Florida Lawmakers Strike Deal On Economic Development
June 14, 2015
Negotiators from the House and Senate slashed almost $60 million in economic development spending Saturday as the Legislature drew closer to an elusive final deal on a state budget for the year that begins July 1.
Meeting over the weekend to hammer out the final details of a budget expected to weigh in at well more than $76 billion but south of $80 billion, House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran and Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee reached agreement on state spending for transportation and economic development.
Lawmakers are racing to get a deal done by the scheduled June 20 end of the special budget session, which was called after they failed to agree to a spending plan during their annual spring meetings. The state must have a budget in place by June 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
The economic development portion of the budget is often laden with local projects, usually promoted by lawmakers, and other items closely watched by businesses, lobbyists and Gov. Rick Scott, who won office in 2010 promising to boost the state’s economy. But like other areas of the emerging spending plan, it was constrained by the need to pump $400 million of state money into hospital funding to make up for falling health-care spending on a key federal program.
As a result, dozens of projects and some larger items were trimmed or eliminated entirely. Almost 60 spending initiatives were reduced on Saturday alone, cutting nearly $58.3 million from House or Senate proposals that were still alive heading into the weekend.
“We started out with a lot of projects in the budget…I think what we’ve come to is kind of a middle ground on projects,” said Lee, R-Brandon.
The largest target was a Senate proposal to set aside $10 million in incentives for the entertainment industry. That program was eliminated entirely in Saturday’s agreement. Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, suggested the proposal for an “entertainment action fund” should be considered in a regular session.
“I think there are members on both sides who believe that those (incentives) are helpful, and there are members on both sides who believe that that doesn’t do anything,” Corcoran told reporters after a morning meeting with Lee. “And so I think those types of issues are better having committees and having as much input as possible and letting those percolate through the process and not so much in just a budget session.”
Despite the belt-tightening, some new projects did slip into the plan at the last minute, including $2 million for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando. That proposal emerged Saturday morning, when the Senate made an offer on the economic development budget that the House accepted.
Lee did not directly answer a question about whether Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, had pushed for the funds.
“We added that late in the process, and I’m not really going to talk a lot in detail about who was adding what, where and when, but it did come up late in the process,” Lee said.
Lawmakers are still working to reach final agreements on the environmental and education budgets. They hope to complete their work by Tuesday, which would clear the way for the required 72-hour “cooling off” period to begin early enough for a Friday vote.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Two Accidentally Shot In Escambia County
June 14, 2015
A man and woman were accidentally shot Saturday morning.
The incident occurred in the 6600 block of Saufley Pines Road. A man was reportedly cleaning a gun when it fired, shooting the man in the hand and a woman in leg or groin area. She was transported by ambulance to an area hospital as a “trauma alert”, while the man’s injuries were not considered severe.
The relationship between the and the woman was not immediately known, nor was the type of weapon that fired. No criminal charges are expected.
Second Lady Christens USS Gabrielle Giffords In Mobile
June 14, 2015
The Navy christened its tenth littoral combat ship (LCS), the USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), during a midday ceremony Saturday at Austal USA shipyard in Mobile. LCS 10 is named after former United States Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
“The christening of the future USS Gabrielle Giffords marks the beginning of what is certain to be a long life for this great ship,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “It is also a celebration of the skill and dedication of the men and women who have built LCS 10 and the courage of her namesake. This ship truly embodies the Navy motto of Semper Fortis – Always Courageous.”
During the event, Second Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden, the ship’s sponsor, broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow thereby christening the ship in a time-honored Navy tradition.
“Gabby represents the same qualities the Navy embodies,” Dr. Biden said. “She also represents the six Americans who lived those values but lost their lives in Tucson the day Gabby nearly lost hers.”
“In congress I was proud to support our armed forces. I love the Navy. I even married a sailor,” Giffords said. “She’s stealthy. She will defend freedom around the world. Go Navy!”
The LCS class consists of the Freedom variant and Independence variant, each designed and built by different industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for odd-numbered hulls, e.g., LCS 1). The Independence variant team is led by General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works (LCS 2 and LCS 4) and Austal USA (for the subsequent even-numbered hulls). Purchased under the innovative block-buy acquisition strategy, there are 12 ships currently under construction.
While capable of open-ocean tasking, LCS is intended to operate in the littorals — shallow, coastal waters. As such, the ships can operate in water as shallow as 20 feet deep and can travel at speeds in excess of 40 knots. USS Freedom (LCS 1) and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) recently demonstrated these critical capabilities as part of their operational deployments to U.S. 7th Fleet in the Asia-Pacific region.
LCS 10 is the 16th U.S. naval ship to be named for a woman, and only the 13th ship to be named for a living person since 1850. Giffords was a Congresswoman for Arizona’s 2nd District when Jared Loughner shot and wounded her on January 8, 2011.
Gabrielle Giffords is the third ship in a block buy contract with Austal to build 10 Independence- variant LCS ships. Sister ship Jackson (LCS 6) is preparing for builder’s trials, and Montgomery (LCS 
was christened in November 2014. The LCS program is ramping up in 2015 to deliver two ships per year from the Austal shipyard, as well as two Freedom-variant ships from the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Summer Ball Underway
June 14, 2015
Summer ball is underway for the Northview Chiefs. The Chiefs lost to Crestview 10-2 and lost to Niceville 9-7 Saturday. On Friday, the Northview Chiefs lost to Crestview 3-2 and defeated Baker 11-2 in summer ball. The Chiefs are back in action in Bratt at 4 p.m. Monday. Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hurricane Season: Insure Against The Worst
June 14, 2015
It’s early in the 2015 hurricane season in the U.S., and with the significant risk of hurricane damage in Florida – from the state’s extensive coastline to the interior – insurance experts say it’s a good time for Floridians to do a check-up on their insurance policies.
Lynne McChristian with the Insurance Information Institute says with needs and property values constantly changing, it’s best to check the status of coverage every year.
“The most important thing is to have an annual conversation with your insurance company or insurance agent,” she says. “You need to make sure your homeowner’s insurance policy is enough to rebuild your home in the event of a disaster.”
The relatively quiet hurricane seasons of recent years have enabled the state to build up its Hurricane Catastrophe Fund to $17 billion. The state-run Citizens Property Insurance Company, created when many private insurers wouldn’t write policies in Florida after a series of damaging storms, has more than $7 billion in reserves.
While many property owners are protected, McChristian says the state’s large number of renters are not, unless they’ve purchased a renter’s policy.
“A lot of renters neglect to get property insurance, because nobody forces them to get it,” she says. “A landlord’s insurance does not cover your personal possessions.”
McChristian says it’s important to remember that flood insurance is not included in standard property insurance policies, but is something all Florida homeowners should consider.
“Even if you don’t live in a high-risk area for flooding, you really need to think about flood insurance,” she says. “We have inland bodies of water in Florida, and you may have a storm surge that could push water inland. That water has to go somewhere.”
According to AAA, one in five Floridians has flood insurance. On average, a flood insurance policy costing 85 cents a day will cover $100,000 in structural damage.
by Stephanie Carson, Public News Service Florida
Century’s Showalter Earns Orioles Third Most Wins Ever As Manager
June 14, 2015
Another milestone Saturday night for Century native and Baltimore Orioles Manager Buck Showalter.
With the Orioles defeating the Yankees 9-4 for the sixth straight victor, Showalter earned his 408th win as manager of the Orioles, third-most ever behind Earl Weaver and Paul Richards.
Showalter’s family moved to Century in the late 1950’s. His father served as a teacher, coach and principal at Century High School for 23 years. Buck Showalter played Little League ball in a thriving program in Century, and he graduated from Century High School. Century’s modern day Showalter Park is named after him.
Photo courtesy Baltimore Orioles for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Biscuits Beat Wahoos
June 14, 2015
Jacob Johnson earned his first Double-A start in three seasons for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and looked like he never moved to the bullpen.
The big right-hander gave up two hits, one walk and one earned run in five innings and struck out two, as Pensacola entered the bottom of the seventh inning ahead, 3-1.
However, the Montgomery Biscuits ended up sweeping the seven-inning doubleheaders against Pensacola at Riverwalk Stadium. Montgomery won, 4-3, in the eighth inning of the second game when third baseman Patrick Leonard scored on a two-out, wild pitch by Blue Wahoos reliever Kyle McMyne. The Blue Wahoos lost the first game, 3-2, on a walk-off home run by second baseman Thomas Coyle in the seventh.
In the second game, Johnson got the spot start after Blue Wahoos Keyvius Sampson earned a promotion to the Triple-A Louisville Bats earlier this week. In his past five games out of the bullpen, Johnson had given seven runs on 13 hits and five walks in 10 innings.
But Pensacola blew Johnson’s one-run effort by allowing Montgomery to send the game into extra innings by scoring two in the seventh inning to tie it, 3-3. Biscuits right fielder Boog Powell drove in Leonard, who had walked. Then pinch runner Juniel Querecuto scored on a two-out walk to Biscuits first baseman Cameron Seitzer.
Pensacola had gone ahead, 3-1, in the fourth inning when third baseman Marquez Smith hit a solo homer to left field. Blue Wahoos center fielder Juan Perez then scored on a single by left fielder Juan Silva after knocking his fourth triple of the season.
The first game of the doubleheader was delayed by an hour, 19 minutes because of rain.
Montgomery won, 3-2, on the walk-off homer by Coyle off Pensacola reliever Zach Weiss to start the seventh inning.
Weiss fell to 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA and ruined a quality start by Tim Adleman (2-6) who threw six innings and allowed only two runs on five hits, one walk and four strikeouts. Adleman, who had the third best ERA in the Southern League entering the game, was chosen to his first All-Star game earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Biscuits reliever Ryan Garton got his first Double-A win to improve to 1-0 when he came in to pitch the final 1.1 innings. Garton has struck out 17 batters in 14.1 innings after fanning left fielder Jesse Winker, first baseman Ray Chang and Smith in the final inning. He did allowed a single on a soft liner by right fielder Kyle Waldrop.
In the top of the fifth of the first game of the doubleheader, Pensacola went ahead, 2-1, when Chang hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in second baseman Ryan Wright.
But Montgomery came right back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, 2-2, when right fielder Joey Rickard grounded out to third to score Coyle from third. Coyle lead off the inning when he was hit by a pitch.
Montgomery tied the game at one in the third, when Powell doubled to left field to score shortstop Juniel Querecuto, who had an infield single to shortstop.
Pensacola took the lead, 1-0, when Smith singled in Chang, who singled on a line drive to left field.
Montgomery improved its record to 32-30 in the Southern League North Division. Meanwhile, Pensacola dropped to 23-38 and last place in the South Division. The Blue Wahoos now have the worst record in one-run games in the Southern League at 7-19 for a .269 winning percentage.
Five Flags Honors Marty White: From Principal’s Office At Tate High To Radio Icon
June 13, 2015
Five Flags Speedway held a special sendoff Friday night for Marty White, longtime Pensacola radio personality. He was honored by Sen. Greg Evers and Escambia Commissioner Wilson Robertson, awarded a trophy (with an upside-down car that was on fire), and given a Yeti cooler. His remarkable radio career can be traced back to his days at Tate High School.
By Chuck Corder
Would you be shocked to learn the man, who has entertained Pensacola radio listeners for four decades with his blue-collar comedy and homespun delivery, started out in the principal’s office?
If we’re going to blame somebody, Burma Davis is a kind and decent soul to begin with. It was 1972 and Davis, the youngest principal’s secretary ever hired at Tate High School, had her plate full of responsibilities.
One of those was overseeing the office assistants — a group of student workers, seniors mostly, who served as de facto ambassadors for the sprawling, 80-acre school.
Davis, then just 25 years old, had to find tasks to keep the teenagers’ idle hands busy. After all, they were receiving course credits for answering phones, greeting visitors, providing directions for lost deliverymen. It wasn’t like they were going to skip out on such an easy “A.”
Like a hive of worker bees, students parked themselves at Davis’ desk and awaited further instructions.
She plucked one young man, a senior with an engaging and effervescent personality, to boom the morning announcements through the school’s speakers. “He had a lot of personality, full of confidence and was real creative,” Davis remembers.
Nearly 45 years after Marty White got his high school “break,” the longtime and popular disc jockey at NASH 102.7 FM can still be described as full of personality, confident and creative.
And on days, when Davis was forced to tap other students to meekly perform the same announcements, she got peppered with the same question in the school’s hallways.
“Where’s Marty?” classmates asked Davis. “We love it when he does ’em.”
A Chapter Worth Celebrating
To this day, Pensacolians still love the sound of 59-year-old Marty White’s voice. They’ll only get to enjoy that privilege a little while longer before he officially retires later this month.
And for a few years, Pensacolians loved to watch him race at Five Flags Speedway.
Those are just two of the many reasons why White was honored at the famed half-mile asphalt Friday night — Marty White Appreciation Night. Two from now, on June 26, Marty will hang up his microphone for good and broadcast his last show before heading into a glorious sunset of rocking chairs, golfing, hunting, fishing and honey-doing.
“We’re so proud of him,” said Donna White, Marty’s (much) better half for 27 years. “He’d give you the shirt off his back without knowing you. I appreciate (Five Flags general manager) Tim (Bryant) and all of y’all for thinking to do this. (Marty) wanted no hullabaloo, just something short and sweet, so I’m tickled to death about this.”
It was a busy Marty White Appreciation Night thanks to its annual children’s bicycle races, a 50-lap Modifieds of Mayhem feature in addition to Super Stocks, Sportsman and Bombers heats and features.
For more than 20 years in Pensacola and across the Florida Panhandle, Marty White became a prominent fixture on radio dials thanks to the “Hometown Morning Show.”
“Radio has been good to us,” Donna said. “We’ve had a lotta good times; he’s done stuff you normally wouldn’t get to do.
“He flew with the Blue Angels. He was in a blimp. He played a lotta golf. And he’s done a lot for this community — that’s a gimme. When (hurricanes) come around, we don’t see Marty until it’s over and everything is secure. He loves that part of radio, keeping the people informed, as much as anything else.”
He celebrated 40 years in radio earlier this year, most of those coming in Pensacola. Marty also did radio work while he served in the United States Air Force, despite it not being his official job.
The military sent him to Italy, although Donna remains suspicious to this day.
“He thinks he can speak Italian,” she said. “We went back over once on a trip, but his Italian was not good. He tried.”
Finding Love Over Spilled Drinks
A native of Pensacola, Marty’s down-home cadence and folksy candor made him a fan favorite of commuters, especially when he playfully sparred with sidekicks.
Davis remembers Marty’s appreciation for life at a young age. One morning she flipped on the intercom system at Tate, handed Marty the mike and let destiny take its course.
“He loved it,” Davis said. “Even then, he put so much energy into it — so much personality. You might think a young person would be bashful if you handed them a microphone, but he was very confident from the very beginning.”
Soon, Davis was recommending Marty to be the public address announcer at Tate football games every Friday night.
The rest is history.
“For a kid calling football games with so much energy, (White) stood out,” Davis said.
“It was very powerful. And he, himself, was a very driven young man. Not all kids are (driven) at that age.”
A senior, Marty called the action on the field, unbeknownst that his blissful future was on the sidelines, too.
Donna (nee Edwards) was a cheerleader, two years Marty’s junior. Love at first sight it was not.
“We didn’t hang around much together,” Donna said. “I didn’t pay much attention to him.”
A few years later at Five Flags, though, Marty took matters into his own hands. Unintentionally? You make the call.
“I was at Five Flags Speedway with some friends,” Donna continued. “He was out there, sitting behind us. He spilled a beer down my back. That was the first time I saw him after high school.”
It wouldn’t be the last.
Their first date came at a New Year’s Eve party with a bunch of couples ringing in 1984 in Navarre. Marty, perhaps with the help of some liquid courage, decided it was perfect weather for a dip in the Gulf.
If his plan was to get back to Donna’s house, it worked. Marty got pneumonia from his polar bear adventure and Donna nursed him back to health.
“He never moved out after that first date,” said Donna, who it should be noted has just as sharp a sense of humor as her husband does. “He wanted me for my washer and dryer.”
The pair married in 1987 and had their only child, son Cody, two years later.
Itchin’ to Race
After dominating the celebrity/media races in a Bomber car for a few years at Five Flags, Marty convinced Donna to let him try the real thing in 2010.
“He always teased me that he wanted to race,” Donna said. “I said whatever. He qualified for the (Sportsman Snowball) Derby one year, but it was illegal.
“After that, he started driving routinely. I wasn’t sure what he was getting us into.”
White and his trademarked No. 102.7 Sportsman, an appropriate number if you’ve ever seen one, raced for three seasons.
He won one heat race — “You would’ve thought it was a feature,” Donna joked — but it never seemed to be all about collecting checkered flags for Marty White.
“He hit the wall about 7,000 times,” Donna exaggerated. “He caught fire a bunch of times before finally realizing his time was done. But he loves it. He’d go back right now in a hard second.”
Asked if she thought Marty would consider a return for the track’s annual Demolition Derby later this summer, Donna was quick with a quip, “He’s a Demolition Derby on his own.”
How will the man fill his time without a mike in his hand or a short-track in front of his fender?
Fishing, hunting and swimming at the family camp in Florala, Ala., will fill the void. But Donna promises to keep him busy until she decides Marty don’t need no rockin’ chair, as George Jones (a Marty favorite) would say.
“I have stuff that’s just ready to be fixed around the house,” she said. “He wants to chill out, but, eventually, and he doesn’t know this yet, but I’m going to have to send him back to work.”
Perhaps Tate needs a voice for its morning announcements.
Photos courtesy Nash 102.7 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
June 13, 2015
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending June 11 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
The FWC Offshore vessel FinCat was on patrol multiple days conducting 27 boarding’s and making one public assist. Several state and federal violations were made including, two federal citations for no federal reef fish permit, one federal citation for over the bag limit of red snapper, one state citation for undersized cobia, one state citation for possession of gray triggerfish during closed season, and one state citation for possession of gag grouper during closed season. Several other federal and state warnings were issued.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
The FWC Offshore vessel FinCat was on patrol over the weekend. Officers Cushing, Land, Manning, and US Coast Guard (USCG) Boarding Officer Dziama helped to conduct 40 fisheries and safety inspections over the two day period. Many vessels were in violation for being in possession of red snapper in federal waters. Five warnings and six resource citations were issued. Also, the USCG issued seven safety violations, three warnings, and terminated two vessels voyages. FWC Pilot Fields helped direct the crew to two separate resource violations.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week;however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
Chris Jones Seeks Sixth Term As Property Appraiser
June 13, 2015
Incumbent Chris Jones prefiled Friday for his sixth term as Escambia County Property Appraiser. Jones, a Democrat, was first elected to the position in 1996.
No other candidate has prefiled to date for the position.