NRA: Campus Carry Gun Bills ‘Will Be Back’
May 7, 2015
Failed efforts to allow people to carry concealed weapons on college campuses and to allow some public-school employees and volunteers to be armed will be back before lawmakers next year.
Marion Hammer, lobbyist for the National Rifle Association and the Unified Sportsmen of Florida, said Wednesday those measures will return despite running into opposition in the Senate this year.
“The things that were worth working on this year will be worth working on next year,” Hammer said. “All of these good pieces of legislation will be back until they pass.”
The Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee scuttled a controversial proposal (SB 180) that would have allowed school superintendents to designate trained employees or volunteers to carry guns at public schools.
Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Chairman Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, did not bring up a proposal (SB 176) that would have allowed people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on state college and university campuses. Diaz de la Portilla said he made the decision after polling members of the Senate and finding a lack of support for the bill.
The college concealed-weapons measure was opposed by the state university system’s Board of Governors, university police chiefs and the 12 public universities. But Hammer said she is convinced “the votes were there. But there were people in a position to block it. And it was blocked.”
Jennifer Proffitt, president of Florida State University’s chapter of the United Faculty of Florida, said she expects there will again be widespread mobilization against the bill.
“This is not about the Second Amendment,” Proffitt wrote in an email. “This is about keeping our campuses — and workplaces — safe from this misguided manipulation of our nation’s ongoing debate about guns and safety.”
Second Amendment proponents, who have had a string of successes in advancing bills the past few years, were able this spring to reverse their lone defeat from the 2014 session — a bill that would allow more people to carry weapons during mandatory emergency evacuations.
The bill (SB 290), which would allow people to carry guns without concealed-weapons licenses for 48 hours during such evacuations, awaits approval from Gov. Rick Scott.
Scott supported the measure in 2014, when it drew opposition from law enforcement and was scrapped in the Senate.
This year’s bill would be the 13th pro-gun law signed by Scott since taking office in 2011.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush affixed his name to 14 pro-gun bills during eight years as occupant of the Governor’s Mansion, including the state’s “stand your ground” law, which says people can use deadly force and do not have a duty to retreat if they think it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. Scott has signed nine more pro-gun laws than former Gov. Charlie Crist.
Meanwhile, it remains unknown if a couple of gun-related tax measures will be revived for a special legislative session in June on the budget. The special session is needed because the House and Senate did not reach agreement on a budget before the regular session ended last week.
During this regular session, the House proposed a $690 million tax-cut package (HB 7141) that would have eliminated a tax on admissions and membership fees for gun clubs and offered an Independence Day sales-tax holiday on hunting gear.
by Tom Urban and Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Dates Set For Florida Special Session
May 7, 2015
Legislative leaders agreed Wednesday on the dates for a special session to hammer out a compromise on the state budget, as the federal government sent a clear signal that $2.2 billion in health-care funding at the center of the discussions is at risk.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, and Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, announced that the special session would tentatively begin June 1 and could run as late as June 20. However, the two sides did not put out a list of topics that would be discussed during the session, leaving room for disagreement over the final “call” that will be issued to lawmakers.
“While significant discussions lay before us, today marks a very good day for Florida as we have reached agreement on dates for a budget special session,” Crisafulli said in a brief statement issued by his office. “We look forward to working with our partners in the Senate as we make continued progress in the weeks ahead.”
Talks on a spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1 broke down in the regular legislative session, which ended in bitter fashion last week. The biggest disagreement between the House and Senate remains what to do about a proposal that would use $2.8 billion in Medicaid expansion funds, provided under the federal Affordable Care Act, to help lower-income Floridians purchase private health insurance.
The Senate and other supporters of the plan say it could help in negotiations with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services over $2.2 billion in funding for the Low Income Pool, or LIP, program. LIP, which mostly sends money to hospitals and other health providers that care for large numbers of low-income residents, is set to expire June 30 unless state and federal officials agree to extend it.
Federal officials say that because Medicaid expansion could ease some of the costs of LIP by providing insurance to more people, the two programs should be considered together. But Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida House fiercely oppose taking any action on a coverage expansion funded by the law commonly known as Obamacare, though Scott once supported expanding Medicaid.
After a meeting Wednesday with Scott, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell cast doubt on the approval of the state’s latest proposal to extend LIP. That proposal does not include Medicaid expansion.
“Secretary Burwell shared a preliminary view that the proposal currently posted for public comment in Florida falls short of the key principles HHS will use in considering proposals regarding uncompensated care pool programs, and the size of the proposed LIP appears larger than what matches the principles,” a statement from the agency said.
Scott tried to switch the onus over to federal officials.
“If we do not get any answer from CMS in the next few weeks, their inaction is the same as a ‘no’ and we will prepare to go into a special session to do a base budget that keeps government running,” Scott said in a statement issued by his office. “I told (Burwell) that we need federal action right now. The low income families in our state cannot wait on the federal government any longer.”
But Scott’s administration, which knew for more than a year that the current LIP program was going to expire, did not formally submit a new proposal for the funding until April 20. Under federal guidelines, that meant federal officials can’t give final approval to the plan until at least early July.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Scott said the state had waited in an unsuccessful effort to get agreement from the federal government before sending in the application, according to video posted on the websites of the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald.
Democrats blasted Scott following his comments on the meeting with Burwell.
“The low income families in our state haven’t been waiting on the federal government, Governor Scott, they’ve been waiting on you,” Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, said in a statement. “It was your administration that signed off on the agreement to end LIP in its current form next month. It was your administration that sat on its hands instead of crafting an alternative solution that the feds notified you would be needed. And it was you who fought against Obamacare before you supported it before you opposed it again, precipitating the House’s unconstitutional departure and the session to crash and burn.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor issued a statement saying Scott “should stay in Tallahassee” to try to reach agreement with lawmakers.
“Gov. Rick Scott’s meeting with HHS Secretary Burwell is no substitute for action in Tallahassee to resolve the budget impasse — a train wreck that is largely of his own making,” Castor said.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Byrneville Elementary 5th Graders ‘On Trial’
May 7, 2015
Fifth grade students from Byrneville Elementary School had the opportunity to visit the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Center on Wednesday. Students were able to sit in on a trial, tour the facility and learn about the judicial process. Afterwards, they were able to attend a Blue Wahoos baseball game. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Smokies Top Wahoos
May 7, 2015
For the past two seasons, pitcher Robert Stephenson earned the tab as top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization.
With a fastball that can touch 100, it’s no wonder.
Part of being rated the No. 1 prospect by Baseball America is bouncing back from adversity. And that’s exactly what Stephenson did on Wednesday for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (8-19) against the first place team in the Southern League North Division, the Tennessee Smokies (15-11) in the first game of a doubleheader at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Even though Stephenson got the loss to fall to 0-4 on the year, he went 6.1 innings in the 2-1 loss. In his last game against the Jackson Generals, Stephenson couldn’t make it out of the first inning, lasting just 0.2 innings and giving up six runs.
“I made a lot of progress today, especially after that last start,” he said. “As long as I stay down (in the strike zone), it doesn’t matter who’s at the plate.”
Pensacola lost the second game of the doubleheader, 4-1, to Tennessee, chasing Blue Wahoos reliever Carlos Gonzalez with four runs on two doubles and three walks in the top of the last inning.
Meanwhile, Stephenson took the mound in game one sporting new black cleats with a pink stripe and Nike swoosh on the outside of the foot and the word, “Mom,” written on the inside for Mother’s Day this Sunday. Because the team is off on Sunday, they decided to wear its pink uniforms in honor of the day celebrating moms across the country.
His mother made the trip from Martinez, Calif., in the northern part of the state to watch her son pitch for the Blue Wahoos for the first time Wednesday night.
“She couldn’t make it last year,” explained Stephenson, who had yet to talk to her about his performance.
Stephenson walked shortstop Elliot Soto to start the seventh and a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch later, he was standing on third. Pin-Chieh Chen then singled sharply to right field to score Soto with the winning run, 2-1, and end Stephenson’s fifth outing of the year.
Things started out poorly for Stephenson, who has struggled with his control all season. He walked four in the first inning, including forcing in a run to put the Smokies up, 1-0. However, he got out of the first on an inning-ending double play. After throwing 28 pitches, including 11 for strikes, he stared down the home plate umpire as he walked to the dugout.
“There were some pretty close calls,” Stephenson said. “I had a lot of walks in that first inning but they were right around the zone.”
Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly called Stephenson’s performance “outstanding.”
“He settled down, kept his composure and got to the seventh,” Kelly said.
He then benefited again on the arms of his left fielder Jesse Winker, who threw center fielder Albert Almora out at second base when he tried to stretch his single. Tennessee catcher Kyle Schwarber, one of the top hitters in the Southern League, then hit into a double play when he flew out to right fielder Kyle Waldrop, who threw a strike to catcher Chris Berset to get leadoff hitter Jacob Hannemann out at the plate.
Stephenson settled down and threw just 21 pitches over the next three innings to the minimum nine hitters. He allowed four hits, walked seven and struck out four in the start and now has 26 Ks on the season.
Blue Wahoos first baseman Marquez Smith drove in Pensacola’s left fielder Jesse Winker with the only run of the game on a sacrifice fly to right field.
Pensacola, which has struggled at the plate as a team with a league low .223 batting average and 72 runs, has scored three runs or less in 17 of 27 games this year.
Century Business Center’s First Lesson: Social Media Is A Must
May 6, 2015
The use of social media is a necessity for almost any business — that was the lesson learned Tuesday in the first class of the “Amplify Your Business Through Fundamentals” training series being presented in Century by the Small Business Development Center at the University of West Florida.
“You can use social media to establish yourself as an expert in your field,” said Kelly Massey of the Small Business Development Center. Business can become that go-to expert, he said, by presenting original information relevant to their field or even sharing links or research.
Small businesses usually do not compete with “big box” or national businesses on price, but on service, convenience and expertise, he said.
“A social media page is not a web page but a service page,” Massey said. Attendees learned how to capitalize on the top social media sites, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter during the “Winning with Social Media” class.
The class was attended by a handful of people, most participants in the Century Business Challenge which will award $25,000 to the creator a winning business plan in a few weeks. It was the first event held in a rehabilitated portion of the recently renamed Century Business Center.
Space in the center will be offered at $1 per year to the top two finishers in the Century Business Challenge. An additional area is being converted for a business development center employee, and could be shared in the future by community non-profits providing regular services such as the United Way or Northwest Florida Legal Services.
Additional free classes in the series will be offered as follows:
Thursday, May 7
Marketing II – Using Google Tools and Boosting Your Business with Great Customer Reviews: If you have heard of Google Ad Words, Alerts, or Analytics and wonder how they could benefit your marketing efforts, this workshop is for you! Learn how to track website visits, research keywords, find articles relevant to your business, and most importantly, manage your brand online. In addition, customer reviews through online sites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp are crucial to the success of a small business. Don’t overlook this vital tool for marketing your small business. Discover the various online customer review sites, how to create compelling business listings for the most popular sites, and tips for getting great customer reviews.
Tuesday, May 12
Financial & Cash Flow Statements, Pt. 1: Learn how to create and use profit and loss statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements to manage a small business.
Thursday, May 14
Financial & Cash Flow Statements, Pt. 2
Tuesday, May 19
Human Resources: This training will provide an overview of the many aspects of human resources management. During this session, we will provide training on the following topics: Fair Labor Standards Act, effective recruiting, effective hiring, drug testing, employee motivation, costs of employee turnover, and effective communication.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cox Inspirational Heroes Named
May 6, 2015
The annual Inspirational Student Hero Awards were presented Tuesday.
Cox Communications recognized 47 students from Escambia County who have overcome extreme challenges in life, such as mental or physical disabilities, severe medical conditions, language barriers or family adversity.
The students were chosen by a committee of leaders at their school. During the event, Cox presented the students with an engraved medallion and certificates of honor from Cox. Congressman Jeff Miller’s office also recognized the students with a certificate.
The 2015 Cox Inspirational Student Heroes for Escambia County are:
- Bellview Elementary — Devan Donoval
- Bellview Middle — Harvey Cudia
- Beulah Elementary — Caitlin Cool
- Blue Angels Elementary — Alexandria Wallach
- Bratt Elementary — Jordan Wilson
- Brentwood Elementary — Jennifer Rodriguez
- Brown Barge Middle — Belinda Zhou
- Byrneville Elementary — Anthoni Weaver
- C.A. Weis Elementary — Te’ontrell Adams
- Catholic High — Blakeley Baker
- Cordova Park Elementary — Joseph Jennings
- Ensley Elementary — Nathan Goodnight
- Ernest Ward Middle — Madison Kemp
- Escambia High — Samantha Williams
- Escambia Charter — Gerico Mackey
- Ferry Pass Elementary — Jamaia Bryant
- Ferry Pass Middle — Alexander Reed
- Global Learning Academy Donta’ Hall
- Hellen Caro Elementary — Reggie Pound
- Holm Elementary — Joshua Eiland
- Jim Allen Elementary — Myah Owen
- Jim Bailey Middle — Breana Chase
- Lincoln Park Elementary — Jamarcus Kyles
- McArthur Elementary — Adonis Turner
- Molino Park Elementary — Melody Patterson
- Montclair Elementary — Jamari Hart
- Myrtle Grove Elementary — Austin Robinson
- N.B. Cook Elementary — Will Roberts
- Navy Point Elementary — Suhamy Izaguirre-Garcia
- Northview High — Cody Mathis
- O.J. Semmes Elementary — Jeremiah Rudolph-Prichett
- Oakcrest Elementary — Amina McKenzie
- Pensacola High — Wen Wen Xu
- Pine Forest High — Alexis Fornecker
- Pine Meadow Elementary — Cody Kimbro
- Pleasant Grove Elementary — William Steele
- R. C. Lipscomb Elementary — Olivia Bush
- Ransom Middle — Joshua Parr
- Sherwood Elementary — Ian Louis
- Tate High — Taquarius Bryant
- Warrington Elementary — Dakota Ballard
- Warrington Middle — Johnaven Thorton
- Washington High — Miles Wright
- West Florida High — Sid Williams
- West Pensacola Elementary — George Hale
- Woodham Middle — Dy’asha Crenshaw
- Workman Middle — Devani Garcia
Escambia Man Indicted For 2014 Murder
May 6, 2015
Tuesday, an Escambia County Grand Jury indicted 23-year old Tony James Leamon Stroud, Jr. for first degree murder in the death of Tyler Evans.
On August 20, 2014 the body of Tyler Evans was recovered in a field near the area of Weller Avenue and Bradfield Road.
Evans died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head.
Stroud remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Volunteers Wrap Up Plans For May 16 Reimagine Century Event
May 6, 2015
The final organizational meeting for Reimagine Century was held Tuesday for volunteers and involved organizations to make last minute plans.
Reimagine Century 2015 will be held Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the old Century High School at 440 Hecker Road. The event will include a wide variety of activities, including a 15,000 pound food giveaway, health screenings, AIDS testing, diabetes information, live music, fishing lessons from Mission Fishin’, free manicures, information from community agencies, a clothing giveaway, free lunch, free haircuts, youth and teen activities and sports, a diaper giveaway and more.
Clothing donations for the event are still being accepted at a trailer located outside the Century Town Hall building.
Pictured top and bottom: Reimagine Century volunteers meet Tuesday night in Century. Pictured inset: Reimagine founder Linda English. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: A Very Tall Job
May 6, 2015
Workers were busy on a tall job in Bratt Tuesday — working on a 120 foot tall water tower on North Highway 99 at Water Tank Road. The tank is part of the Bratt-Davisville Water System. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
PSC Approves Gulf Power’s Oklahoma Wind Power Project
May 6, 2015
Tuesday, Gulf Power received unanimous approval from the Florida Public Service Commission of an agreement that will make the utility a leading purchaser of wind generation among Florida utilities. The agreement is the first of its kind in the state.
The project, called Kingfisher Wind, will be built in central Oklahoma, where conditions are favorable for wind energy.
“Kingfisher Wind will help Gulf Power add renewable energy that makes environmental and economic sense,” said Jeff Rogers, External Communications manager. “Smart renewables, like Kingfisher Wind, are cost effective for customers.”
The Kingfisher Wind project is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of the year. A total of 89 of the project’s wind turbines will supply 178 megawatts to Gulf Power, which is enough energy to power approximately 50,700 homes per year.
“The power we get from Kingfisher Wind will represent approximately 5 percent of our projected energy mix,” said Rogers. “Wind power helps diversify the power supply and Kingfisher Wind is projected to provide lower overall energy costs.”
This wind project will be Gulf Power’s fifth renewable energy project following the Perdido Landfill Gas-to-Energy Facility, which has produced more than 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity since 2010, and three solar energy projects that are scheduled to begin construction in February 2016.
Gulf Power announced in January that the utility is partnering with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force to build solar energy farms at three different facilities across Northwest Florida.
The solar energy farms have already been approved by the FPSC and will be constructed at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach (30 megawatts), Holley Field in Navarre (40 megawatts) and Saufley Field in Pensacola (50 megawatts) and are expected to be in service by December 2016.
“Adding alternative energy to our portfolio takes careful planning to ensure we provide our customers with what they want and what they need — cost-effective energy that diversifies our power supply,” said Rogers.