Escambia Students Place In Health Occupations Students of America Competition
July 19, 2014
Recently, the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) National Leadership Conference was held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista. The Escambia County School District has several Health Academy National Winners:
In third place, Pensacola High School’s HOSA Bowl Team:
- Jett Crowdis
- Anish Gupta
- Krisha Gupta
- Shayli Patel
In fourth place, West Florida High School’s Creative Problem Solving Team:
- Lindsay Adkerson
- Delaney Anderson
- Mary Tomlinson
- Elizabeth Tomlinson
BreeAnn Davidson from West Florida High School was recognized as a bronze medal winner for the Barbara James Award for Community Service.
West Florida High School’s Biomedical Sciences & Sports Medicine Chapter was recognized as medalist in HOSA Happenings.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: It’s All About The Appeal
July 19, 2014
It was a week of appeal-related decisions, both legal and political, that could have far-reaching implications.
House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz shocked Capitol insiders when they announced they would not appeal Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis’ ruling last week striking down the Legislature’s congressional map. Instead, the legislative leaders want Lewis to let lawmakers wait until after the November elections — when Gaetz and Weatherford will no longer be in power — to redraw the Northeast and Central Florida districts at the heart of Lewis’ ruling.
Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored the pleas of gay couples and gay-rights advocates who won a first-of-its-kind ruling in Florida in a lawsuit challenging the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Bondi immediately filed a notice to appeal a Monroe County judge’s decision that found the voter-approved ban violates due process and U.S. constitutional protections against discrimination.
And former Gov. Charlie Crist, trying to make a comeback as a Democrat, enlisted Annette Taddeo to be his running-mate in what some consider a “two-fer” in his efforts to appeal to Latino and women voters, both blocs whose support is considered critical to Crist’s bid to overthrow Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
REDISTRICTING APPEAL NOT SO APPEALING
Lawyers for the Legislature, elections supervisors and the Department of State argued in court Thursday that it is too late in the election cycle to redraw the congressional districts deemed unconstitutional by Lewis.
Ballots have already been sent to overseas voters in advance of the Aug. 26 primaries, and recreating the districts would throw the entire election schedule out of whack, the lawyers insisted.
“This is not an impending election. This election has begun. To undo that, or to cancel that, is both impossible and in no way governed or set forth by Florida statutes or the constitution,” George Meros, a lawyer representing the Legislature, told the judge during a 20-minute hearing.
But David King, a lawyer representing voting-rights groups that sued the state over the congressional map drawn in 2012 by the GOP-controlled Legislature, argued that lawmakers should come up with a new plan.
“We’ve already had one election on an unconstitutional map in 2012,” King said.
Lewis ruled last week that lawmakers failed during the 2012 redistricting process to follow the anti-gerrymandering Fair Districts constitutional amendments, approved by voters in 2010. The amendments bar the Legislature from crafting districts that favor incumbents or political parties.
Lewis’ ruling targeted districts represented by Congresswoman Corrine Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat, and Congressman Daniel Webster, a Winter Garden Republican. Brown’s District 5, which snakes from Jacksonville to Orlando, has been pilloried for years as one of the nation’s worst examples of gerrymandering. Redrawing the two districts targeted in Lewis’ ruling could affect some neighboring seats, especially those surrounding Webster’s District 10 seat.
Lewis appeared caught off guard by the legislative leaders’ decision to let his ruling stand.
“Quite frankly, when I issued my order I thought surely one side or the other would appeal. So it didn’t really occur to me to start thinking about what to do with the 2014 election,” Lewis said.
But Ron Labasky, the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections general counsel, told Lewis that forcing the Legislature to craft new districts before this year’s elections would create havoc. Some of the overseas absentee ballots have already been returned, and the bulk of absentee ballots for the Aug. 26 primary are slated to be mailed next week, he said.
“I’m not sure how we back up and allow somebody to vote again in a new district,” Labasky said. “Absent some very novel, creative plan on your part, we just don’t see how there’s any possible way … to have an election in newly created districts.”
GAY MARRIAGE VICTORY BUT NO WEDDING BELLS IN THE KEYS … YET
In a ruling that mirrored decisions in other states striking down bans on same-sex marriages, Circuit Judge Luis Garcia on Thursday ordered Monroe County Clerk of Court Amy Heavilin to start giving out marriage licenses to couples of the same gender beginning Tuesday.
Garcia’s order would only apply in Monroe County, but Keys couples can’t start lining up to get wed, thanks to Bondi. She immediately filed a notice to appeal the decision, effectively putting a stay on Garcia’s order. Heavilin’s lawyer Ron Saunders, a former state representative who once served as House Minority Leader, said she won’t let any same-sex couples get married until the case is resolved.
That could be a while. Both sides expect the case, filed by two Key West bartenders who have been together for more than a decade, and/or a similar case filed in Miami-Dade County by six same-sex couples to wind up in the hands of the Florida Supreme Court and, some hope, possibly make it as far as the U.S. Supreme Court.
In his 14-page ruling, Garcia compared the politically charged issue of same-sex marriage with previous civil-rights struggles.
“This court is aware that the majority of voters oppose same-sex marriage, but it is our country’s proud history to protect the rights of the individual, the rights of the unpopular and the rights of the powerless, even at the cost of offending the majority,” Garcia wrote in his 14-page order. “Whether it’s the NRA protecting our right to bear arms when the City of Chicago attempted to ban handguns within its city limits; or when Nazi supremacists won the right to march in Skokie, Illinois, a predominantly Jewish neighborhood; or when a black woman wanted to marry a white man in Virginia; or when black children wanted to go an all-white school, the Constitution guarantees and protects ALL of its citizens from government interference with those rights.”
Scott appeared to be making an appeal to both sides of the issue in a statement released by his spokesman John Tupps.
“Governor Scott supports traditional marriage, consistent with the amendment approved by Florida voters in 2008, but does not believe that anyone should be discriminated against for any reason,” Tupps said in an e-mail.
WHO’S CRIST WOOING?
Crist’s selection of Miami-Dade County Democratic party leader Taddeo was an unusual move from a candidate who still faces a primary.
But it’s another signal that Crist, who has refused to debate fellow Democratic candidate Nan Rich, is focused on the general election against Scott. Crist frequently points out that Scott and his backers have spent nearly $20 million bashing Crist and have pledged to spend $100 million to keep Scott in the governor’s mansion and Crist out of it.
Crist touted Taddeo as a working mother who runs a small business in Miami. Taddeo, 47, who was born on a U.S. military base in Colombia, also has served as chairwoman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party.
“She will make an excellent lieutenant governor because as a working mom she knows Florida families are struggling to pay their bills, raise their kids, and save for retirement — and because she believes, as I do, that all Floridians deserve a fair shot at success,” Crist said in a prepared statement.
But Rich, who has trailed in polls and raised relatively little money, took a shot at Crist, who served as a Republican governor before later becoming a Democrat.
“Because he’s been a lifelong Republican, Charlie Crist might be excused for not knowing that Democrats typically don’t choose a running mate until they win the nomination,” Rich, a former state Senate minority leader, said.
Taddeo ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008, losing to U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. She has had an elevated profile in state party politics since Democratic Chairwoman Allison Tant tapped her to serve as one of four vice-chairs last year.
Susan MacManus, a political-science professor at the University of South Florida who studies state politics, said both parties think they have a shot at the Hispanic vote, and the lieutenant-governor candidates — Scott tapped former state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera to fill a vacancy as lieutenant governor earlier this year — are one way to appeal to Hispanics. But MacManus also said Crist’s choice of a woman was “shrewd” as women make up a larger share of the Democratic Party than they do the Republican Party.
“(There) is a tendency, particularly of younger women, to fall off in their participation in mid-term elections,” MacManus said. “But having a woman on the ticket as number two was one of the ways that Crist is distinguishing himself from the Republican ticket. So he’s trying to take advantage of the gender makeup of Florida and particularly of the Democratic Party, because he’s got to get turnout close to what it was during the (2012) presidential election, and that’s always difficult in a midterm.”
While at a Democratic Party fundraiser last month, Taddeo said she has “great respect” for Rich but said Democrats exude a palpable enthusiasm for Crist, whom many believe has a better chance of ousting Scott.
“Everybody wants a picture with (Crist.) When he walks into a room, everybody’s excited. And the excitement is very big,” she said.
STORY OF THE WEEK: A Monroe County circuit judge rules that Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It looks like a bunch of cockroaches that just got sprayed with Raid. They’re spinning around going nowhere fast.” — Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan on “ganjapreneurs” attracted to Florida by a new law legalizing a strain of non-euphoric marijuana and by a proposed constitutional amendment — bankrolled by Morgan — that would allow doctors to order traditional medical marijuana for patients.
by Dara Kim, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Snap Skid
July 19, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos broke a 1-1 tie with seven runs in the fifth inning on their way to snapping a five-game losing streak with an 8-3 win over the Jacksonville Suns on Friday night at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Wahoos starter, Robert Stephenson, left the game early after being struck by a line drive in the sixth inning.
Juan Duran’s three run home run highlighted the big fifth for the Wahoos. It was Duran’s team-leading 12th home run of the season. The Blue Wahoos used seven hits to score the seven runs, five of those were singles. The Suns committed an error and walked one to help fuel the rally.
Stephenson was struck in the right thigh by a line drive off the bat of Austin Nola leading off the sixth inning. Stephenson completed the play by picking up the ball and getting the out at first base but left the game. He walked off the field under his own power and there are no updates on his status at this time. The right-hander finished the night with just one run allowed on only two hits over 5.1 innings. He struck out one and walked one in the winning effort.
Offensively, the Blue Wahoos had five hitters with multi-hit games. Ryan Wright led the charge with a 3-for-5 night. Yorman Rodriguez, Kyle Waldrop, Ross Perez and Travis Mattair all added a pair of hits each.
The Suns’ Robert Morey suffered the loss. He pitched well over the first four innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth. He was charged with 6 R/ER on eight hits over 4.1 innings.
Pensacola will try to make it consecutive wins on Saturday night with RHP Tim Adleman (2-4, 3.30) on the mound against Suns LHP Justin Nicolino (8-3, 3.12). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. CT from the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
by Tommy Thrall
Car Stolen; Burned When Lighter Sparks Stolen Gas In The Backseat
July 18, 2014
A Century man has been charged with stealing a car that was accidentally burned after an occupant used a cigarette lighter to illuminate the passenger compartment, which contained a stolen gas can.
Joshua Jackson Grimes, 31, was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, burglary of an unoccupied structure and second degree petit theft.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Grimes took a 2003 Hyundai Sonata without permission from a female on Tedder Road. Grimes allegedly drove to Wallace, AL, where he pickup up a teen male, the two of them riding around until the vehicle ran out of gas after dark. Grimes then reportedly stole a gas can containing about four gallons of gas from the carport of a residence on Highway 168.
The teen said Grimes poured a “little bit” of gas into the vehicle to get the pair out of the area and then placed the gas can in the backseat of the vehicle.
A short time later, the teen used a cigarette lighter to illuminate the inside of the vehicle, igniting the gas can and inside of the vehicle. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was dispatched to a vehicle fire with a possible burn victim on Highway 168, but the vehicle was gone by the time firefighters arrived.
Grimes allegedly drove the vehicle to his home on nearby Wawbeek Road until morning and then returned the burned vehicle back to the owner’s home after daylight. According to deputies, the vehicle was charred on the inside, with a melted five-gallon gas can and a melted ice chest in the backseat.
The teen male was found to have suffered burns during the incident, and the case was referred to the Department of Children and Families for further investigation.
Grimes remained in the Escambia County Jail Friday without bond due to an outstanding failure to appear warrant in battery case.
New $161 Million Jail Complex Could Be Located Near Molino, Cantonment Or Beulah
July 18, 2014
The Escambia County Commission is working to find a location to build a new jail, and so far properties in Cantonment, south of Molino and in Beulah have been discussed.
Locations discussed for a new correctional complex include an area at the Escambia County Road Prison in Cantonment, 100 acres located in the Beulah area near I-10 adjacent to the Perdido Landfill, and a nearly 200 acre parcel owned by the county in the Central Commerce Park on Highway 29 south of Molino.
The commission, at the request of District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry, will also send out a request for information on other possible locations.
Commissioners expressed a desire to move forward as quickly as possible for a replacement for the Central Booking and Detention Facility, which was destroyed in an explosion a few months ago.
For now, prisoners are be housed at facilities such as the Road Prison in Cantonment and facilities in other nearby counties — and that’s cost the county millions over time.
“I don’t want to sit around here for months and months and months and talk about this and keep saying that we are going to spend an extra three almost $5 million on temporary housing and let a lot of time go by. Because if I can save a year I’ve saved almost $5 million,” said Commissioner Wilson Robertson.
Constructing a temporary facility is estimated to cost up to $24 million, compared to $7.5 to $14 million to house prisoners in other counties.
Relocation of the destroyed building and the main jail into a correctional complex on one of the three sites or elsewhere is estimated to have a $161 million price tag. The county is still waiting to find out if flood insurance, property insurance and FEMA money will help pay for the new jail — it will all depend on the outcome of a current federal investigation into the cause of the explosion.
In the event FEMA pays up, the county will still be on the hook for 12.5 percent of the total cost plus any expansions past the pre-flood level.
The explosion claimed the lives of two people — including a McDavid man — and left 184 people injured.
Escambia Man Indicted For Murder
July 18, 2014
An Escambia County Grand Jury has indicted Jarrod Cordero Blackmon for first degree premeditated murder in the death of Tabius Cardell Huff.
Huff’ was found shot outside the Happy Shoppers Mart convenience store on West Jackson Street on June 22. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by Escambia County EMS.
Blackman, 23, is scheduled to be arraigned late next week. He was arrested by the Linden (Ala.) Police Department and extradited back to Escambia County.
Crist Chooses Miami-Dade ‘Working Mom’ As Running Mate
July 18, 2014
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist on Thursday named Miami-Dade County party leader Annette Taddeo as his running mate, a move that could help Crist in voter-rich South Florida while appealing to women and Hispanics.
The announcement was somewhat unorthodox because Crist still needs to defeat former state Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich in the Aug. 26 Democratic primary. But Crist has repeatedly said he is focused on the general election against Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
Crist touted Taddeo as a working mother who runs a small business in Miami. Taddeo, 47, who was born on a U.S. military base in Colombia, also has served as chairwoman of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party.
“She will make an excellent lieutenant governor because as a working mom she knows Florida families are struggling to pay their bills, raise their kids, and save for retirement — and because she believes, as I do, that all Floridians deserve a fair shot at success,” Crist said in a prepared statement.
But Rich, who has trailed in polls and raised relatively little money, took a shot at Crist, who served as a Republican governor before later becoming a Democrat.
“Because he’s been a lifelong Republican, Charlie Crist might be excused for not knowing that Democrats typically don’t choose a running mate until they win the nomination,” Rich said.
Taddeo ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008, losing to U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. She has had an elevated profile in state party politics since Democratic Chairwoman Allison Tant tapped her to serve as one of four vice-chairs last year.
At the Democrats’ annual fundraiser in Hollywood last month, Taddeo suggested that the party’s black and Hispanic caucuses needed to band together to be more effective. While black voters have traditionally been part of the Democratic base, Hispanics are a bloc that is growing in importance.
“Black issues are Hispanic issues. We’re both minorities. And both of us together, united, we will go so much further than divided,” Taddeo told The News Service of Florida at the June 28 fundraiser.
Taddeo also indicated she recognized the importance of Florida on the national stage, especially as Democrats look at winning the governor’s mansion as a way to keep Florida blue in the 2016 presidential election.
“Florida is starting to look like the rest of America’s going to look in a very short period of time. So I think we can be an example for the rest of the nation of how important it is for all of us to unite,” she said.
Like Crist, Scott picked a Hispanic from Miami-Dade County — Carlos Lopez-Cantera — when filling the lieutenant governor’s job early this year. Lopez-Cantera was the county’s elected property appraiser after serving eight years in the Florida House.
Greg Blair, a spokesman for Scott’s campaign, focused on Crist when asked Thursday for a response to the Taddeo announcement.
“As a lifelong Democrat herself, maybe Annette Taddeo-Goldstein can help Charlie stop the personal attacks and help him keep track of his ever-changing positions on every issue,” Blair said. Taddeo is sometimes referred to as Taddeo-Goldstein, reflecting her marriage to clinical psychologist Eric Goldstein.
Susan MacManus, a political-science professor at the University of South Florida who studies state politics, said both parties think they have a shot at the Hispanic vote, and the lieutenant-governor candidates are one way to appeal to Hispanics. But MacManus also said Crist’s choice of a woman was “shrewd” as women make up a larger share of the Democratic Party than they do the Republican Party.
“(There) is a tendency, particularly of younger women, to fall off in their participation in mid-term elections,” MacManus said. “But having a woman on the ticket as number two was one of the ways that Crist is distinguishing himself from the Republican ticket. So he’s trying to take advantage of the gender makeup of Florida and particularly of the Democratic Party, because he’s got to get turnout close to what it was during the (2012) presidential election, and that’s always difficult in a midterm.”
Taddeo, who has an 8-year-old daughter and whose husband has two children from a previous marriage, founded a company called LanguageSpeak in 1995. The company provides translation services.
While at the Democratic Party fundraiser last month, Taddeo made said she has “great respect” for Rich, Crist’s Democratic primary opponent. But Taddeo also pointed to palpable enthusiasm for Crist among Democrats.
“Everybody wants a picture with him. When he walks into a room, everybody’s excited. And the excitement is very big,” she said.
by The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist on Thursday named Miami-Dade County party leader Annette Taddeo as his running mate. Courtesy image for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Womans Dies From June Allentown Wreck Injuries
July 18, 2014
A Milton woman passed away Thursday as a result of injuries received in a June accident south of Jay near Allentown.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 54 year old Carolyn Jordan passed away from her injuries at 10:30 Thursday morning.
In the June 6 accident, the FHP said 45-year old Krista Boyd of Pace was northbound on Highway 89 near Allentown Road when she slowed and began to make a turn into Blue Basket Farms. The driver of a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado that was behind her, 63 year old Patrick James Delcambre of Jay, attempted to swerve into the southbound lane to avoid Boyd, but collided with the rear of her 2006 Toyota Sienna.
Delcambre’s Silverado was then struck by a Dodge Caravan driven by Jordan, causing the Chevrolet to roll over. Delcambre was transported to Sacred Heart with minor injuries, and Boyd was uninjured.
The case remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol Traffic Homicide Unit.
Suns Burn Wahoos In Double Header In Jacksonville
July 18, 2014
The Jacksonville Suns swept the Blue Wahoos in Thursday’s doubleheader winning game one 2-0 and prevailing in game two 4-2. The Suns’ Jay Rogers (W, 5-2) dominated the Blue Wahoos in the first game. The right-hander held the Blue Wahoos to just one hit over a seven inning complete game shutout. The lone hit came in the third inning from Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Daniel Corcino (L, 8-8).
Jacksonville got both runs on a two-run double from Terrence Dayleg in the fourth and never looked back. Corcino took the loss despite allowing just four hits and the two runs. He struck out five and walked just one. Rogers struck out a season-high nine batters over his seven shutout innings.
In game two, the Blue Wahoos scored single runs in the second and third innings to claim a brief 2-1 lead. Jacksonville responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Dayleg came through again with an RBI double to tie the game, and he scored on a single a batter later. The Suns added an unearned insurance run in the fifth to put the game away 4-2.
Jon Moscot (L, 5-9) took the loss in game two. He allowed 4 R/3 ER over 5.0 innings. He surrendered eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Jacksonville’s Steve Ames (W, 1-1) earned the win with 1.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Nick Wittgren (S, 14) recorded the final four outs of the game for the save.
Pensacola has now dropped five straight, but looks to snap the streak Friday in Jacksonville. The Blue Wahoos will send RHP Robert Stephenson (4-6, 3.97) to the mound against Suns RHP Robert Morey (1-0, 2.79). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. CT
by Tommy Thrall
Lawyers Argue Against Redrawing Districts Before Elections
July 18, 2014
It will be virtually impossible for lawmakers to redraw two congressional districts deemed unconstitutional by a Tallahassee judge before the Nov. 4 general election, lawyers for the Department of State, the Legislature and county elections supervisors argued in court Thursday.
Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis did not decide how to move forward with his July 10 ruling that struck districts in Northeast and Central Florida but agreed to hold another hearing next week to listen to arguments from both sides.
There isn’t enough time to craft new districts because of state and federal deadlines related to mailing ballots for the Aug. 26 primary election and qualifying periods for the general election, the lawyers said.
“This is not an impending election. This election has begun. To undo that, or to cancel that, is both impossible and in no way governed or set forth by Florida statutes or the constitution,” George Meros, a lawyer representing the Legislature, told the judge during a 20-minute hearing Thursday morning.
But David King, a lawyer representing voting-rights groups that sued the state over the congressional map drawn up in 2012 by the GOP-controlled Legislature, argued that lawmakers should come up with a new plan.
“We’ve already had one election on an unconstitutional map in 2012,” King said.
Lewis ruled last week that lawmakers failed during the 2012 redistricting process to follow the anti-gerrymandering Fair Districts constitutional amendments, approved by voters in 2010. The amendments bar the Legislature from crafting districts that favor incumbents or political parties.
Lewis’ ruling targeted districts represented by Congresswoman Corrine Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat, and Congressman Daniel Webster, a Winter Garden Republican. Brown’s District 5, which winds its way from Jacksonville to Orlando, has been criticized for years as one of the worst examples of gerrymandering in the nation.
Redrawing the two districts targeted in Lewis’s ruling could affect some neighboring seats, especially those surrounding Webster’s District 10 seat.
House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, and Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, surprised many Capitol insiders— including Lewis — when they announced earlier this week they would not appeal the judge’s ruling, if this year’s elections could take place as planned.
“Quite frankly when I issued my order I thought surely one side or the other would appeal. So it didn’t really occur to me to start thinking about what to do with the 2014 election,” Lewis said.
Siding with the state, elections supervisors’ lawyer Ron Labasky told the judge that officials have already mailed overseas ballots and received some voted ballots in return. And the first batch of absentee ballots is slated to be sent to voters next week, Labasky said.
“I’m not sure how we back up and allow somebody to vote again in a new district,” Labasky, general counsel for the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, said. “Absent some very novel, creative plan on your part, we just don’t see how there’s any possible way … to have an election in newly created districts.”
But King took issue with the legislative leaders’ approach.
“It’s surprising that the Legislature would say on the one hand that you’re right … we accept the decision that this map is unconstitutional,” he said. “Now what we get is a salvo about how it’s so impossible to deal with it and there’s no effort to even consider trying to get this situation resolved before the 2014 election.”
King asked Lewis to schedule a hearing next week to “see if there’s a way we can’t deal with this so we can have an election in 2014 on a constitutional map.”
Gaetz and Weatherford proposed having lawmakers deal with a new map after the November elections. Holding a special session to deal with the map prior to that would create another “obstacle,” Lewis noted.
“There’s a lot of time constraints. If you called everybody real quick, it would still take a lot of time,” he said.
by Dara Kim, The News Service of Florida