Anti-Gambling Group Wants Florida Voters To Decide About Casinos
October 28, 2015
An anti-gambling group wants to give voters the ability to decide whether Florida should have non-tribal casinos, but the preliminary fate of the proposed constitutional amendment rests in a Supreme Court decision about slot machines at a Gadsden County horse track.
A newly-formed political committee called “Voters in Charge” announced Tuesday it has started a petition-gathering process, with an eye on getting a proposal on the 2018 ballot. If approved, the “Voter Control of Gambling” constitutional amendment would require future statewide votes to authorize casino-style games including blackjack, craps and roulette.
The amendment would take away the Legislature’s ability to approve casinos in Florida but would not affect tribal operations, which are regulated by federal law.
The committee is aiming to collect the requisite 68,314 signatures to trigger a Florida Supreme Court review by the end of the year. But whether or not Voters in Charge intends to pursue a ballot initiative ultimately rests with the court’s decision in another case, according to committee chairman John Sowinski.
“We view this as an insurance policy, frankly,” Sowinski said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
The Supreme Court has been asked to decide whether a horse track in the Gadsden County community of Gretna, which originally received its pari-mutuel license for rodeo-style barrel racing, can have slot machines.
The case centers on a 2009 law establishing eligibility for slot machines at pari-mutuels, an expansion of a 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment that authorized slots at seven existing horse and dog tracks and jai-alai frontons in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The 2009 change allowed a Hialeah track, which wasn’t operating at the time the amendment was approved, to also operate the lucrative one-armed bandits.
The 2009 law also expanded eligibility for slots to include facilities in “any other county … pursuant to a statutory or constitutional authorization after the effective date of this section in the respective county.” The law went into effect July 1, 2010.
The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled earlier this month that Gretna Racing, operated by the Poarch Creek Indians of Atmore, cannot have slots without legislative approval.
The case has implications for several other counties — Brevard, Lee, Hamilton, Palm Beach, and Washington — where voters have approved referendums authorizing slots at local pari-mutuels. A nearly identical case is pending in the 4th District Court of Appeal, where the Palm Beach Kennel Club is also challenging the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s denial of its application for slot machines.
In the Gadsden County case, the Supreme Court could allow Gretna to operate slots without legislative approval or decide that the Legislature must approve the slots. Or the court could rule that the expansion of slots at pari-mutuels outside of Broward and Miami-Dade counties requires another constitutional change.
Sowinski said his group wants “to have a ready weapon” with the ballot proposal in case the Supreme Court decides that no constitutional action is necessary for pari-mutuels outside of the two South Florida counties to add slots.
“We want to be positioned and ready so if there is a court decision that does not affirm that the people have the final say on this, that they’ve got an amendment that makes it abundantly clear on the ballot,” Sowinski said.
The ballot initiative comes after lawmakers have repeatedly failed to sign off on “destination resorts” pushed by out-of-state casinos. Gambling giant Las Vegas Sands recently abandoned its efforts in Florida.
Voters In Charge is backed by No Casinos, a group supported by Disney World, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and a variety of tourism-related groups. Sowinski is also the president of No Casinos.
The ballot initiative could also be viewed as a shot across the bow as negotiations over a deal with the Seminole Tribe heat up.
Gov. Rick Scott’s chief lawyer, Tim Cerio, is working with Republican House and Senate leaders to craft a new agreement with the Seminoles. A deal expired earlier this summer that gave the tribe exclusive rights to operate banked card games like blackjack at most of its casinos.
According to sources close to the talks, the new pact would allow the tribe to have craps and roulette and also would permit the Palm Beach County greyhound track to add slots. That would be banned without statewide approval under the proposal floated by Voters in Charge.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Three Jail Locations Discussed At Escambia Town Hall Meeting
October 28, 2015
Escambia County held a special town hall meeting Tuesday to present three proposed sites for a new jail to the public and answer questions.
The county is considered three sites for the new Escambia County Jail: the Palafox and Airport Boulevard site, the Brent Lane site, and the Mid-town Commerce site.
The Board of County Commissioners is expected to vote on the jail site on Thursday, November 12, at 5 p.m., during a specially-called Board meeting.
Pictured: A town hall meeting was held Tuesday night in Pensacola to discuss three potential sites for a new Escambia County Jail. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gas Prices Drop Below $2 In North Escambia
October 28, 2015
Gas prices have finally fallen below $2 a gallon in North Escambia, with several Cantonment stations at $1.99 or even $1.98 on Tuesday. Across the Escambia County area, gas prices in the area are dipping again and should fall further by the end of the year, according to AAA.
Gas prices had inched up in recent weeks, partly because routine maintenance at refineries shrunk supplies. Normal production resumed last week at many refineries.
On Monday, the price of regular unleaded in Escambia County averaged $2.08 per gallon, down 11 cents from a week earlier. It was 86 cents cheaper than a year ago.
The national average currently sits at $2.20 per gallon, the lowest price since February.
Picturd: A gallon of regular unleaded was down to $1.99 Tuesday on Highway 29 in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
North Escambia Road Closures
October 28, 2015
Road closures are planned this week as follows:
Pine Forest Road in Walnut Hill is set to be closed through Thursday, November 4 at 4:30 p.m. for railroad crossing repairs. Drivers may detour on Rockaway Creek and Pelt Roads.
Highway 168 will experience single lane closures on the Hobbs Branch Bridge (between Pine Barren Road and Wiggins Road) through Wednesday, November 25. Lane closures will be from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
North Pineville Road work has been canceled.
Work may be rescheduled or prolonged due to inclement weather. Any updates will be posted on NorthEscambia.com.
Molino Park Elementary Heads Back To The 50’s (Photo Gallery)
October 28, 2015
Students at Molino Park Elementary School went back to the 50’s Tuesday to celebrate the 50th day of the school year.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Santa Rosa Deputies Pay Special Visit To Jay Elementary
October 28, 2015
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office paid a special visit to Jay Elementary School Tuesday to teach students about bullying and stranger danger. Major Bob Johnson also took the time to read to students. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Arrest Made In July Triple Murder
October 27, 2015
An arrest has been made in a triple murder that was said at the time to be related to witchcraft.
Donald Wayne Hartung, 58, was arrested Tuesday on three counts of first degree premeditated murder. He is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
He is charged will the brutal murder of his mother Voncile Smith, 77, and two half brothers John William Smith, 47, and Richard Thomas Smith, 49. They were found dead in their Deerfield Drive home on July 31. All three were beaten with a claw hammer and their throats slit, and Richard Smith was also shot in the head.
The arrest was announced Tuesday afternoon by Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan at a press conference.
State Attorney Bill Eddins said his office will seek the death penalty in the case.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Division, in partnership with the Florida Department Law Enforcement (FDLE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Attorney were able to use forensic and other evidence leading to Hartung’s arrest.
Morgan said FDLE processed a very large amount of evidence for the Sheriff’s Office, with it taking some five days to process the crime scene.
Eddins said the crime scene was “one of the most complicated that I have seen in my career”.
At a press conference shortly after the murders, Morgan said witchcraft may have been involved in the killings. Tuesday, he said that witchcraft was still “in play”, but it would be up to prosecutors to determine the motive.
Pictured top: Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan and State Attorney Bill Eddins at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
School Bus Involved In Ensley Crash
October 27, 2015
[Update 3 pm] At least one person was injured in a crash between a school bus and a vehicle Tuesday morning on Highway 29 at Detroit Boulevard.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 81-year old Robert W Kilpatrick of Pace was westbound on Detroit Boulevard in a 2009 Pontiac Vibe when he turned into the path of a northbound 2007 school bus driven by 67-year old Harold R. Haile of Cantonment. There were no students on the bus at the time of the crash.
Kilpartrick was transported by Escambia County EMS to to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition. Haile and an another adult on the bus, 20-year old Telsha Gable, received minor injuries.
Charges are pending the outcome of the investigation, according to the FHP.
NorthEscambia.com reader submitted photos by various readers, including Whitney Harris and Melody Johnson, click to enlarge.
Semi Truck, Bus Collide On Highway 29 In McDavid
October 27, 2015
One person was injured in a crash involving a semi-truck and an Escambia County Community Transportation bus this morning in McDavid.
The crash happened about 5:45 a.m. on Highway 29 north of Champion Drive. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 27-year old Ryan Joiner of Brewton was stopped in the median of Highway 29 in a 2015 Peterbuilt log truck when he initiated a turn into the direct path of a 2015 model Escambia County Community Transportation bus driven by 22-year old Nakeem Williams of Pensacola.
Williams was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries. Joiner was not injured. There were no passengers on the bus a the time of the crash.
Joiner was cited with careless driving, according to the FHP.
The McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash, which shut down northbound Highway 29 for nearly an hour.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Charged With Firing Weapon At Party, Pointing Loaded Gun At Partygoers
October 27, 2015
Two Cantonment men have been charged with firing a weapon at an outdoor party and then pointing the still loaded firearm at multiple people.
About 2:15 a.m. Sunday, deputies responded to a shots fired disturbance at an empty lot about a mile east of Highway 29 on Becks Lake Road.
Justin Ray Landers and Joshua Shane Whitemire, both 23-years old, had reportedly become involved into an argument with other people at the party. Landers then handed a semi-automatic pistol to Whitmire, and Whitemire fired 2-3 shots into the air and then proceeded to point the loaded pistol at other people in the area. Whitemire returned to the pistol to Landers, who pointed the loaded weapon at people that attempted to stop them from leaving, according to an arrest report.
Whitmire then backed the truck up at a high rate of speed, running over the foot of a 17-year old juvenile, the report states. Then, as the vehicle was leaving the area, Landers fire more shots out of the passenger side window.
Landers and Whitemire were taken into custody in the front yard of Whitmire’s resident on Tara Dawn Circle. A Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun was seized.
The juvenile refused medical treatment for her foot.
Landers and Whitmire were both charged with discharging a firearm in public, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill. They were both released from the Escambia County Jail on $3,000 bond each.