$45 Million Insurance Claim On Escambia Jail Denied
April 28, 2015
Part of Escambia County’s insurance claim on the Central Booking and Detention Center at the Escambia County Jail has been denied.
The county’s insurance provider has agreed to pay a $25 million flood claim on jail, but denied a $45 million “all-peril” claim related to the late April 2014 flooding and natural gas explosion that destroyed Central Booking and Detention Center. Two people were killed at nearly 200 were injured in the explosion.
The county plans to appeal the insurance denial.
Escambia County is also looking to FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for assistance to pay for a new jail. The price tag for a new facility has been estimated at $120 to $180 million.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Alimony Bill Awaits Senate Action
April 28, 2015
After the House overwhelmingly approved a plan to revamp the state’s alimony laws, the debate will go across the Capitol to the Senate. House members voted 93-22 on Friday to approve a bill (HB 943), filed by Rep. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, and Rules Chairman Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, that would make wide-ranging changes in the alimony system.
Those changes involve issues such as how long alimony should last and how it should be calculated.
Almost all House Republicans voted for the bill, with only Rep. George Moraitis, R-Fort Lauderdale, joining 21 Democrats in opposition. A similar Senate bill (SB 1248) has cleared the committee process but has not been heard on the Senate floor. Lawmakers in 2013 passed an alimony overhaul, but it was vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott.
Sponsors have tried to address Scott’s concerns in writing this year’s bills.
by The News Service of Florida
Northview Grad’s Team Wins Regional Robotics Competition
April 28, 2015
Northview High School graduate Colton Sims was a member of a team that won the recent 2015 SoutheastCon Hardware Competition in Fort Lauderdale. Sims is currently a senior at the University of South Alabama and will graduate in May with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.
Over 50 engineering colleges across the Southeastern U.S. participated in this year’s competition.
Sims and his fellow students began work on their robot – lovingly named “Betsy” – when competition rules were announced in October 2014. Their autonomous robot had to run through a maze and complete four retro-themed tasks: play Simon Says for 15-seconds, rotate a Rubik’s Cube section 180 degrees, write “IEEE” on an Etch a Sketch, and remove the top card of the deck. The robot had to drive itself up to each game, physically manipulate the game correctly, and complete all four in five minutes.
Each team had three attempts at the maze and points were awarded for each task and for the time of each run. The University of South Alabama was the only team to achieve three perfect runs – successfully completing all four tasks each time.
”I knew the students were up to something good when they showed me the working Etch-a-Sketch in February,” said faculty advisor Dr. Russ. “So I was hoping they would be competitive. But first place? That is superb! I wish I could take more credit, but they did all the work themselves – very impressive!”
The team left Mobile the Friday of the conference driving 12 hours straight to the competition location. They faced a few glitches with their robot upon arrival and worked through the night getting “Betsy” ready for the next day. Sims and the four other USA students did not sleep until the competition was over Saturday afternoon.
One of the most impressive things about this win was the meager $1,500 budget the team had to work with to build the robot itself – compared to the several thousand dollars some of the other leading teams had. Team Captain Andrew Braun gives high praise to the College of Engineering.
Pictured top: University of South Alabama students accepting their trophy at the 2015 IEEE SoutheastCon Awards Banquet. From left, Northview graduate Colton Sims and fellow students Jan Hellmich, Andrew Braun, SoutheastCon Representative, Nicholas Carroll, and Kenneth Leggett. Pictured inset: The team’s robot “Betsy”. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Video Visitation System Online At Santa Rosa County Jail
April 28, 2015
A new video visitation system is now in place at the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Immediate family, relatives and friends will be able to visit with inmates from the comfort of their homes witha computer with a webcam and internet access. The service is also available on Android and iPhones. The new visitation system will expand available visitation hours, and provide visitation to those unable to visit the facility in person.
The visit works just like a phone call — no jail personnel are involved in connecting the visit. And, unlike other visitation systems, there is no need to involve jail personnel to schedule visits in advance.
There is no cost to the jail or to taxpayers for the equipment or installation. Maintenance is covered, at no charge, for the life of the contract. The system will eliminate movement of inmates from housing areas for visitations.
The new visitation system gives the jail complete control of visits at all times with live monitoring, recording of all calls, and database access to visitation records.
The system charges $0.50 per minute for calls made using the video visitation system and all calls are billed in one minute increments, with a required minimum call length for one minute. The system will only process prepaid calls and messages. Calls charged to a third party or credit cards are not permitted.
Free video visitation is available in the jail lobby from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday- Friday. From 5:01 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., payable visitation is available seven days a week in the jail lobby.
For more information, click here. Visitors must register in advance.
Pictured top: Two detention officers were posted in the lobby to the Santa Rosa County Jail Monday morning to assist with a new video visitation system that went live at 8 a.m. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Register Now For ECSO Neighborhood Watch Academy
April 28, 2015
Applications are now being accepted for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Neighborhood Watch Academy to be held May 19th, 2015 in the ECSO Administration Building at 1700 West Leonard Street in Pensacola. This free training is being provided to neighborhood volunteers for new and existing Neighborhood Watch programs, or anyone interested in preventing crime. The one evening seminar begins with a complementary meal at 5:00 pm and ends at 9:00 pm.
Much of the curriculum covers basic safety and security tips for the home, anonymous reporting and crime prevention through environmental design.
To register, click here.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Biloxi Beats Wahoos
April 28, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos may be 5-12 and in last place in the Southern League South Division early in the season but the players definitely do not feel like they are in the dog house yet.
Biloxi Shuckers righty Tyler Wagner hit a two-run home run to right field off of Blue Wahoos right fielder Jesse Winker’s glove in the fourth inning for a 4-2 lead and improved his record to 4-0 to become the Southern League’s first four-game winner. Biloxi (12-6) ended up winning its sixth game in eight contests against Pensacola, 8-2, in front of 3,439 fans during the overcast game.
Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly said he will remind his players that the season is 140 games long.
“It’s a long season and you can’t judge it by the first three weeks,” Kelly said. “Tonight we had a chance. It was 4-2 before we got blown out at the end of the game.”
Biloxi, which sits in first place in the South Division, scored four runs in the fourth and four more runs in the top of the ninth inning with four singles, walk and error.
Wagner, who is the Brewers’ No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America, lofted a deep fly ball that Winker almost caught after playing in on the pitcher. Wagner gave up two earned runs in five innings and struck out five for the win.
The Biloxi pitching staff—loaded with top Milwaukee prospects—entered the game with the fifth best earned run average in all of Minor League Baseball at 2.30.
Wagner had sat down seven Wahoos in a row before walking Winker and Sean Buckley with two outs in the third inning. Waldrop then laced a single to right to score Winker and Seth Mejias-Brean bounced a double over the right field wall to score Buckley for a 2-0 lead.
Blue Wahoos reliever Jacob Johnson said the club house remains positive, despite eight one-run losses, so far, this season. He pitched two innings of scoreless relief.
“I have complete confidence in this team that it’s going to click,” Johnson said. “All of our guys are too good.”
The fifth game of the six-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate Biloxi Shuckers is scheduled at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday.
No Injuries In Cantonment Crash
April 27, 2015
A driver found himself in a tight spot Monday morning in a traffic accident on Highway 95A in Cantonment, with his vehicle coming to rest between a tree, utility pole and a guy wire. The driver was not injured in mid-morning crash. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Century Man Charged With Attacking Girlfriend’s Car With Concrete Rabbit
April 27, 2015
A Century man is facing a felony weapons charge for allegedly attacking his girlfriend’s windshield with a concrete rabbit.
When deputies arrived at a disturbance on Hudson Hill Road, they found 19-year old Austin Mosley standing in the street and claiming that he had just been ran over by his 24-year old girlfriend. He told deputies that he had done nothing wrong.
About a half hour later, the girlfriend called deputies and reported that the couple had been in a verbal argument. When she got into her car, she claimed that Mosley jumped on the hood with a concrete rabbit yard decoration and threw it into the windshield, cracking the glass, before attempting to kick in the windshield. She told deputies the feared for her life and drove away, causing Mosley to fall off the car and into the street. A witness confirmed her story, according to an arrest report.
Later, at the victim’s residence, he allegedly caused a disturbance and threw a trash can into the victim’s windshield.
Mosley was treated by Escambia County EMS before being transported to the Escambia County Jail on a felony weapons offense of deadly missiles into a vehicle, criminal mischief property damage and trespassing. He remained in the Escambia County Jail early Monday with bond set at $13,000.
$17 Million In Property Taxes Unpaid, Due By Thursday
April 27, 2015
All 2014 unpaid real estate and tangible personal property taxes must be paid and receipted by close of business Thursday, April 30 to avoid being advertised as delinquent, according to Escambia County Tax Collector Janet Holley.
Over $17 million, about seven percent, of the Escambia County tax roll remains unpaid, according to Holley.
Online and drop box payments also may be made at the April rate by midnight April 30 but will not prevent advertising.
The list of delinquent tax accounts will be published in a legal ad and posted on the tax collector’s website on May 7.
Payments must be processed:
- In person at one of three branch offices by close of business on April 30;
- Through the call center (850) 438-6500 x3252 by close of business on April 30;
- On the website at www.escambiataxcollector.com by midnight April 30;
- Left in any of the 24-hour drop boxes available at all offices by midnight April 30.
All late payments will be returned for additional fees.
Offices are located at:
- Downtown, 213 Palafox Place
- Molino, 6440 Highway 95A, Suite A
- Marcus Pointe, 6451 North W Street
For more information, or to pay online, visit www.escambiataxcollector.com.
Town Allocates Funds To Spruce Up Century Business Center
April 27, 2015
The Town of Century is sprucing up their local business incubator, as plans will soon breathe new life into an old facility that’s sat empty and unused for years.
The former school complex on Pond Street was known as the “Habitat for Opportunity Building”, a rather awkward name, that the town council recently voted to rename the “Century Business Center” after approving a new strategic plan authored by the University of West Florida’s Haas Center.
Space in the center will be offered at $1 per year to the top two finishers in the Century Business Challenge. And an additional area will be used by an Americorp volunteer working for the town and by the Haas Center, and another office could be shared by community non-profits providing regular services such as the United Way or Northwest Florida Legal Services.
The town council recently voted to purchase carpet – an estimated cost of $3,000 to $3,500 – to be installed before business workshops are offered there beginning early next month by the Small Business Development Center at UWF. The council also voted to purchases desks and chairs for the facility, and inmate labor is being used by the town to spruce up around the Century Business Center.
Pictured: A room inside the Century Business Center (below). NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
