer to Juan Matheus in the eighth, and returned for the ninth after Belgrave kept the game tied in the top half of the inning. Jones led off with a walk, advanced to second when Payton Green was hit with a pitch, and gave up the walk-off single to Hernández for a 4-3 final.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biscuits on Friday.
written by Erik Bremer
Planning Board Approves Land Use Changes For OLF-8 Despite Strong Resident Opposition
July 9, 2026
The Escambia County Planning Board voted 4-1 to approve a significant modification to the 540-acre OLF-8 property in Beulah, advancing a request by developers Tri-W Development and Chad C. Henderson Enterprises to shift the site’s future land use designation to Mixed-Use Urban.
The proposal comes after a series of financial and contractual renegotiations between the county and the development team. In June 2025, Escambia County originally approved a sale agreement for the property for $42.5 million, with the area subsequently rebranded as Outlying Fields. However, in March 2026, Henderson returned to county leadership to restructure the contract. The county ultimately approved an updated deal that dropped the purchase price by roughly $14 million to $28,429,000. In exchange for the lower price, Escambia County retained ownership of 171 acres intended specifically for technology and job creation.
The property was originally slated for development under the community-backed DPZ Master Plan, a design adopted into county code to create a walkable community with a town center, parks, and dedicated areas for job growth. Under the previous commercial mix designation, housing was required to remain secondary to commercial development. Local residents voiced heavy opposition at the meeting, arguing that shifting the entire site to Mixed-Use Urban completely flips this priority. Critics warned the change could even impact the 171 acres the county kept for job creation, giving a developer the freedom to build entirely residential housing without the promised commercial spaces.
Nearly a dozen citizens addressed the planning board to raise concerns about infrastructure strain, taxpayer burdens, a lack of developer transparency, and the potential introduction of distribution warehouses and data centers.
One resident told the board that under the previous rules, jobs came first and housing had to be a secondary use. He warned that the new designation reverses that structure and could allow the housing market to take over the entire field, resulting in zero commercial space or job opportunities.
Beulah resident Theresa Blackwell also spoke to the board, noting that the revised contract from March required the project to stay generally consistent with the original design code. Blackwell stated that the developers broke that agreement by creating their own rules instead, and she requested that the board reject the proposal. Another resident told the board that Escambia County was being manipulated and dragged along, and she stated that local leadership needed to regain control of the project.
Representing the developer, land planner Melissa Hadley addressed the board to explain that the amendment would tailor the regulations to their specific project goals. Hadley stated that the shift provides better flexibility to establish their guidelines and allows residential areas to be relocated so they are more compatible with existing neighborhoods.
Developer Chad Henderson also spoke to the planning board, defending the request as a complicated but necessary technical refinement that creates a custom subcategory built specifically for the property. Henderson stated that the changes were not based on superficial preferences, but rather on evidence-based decisions backed by significant financial investments and extensive resource gathering.
Planning board member Jonathan Owens cast the lone dissenting vote, stating that the decision disregarded and erased the immense time and effort Beulah citizens put into the original DPZ plan. The remaining board members supported the change, stating that there is a broader need for development in the county and expressing their trust in the developer’s vision.
The proposal now moves to the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners for a final decision. Commissioners can either deny the request or transmit the proposal to the state planning agency for an infrastructure impact review before holding a second public hearing.
NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
Drone Nabs Pensacola Man Facing Attempted Murder, Eluding Charges
July 9, 2026
A Pensacola man faces an attempted murder charge and a slate of narcotics offenses after leading law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit and firing at officers early Wednesday morning in Atmore.
Dyllan Thompson was charged with attempted murder, felony attempting to elude law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance (crack cocaine), possession of marijuana second degree, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to Atmore Police, the incident began when officers with the Atmore Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle. The driver pulled over in a gas station parking lot, let out a female passenger, and then fled from officers to initiate the pursuit. Shortly after the chase began, the lead officer observed Thompson discharging a firearm from the vehicle.
Officers continued the pursuit as the vehicle traveled to the end of Martin Luther King Drive at the intersection of Northgate Road. The vehicle traveled through the intersection and entered a field, where it became disabled after getting stuck.
Officers deployed a drone to assist in locating the suspect. The drone quickly located Thompson, and officers used the drone’s public address system to communicate with him, issuing commands to surrender and providing instructions for his arrest. Thompson complied with the commands and was taken into custody without further incident, according to police.
A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia inside, APD said. Thompson was transported to the Escambia County Detention Center. A jail photo will be added when available.
Hurricane Season Now Predicted To Be ‘Well Below Normal’
July 9, 2026
Storm forecasters have further downgraded predictions a little more than a month into the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which has so far produced a single named tropical system.
For a season initially anticipated to be “somewhat below-normal,” Colorado State University researchers on Wednesday reduced their projections for the number of named systems and the duration of activity, stating they “now anticipate a well below-normal season.”
A day earlier, the private meteorological firm AccuWeather slightly reduced the range of named storms it predicted to develop in the Atlantic basin.
In both cases the forecast is tied to moderate El Niño conditions likely to intensify into a “strong” El Niño by the mid-September peak of the six-month hurricane season that began June 1.
The term El Niño refers to a warming of the ocean surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and resulting low-level surface winds that can disrupt normal weather patterns across the U.S. and globally.
“Sea surface temperatures across the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic are near their long-term averages,” Colorado State University posted on Wednesday. “We anticipate the powerful El Niño being the dominant factor for the upcoming hurricane season, driving high levels of tropical Atlantic vertical wind shear.”
Vertical wind shear usually helps weaken or disrupt storms.
“El Niño conditions have always been the driver for why we’re expecting numbers near or below the historical average this year,” said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert. “The stronger the El Niño gets, the fewer named storms we’re likely to get. Back in 2015, we had a strong El Niño and got 11 named storms. I think that is the sweet spot again this year.”
An average storm season has 14 to 15 named storms, with seven reaching hurricane strength.
AccuWeather, which initially forecast between 11 and 16 named storms, now predicts the formation of eight to 14 named storms for the season. Unchanged is the forecast of four to seven hurricanes, with two to four becoming major systems. AccuWeather also forecasts three to five having a direct impact on the U.S.
“The northern and eastern Gulf Coast, the Carolinas, and the northeastern Caribbean remain higher-than-average risk areas, where storms can develop rapidly,” a release from AccuWeather stated.
With a caveat added, the Colorado State University release noted there is a “below-average probability” for a major hurricane to make landfall on the U.S. coastline before adding that “coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season.”
The school’s forecast now sits at 9 named storms, down from 13 when the initial projections were released in April and 11 when updated in June.
Also, the July forecast has four storms reaching hurricane strength, with winds at or above 74 mph, instead of six as in the pre-season outlook and five when the numbers were revised in June.
The ocean and gulf waters are expected to be active with named storms for a total of 35 days, down from 45 days in the June forecast. A typical year has 69.4 days of storm activity.
Meanwhile, the number of storms reaching major strength — Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with sustained winds of 111-mph or greater — was put at one, down from two in the prior forecasts.
As of Wednesday, the only named storm to arise was Tropical Storm Arthur, which brought flash flooding and tornadoes as it made landfall June 18 near Galveston, Texas.
In 2025, the Atlantic produced 13 named storms and five hurricanes, with four reaching Category 3 — winds of 111 mph to 130 mph, and storm surge of 9 feet to 12 feet above normal tide.
None of the 2025 storms, though, made a direct landfall in Florida or the U.S.
From 2022 to 2024, Florida took direct hits from six hurricanes, including four that were Category 3 or stronger.
by Jim Turner, News Service Florida
Woman Accused of Snatching Cash From Man As He Was In A Fight Behind Century Store
July 9, 2026
A Flomaton woman is facing a felony charge after cellphone video surfaced showing her allegedly stealing cash from a man’s pocket while he was actively engaged in a physical brawl behind a local convenience store.
Lori Ann McCaw, 35, was arrested on a warrant charging her with robbery by sudden snatching without a firearm or weapon. She remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday morning with bond set at $5,000.
The incident began on the evening of May 13, 2026, when Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a citizen flagging them down near Century Boulevard and Tedder Road. The victim was found bleeding from a gash on his forehead.
According to the arrest report, the victim claimed he had been confronted inside the Southern Pit Stop on Century Boulevard and agreed to go behind the building to settle the dispute. A physical altercation ensued, during which he claimed McCaw attacked him from behind, struck him with a blunt object, and took $2,880 from his wallet.
Initial store surveillance video reviewed by deputies painted a slightly different picture of the fight itself, showing the victim pursuing the other man with a wooden board pulled from a fence row before tackling him to the ground. Store footage did not clearly capture McCaw taking any money, and she initially denied touching the victim or taking any property under oath, claiming she was only at the business to pick up a friend.
While probable cause was initially found to charge the victim for his role in the fight, there was not enough evidence at the time to charge McCaw.
However, the investigation later took a turn when the victim provided law enforcement with a cellphone video captured by a bystander at the scene.
Upon reviewing the new footage, a deputy observed McCaw watching the two men fight on the ground. While the victim was pinned down, McCaw approached and pulled the wallet from his pocket. The video showed the victim kicking at her in a futile attempt to stop the theft. McCaw was then seen walking away, removing cash from the wallet, tossing the wallet back, and stuffing the money into her shirt before leaving the scene, according to the arrest report.
Based on the newly uncovered video evidence, a warrant was issued for her arrest.
FPL Addresses Fourth Of July Power Outages That Left Thousands Without AC
July 9, 2026
Florida Power & Light is addressing outages that left thousands without power on a hot Fourth of July afternoon.
“They are still investigating the cause and determining what, if any, additional work might need to be done to prevent the multiple outages that customers experienced,” said Sarah Gatewood, senior manager, communications for FPL. “We apologize for the interruption of service; we know how frustrating that can be, especially when celebrating a holiday with friends and family. Thank you to our customers for their patience as our team worked to get power restored throughout the afternoon.”
FPL first reported over 4,000 customers without power in an area generally south of Nine Mile Road and north of Longleaf along Pine Forest Road, including Wilde Lake Boulevard and West Detroit Boulevard.
Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to multiple calls of people stuck in elevators at hotels, and someone stuck in a self-storage business because the door would not open. Several minor traffic crashes were reported at intersections with no power.
Power was restored to a larger portion of that area by about 3:15 p.m., but FPL reported nearly 7,000 customers without power on and north of Nine Mile Road to about West Roberts Road in Cantonment. A later outage of over 3,000 customers was reported in an area centered around Nine Mile Road and Milestone.
NorthEscambia.com readers across the outage area reported that their power would come back on briefly, only to go out a few minutes later.
Most customers had power restored by 5 p.m., according to FPL’s reporting system.