Identity Released: Body Washes Up At Port Of Pensacola
January 22, 2015
The name of a man whose body was found near the Port of Pensacola Wednesday afternoon has been released.
Detective Dylan Stackpole said the man – Alvin Gray, 66, of the 900 block of Massachusetts Avenue – was last seen around 1:10 a.m. Tuesday when he left home and told his sister he was going to the store. Stackpole said Gray’s sister contacted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office around 1:35 p.m. Tuesday and reported him missing.
It has not yet been determined how long Gray was in the water. Stackpole said a police officer found Gray’s car at Plaza DeLuna, which is located directly across from the port, around 1:40 p.m. Wednesday.
A fisherman found Gray’s body near 700 S. Barracks Street around 12:50 p.m. Wednesday and contacted police. His body was found on the rocks on the east side of the port. Lt. Chuck Mallett said there were no obvious signs of foul play, but an investigation continues into Gray’s death.
Man Charged With Strangulation Following Alabama Manhunt
January 21, 2015
A man was charged with strangulation after being captured during a manhunt near Flomaton Wednesday morning that involved law enforcement agencies from two states.
Nicholas Dewayne Smith, 22, was charged with domestic violence strangulation, domestic violence interference with an emergency call, attempting to elude law enforcement, possession of drug paraphernalia and second degree possession of marijuana. He was booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton.
About 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Flomaton Police Department received a 911 call from the victim on Jordan Road stating that Smith had choked her. Smith fled the from the residence as officers arrived. Deputies responded from the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office and the Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office to assist in the manhunt for smith. K-9 teams from Century Correctional and Fountain Correctional in Atmore were used to track and capture Smith.
The manhunt lasted less than two hours.
Man Charged With Stealing Tons Of Steel From Employer, Fraudulent EBT Card Use
January 21, 2015
An Escambia County man has been charged with stealing over 15 tons of steel from his employer and fraudulently using a state EBT card for years.
Barry Paul Fehr, 53, was employed at Highway Specialties, Inc. on Pine Barren Barren Road in McDavid since 2001. Between May 2011 and May 2014, Fehr sold 30,145 pounds of steel highway guardrail components in 19 transactions to Wise Recycling without permission of the company’s owner, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, receiving a total of $3,428. The investigation also found Fehr in possession of additional guardrail components owned by Highway Specialties and valued at $2,135, the report states.
Several times, Fehr represented himself in a capacity to complete jobs and accept payment without proper invoicing and receipts, investigators said. Within the past two years, deputies said Fehr and his crew installed 150 feet of guardrail on I-10 and was paid $5,200 outside the scope of Highway Specialties.
During an interview with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Fehr stated that he never sold property that would not have been discarded anyway upon the completion of a job.
Fehr was also accused of paying cash at one-half the face value for an individual’s State of Florida EBT card each month for the past 60 months. He then used the card as his own, fraudulently obtaining about $10,500 worth of benefits, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Fehr was charged with one felony count of a grand theft and one felony count of fraud – unauthorized user of public assistance. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on $2,500 bond.
Escambia School Board Honors Sara Calhoun, Florida’s Top Elementary Reading Teacher
January 21, 2015
The Escambia County School Board honored a Molino Park Elementary School teacher Tuesday night for being named the top elementary school reading teacher in the entire state.
Sara Calhoun was named the Florida Reading Association’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year for 2014-2015. She was honored with an award presentation last October at the Third General Session of the Florida Reading Conference in Orlando.
“Teaching and leading a child to read is the most incredible privilege, second only to leading another soul into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. This is clearly the most exciting and humbling highlight of my career,” Calhoun said, as she praised the work of other Molino Park and district educators.
“We are all so proud of Mrs. Calhoun and know that this award is well deserved,” Molino Park Principal Alice Woodward said in a September 2014 NorthEscambia.com story. “We are so blessed to have her as part of our Molino Park team.”
Calhoun has taught first grade at Molino Park Elementary for three yeras. She has been married to her husband, Brian, for the past 18 years, and they have two children. The family moved to Molino seven years ago when Brian was called to be the pastor and Highland Baptist Church.
The Florida Reading Association is an affiliate of the International Reading Association (IRA), a 52,000 member nonprofit educational organization devoted to the promotion of lifetime reading habits and the improvement of language and literacy instruction.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Helicopter Company Landing In Santa Rosa County With High Paying Jobs
January 21, 2015
A new helicopter company is locating in Santa Rosa County, bringing dozens of high paying jobs.
Aerosync Support, Inc., a leader in helicopter repairs, modifications and upgrades, is moving into the Santa Rosa Industrial Park in Milton. Aerosync has purchased the former West Coat Metal Roofing building and is making a capital investment of over $1.75 million to the facility. With the anticipated creation of 25 jobs at an average rate of $60,000, Aerosync qualified for a performance-based incentive program aimed at increasing high-skilled, high-wage jobs in Florida.
Aerosync provides global on-site labor support for Bell and Sikorsky helicopter products. They service both commercial and military markets, specializing in depot level upgrades/modifications with heavy or crash damage repairs. In addition Aerosync designs and builds precision tooling and aircraft support equipment specialized for the aerospace market. The new facility in the Santa Rosa Industrial Park joins the company’s locations in Wichita, KS and Bogotá, Colombia.
Greg Bartlett, president of Aerosync, said many factors brought them to Santa Rosa County, “There is a large aerospace market in both commercial and military sectors that are in need of the services we offer. Milton and the Santa Rosa Industrial Park is a great location for us with room to expand as future demands increase. We are very excited about being here and look forward to employing many talented folks in this area.”
Aerosync was approved for a Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund, also known as QTI, as an incentive available to companies that create high wage jobs in targeted high value-added industries. Pre-approved applicants who create jobs in Florida receive tax refunds, the amount based on the number of jobs, average annual salary and location. Santa Rosa County contributes 20 percent of the refund as part of this program. A resolution for the county’s portion, or $100,000, of the incentives was passed by the Santa Rosa Board of County Commission on October 23, 2014, as “Project Airwolf.”
For more information on Aerosync Support, Inc. visit http://aerosyncsupport.com.
Guns On Campus Bill Clear First Hurdle
January 21, 2015
In the wake of a shooting on the Florida State University campus just a few miles away and after an hour of sometimes-emotional debate, a House panel Tuesday approved a bill that would allow concealed weapons to be carried at colleges and universities.
The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voted 8-4 along party lines to pass the measure (HB 4005), which would allow anyone with a concealed-carry permit to have a weapon — usually a firearm — on campus. Currently, people are banned from carrying such weapons at Florida colleges and universities, with the exception of stun guns or similar devices.
But Rep. Greg Steube, the Sarasota Republican sponsoring the bill, said the new measure would empower the likely small number of college students who have concealed-weapons licenses to defend themselves and their fellow students. Steube said only 2,271 of the state’s 21-year-olds have concealed-weapons licenses; no one under 21 is allowed to receive a permit. There are almost 1.2 million college students in Florida.
State data show that 246,632 Floridians between the ages of 21 and 35 have the permits, according to an analysis of the bill by legislative staff.
Steube said he had worked on the legislation before the shooting at FSU in November, but the attack highlighted the need for the bill. Only the gunman was killed in that incident, though one of the three victims of the shooting was paralyzed from the waist down.
“What I’m trying to do is prevent further loss of life by giving God-fearing and law-abiding citizens who have gone through background checks and all the things they have to do to get a (permit) to be able to defend themselves and their family,” Steube told the committee.
Supporters said current law actually makes students on campus less safe.
“This bill eliminates a possible pool of victims,” said Brant Hargrove, a member of the public who spoke in support of the legislation. “Predators know where victims are. They’re in places where people cannot defend themselves.”
But opponents, including several students and faculty members who showed up to argue against the legislation, said drugs, alcohol and stress prevalent on college campuses made the atmosphere particularly bad for allowing guns.
“I can only imagine walking through mid-terms week or finals week and being afraid, because these people, at times, college students break down, especially when they’re in engineering and in the sciences and mathematics,” said John Quiroz, a 22-year-old political-science student at the University of South Florida. “I just want to remind you all that these are young men and women trying to better themselves. They don’t need … this constant fear of violence being on their college campuses.”
Marjorie Sanfilippo, an associate dean of faculty at Eckerd College, said she often has to deal with angry students — and sometimes asks campus security officials to be on hand. She also pointed out that concealed weapons aren’t allowed at legislative meetings.
“That protects you,” she said. “I only ask that you give us the same respect in college settings.”
But Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said the presencesof drugs, alcohol and parties at college campuses argued for the bill.
“Folks, if you’re living in that kind of environment, you better carry a firearm. Because you could get raped, beaten, or worse,” he said.
Steube’s bill still has to clear the Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittee and the Judiciary Committee before heading to the full House. A Senate version (SB 176) filed by Sen. Greg Evers hasn’t been scheduled for a hearing in any of its four committee stops.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Scott Calls For Tax Cuts On Cell Phone Bills, Cable And Satellite TV
January 21, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott is asking lawmakers to cut taxes on cell-phone bills and cable and satellite television to meet the first half of his re-election campaign’s $1 billion tax-cut pledge.
The proposal, announced Tuesday by Scott, would reduce state tax dollars by a projected $470 million. The governor’s office said it would save about $43 a year for a family that spends $100 a month on cell-phone and cable services, though spending on such services varies widely by household.
“With our cell phone and TV tax cut, every Florida family is saving real money — around $40 a year for spending as little as $100 a month between cell phone, cable and satellite bills,” Scott said in a prepared statement.
Scott’s proposal would reduce what are known as “communications services tax” rates, which are now 9.17 percent on nonresidential landlines, cell phone, and cable services and 13.17 percent on satellite services. The tax has generated about $1.4 billion in annual collections in recent years, according to the Florida Tax Handbook.
Scott was flanked by telecommunications executives while announcing the proposal Tuesday morning at the Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce. The proposal got quick praise from business lobbying groups.
“Governor Scott continues to prioritize fostering a business-friendly environment so that our state’s businesses can continue to grow and we continue to attract new and innovative businesses to the state of Florida,” Associated Industries of Florida President & Chief Executive Officer Tom Feeney said in a prepared statement.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers, who have been noncommittal about how much of the state’s surplus they will devote to Scott’s priorities in the budget for the coming year, called Scott’s proposal “a starting point” as they begin to review tax proposals. A final tax-cut package will be negotiated this spring as lawmakers finalize a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
“In my committee, no tax is safe,” House Finance & Tax Chairman Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said. “It is the goal of the House of Representatives to find even more ways to decrease the tax burden on Florida’s families.”
Senate Finance and Taxation Chairwoman Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, has pushed similar, though somewhat smaller, measures than what Scott offered.
Hukill, who met with Scott on Monday, said she expects the communications-services tax to be a significant part of any final tax package.
“This is not something that is for a small number of people,” Hukill said. “We have almost as many cell phones as we have citizens in the state of Florida.”
House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, and Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, said Tuesday they had not yet reviewed Scott’s proposal.
Scott made cutting taxes and fees a focus of his two successful election campaigns and his first term in office. Scott and lawmakers last year made about $500 million in cuts, with much of that going to reducing vehicle-registration fees.
The Republican governor touted the fee cuts during last year’s campaign and pledged to make about $1 billion in tax cuts during the next two years.
At campaign stops, Scott maintained support for a number of sales-tax shopping holidays, along with touting plans to cut the communications-services tax, eliminate a manufacturing sales tax, phase out the corporate-income tax and a sales tax on commercial leases and enact a constitutional amendment that would prevent residential property taxes from being increased when home values don’t go up.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Lady Chiefs Celebrate Senior Night With Win Over Catholic
January 21, 2015
The Northview Chiefs earned a 32-30 Senior Night win over the Catholic Crusaders Tuesday.
The Lady Chiefs jumped out to an early 8-0 lead and led 8-4 at the end of the first quarter, but Catholic went on a 12-0 run to take a 12-8 lead in the second quarter. Catholic led 16-14 at the break. The score was tied at 21 heading into the fourth, when the Lady Chiefs outscored Catholic 11-9 to secure the victory.
The Chiefs were led by E’Layzha Bates with 11 points and De’Asia Fountain with 10. Angel Lathan chipped in with 7, and Autumn Albritton had 4.
The Crusaders were led by Titianna Fleming with 11 points.
The Chiefs are off until the district tournament, where they play Holmes County on January 27 at 6:00 p.m. The district tournament is at Baker.
Pictured with Coach Derek Marshman are Northview seniors Megan Bryan, Morgan Ward, Angel Lathan and E’Layzha Bates. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Florida Prisons Chief Wants More Money, More Oversight
January 21, 2015
In her first appearance before the Legislature since taking the helm of the Florida Department of Corrections two weeks ago, a candid Secretary Julie Jones painted a picture of an understaffed agency embattled by a crumbling infrastructure, skyrocketing numbers of mentally ill prisoners and private health-care vendors who aren’t living up to their contract requirements.
Jones, who came out of retirement after being tapped by Gov. Rick Scott to become the first woman to lead the agency, told the Senate Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday that she needs more money to fill vacant positions, which she blamed in part for mistreatment of inmates by prison guards.
“Staffing is key to lowering the temperature in these facilities,” Jones said. “It’s going to take all hands on deck and it’s going to take a true change in how we look at the role of the corrections officers and also the expectations of what those corrections officers, what services, they deliver to those inmates. Quite frankly, it’s a service. They’re there to keep them happy and they’re there to keep them healthy … and do it in such a way that they enter the facility in the same way that they exit the facility. And we’re not doing that.”
The staffing boost is part of a wide-ranging agenda Jones laid out that includes possibly terminating or renegotiating contracts with prison health-care vendors, intensive training for guards who deal with mentally ill patients and a “direct line” to the agency’s inspector general, who now answers to Scott’s inspector general Melinda Miguel.
Lawmakers cut nearly $1 billion — and did away with more than 1,000 positions — from the department’s $2.1 billion budget over the past four years, committee Chairman Greg Evers, R-Baker, noted.
Earlier in the day, Jones told reporters she plans to ask for $17 million to “fully fund” positions now vacant in security and administrative positions and another $15 million to fix what she called a “crumbling infrastructure” that includes one prison that was built in 1913 and is still operating.
After the meeting, Evers, whose Panhandle district includes three prisons and several work camps, put some of the onus on the Legislature for a prison system now under state and federal scrutiny for inmate deaths and corruption. The agency is also grappling with lawsuits from whistleblowers who claim they faced retaliation for exposing cover-ups of inmate abuse. And the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the deaths of more than 100 prisoners who died behind bars.
“I think the Legislature has a cross to bear,” Evers told reporters.
Evers said he was uncertain if Jones’ request for increased staffing went far enough.
“I can tell you how far we will go. We will go to the point that when you go to prison that you will be given the opportunity to enter the Department of Corrections. You will be allowed to rehabilitate yourself … and you will come out alive on the other side and not leave the prison in a body bag,” he said.
Jones also told the committee she was dissatisfied with the privatization of health-care services, ordered by the Legislature in 2011 but tied up in court until 2013. Missouri-based Corizon won a five-year, $1.2 billion contract to provide health care to prisoners in North and Central Florida and Wexford Health Services is being paid $240 million over five years to provide health services to nine prisons in South Florida.
Jones said she is talking with both companies about terminating the contracts, renegotiating the deals or putting them out to bid again.
“The standard of health care with our current providers is not at the level that’s required by their contracts,” said Jones, a former head of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles who was named last month by Scott to take over the Department of Corrections.
Jones veered from testimony her predecessors had given regarding private prisons. Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, asked Jones if it was true that private prisons were able to “cherry pick” cheaper prisoners.
“That is my belief,” she said.
Scott tried to convince lawmakers to privatize a major portion of the state’s prisons two years ago, but the measure failed by a single vote in the Senate.
After the meeting, Jones paused when asked if she “broke the code” by criticizing the private prisons. “I don’t know. I’m a very plain-spoken, honest person. And we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing in order to get this thing fixed,” she said.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Kilcrease Signs With Jefferson Davis Community College
January 21, 2015
Atmore Christian School senior Grace Kilcrease signed with Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton Tuesday. Pictured with Kilcrease are her parents Woody and Angie Kilcrease (seated), and Jefferson Davis Coach Misti Nims, Atmore Christian Coach Yoder, Molino Lady Astros travel team coach Donnie Nicholson and Atmore Christian Principal Tim Battles. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.