Escambia County Mourns Loss Of Beloved Public Safety Employee Tamika Williams
October 1, 2024
Escambia County is mourning the loss of beloved Public Safety employee Tamika Williams, who passed away on September 21, 2024. Tamika had worked for Escambia County for 10 years, and she will be deeply missed by her colleagues and loved ones.
Tamika was a dear friend and a mentor to many, described as someone who led by example and by faith. Tamika’s impact extended beyond the Public Safety Department, not only to her colleagues in other departments, but also to her community outside of the workplace.
“There’s only one Tamika,” Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore said. “Her loss is deeply felt by the county as a whole. Anybody who knew Tamika in the county knew they could go to her and get good information and good advice. She was always a person you could lean on.”
Tamika served as the Public Safety business operations manager during her entire career with the county, which began in September 2014. Although she served in a leadership role, Tamika’s colleagues say it was much more than her job title that made her a true leader.
Her commitment to following policies and procedures made Tamika a “go-to” person for many of her colleagues, who often came to her seeking guidance and advice. In addition to helping her coworkers with work-related issues, Tamika also became a trusted friend to many, both inside and outside of the workplace.
“She was a confidant for many,” said Public Safety director’s aide Kelly Goad, who worked with Tamika for seven years. “Many went to her for help, not only for work, but personal. She was a Christian and she could lead by faith, so she could relate to you on many levels.”
As a mentor to many young women through the county’s Summer Youth Employment Program, Tamika devoted herself to guiding and motivating interns, ultimately helping several of them gain full-time employment. Tamika also played an integral role in the inaugural HERricane Escambia program, a day camp for girls that aims to empower them to pursue careers and leadership roles in emergency management.
“Tamika was very big in inspiring those young ladies, teaching them, motivating them, setting the mark for them,” said Billing Manager Shandra Jenkins, who worked with Tamika for over nine years. “She also helped them build their resumes, and if any of them had questions, she always had an open-door policy. She was very approachable. She always gave words of encouragement.”
Along with being a trusted friend, Tamika was a dedicated mother, wife, and new grandmother – but she still made time to engage in her community. Tamika was heavily involved in the Pensacola Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., serving as their treasurer, spending countless hours volunteering, and helping establish a student chapter of Delta Sigma Theta at the University of West Florida. Tamika was also very engaged in her church, New Life Deliverance Temple Church in Navarre.
Although she was a stickler for policies and procedures at work, Tamika’s colleagues said she also had a gift for spreading laughter and fun. She could often be heard in the hallways cheerfully saying “Morning, ma’am,” or her favorite expression when something didn’t meet her standards: “A MESS.”
“You always knew when she was in the room,” Gilmore said.
Tamika also started a door decorating contest during the holidays, bringing her competitive spirit and a whole lot of cheer to Public Safety offices.
“You want to talk about extra?” Goad said. “That’s going to be missed this year. She would have people singing and dancing, and everybody else would just do their door. So she definitely made a difference as far as comedic relief.”
Tamika’s colleagues agreed that her loss will leave a void that’s impossible to fill.
“She was our right and left hand,” Jenkins said.
“On behalf of Escambia County, I’d like to extend our sincere condolences to Tamika’s family, friends, loved ones, and our colleagues impacted by this tragic and immeasurable loss,” Escambia County Administrator Wes Moreno said. “We join Tamika’s family in grieving and supporting one another during this incredibly difficult time, and we will continue to offer support services for any of our employees who have been impacted by this tragedy. Tamika was an incredibly special, bright person who will never be forgotten by her Escambia County family.”
A homegoing service has been scheduled for Tamika Williams in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday, October 4, 2024 9 a.m. Burial service will immediately follow at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery, 4000 Forest Hill Irene Road, Memphis, Tennessee.
A local memorial in the Pensacola area is also being planned, with details to be announced.
Tate Beats PHS In Three Straight Sets; Northview Sweeps L.E.A.D Academy In Three
October 1, 2024
Tate 3, PHS 0
The Tate High School Aggies defeated Pensacola High Tigers in straight sets in high school varsity volleyball action Monday afternoon.
The Aggies won by scores of 25-19, 25-23, 2-16.
The Aggies will host their annual Dig Pink game against Pace on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Northview 3 L.E.A.D 0
At home in Bratt Monday night, the Northview Lady Chiefs defeated he L.E.A.D. Academy Lions of Pace.
Northview won in in three straight sets, 25-16, 25-17, 25-17.
On Tuesday, the Chiefs will travel to Uriah, Alabama to take on the Bulldogs of J.U. Blacksher. Northview defeated the Bulldogs 3-0 in a previous contest on September 17.
Tate Girls Golf Wins Match Against Navarre, WFHS
October 1, 2024
The Tate High School girls golf team won their match last week against West Florida and Navarre.
The Aggies posted a team score of 195, a head of the Navarre Raiders (196) and West Florida (204).
Three Aggies occupied the top five spots on the individual leaderboard.
Talia Smith, a senior, leads the way with a score of 44 in third place.
Other top Tate players
5. - Kara Wine (SR): 47
6. – Jordan Smith (SR): 51
7. – Kinzlee Biggs (JR): 53
7. – Alessia Lloyd (SO): 53
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vote-By-Mail Ballots On The Way To Over 26,000 Escambia County Voters
October 1, 2024
Over 26,000 vote-by-mail ballots for the November general election were mailed to Escambia County voters on Monday, according to Escambia Supervisor of Elections Robert D. Bender.
The 26,578 ballots were sent to voters who have requested to vote by mail.
Florida law requires the mailing of civilian ballots between 40 days (September 26) and 33 days (October 3) prior to election day. Ballots for military and overseas voters were sent on September 19.
To request a vote-by-mail ballot, visit EscambiaVotes.gov/vote-by-mail or call (850) 595-3900. The request deadline is October 24. Due to a change in Florida law, all vote-by-mail requests were cleared December 31, 2022, and you must renew your vote-by-mail request each election cycle. Please visit EscambiaVotes.gov/am-i-registered to see if you have a vote-by-mail request on file or to check your registration status.
The deadline to register to vote before the November 5 General Election is October 7. Visit EscambiaVotes.gov/register-to-vote for more information. Sample ballots are currently posted at EscambiaVotes.gov/sample-ballots and will be mailed to all registered voters who have not requested a vote-by-mail ballot.
Early Voting will begin on October 21 and run through November 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day at 10 area locations.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Man Charged With Felony Child Abuse
September 30, 2024
A Molino man is facing a child abuse charge after a recent incident.
Brian Jacob Pardue, 36, was charged with felony child abuse and misdemeanor simple assault.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s office responded to reported domestic disturbance at an address in Molino. That’s where witnesses told deputies that they were sitting on the back porch of the home when Pardue walked from his camper in the backyard and punched one victim in the face with a closed first and “charged” at another victim with a close fist as if he was going to hit her, according to an ECSO arrest report.+
The deputy noted in the report that the victim suffered visible injuries to the right rib, chest, stomach and under the chin.
The ages of the victims were redacted from the arrest report.
Pardue denied the allegations. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Monday without bond after his bond was revoked in an outstanding July 2024 drug case.
Tate Boys Win Escambia County Golf Championship, Northview Places Second
September 30, 2024
The Tate High School Boys won the Escambia County Golf Championship last week as the Northview High School boys finished second at the Osceola Municipal Golf Course.
The Class 3A Aggies posted a team score of 150. The 1A Chiefs second place score wa 165. They defeated West Florida (169), Pensacola High (176), Washington (177) and Escambia (195.)
The top five scores from Tate were:
1. – Landon Ray (JR) – 37
1. – Baylor Touchstone (JR) – 37
3. – Jacob Drysdale (FR) – 38
3. – Ben Robinson (JR) – 38
8. – Parker Hassell (JR) – 41
And from Northview:
5. – Jayden White (SO) – 39
5. – Jack Boutwell (JR) – 39
Miles Smith (SO) – 43
Kelan Jurney (SR) – 45
Pictured top: The Tate High Schools boys golf team. Pictured below: the Northview High School boy golf team. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
DeSantis Launches Operation Blue Ridge To Rescue Floridians In North Carolina And Tennessee
September 30, 2024
Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is rapidly deploying recovery assistance to North Carolina and Tennessee to help with Hurricane Helene’s impacts in Operation Blue Ridge.
This multi-state agency response will include the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida State Guard, Florida National Guard, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and a Florida Law Enforcement Coordination Task Force, and a Law Enforcement Strike Team.
Additionally, today Governor Ron DeSantis is launching Operation Blue Ridge to assist Floridians seeking rescue in Western North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Tennessee Valley. These individuals can fill out our assistance form at FloridaDisaster.org/OperationBlueRidge.
This mission will begin with the following assets and personnel:
Florida Division of Emergency Management
- One All-Hazards Incident Management Team
- One Communication Unit Strike Team
- One Telecommunications Emergency Response Task Force
- Ten Truck Loads of Water (which equates to 42, 550 gallons of water)
- Over 100 Starlinks
- Two Special Missions Search and Rescue Teams
- 8 search and rescue soldiers
- 1 aerial assessment pilot
- Two National Guard Response Teams
- 8 National Guard soldiers
- Equipment
- 2 CH-47 Chinooks and crew
- One Law Enforcement Coordination Taskforce
- 7 FDLE agents and analysts
- One Law Enforcement Strike Team
- 7 FDLE agents and officers
- 22-man team
- 2 Captains
- 2 Team Leaders
- 12 Officers/Investigators
- 1 LE PIO
- 1Mechanic
- Equipment
- 1 SOG trailer
- 4 High-water vehicles (buggy/high water UTV)
- 3 Airboats
- 3 Shallow Draft vessels
- 18 4×4 trucks
- Aviation
- Fixed wing aircraft
- 1 pilot
- 1 tactical flight officer
The Florida Department of Transportation has made the following resources available to support the immediate inspection and assessment of transportation infrastructure maintained by NCDOT and TDOT:
- Emergency Cut and Toss Strike Teams
- Infrastructure Damage Assessment Teams
- Bridge Inspection Team (including structures impacted by flood waters)
- Temporary Bridge Materials
- Hydraulic Modeling Professional
- Project & Contract Management Teams
- Public Information Officer & Emergency Communications Technology
Investigation Underway Late Night Atmore Shooting
September 30, 2024
The Atmore Police Department is working to identify a suspect in a late Saturday night shooting that seriously injured on person.
Atmore police officers were called after a gunshot victim arrive in a private vehicle at Atmore Community Hospital about 11:55 p.m.
APD released few details, but Sgt. Darrell Mann said the victim was airlifted to a trauma center. He said investigators are continuing their investigation.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Northview Homecoming Parade Is Friday
September 30, 2024
The Northview High School Homecoming Parade will take place Friday, October 4.
The parade will line up at noon and roll at 12:30 p.m. from Northview High School. It will travel east on Highway 4 before turning on Bratt Road by the Travis Nelson Park, around the park to Ashcraft Road to Highway 99, travel north past Bratt Elementary School, turn back onto Highway 4 and end at Northview. (Note that Ashcraft Road has a very narrow shoulder with no place to park.)
The parade officially begins when it reaches Bratt Elementary School.
For a registration form, click here.
Some guidelines for this year’s parade include:
- No cheer stunts while riding on floats.
- We will follow the same route as last year.
- Do not throw candy till you get to Highway 4.
- Parking for parents and participants is located behind the NHS baseball field.
- Group leaders and parents make sure to watch all children you bring to pep rally in the gym.
- All floats should be decorated before you get to Northview, only touch ups should happen on campus.
- We will be lining up and parking floats in the field next to Northview Bus loop.
- There is NO parking in the bus loop
- All floats need to depart campus before buses get to the school or will have to wait till after dismissal at 3:20 p.m.
- Chaperones are responsible for students until parents pick them up.
- Parents can pick up their younger participants from behind the baseball field
- Bring water for your group
- Bring your own candy and throws.
Pictured: The 2023 Northview High School homecoming parade. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Charges Pending After Fatal Escambia County Motorcycles Crash
September 30, 2024
An Escambia County motorcyclist was killed in a crash Sunday in Escambia County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said an Audi driven by a 40-year-old Pensacola man failed to yield and pulled into the path of the motorcycle Beverley Parkway, causing it to collide with the side of the car. The motorcyclist, 36-year-old man from Pensacola, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The driver of the Audi and his passenger, a 59-year -ld Pensacola woman, suffered minor injuries and were transported by Escambia County EMS to Baptist Hospital
Troopers said charges are pending.
File Photo.