Most Inland Homeowners To See Rate Cut Under Citizens Insurance
September 7, 2014
Homeowners covered by Citizens Property Insurance Corp., mostly those with inland properties, will see an average rate decrease next year, the first since an effort to artificially lower rates ended in 2009.
The Office of Insurance Regulation on Friday approved a 3.7 percent average decrease for homeowners. Citizens had requested a 3.4 percent reduction.
The reduction doesn’t automatically mean a drop in prices for all policyholders, as individual rates vary county by county, by the locations of properties and by property owners’ different types of coverage.
Still, about 70 percent of Citizens policyholders, mostly inland residential customers, are expected to benefit due to a 6.1 percent average reduction for multi-peril personal line accounts.
Citizens, which is rapidly moving to reduce its overall number of policies, had requested a 5.8 percent reduction for such policies. Multi-peril personal lines make up 614,678 of the policies handled by Citizens, which as of July 31 had 933,807 overall policies in place. The decrease is due in part to efforts over the past couple of years to move more than a half-million policies into the private market, and because of efforts in past years to increase rates and bring the state-backed insurer more in line with the private market. Citizens has also been able to bulk up its surplus, as Florida is now in its ninth hurricane season without the center of a major storm making contact with the state.
Many of the 30 percent of Citizens customers that will see increases next year are in commercial, condominium and coastal properties. Rates for businesses and condominium associations, which comprise about 36,000 of Citizens’ policies, will grow from 0.2 percent to 10 percent depending upon the type of coverage. Also, residential coastal wind-only accounts will increase 3.8 percent, the amount requested by Citizens. And while owners of mobile homes have been approved for a 4.3 percent decrease in personal line accounts, coastal wind-only policies are set to go up 8.2 percent.
One Injured In County Road 97 Wreck
September 7, 2014
One person was injured in a single vehicle accident Saturday night on County Road 97.
The driver lost control and struck a utility pole on in the 1400 block of South Highway 97 near Kingsfield road. The driver was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
No details have been released by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Tate Band Holds Multi-Location Car Wash To Philly
September 7, 2014
The Tate High School Showband of the South held a car wash at several locations Saturday to raise money for a trip to Philadelphia to march in the Dunkin Donuts Thanksgiving day Parade.
The car wash was held at Pizza Hut on Nine Mile, Advance Auto Parts on Highway 29, Auto Zone on Hood Drive, Tractor Supply on Nine Mile and Aaron’s on Highway 29.
Several future fundraisers to assist the band will be announced on NorthEscambia.com.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Afternoon Storm Downs Tree, Blocks Highway 97
September 7, 2014
An afternoon storm in the Walnut Hill area downed a large dead tree, blocking most of both lanes of Highway 97. Crews from the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue worked to remove the tree from the highway. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Cowboys Get Five Straight Wins In Home Opener
September 7, 2014
Saturday was the home opener for the Cantonment Cowboys with five straight wins over East Milton’s Jaguars, including a hard fought overtime Mighty Mites win.
Scores were as follows:
- Cantonment Mighty Mites 19, East Milton Mighty Mites 12 OT
- Cantonment Mini Mites, 19 East Milton Mini Mites 0
- Cantonment Mites 30, East Milton Mites 0
- Cantonment Midgets 18, East Milton Midgets 7
- Cantonment Juniors 30, East Milton Juniors 0
Next Saturday, September 13, the Cantonment Cowboys will be at the Bellview Packers. The Cowboys will be back in Cantonment Saturday, September 20 as they host Navarre Silver.
Photos by Jennifer Repine for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In Highway 29 Rollover Crash Near Molino
September 6, 2014
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Two people, including at least one juvenile, were injured in a single vehicle crash Saturday morning.
The accident happened about 8:45 a.m. on Highway 29 just north of Barrineau Park Road. The driver of a Jeep lost control and flipped into the median, with the vehicle coming to rest on its side.
Both of the injured individuals were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.
The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash. Further details have not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park’s Sara Calhoun Named Florida’s Top Elementary Reading Teacher
September 6, 2014
A Molino Park Elementary School first grade teacher has been selected at the top of her class as the winner of prestigious statewide reading award.
Sara Calhoun was named the Florida Reading Association’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year for 2014-2015. She will be honored with an award presentation on Saturday, October 18 at the Third General Session of the Florida Reading Conference in Orlando.
“We are all so proud of Mrs. Calhoun and know that this award is well deserved,” Molino Park Principal Alice Woodward said. “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.
High School Football Finals
September 6, 2014
Here are high school football final scores from around the North Escambia area:
- Northview 24 Marianna 20 [More details, photo gallery...]
- PHS 45 Tate 35 [More details, photo gallery...]
- Jay 41, Rocky Bayou 38
- West Florida 20 Milton 7
- Pine Forest 36 Catholic 34
- Washington 48, Pass Christian 21
- Escambia 40, Mosley 0
- Fort Walton Beach 36, Gulf Breeze 25
- Niceville 55, Pace 13
- Choctaw 21, Crestview 10
- Washington County 51 Flomaton 27
- T.R. Miller 34 Bayside 23
- Clarke County 24 W.S. Neal 0
- Vigor 45 Atmore 0
- Escambia Academy 55 Lancaster TN 18
Woman Airlifted To Hospital Following Century Industrial Accident
September 6, 2014
A woman was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital following an industrial accident Friday afternoon in Century.
At 12:13 p.m., Escambia County EMS was called to a manufacturing facility in the 6000 block of Industrial Boulevard where a 43-year old female had suffered a penetrating wound to her lower abdomen, according to Bill Pearson, Escambia County spokesman.
The woman was airlifted by Lifeflight Helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola as a “trauma alert”, Pearson said. Further details on the circumstances surround the accident were not available.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
13 Arrested In Drug Sweep; 20 More Arrests Pending
September 6, 2014
After a four-month investigation, Pensacola Police arrested 13 people Friday on charges related to the sell of crack cocaine to undercover officers.
Warrants for selling cocaine also have been issued for an additional 20 people, said Sgt. Marvin Miller, who supervises the department’s Vice & Narcotics Unit. Miller said the investigation targeted areas notorious for narcotics sales.
All of the charges are third-degree felonies punishable by up to five years in prison. Additional prison time can be added for selling within 1,000 feet of a specified area such as convenience stores, schools, and places of worship or if the person is a repeat offender.
Arrested Friday and charged with sale of cocaine and conspiracy to sell cocaine were:
- Alfred Peasant, 34, of 1300 block of North Sixth Avenue, Pensacola
- Sharon Pickett, 49, of 100 block of North J Street, Pensacola
- David Jones, 24, of 3600 block of Swan Lane, Pensacola
- Demarko Weathers, 21, of 2000 block of West Chase Street, Pensacola
- Minnie Mae Sapp, 54, of 100 block of South N Street, Pensacola
- Terry Crenshaw, 28, of 1000 block of West Hillary Street, Pensacola
- Larry Dornall Knight, 52, of 3600 block of North Ninth Avenue, Pensacola
- Antoine Booker, 34, of 1100 block of West Hope Drive, Pensacola
Also charged Friday were:
- Donte A. Brazile, 36, of 3000 block of Torres Avenue, Pensacola. Charged with sale of cocaine.
- Dominique Blackwell, 19, of 600 block of North B Street, Pensacola. Charged with possession of cocaine with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a place of worship.
- Kernist Ferrell, 57, address unavailable; Robert Lee Watts, 23, address unavailable; and Michael Coleman, 33, of 600 block of North A Street, Pensacola. All three, who were already in jail, were charged with sale of cocaine.