Escambia (FL) EMS To Continue Service To Flomaton
November 6, 2014
Escambia County (FL) has renewed an agreement with an Alabama agency to provide ambulance service for the Flomaton area.
Since 1981, Escambia County (FL) EMS has provided ambulance service to the Flomaton area through an interlocal agreement with the Escambia County (AL) Healthcare Authority. A three year agreement approved in 2010 expired in 2013 and was renewable to two additional one year periods.
Escambia County (AL) Healthcare Authority pays Escambia County EMS for the ambulance service, while Escambia County (FL) EMS then bills patients for services rendered.
A similar agreement is in place between Escambia County (FL) and the privately owned Atmore Ambulance service. Atmore Ambulance provides emergency medical services in the Walnut Hill and Bratt areas. Escambia County (FL) pays Atmore Ambulance a monthly fee, and Atmore Ambulance also directly bills patients for services rendered at an amount not greater than that billed by Escambia County EMS, which provides ambulance service for the rest of the county.The agreement has been in place since 1978.
Pictured: Two ambulances assigned to Escambia County EMS Post 50 in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Republican Turnout, Wave Overwhelmed Crist
November 6, 2014
Demoats’ plans to take down Republican Gov. Rick Scott — a hated figure on the left — were relatively straightforward: Run charismatic former Gov. Charlie Crist, and fire up the turnout machine that helped President Barack Obama carry the state twice.
On Tuesday, those plans fell apart, as a robust ground game from Republicans, Scott’s massive financial edge and the GOP wave that swept the nation propelled Scott to a second term by a narrow margin. Unofficial results showed Scott carrying about 48.2 percent of the vote, with Crist picking up almost 47.1 percent.
By the day after the election, Crist’s allies were saying what many Democrats across the country were saying: Given Obama’s unpopularity and voters’ sour mood, the former Republican Crist never stood much of a chance.
Steve Geller, a former Senate minority leader and close ally of Crist whose friendship dates back to their college days at Florida State University, said Crist was a victim of the national Republican wave.
“Gov. Scott is fortunate,” Geller said. “He has good timing. There have been two Republican wave elections in the past 15 years and he ran during both of them and won narrow victories both times.”
The national trends certainly helped Scott, said Rick Wilson, a Republican political consultant, but only after the GOP and its allies laid the groundwork for a victory.
“If the campaign hadn’t built the ship and raised the sail, that last little bit of wind wouldn’t have moved us,” said Wilson, who worked with an independent group supporting Scott.
Neither Scott nor Crist held any public events Wednesday, the day after the most expensive and perhaps the most personal governor’s race in Florida history. Crist did make calls to thank supporters and his staff, according to an aide. Scott was expected to hold a transition press conference in the coming days.
But the analysis of the 2014 election was already underway in some corners, with both parties trying to figure out what worked and what didn’t Tuesday night — and whether there are any lessons to be learned.
One of the most surprising parts of the election, given the Democrats’ repeated emphasis on turning out voters over the last six years, might have been how poorly they did. Six of the 10 counties with the lowest turnout Tuesday went for Crist, including counties like Miami-Dade (40.7 percent), Broward (44.45 percent) and Palm Beach (49.1 percent) — the three counties where Crist scored his largest margins in terms of votes.
Crist did win the six counties with the most votes — including those three — by a combined 447,190 votes. But Scott racked up huge margins in small- and medium-sized counties across the state, offsetting Crist’s advantages in urban core districts with wins almost everywhere else. Scott carried 54 counties by an average of 26 percent; Crist carried 13 by an average of 16.9 percent.
“That’s how Republicans have often won statewide elections since the 1990s,” said Susan MacManus, a political-science professor at the University of South Florida.
While Crist carried the largest cities in the state, Scott often carried the suburbs around them. Scott did well in non-urban counties in the I-4 corridor and crushed Crist in Duval County, a critical trove of votes for the GOP. Scott won 56.7 percent of the two-party vote in that county — home to Jacksonville — more than the Republican candidates’ edge in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and Scott’s own advantage in 2010.
That, too, might have had something to do with Obama, Wilson said.
“Crist’s flavor of pro-Obama cheerleading is enormously unpopular in this state except for … the urban counties. He can’t sell that outside of his base,” Wilson said.
Libertarian Adrian Wyllie — who carried almost 3.8 percent of vote — also could have played a spoiler role. While Wyllie was expected to pull voters away from Scott, and did perform well in counties won by the incumbent, MacManus said exit polls showed much of his support coming from younger voters who were expected to side with Crist.
“He ended up hurting Crist more than Scott,” she said.
Wilson also said Democrats seemed not to realize that Republicans have caught up to them on voting technology, so that the advantage Democrats perceive themselves to have is not as large as they believe.
“We realized that the technology is politically ambiguous,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who’s using it.”
And, of course, Scott, an allied committee and the Republican Party of Florida poured tens of millions of dollars into bashing Crist — particularly early, as the Democrat was still working to raise money — defining Crist and possibly dampening enthusiasm for the governor among Democrats. The gulf between the two only widened when Scott poured $12.8 million of his and his wife’s fortune into the Republican Party of Florida in October.
Combined with everything else, it was just too much.
“It’s always difficult to run when you’re outspent two-to-one,” Geller said. “I think in a normal election (Crist) would have overcome that. There was a national Republican wave that carried a lot of people with it.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Federal Judge Keeps Stay In Place On Florida Gay Marriages
November 6, 2014
A federal judge Wednesday rejected arguments that he should lift a legal stay and allow same-sex marriages to take place in Florida. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle said the stay will continue until January 5, which leaves time for the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to consider whether Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
Hinkle in August ruled in favor of same-sex couples who challenged the constitutionality of the voter-approved ban, but he also imposed the stay. The plaintiffs last month asked him to lift the stay after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up same-sex marriage cases from other states — effectively allowing gay marriage in those states.
Attorney General Pam Bondi argued that the stay should continue while appeals play out. Hinkle on Tuesday dismissed the idea of an indefinite stay and said January 5 is 90 days after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the other cases.
He wrote that the “public interest will support a longer stay only if, having considered the matter, the Eleventh Circuit (Court of Appeals) concludes that the defendants (the state) have a substantial likelihood of success on appeal. In light of the unbroken line of circuit decisions striking down bans on same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court’s decision to leave those decisions intact, I conclude that a longer stay is not warranted.”
Hinkle also rejected another argument by Bondi that the Florida Supreme Court should rule on the same-sex marriage ban.
“The defendants say I should stay this federal decision so that the Florida Supreme Court can rule in pending state cases,” he wrote. “But the issue here is a federal constitutional issue. The Florida Supreme Court has the last word on state law, but here state law is clear; there is no dispute over state law. The issue here arises under the United States Constitution.”
by The News Service of Florida
Two Get Prison For Craiglist Deal Gone Bad, Robbery At Walmart
November 5, 2014
Two people have been sentenced to two decades each in state prions for their roles in a Craiglist robbery earlier this year in a Walmart parking lot.
Jamichael Tucker pled to armed robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm, shooting in or at an occupied vehicle, discharging a firearm and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to a total of 20 years with a 20 year minimum mandatory for the discharge of a firearm charge. He is not eligible for parole and will be required to serve the 20 years day by day.
Darius Beasley pled to armed robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm and possession of marijuana. He was sentenced to a total of 20 year in prison. He must serve at least 17 years.
On February 4, Beasley contacted the victim through Craigslist to meet and potentially purchase an engagement ring. They met at the Walmart parking lot on Pensacola Boulevard to
discuss the purchase of the ring. During the meeting, Tucker distracted the victim as Beasley pulled a firearm and robbed him of the ring. Beasley and Tucker then fled the area as the
victim gave chase in his vehicle. During the chase, Tucker fired the gun at the victim as he pursued them. The chase occurred on Highway 29 at midday in a heavily populated area. No other people were harmed or injured in the chase or shooting.
Pictured: Crime scene technicians and Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies around a vehicle in the Ensley Walmart parking lot following a shots fired incident February 4. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Driver Seriously Injured In Highway 97 Crash
November 5, 2014
A Walnut Hill woman was seriously injured in a two vehicle crash on Highway 97 in Molino Wednesday morning.
The accident happened about 8:40 a.m. in the 1200 block of Highway 97, about a mile north of Molino Park Elementary School. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 69-year old Annette Williams of Walnut Hill was southbound on Highway 97 in a 2003 Ford Explorer when she drove off the road into a dirt driveway and began to make a U-turn in order to head north.
She failed to see a southbound 1993 Dodge W-150 pickup driven by 29-year old Gregory Perritt of McDavid. The front of the pickup collided with the driver’s side of the Explorer.
Williams was trapped in her vehicle for a short time until firefighters used the Jaws of Life to free her. She was airlifted by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition. Her passenger, 42-year old Anthony Williams of McDavid, and Perritt were treated on the scene. for minor injuries.
The accident shut down Highway 97 in both directions for over an hour.
Annette Williams was cited for making an improper U-turn and no seat belt.
The Molino, McDavid, Century and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the crash, along with Escambia County EMS.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Voters Approve Escambia County Penny, Half-Cent School Tax Extensions
November 5, 2014
Voters in Escambia County easily approved the extension to two sales taxes for the county and the school district.
The Local Option Sales Tax — commonly known as LOST – is a penny tax that benefits Escambia County. It passed with 64.77 percent of Escambia County voters in favor. The current tax does not expire until 2017 and will now be extended through December 28, 2028. Proceeds provide for law enforcement, fire and public safety facilities and equipment, transportation and drainage improvements, infrastructure projects, public facilities,recreation and natural resources, jail and court facilities, Growth Management Act mandates, capital equipment community services, and economic development projects.
The half-cent sales tax for the Escambia County School District passed with the approval of 69.47 percent of Escambia County voters. Funds from the half-penny are used to fund the construction of new schools (such as the new Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill), renovations, additions to existing schools, land acquisition and improvements, and school technology. With the vote, the tax was extended until January 1, 2018.
The Escambia County School District has an ambitious $80 million plan in the works that would move West Florida High School, build a new middle school and construct two elementary schools with the half-cent funds.
Under the plan, students from Woodham Middle School would be moved to a newly constructed campus somewhere on the northwest side of Pensacola. With zoning changes,the new school would also be used to relieve overcrowding at Ransom Middle School. The current Woodham Middle facility would be renovated and house West Florida High School, providing the school with improved athletic facilities including a stadium and field house. Brown Barge Middle School students would be relocated to the current West Florida High campus.
Overcrowding at Helen Caro and Blue Angels elementary schools would be alleviated by constructing a new elementary school in southwestern Escambia County, and new elementary school would be constructed to eliminate overcrowding at Pine Meadow and Beulah elementary schools.
The proposals are still in the planning stages and must receive final approval from the Escambia County School Board.
Pictured: Construction work Tuesday on the new Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill, which was funded by a half-cent sales tax for Escambia County School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Scott Wins Second Term As Florida Governor After Ugly, Expensive Campaign
November 5, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott narrowly won re-election Tuesday in one of the nastiest and most expensive governor’s races in Florida history, completing a political resurrection that many observers thought almost impossible a year and a half ago.
With all the state’s precincts reporting, Scott claimed 48.2 percent of the vote, to just shy of 47 percent for former Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican turned Democrat. Libertarian Adrian Wyllie claimed almost 3.8 percent of the vote, far below what many polls had shown before the election. Scott beat Crist by fewer than 76,000 votes out of more than 5.9 million cast.
Scott wrapped up his campaign at his Pensacola victory headquarters late Tuesday afternoon, spending about half an hour shaking hands and posing for photos.
“We have made great strides in the last four years, but we cannot rest on our laurels,” Scott told cheering supporters at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs. “Now is the time to charge boldly ahead.”
The race was yet another example of Scott confounding political observers who expected him to lose a race. In 2010, then-Attorney General Bill McCollum was favored to beat Scott in the Republican primary election, and then-Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink appeared at one point to be ahead in the general election. Instead, both lost.
This time, Scott was facing a charismatic former governor who enjoyed high approval ratings during his four years in the state’s top job. Crist, who bolted the Republican Party in 2010 and become an independent to avoid losing a GOP primary for U.S. Senate, easily won the 2014 Democratic gubernatorial primary and hammered Scott as a plutocrat out of touch with everyday Floridians.
But in a two-and-a-half minute concession speech Tuesday, Crist called for unity. Joined by his wife, Carole, running mate Annette Taddeo and her husband Eric Goldstein, Crist took the stage in a nearly empty ballroom at the Vinoy Renaissance resort in St. Petersburg shortly before midnight.
Crist was interrupted when he said he had called Scott and congratulated him. “Demand a recount!” a supporter cried out.
“We need to come together. We really do,” Crist said.
A Crist aide said the former governor had a 35-second conversation with Scott in which Crist mentioned the expansion of Medicaid, one of his top campaign issues.
“I know we had a lot of differences in this race,” Crist said. “That was pretty clear. But one thing that we talked about that was common ground was to expand Medicaid for about a million of our fellow Floridians.”
Scott also talked of the need to bring the state together after a brutal campaign that featured about $100 million in advertising, much of it harshly negative and often personal.
“It’s time to put all the division behind us and come together,” Scott said. “Forget about all the partisanship. Florida is on a mission. And that mission is to keep growing, and to become the very best place in the world to get a job, to raise a family, and live the American dream.”
Much of Scott’s margin in the race came from racking up big victories in small and medium-sized counties. He carried just three counties where more than 200,000 votes were cast, compared to six for Crist.
The Scott victory brings to an end a brutal and unique campaign between two governors. While the candidates traded the usual charges and countercharges of an election, the fight between Crist and Scott seemed unusually intense.
Scott always addressed Crist by his first name in debates, and pro-Scott commercials slammed Crist as a “lousy governor.” Crist blasted Scott for the latter’s conservative record, complaining in a book written before the election of everything from Scott’s decision to reject federal support for high-speed rail to his removal of Crist’s personal barber from a state board.
Scott and his supporters relentlessly attacked Crist as a flip-flopper who can’t be trusted and who drove the state into an economic meltdown before Scott took office four years ago.
Crist, who previously ran statewide as a Republican three times and as an independent once, painted Scott as a wealthy Republican who, like others in the party, is out of touch with everyday Floridians.
Crist and his supporters also tried to capitalize on Scott’s tenure as chief executive of Columbia/HCA, a hospital corporation that paid more than $1 billion in fines to the federal government for Medicare fraud, the largest fine in the nation’s history at the time.
Crist’s campaign banked on an intensive ground game, shepherded by staffers who helped President Barack Obama nail down victories in 2008 and 2012 in swing-state Florida, to reverse the typically lackluster Democratic turnout in mid-term elections like this year.
Crist enlisted Taddeo, who was raised in Colombia and is a former county chairwoman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, as his running-mate with an eye on drumming up support from women and Hispanics, two demographics considered critical for a win in Florida.
And Crist also focused on black voters, who, like Hispanics, tend to vote in huge numbers during presidential elections and who played a large role in Obama’s Florida victories in the past two elections, but whose turnout drops off significantly in mid-terms.
Scott remained focused during the campaign on themes such as bringing jobs to the state.
After a difficult first year in office that saw his approval ratings at near-historic lows, Scott tried to broaden his appeal, focusing on politically popular issues such as increases in education funding — after slashing school spending in his first budget. He also supported a bill this year that grants in-state college tuition rates to some undocumented immigrants.
He also used a vacancy in the lieutenant governor’s office caused by the resignation of Jennifer Carroll to appoint former lawmaker Carlos Lopez-Cantera, a Republican who became Miami-Dade County property appraiser after leaving the House. Lopez-Cantera is the first Latino to hold the lieutenant-governor post in Florida’s history.
Crist’s loss Tuesday night may mark the end of his political career just six years after he was considered for the Republican nomination for the vice presidency.
“Thank you, all of you in this room and all of you across Florida who helped us in this effort,” he said. “I will never forget you. I will always be in debt to you. You are the most wonderful friends a person could ever hope for.”
by Brandon Larrabee and Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: Rick Scott addresses the press at his Pensacola victory headquarters late Tuesday afternoon as he wrapped up his campaign. Pictured top inset: Scott visits with a family in Pensacola. Pictured bottom inset: Scott poses for a photo with Northview High School student Mitchell Singleton. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bondi Outpaces Two Challengers To Win Second Term
November 5, 2014
Attorney General Pam Bondi had little problem overcoming a steady stream of low key attacks over her management of the office, and won a second four-year term Tuesday.
Bondi, who raised more than twice the money as her competitors and hasn’t been shy about standing with Gov. Rick Scott this past week, overwhelmingly defeated vastly outspent Democrat George Sheldon and Libertarian Bill Wohlsifer on Tuesday.
Bondi, who four years ago rode a Republican wave into the statewide office, has dismissed most of the criticism of her office while telling voters she has cracked down on pill mills and been tough in the fight against synthetic drugs and human trafficking.
In her victory speech Bondi declared “I will remain committed to securing the safety and well-being of every Floridian.”
She campaigned Monday in Tampa with former Gov. Jeb Bush and was celebrating Tuesday evening in Tampa.
Unofficial numbers had Bondi up about 15 percentage points on Sheldon, with Wohlsifer garnering less than 3 percent of the vote.
Sheldon, 67, a former state lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully for education commissioner in 2000, has tried to portray Bondi, a 48-year-old former assistant state attorney from Hillsborough County, as too tied to the ideological right wing of the Republican Party in, and too close to Scott and corporate lobbyists.
But without resources, Sheldon hasn’t able to get a sustained message out to the state’s 10 media markets.
After voting Tuesday morning in Tallahassee, Sheldon told reporters he was proud of his campaign and that the race was “now in the hands of the voters.”
“I’ve tried to stay true to the principles that I’ve tried to stay true to my whole life,” Sheldon said. “And I think we’ve clearly laid out the differences between the attorney general and myself.”
Democratic Party Chair Allison Tant said in a release that Sheldon “made every Florida Democrat proud.
“George stood strong for equal rights, for ratepayers, for consumers — and for returning the office of Attorney General to the people,” Tant said.
Four years ago Bondi won a narrow three-way Republican primary before topping Democrat Dave Aronberg by 18 points.
Bondi, who appeared at numerous campaign stops with her 175-pound St. Bernard, Luke, also commands a substantial advantage in name recognition as a frequent guest on cable news and for helping head the legal battle against the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
Bondi raised $2.29 million, including $325,905 in state matching funds, while also getting more than $1.4 million through in-kind assistance mostly from the Republican Party of Florida for campaign costs such as staffing and travel.
Sheldon drew $855,037 in contributions, of which $275,215 was in state matching funds.
Among the Democratic challengers to state Cabinet seats, all three of which are held by Republicans, Sheldon was the only one to receive state matching funds, which are calculated based on contributions of $250 or less that campaigns receive from state residents.
Wohlsifer, 60, an attorney from Tallahassee, raised $23,178 and loaned his campaign $6,755.
The relatively low-key nature of the race has allowed Bondi to sidestep some of her opponents’ biggest criticisms, which include Bondi getting Scott to delay an execution last year because it was scheduled for the same day as her campaign kickoff.
Any shots aimed at Bondi during the campaign’s lone debate garnered little attention as the one-hour event was televised only in the Tampa and Orlando markets.
Sheldon’s lack of money also often limited his campaigning mostly to Tallahassee and Tampa, where he argued that Bondi has failed Floridians through her opposition to same-sex marriage, medical marijuana, automatic restoration of rights for felons and the Affordable Care Act, while doing little to assist utility ratepayers.
Sheldon also tried to score points in the final days of the race by calling attention to a New York Times report last week that focused on the ties between corporate lobbyists and attorneys general. Bondi was prominently featured in the Times report.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Florida Medical Marijuana Proposal Falls Short
November 5, 2014
Little more than three months ago, Floridians appeared poised to overwhelmingly pass a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana.
But Tuesday, after a barrage of negative ads by opponents, the idea came crashing down.
As of 11 p.m., 57.5 percent of voters backed the proposed amendment — known as Amendment 2 — that would have allowed patients to receive the substance. But constitutional amendments require approval from 60 percent of voters to pass.
“This amendment, had it been ingrained in the constitution, would have been very bad for Florida,” said Sarah Bascom, a spokeswoman for “Vote No on 2,” a group that fought legalization. “There are no do-overs in the constitution, so the only way to rectify this amendment and to fix this issue was to vote no.”
The pot proposal was one of three constitutional amendments on the ballot Tuesday. Voters easily passed an amendment that will lead to increased funding for land conservation and other environmental projects. They rejected a third amendment that involved the appointment of Supreme Court justices and appeals-court judges.
The medical-marijuana initiative was spearheaded by Orlando attorney John Morgan, who is known throughout the state for his ubiquitous Morgan and Morgan law-firm television ads and billboards.
In July, a Quinnipiac University poll indicated that 88 percent of Floridians — across all age groups — approved of medical marijuana. But support for the proposed amendment later dropped as it was hit with millions of dollars in television ads and opposition from sheriffs, Republican leaders and business groups.
Opponents said the amendment included loopholes that would lead to a wide-open pot industry that would go far beyond helping patients who suffer from debilitating illnesses. The anti-Amendment 2 effort got crucial help from Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who contributed $5.5 million to the Drug Free Florida political committee, which ran ads blasting the proposal.
“Too broad. Too many risks. Vote no on Amendment 2,” said an ad released last week.
But United for Care, a group that led the amendment campaign, said the attacks were aimed at scaring voters and were untrue.
“Amendment 2 will pass this November because Floridians are far more intelligent than the ‘No on 2′ campaign believes,” Ben Pollara, campaign manager for United for Care, said last week. “Voters will choose compassion over fear-mongering.”
While the medical-marijuana initiative was highly controversial, the land-conservation amendment drew grumbling from Republican legislative leaders and some business groups but appeared to have no organized opposition. It received about 75 percent of the vote Tuesday.
The proposal, which was Amendment 1 on the ballot, will require the state to dedicate a portion of real-estate tax revenue over the next 20 years for environmental preservation. The proposal will generate billions of dollars from the already-existing tax, with the money going to buy or restore areas crucial to Florida’s water supply, such as the land around springs, and natural systems that have been despoiled, such as the Everglades.
“Clearly the people of Florida care about their environment,” said Allison DeFoor, who chaired the effort to pass the amendment. “We believed that when we started this effort, and we bet everything we had on it. It appears our hope was warranted.”
Supporters argued the measure is necessary because lawmakers in recent years dramatically reduced funding for the Florida Forever conservation program. Republican legislative leaders, however, argued against the amendment because it would force lawmakers to set aside a pot of money every year for conservation and give them less flexibility in how to spend tax dollars.
The third amendment on the ballot was placed there by Republican lawmakers and involved a complicated question about the appointment of future Supreme Court justices and appeals-court judges. It received only about 48 percent support.
The proposal was spurred by the possibility that three Supreme Court justices — Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince — will have to step down in early 2019 because of a mandatory retirement age. They could leave the court at the same time a new governor takes office, depending on the outcome of the 2018 gubernatorial election.
The amendment would allow an outgoing governor — rather than the incoming governor — to appoint the replacements. Supporters said the proposal was needed to avoid a potential constitutional crisis that could emerge if there is a dispute about who holds the appointment power.
But Democrats and other critics argued that the proposal was a power grab by Republican supporters of Gov. Rick Scott, who, if re-elected Tuesday, would leave office in early 2019. In such a scenario, Scott — and not his successor — would be able to fill the Supreme Court openings.
by Jim Saunders and Tom Urban, The News Service of Florida
Complete Escambia County (FL) Election Results
November 5, 2014
Here are unofficial election results from Escambia County, FL.
Complete, but unofficial results show the following local winners:
- School Board Local Option Sales Tax — APPROVED 69.47 %
- Escambia Local Option Sales Tax – APPROVED 64.77 %
- Grover Robinson, Escambia County Commission
- Doug Underhill, Escambia County Commission
- Linda Moultrie, Escambia School Board
- Ashton Hayward, Pensacola mayor
- Sherri Myers, Pensacola City Council
- Brian Spencer, Pensacola City Council
- Thomas Campanella, Santa Rosa Island Authority
70.97 %
64.98 %
55.04 %
65.46 %
54.52 %
65.08 %
34.92 %
Totals included all early votes and absentees.
79 of 79 Precincts Reporting
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Jeff Miller | 62,536 | 64.27 % | |
| Jim Bryan | 30,241 | 31.08 % | |
| Mark Wichern | 4,521 | 4.65 % | |
GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Rick Scott | 60,580 | 62.02 % | |
| Charlie Crist | 33,319 | 34.11 % | |
| Adrian Wyllie | 2,636 | 2.70 % | |
| Glenn Burkett | 707 | 0.72 % | |
| Farid Khavari | 442 | 0.45 % | |
ATTORNEY GENERAL
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Pam Bondi | 60,824 | 63.00 % | |
| George Sheldon | 32,915 | 34.09 % | |
| Bill Wohlsifer | 2,811 | 2.91 % | |
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Jeff Atwater | 64,017 | 66.95 % | |
| William “Will” Rankin | 31,597 | 33.05 % | |
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Adam Putnam | 61,896 | 65.31 % | |
| Thaddeus Thad Hamilton | 32,879 | 34.69 % | |
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 1
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Clay Ingram | 34,257 | 68.90 % | |
| Gloria Robertson-Wiggins | 15,462 | 31.10 % | |
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 2
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Mike Hill | 29,361 | 63.85 % | |
| Jeremy Lau | 16,620 | 36.15 % | |
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 2
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Doug Underhill | 10,622 | 64.98 % | |
| Deb Moore | 5,724 | 35.02 % | |
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 4
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Grover C Robinson | 16,712 | 70.97 % | |
| Michael Alexander Lowery | 6,835 | 29.03 % | |
DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL – BENTON (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 54,921 | 63.61 % | |
| NO | 31,416 | 36.39 % | |
DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL – LEWIS (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 54,436 | 63.07 % | |
| NO | 31,872 | 36.93 % | |
DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL – MAKAR (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 54,096 | 62.85 % | |
| NO | 31,979 | 37.15 % | |
DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL – OSTERHAUS (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 53,730 | 62.47 % | |
| NO | 32,280 | 37.53 % | |
DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL – ROBERTS (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 54,815 | 63.48 % | |
| NO | 31,533 | 36.52 % | |
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER DISTRICT 3 (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Linda Moultrie | 7,893 | 55.04 % | |
| Charlie Nichols | 6,448 | 44.96 % | |
MAYOR CITY OF PENSACOLA (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Ashton J. Hayward | 13,417 | 65.46 % | |
| Donna Clark | 7,081 | 34.54 % | |
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2 (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Sherri Myers | 1,364 | 54.52 % | |
| Dennis R. Tackett | 1,138 | 45.48 % | |
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6 (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Brian Spencer | 1,657 | 65.08 % | |
| Mark Taylor | 889 | 34.92 % | |
SANTA ROSA ISLAND AUTHORITY (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Thomas Campanella | 724 | 51.90 % | |
| Terry Preston | 671 | 48.10 % | |
AMENDMENT 1 (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 68,322 | 72.29 % | |
| NO | 26,186 | 27.71 % | |
AMENDMENT 2 (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 57,056 | 58.72 % | |
| NO | 40,116 | 41.28 % | |
AMENDMENT 3 (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 49,943 | 53.81 % | |
| NO | 42,875 | 46.19 % | |
SCHOOL BOARD REFERENDUM (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 67,159 | 69.47 % | |
| NO | 29,515 | 30.53 % | |
COUNTY SALES TAX REFERENDUM (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 62,561 | 64.77 % | |
| NO | 34,031 | 35.23 % | |
CITY OF PENSACOLA CHARTER AMENDMENT 1 (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 10,550 | 51.75 % | |
| NO | 9,837 | 48.25 % | |
CITY OF PENSACOLA CHARTER AMENDMENT 2 (NON)
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| YES | 15,433 | 75.36 % | |
| NO | 5,047 | 24.64 % | |