4,700 Escambia Residents Register For FEMA Help (With Registration Info)
May 13, 2014
As of Monday, 4,700 residents of Escambia County have registered for FEMA assistance.
FEMA opened Escambia County Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) Sunday at the Brownsville Community Center, 3100 West Desoto Street, Pensacola, where applicants may go with questions or for information about FEMA or other disaster assistance.
The hours of operations for the DRC are:
- Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Project Outreach Site Changes
Project Outreach field teams are stationed at tents throughout Escambia County to provide information and to connect citizens with the appropriate agencies. The following sites remain open and will be operational Tuesday, May 13, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Crescent Lake, 6105 Fairview Drive
- Damascus Road Mission Baptist Church, 8198 Untreiner Avenue
- Lake Charlene*, Corner of 6815 Kitty Hawk Circle – A FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Team (DSAT) will be on site in Lake Charlene from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Legion Field, 1301 West Gregory Street
Additionally, FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams will be going door-to-door in the following impacted neighborhoods tomorrow between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.:
- Downtown area
- Innerarity Point and Grand Lagoon areas
- Tonbridge Circle area
- Man o War Circle, Ashland Avenue and Ponderosa Drive
- Lake Charlene Outreach Tent – Corner of 6815 Kitty Hawk Circle
Help for Renters
FEMA’s “Individual Assistance” is also available to renters and anyone who has lost personal belongings in the recent flood is encouraged to file a claim with FEMA.
Applicants may register at a Project Outreach Site, FEMA’s main “Disaster Recovery Center” at the Brownsville Community Center, 3100 West Desoto Street, or they can register by calling FEMA at (800) 621-3362 or TTY (800) 462-7585. If you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call (800) 621-3362. Operators are multilingual and calls are answered seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT. You can register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by smartphone or tablet at m.femagov.
An American Red Cross shelter is located at the Fricker Community Center, 900 North “F” Street, Pensacola, and is currently housing 59 people. FEMA will be onsite from 6 to 9 p.m. today to register citizens for assistance.
Debris Removal
Escambia County will continue debris removal efforts and information on locations for pickup tomorrow will be provided as soon as it becomes available.
For more information on debris removal, please contact the Escambia County Solid Waste Management at (850) 937-2160 and for more information on obtaining FEMA or other assistance; call the Escambia County Citizens Information Line at (850) 471-6600.
Pictured: A Project Outreach tent on Bristol Park Road Saturday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Cruise To 7-0 Win Over Barons
May 13, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos claimed their first win of the five-game set with Birmingham 7-0 on Monday afternoon at Regions Field. Jon Moscot (W, 3-2) dominated for the Wahoos turning in seven shutout innings on his way to his third win of the year.
Rey Navarro kick-started the offense by lacing a home run over the right field fence to lead off the game. The Wahoos scored in each of the next three innings and five of the next six frames. Navarro blew the game open with a bases-loaded two-run single in the sixth inning to make it a 6-0 Wahoos advantage.
Moscot was on cruise control after running into trouble in the third inning. The Barons loaded the bases against with no outs. Moscot coaxed the next three hitters into pop outs to wiggle out of the jam. He struck out six and walked just one in the winning effort.
Myles Jaye (L, 0-5) allowed four runs over five innings in the start for Birmingham. He walked three and fanned four in suffering his fifth loss of the year.
Navarro and Ross Perez paced the Wahoos offensively with three hits each. Navarro had three RBI while Perez scored three runs. Donald Lutz was held hitless in five at bats in his first full game back since getting sidelined with a hamstring injury back on April 24.
The series continues Tuesday night when the Blue Wahoos send RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-1, 1.73) to the mound against LHP Scott Snodgress (1-2, 5.45). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. CT from Regions Field in Birmingham.
Scott Signs Tax Holidays For Hurricane Supplies, Back To School And Appliances
May 13, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott signed a wide-ranging tax cut package Monday that fulfills an election-year pledge and could boost s for businesses through a series of tax-free periods during the typically slower summer months.
The signing of the package (HB 5601) lets Scott campaign that he got lawmakers to make $500 million in tax and fee cuts, even if the total won’t reach that figure in the upcoming budget year, while providing shoppers with sales-tax holidays on hurricane gear, school supplies and energy saving appliances.
“The bill we signed today is $121 million right back in to Florida citizens’ hands,” Scott said during a news conference after he addressed the Governor’s Hurricane Conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
Lawmakers already sent a larger part of the tax and fee cuts to Scott, rolling back vehicle registration fees that were increased in 2009. Scott signed that bill (SB 156) on April 2, giving motorists on average savings of $20 to $25 per vehicle.
The vehicle fee reduction is expected to collectively save motorists about $309 million during the upcoming 2014-15 budget year, with the new lowered rates going into effect Sept. 1. Those savings are expected to grow to about $395 million a year, once they are in effect for the full 12 months of a fiscal year.
Lawmakers approved the other tax-cut package May 2 and said it would save Floridians about $105 million. But Scott put the number Monday at $121 million, and his office also repeated that number in a news release.
The tax cut law, dubbed the “patchwork of awesomeness” by House Finance & Tax Chairman Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, goes into effect immediately. The three sales-tax holidays are projected to save $36.9 million for Floridians, according to the Legislature’s estimates.
“Retailers like the tax holidays because they boost store traffic considerably during the tax-free periods,” said John Fleming, a spokesman for the Florida Retail Federation.
The package has a wide swath of targets, including reducing electricity taxes for businesses and helping bail bondsmen, Habitat for Humanity, construction contractors, parents buying car seats and bicycle helmets for their children, college students buying meal plans and pet owners.
Scott focused Monday on hurricane preparations, with an emphasis on the recent heavy flooding in the western Panhandle. The hurricane sales-tax holiday runs from May 31 through June 8.
During that time, no state or local sales taxes will be collected on items such as tarpaulins selling for under $50, first-aid kits worth $30 or less, self-powered radios at $50 or less, gas tanks at under $25, portable generators worth up to $750, and non-electric food storage coolers priced at $30 or less, and most battery packages under $30.
Hurricane season begins June 1.
The back-to-school holiday, meanwhile, will run from Aug. 1 through Aug. 3 and will allow Floridians to buy clothes, school supplies and personal computers without paying sales taxes. The back-to-school holiday expands a discount introduced last year on computers and raises the tax-free bar from $75 to $100 on the prices of clothing, bags and backpacks.
Last year, sales taxes weren’t collected on personal computers and related gear worth under $750. This year, no sales taxes will be collected on the first $750 of any computer and related gear, regardless of the overall cost of the piece of electronics.
After the back-to-school holiday, shoppers from Sept. 19 through Sept. 21 will be able to avoid sales taxes on the first $1,500 of the price of new Energy Star and WaterSense products, an energy conservation proposal from Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.
The tax package also includes such things as a permanent elimination of the taxes on college meal plans. Also, pet lovers can receive a tax discount on therapeutic pet food only available from licensed veterinarians. Among other things in the package are permanent sales-tax exemptions for car seats and bicycle helmets for kids; an expansion of the New Markets Tax Credit program for investments in low-income communities; a temporary lifting of sales taxes on the purchase of cement mixers; a measure that would reduce by 20 percent the insurance premium tax on Florida-based bail bond premiums; and a projected $14.7 million savings through a community contribution tax credit that benefits Habitat for Humanity.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Scott Hits Common Core In Signing Florida Education Bills
May 13, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott’s office announced Monday he had signed a trio of bills aimed at allaying fears about the state’s version of the Common Core education standards — even though Scott apparently didn’t have one of the bills when the signing was announced.
Scott also signed another education bill dealing with school grades.
According to Scott’s office, the three Common Core-related measures he signed Monday included:
—SB 864, which requires school districts to set up a process through which parents can contest the selection of certain textbooks and classroom materials.
—HB 7031, which among other things removes all references to “Common Core” from state law. A set of state standards based on Common Core and using the overwhelming majority of the Common Core standards would remain in place.
—SB 188, a bill barring schools or school districts from collecting biometric and other personal information.
But there appeared to be a crimp with one part of Scott’s announcement: SB 188, meant to tamp down fears that the new standards would allow school districts to vacuum up sensitive information about students. The Legislature had not sent the bill to the governor by the time Scott announced he had signed it.
At the request of Scott’s office, the bill was sent to the governor after the announcement.
Each of the bills addresses one of the concerns raised by activists, mostly but not exclusively conservatives, who have slammed Common Core.
“The legislation I am signing today will set Florida students and families up for education success and prevent unnecessary collection of data from our students and reaffirm that Florida school boards will select the textbooks with historic opportunities for public input,” Scott said in a statement announcing the signings.
Conservatives have criticized the standards, which were commissioned by the governors and chief education officials of dozens of states, as a federal intrusion into school operations that should be handled locally.
Under an executive order signed by Scott in September, the state pulled out of the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, an effort by many of the states involved in Common Core to develop tests to measure student learning under the new standards. Education Commissioner Pam Stewart announced in March that the non-profit group American Institutes for Research would develop Florida’s tests.
Also under Scott’s executive order, the State Board of Education voted in February to go forward with dozens of changes to Common Core, including reinserting creative writing into the standards and explicitly including calculus guidelines. Stewart and others have argued that the changes justify calling the benchmarks the “Florida Standards.”
Scott also signed a bill (SB 1642) related to the new tests from American Institutes for Research, being instituted in the 2014-15 school year. That plan, modeled on a blueprint developed by Stewart, would simplify the formula for grading schools. It would also do away with the penalties schools could currently receive for the grades assigned in the 2014-15 school year — a plan meant to provide a transition year as schools adjust to the new standards and tests.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Help Available For Flood Damaged Businesses
May 13, 2014
The Florida Small Business Development Center has deployed its emergency response Mobile Assistance Center in downtown Pensacola. Equipped with laptops, printers, satellite communications, supplies and more, the MAC provides easy access for small business owners impacted by the recent storms and flooding to receive consultation from FSBDC consultants.
The FSBDC at UWF has partnered with the Greater Pensacola Chamber to locate the MAC next to the Chamber at 117 W. Garden Street (in the parking lot off of Spring Street). FSBDC consultants will be available for consultation in the MAC and at the Chamber Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
“Our goal is to ensure that all businesses within our community that were affected by the recent storm and flooding events have access to resources and support in order to recover as quickly as possible,” said Greater Pensacola Chamber President Jerry Maygarden. “Having the MAC located here will provide business owners who have questions relating to disaster loans, federal assistance and application preparations with a convenient location.”
Following the disaster declaration, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has made available both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). According to a news release from the SBA, small businesses and most private non-profit organizations in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties in Florida are eligible to apply. The purpose of an EIDL is to provide small business owners with low interest loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the business has suffered any physical property damage. Governor Rick Scott recently reactivated the Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to provide loans for physical damage to a business only.
As a principal responder in the state’s Emergency Support Function (ESF) 18 for Business & Industry, the Florida SBDC Network is a key economic development organization that supports disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation through its Business Continuation services.
“Businesses may contact our office for assistance in the preparation of supporting documents that FEMA, the SBA and the State of Florida Bridge Loan will require,” added Massey. “We want businesses to know that we’re here and we can provide consultation at no cost. Many of our consultants are battle-tested with previous experience with disaster assistance.”
The deadline to return applications for physical property damage is July 7, 2014. The deadline to return economic injury applications is February 6, 2015. For more information regarding disaster assistance, please contact the Florida SBDC at UWF at (850) 474-2528 or the Florida SBDC at UWF – Fort Walton Beach at (850) 863-6552.
Pictured top: Greater Pensacola Chamber President Jerry Maygarden (left) and Kelly Massey, Regional Director for the Florida SBDC at the University of West Florida, discuss available assistance for local-area businesses affected by the recent severe storms. Pictured inset: The The Florida Small Business Development Center (FSBDC) at the University of West Florida’s Mobile Assistance Center (MAC). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Update: Missing Teen Located
May 12, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Monday night that a missing teen has been safely located.
Earlier story:
Carly Knoth, 15, was last seen Friday, May 9 in the 7600 block of Brook Forest Place off Scenic Highway. She is described as 5-feet, 6-inches tall, 130 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.
“There is a concern for her well-being,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release, noting that her appearance may be slightly different than the photograph provided.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Century, Pensacola Continue Negotiations On North Escambia Gas Franchise
May 12, 2014
The Town of Century and the City of Pensacola are continuing talks on a new natural gas franchise ordinance for the Town of Century.
Century currently holds exclusive franchise rights from Escambia County to provide natural gas service from the Escambia River westward to almost the Perdido River and from the Alabama state line southward to near Bogia. The franchise area includes Century, Byrneville, Bratt, Oak Grove, Walnut Hill and McDavid.
The 50-year franchise was granted by the county in 1968 to the Town of Century (then known as the Town of South Flomaton) to provide natural gas services to the northernmost part of the county.
Pensacola Energy, formerly known as Energy Services of Pensacola, currently provides natural gas service to commercial customers in Bratt and Walnut Hill — within the Town of Century’s gas franchise area. Pensacola Energy provides natural gas to Ernest Ward Middle School and Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill, and Bratt Elementary and Northview High School in Bratt. They also provide natural gas service to an unknown number of residential customers near Kansas Road, Green Village Road and North Highway 99 in Bratt.
The Escambia County Commission has agreed to hold off about 90 days to allow Century and Pensacola to work out their differences prior to scheduling a public hearing on the proposed franchise.
Pictured top: A Pensacola Energy meter in front of Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill, inside the Town of Century gas franchise area. Pictured below: The Town of Century’s gas franchise map (click to enlarge). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Health Department Main Facility Closed, Services Relocated
May 12, 2014
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County’s (DOH-Escambia) main facility on Fairfield Drive sustained major damage in the recent flood and will remain closed until further notice.
All DOH-Escambia medical clinics provided at the Fairfield Drive location are currently suspended. The department anticipate resuming clinic services, at a location yet to be determined, by the week of May 19. A phone number for scheduling appointments will be posted as soon as that information becomes available. Other services usually provided at the Fairfield Drive facility are currently available at the following locations:
Established clinic patients needing medication refills call (850) 595-6500. Established clinic patients experiencing a medical emergency should go to an urgent care facility or hospital emergency department.
Pregnant women seeking presumptive Medicaid eligibility can find resources at escambiahealth.com.
2014 Florida Legislative Session: What Passed, What Failed
May 12, 2014
Florida lawmakers ended the 2014 legislative session late Friday after passing a budget and a flurry of other bills dealing with issues such as child welfare and school vouchers. But hundreds of bills died as lawmakers headed home to gear up for re-election campaigns. Here are 10 issues that passed during the session and 10 issues that failed.
PASSED
— BUDGET: Buoyed by a surplus topping $1 billion, lawmakers passed a $77.1 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. The spending plan is the largest in state history and includes additional money for public schools, child-protective investigators and protecting and restoring the Everglades and other waterways.
— CHILD WELFARE: Lawmakers approved a package of changes to the child-welfare system after highly critical reports about children dying because of abuse and neglect. The bill includes steps such as trying to bolster investigations of child deaths and increasing transparency and accountability at the state Department of Children and Families and at privatized community-based care agencies.
— GUNS: The Republican-dominated Legislature passed a series of bills backed by gun-rights advocates, including a measure — dubbed the “warning shot” bill — that would allow people to threaten to use force, including showing guns or firing warning shots, in self defense. Another bill seeks to prevent schoolchildren from being disciplined for simulating guns while playing or for wearing clothes that depict firearms.
— JUVENILE JUSTICE: After struggling in the past to reach agreement on the issue, lawmakers approved a bill that seeks to bring Florida in line with two U.S. Supreme Court rulings about life sentences for juveniles who commit murders and other serious felonies. The bill calls, in part, for judicial hearings and sentencing standards that would vary depending on the nature of the crimes.
— MEDICAL MARIJUANA: In an issue that quickly gained support during the session, lawmakers approved a bill that would allow a strain of marijuana that backers say would help children who suffer from a rare form of epilepsy that causes severe seizures. The substance, known as “Charlotte’s Web,” is low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), so users do not get high.
— SCHOOL VOUCHERS: After the issue earlier appeared dead in the Senate, lawmakers Friday approved a plan to expand eligibility in the state’s de facto school-voucher system. Under the bill, additional families would be eligible to take part in the Tax Credit Scholarship Program, which provides tax breaks to companies that donate money to nonprofit entities that pay for children to go to private schools.
— SEXUAL PREDATORS: Lawmakers hurried at the start of the session to pass a package of bills aimed at keeping sexually violent predators locked up so they cannot attack again. The package, already signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott, came after an investigative report by the South Florida Sun Sentinel found that hundreds of sexually violent predators had been released only to be convicted of new sex offenses.
— TAX AND FEE CUTS: Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislative leaders made a priority of cutting $500 million in taxes and fees. The bulk of the cuts, ultimately totaling nearly $400 million, will come from rolling back vehicle-registration fees that were increased in 2009. Lawmakers also approved smaller proposals, such as holding a back-to-school tax holiday in August.
— TUITION: Lawmakers largely went along with Gov. Rick Scott’s calls to hold down higher-education costs, including by dramatically scaling back a “differential tuition” law that has allowed universities to request annual tuition hikes of up to 15 percent from the Florida Board of Governors without legislative approval. Also, lawmakers approved changes that will hold down costs for families in the Florida Prepaid College Program.
— UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS: In one of the most closely watched issues of the session, lawmakers approved allowing undocumented immigrant students to qualify for in-state tuition rates at Florida colleges and universities. Also, lawmakers approved a bill that will allow an undocumented immigrant to be admitted to The Florida Bar. The immigrant, Jose Godinez-Samperio, was brought to the country by his parents at age 9 from Mexico and later graduated from law school.
FAILED:
— GAMBLING: Lawmakers spent months studying potential changes in Florida’s gambling laws, including the possibility of allowing resort casinos in South Florida. But the heavily lobbied issue did not advance during the session, in part because lawmakers said the state needs to resolve negotiations on a gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
— GROWLERS: One of the most talked-about issues of the session dealt with regulation of Florida’s growing craft-brewing industry. The issue became known as the “growler” bill after the name of 64-ounce beer containers, but it died after what was more like a food fight in the beer industry.
— LAWSUIT LIMITS: Lawmakers took a timeout this year from the annual fights about limiting lawsuits, an issue commonly known as “tort reform.” Proposals were floated on issues such as trying to rein in so-called “bad faith” lawsuits and revamping the medical-malpractice system, but they did not move far. One exception was a bill that passed about nursing-home lawsuits, though that bill was negotiated by the nursing-home industry and plaintiffs’ attorneys.
— MEDICAID EXPANSION: Democrats railed throughout the session about the state’s refusal to accept tens of billions of dollars from the federal government to expand access to health coverage through Medicaid or a similar program. But House Republican leaders made clear in 2013 they wouldn’t accept the money, which would be available under the federal Affordable Care Act, and they largely ignored the issue this year.
— NURSE PRACTITIONERS: After years of debate about the idea, the House backed a plan that would allow advanced registered nurse practitioners to provide care without physician supervision. But the proposal faced heavy opposition from groups such as the Florida Medical Association, and it died in the Senate.
— PENSIONS: House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, spent two years trying to overhaul the state employees’ retirement system. He wanted to spur employees to move from the traditional pension plan to 401(k)-style investment plans. But Weatherford could not gain enough support in the Senate, where a coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined to block the proposed changes.
— RED LIGHT CAMERAS: Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, made a splash early this year when they called for repealing the state’s red-light camera law or at least making substantial changes in the local programs. But motorists should still be prepared to come to a complete stop, after those ideas stalled during the session.
— SPRINGS PROTECTION: Pointing to concerns about the health of Florida’s natural springs, a coalition of senators proposed an ambitious plan aimed at reducing pollutants going into spring systems. But while funding for springs was increased in the new budget, the House did not address the broader policy issues.
— STAND YOUR GROUND: Like Medicaid expansion, Democrats called repeatedly for changes in Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” self-defense law. But Republican leaders rejected the idea, with House Criminal Justice Chairman Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, somewhat famously saying before the session started that “not one comma” in the law should be changed.
— TRAUMA CARE: Parts of the hospital industry have battled for three years about the Department of Health’s approval of new trauma centers. The House and Senate appeared to support proposals that would have ensured the continued operation of three disputed trauma centers in Manatee, Pasco and Marion counties. But the proposals died Friday after becoming tangled in broader health-care bills.
by The News Service of Florida
Tate Academic Team Qualifies For Quiz Bowl Nationals, Needs Donations
May 12, 2014
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The Tate High School Academic Team has qualified for the National Academic Quiz Tournament (NAQT), to be held in Chicago on May 31- June 1.
The team qualified by placing first overall at the Enterprise (AL) State College Cerebral Weevil tournament in December 2013. Tate is only school in the area with a team qualified to attend the national event.
In order to help raise funds, the Tate High School Academic Team is accepting donations. Donations can be made through a GoFundMe account by clicking here.
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.