Redistricting Session Falls Apart Amid House-Senate Battle
August 22, 2015
A special session called to redraw state congressional lines was derailed Friday, the latest sign of growing acrimony between Republican leaders of the House and Senate.
The end of the session without agreement on the shape of Florida’s 27 congressional districts likely means the final decision will be made by the courts, though some lawmakers held out slim hopes for a resolution in the coming days that could avoid such an outcome.
The special session was sparked when the Florida Supreme Court threw out eight of the state’s congressional districts, saying they violated the “Fair Districts” prohibition on favoring political parties and incumbents.
Negotiations between the House and Senate broke down Friday over a Senate proposal that emerged last week to amend a staff-drawn base map (HB 1B). The Senate proposal would have consolidated eastern Hillsborough County into a single congressional district and drawn all of Sarasota County into one district.
But the House balked, saying the cascading population trade-offs required to make the numbers in all districts equal would force a district now wholly combined in Orange County to pick up some territory in Lake County — something the House said could run afoul of the anti-gerrymandering “Fair Districts” requirements approved by voters in 2010.
The Senate requested Friday that the two chambers set up a formal House-Senate “conference committee” to hammer out a deal. The upper chamber also voted twice to extend the session through Tuesday, but both efforts were shot down by the House.
“We went in this morning with an understanding that there is a little bit of a divide,” said Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando. “We kind of thought that when you have a divide between chambers, then let’s put together a conference.”
But House Redistricting Chairman Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, said a conference committee was generally used to negotiate budget issues and wouldn’t gel with the Supreme Court’s insistence on a fair redistricting process.
“Having two people get into a room, public or not, make all of these decisions without any of your inputs and come back and have you have to accept those decisions might be workable in a budget, and some have even questioned it in that capacity. It is certainly not workable in this one,” Oliva told the House.
Earlier Friday morning, Senate Reapportionment Chairman Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, walked out of public meeting with Oliva as the House continued to press its concerns. Galvano referred to a decision by the Senate to record conversations between senators and staff members during discussions of potential maps — a decision that the Senate said was aimed at preventing suspicions of improper political meddling.
“I put our members in the very uncomfortable position, for really the first time that I know, historically, where they would sit with staff and be recorded and have those sessions recorded, which yielded hours of tape, just to make sure that we didn’t have to deal with some speculative presumption,” Galvano said. “And if the House has a speculative presumption nonetheless, then this process was done from the start. Frankly, we were damned if you do, damned if you don’t. And so I think, at this point, I’m just going to, chairman, respectfully reiterate the Senates’ request for conference and leave it at that. Thank you.”
Talking to reporters after the senator’s walk-out, Oliva cast doubt on the prospect of a conference meeting.
“But something that’s very concerning is the nature and the way that this meeting ended,” he said. “I don’t think that, again, in business, if you invite me over to your office to talk about something and we’re in the middle of that discussion, you don’t get up and leave unless you’re trying to cast an impression of, ‘I no longer have an interest in talking to you.’ ”
Asked whether the courts could draw the maps, Oliva didn’t rule it out.
“Based on what I saw today, if I’m just the average citizen, I’d say with what you’ve seen today, we’re looking at the court redrawing the map,” he said.
by The News Service of Florida
Agents Arrest Man On 21 Child Porn Charges
August 22, 2015
Friday, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents, along with agents from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and detectives from the Pensacola Police Department arrested Daryl Emory Bruner, 36, on 20 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of transmission of child pornography.
A search warrant was served at Bruner’s residence at 6100 East Shore Drive in Pensacola. The investigation began after FDLE agents determined that a computer located at Bruner’s address was offering to share files containing child pornography on the internet.
Agents located numerous child pornography images and videos. Several digital devices were seized for further forensic analysis. The investigation is on going, authorities said.
Bruner was booked into the Escambia County Jail on $100,000 bond. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 1st Judicial Circuit.
Prep Football Scores
August 22, 2015
Here’s a roundup of prep football games from around the area Friday night:
FLORIDA
(Scores are from the varsity portion of preseason scrimmages.)
Washington 14, Northview 12
PHS 15, Tate 14
West Florida 13, Pine Forest, 7
Baker 13, Jay 6
Niceville 14, Catholic 7
Pace 19, Choctawhatchee 7
Navarre 43, Dothan 22
Gulf Breeze 24, Fort Walton 14
ALABAMA
Flomaton 42, Chickasaw 8
Andalusia 25, T.R. Miller 0
Baldwin County 35, Escambia County 22
Edgewood 33, Escambia Academy 21 (Thurs)
Milton 21 WS Neal 14 (Thurs)
Pictured: A very wet game between Jay and Baker Friday night. The Tate Aggies also experienced rain and lightning delay of about 45 minutes. Photo by Michele Gibbs for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Businessman Indicted On Multiple Federal Charges
August 22, 2015
Herdeypal Singh Bhatti, 41, was arraigned Fiday in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola after a federal grand jury returned two separate indictments charging him with unlawfully attempting to procure naturalization and with wire and mail fraud.
The naturalization indictment alleges that, in November 2011, Bhatti knowingly and falsely indicated on his naturalization application that he never failed to file a required federal income tax return and that he did not owe overdue federal taxes. The trial is scheduled for September
The fraud indictment alleges that, in 2010 and 2011, Bhatti committed wire and mail fraud by knowingly submitting fraudulent claims and supporting documentation to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (“GCCF”) in connection with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The indictment alleges that Bhatti falsely claimed to be a hotel manager seeking payment for his lost earnings from the spill. The trial is scheduled for October 5, 2015.
These cases resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department, and the State Attorney’s Office for the 1st Judicial Circuit. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the cases.
Lookouts Top The Wahoos
August 22, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (30-24, 55-67) fell to the Chattanooga Lookouts (24-28, 67-53) by a score of 7-2 Friday night to force a Saturday rubber match. 4,572 witnessed the game at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Despite the loss, the Blue Wahoos gained full control of first place in the Southern League South Standings. Mobile dropped both games of a doubleheader against Jacksonville as Mississippi fell in their game to Birmingham. Mobile and Mississippi are tied for second, half a game behind Pensacola.
Wahoos starter Cody Reed (3-2) earned the loss as he allowed four runs on nine hits through 5.0 innings. D.J. Baxendale (6-4) earned the win for the Lookouts, also pitching 5.0 innings but only allowing a run on five hits.
The Wahoos’ offense was highlighted by Alex Blandino’s ground-rule double in the third inning. Blandino lifted a ball opposite-field that carried beyond the reach of Travis Harrison and bounced over the wall in right. It would be the only RBI of the night for the Wahoos.
The Lookouts jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first after Adam Brett Walker doubled down the line in left.
The Wahoos tried to respond in the bottom half after a Marquez Smith double put two runners in scoring position. A strikeout, however, brought an end to the inning.
Chattanooga pounced again in the third with a pair of runs, one of which came on a Shannon Wilkerson solo homer to left-center.
The Lookouts made it 4-0 in the fifth after Walker’s second double of the game. The inning would be Reed’s last of the night.
Pensacola got on the board in the fifth inning, as Blandino’s ground-rule double brought Ryan Wright home from second. However, the Wahoos left a pair of runners stranded in scoring position.
Levi Michael extended the lead by three runs in the sixth with a deep opposite-field shot to right field, making the score 7-1 in favor of the Lookouts.
The Wahoos put another one on the board in the bottom of the ninth as Beau Amaral scored on a wild pitch.
No Injuries As Driver Slams Into SUV And House
August 21, 2015
There were no injuries when the driver of a SUV hit a vehicle on Highway 29 and then struck a house Friday morning near McDavid.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 20-year old Kelby E. Killam of Century fell asleep, causing the accident. He was northbound on Highway 29 approaching Cox Road in a 2001 GMC Yukon when he failed to slow and struck the back of 1998 Ford Explorer driven by 30-year old Sean Silcox of McDavid and also occupied by passenger Alexandria Silcox, 31.
The Yukon then struck left the roadway, struck a culvert and went airborne, colliding with the bed cover on top of the bed of a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado that was legally parked in a driveway. The Yukon then continued through a fence and into the house. Part of the Yukon ended up in the living room of the home and struck the outside wall of a bathroom where resident Edna Darby said she was just getting into her bathtub.
There were no injuries to anyone involved in the crash. Killam was cited with careless driving by the FHP.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged In Drug-Related Shooting; Second Suspect Sought
August 21, 2015
A Cantonment man has been charged and deputies are looking for a second suspect in a shooting Tuesday afternoon near Ferry Pass Elementary School.
At 4:30 p.m., the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported shooting on Fairburn Street. Deputies said Collin Ray Anderson was found with non-life threatening injuries in what they described as a drug-related shooting.
Preston Adam Ennis, age 19 of Cantonment, was arrested and charged with robbery and battery. He was later released from the Escambia County Jail on a $25,500 bond.
Investigators are also looking for Trevor Amos Brown on robbery, battery and weapons charges in the incident. Anyone with information on his whereabouts on or on the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Chestnut Road Bridge In Molino To Undergo Repairs
August 21, 2015
The Chestnut Road bridge at Dry Creek, located in Molino, will undergo repairs and maintenance beginning Monday.
The bridge on Chestnut Road is one-eighth of a mile north of Molino Road.
Project duration for repairs and maintenance is estimated to last 30 days, weather permitting. During construction, there will be single-lane closures with flagman present. The current posted load for this bridge is five tons.
Appeals Court Turns Down Teachers In Evaluation Case
August 21, 2015
A federal appeals court has turned down a request that it reconsider a decision upholding a controversial Florida law that tied teacher evaluations to student performance.
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order rejecting the request from teachers unions and individual educators. The court last month upheld the law — dubbed the “Student Success Act” — saying it did not violate constitutional rights for the state or a school district to base part of a teacher’s evaluation on tests that the teacher’s students took in other subjects or on tests taken by children not taught by that teacher. That prompted the plaintiffs in the case to file a motion for rehearing, contending that the court misconstrued an attorney’s argument and that part of the ruling was “built entirely on a false factual premise.”
A U.S. district judge also ruled against the plaintiffs in the case, which was filed against the State Board of Education and three school districts.
Lawmaker Seeks To Ban Confederate Flag At Government Sites
August 21, 2015
A Democratic lawmaker this week filed a proposal that would ban the display of Confederate flags on state and local government property in Florida. Under the bill, filed Wednesday by state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, any flags now flying would have to come down.
The bill says the ban would apply to “the flag or emblem of the Confederate States of America or any flag or emblem used by the Confederate States of America or its military or naval forces at any time within the years 1860 to 1865.”
The flag issue has been heavily debated since a racially motivated massacre of nine black churchgoers in June in Charleston, S.C. With the flag continuing to fly at some local-government sites in Florida, Thompson said it’s time for lawmakers to act.
“We haven’t seen the county level move to remove the flag,” she said. But House Local & Federal Affairs Chairman Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said the bill will die if it comes to the committee he leads. “It’s unfortunate that we’ve gotten tied up in this discussion of cultural cleansing,” Baxley said. “The problem is once you start moving on this, then it goes to monuments, then it goes to roads, then it goes to disturbing graves.” The bill (SB 154) is filed for the 2016 legislative session, which starts in January.
by The News Service of Florida