Escambia Commission Moves Forward On 4-H Land Purchase
May 16, 2014
The Escambia County Commission took another step forward Thursday night for toward the purchase of two parcels of property for Escambia County 4-H.
In 2012, the children and teens on the 4-H County Council voted to sell their 240 acre Langley Bell 4-H Center to Navy Federal Credit Union. Navy Federal paid $3.6 million for the property next to the credit union’s campus in Beulah, and the Escambia County Commission agreed to construct a new 4-H Center on Stefani Road.
Now, the county is set to close on the two parcels totaling about 108 acres on or near Chalker Road, with the first closing set for today and the second for next week. The county will make the land purchases to house the 4-H’s animal science and outdoor education programs and then be reimbursed by the 4-H Foundation.
Brett Ward, a member of the Escambia County Farm Bureau Board, expressed concerns over two points in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) approved Thursday night between the county and the University of Florida IFAS.
He said it should be more clearly defined as how the property might be sold in the future and be replaced with a time limit on replacing the property. “So quite frankly nobody in the future will have to through what we’ve all been through the last two and half years in this process,” he said.
Commissioner Wilson Robertson agreed. “I thought we didn’t want to through this again”.
District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said he agreed with Ward and Robertson, but there was no time to make changes with a property closing just hours away. County Attorney Alison Robinson said making any changes to the MOU would delay, and perhaps endanger, the closings.
Ward said he also issues giving IFAS the exclusive rights in naming the property.
Escambia County Extension Director Pam Allen said it is the intent of IFAS is “to use it as a fundraising to earn additional money to put more things on the property. There’s not really a set plan in place. but 4-H wanted to retain the rights to do that.”
“Basically what we are going to do is put the name up for bid and whoever is the highest bidder, that’s going to be named after them,” Ward responded. “Why don’t we name the whole thing the Escambia County 4-H Center, and then whoever wants to sponsor individual buildings inside it…they can be named after them. But the whole center would be the Escambia County 4-H Center.”
“The children of Esambia County 4-H are the richest in the nation. They have over $4 million invested, earning interest and they are running programs off that. They have plenty of money,” Ward said. “If we can add to that, I’m all for it, but to sell the name to the whole property?”
The commission unanimously approved moving forward with the MOU with IFAS, and the land purchase. Barry said he expects an open house to be held on the property without about three weeks.
Pictured top and bottom: An existing 5,722 square foot barn on one of two parcels that may soon be home to Escambia County 4-H. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge. Pictured inset: Two parcels will provide 4-H about 108 acres near Barrineau Park. NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge.
County Awards $590K Contract To Pave Campbell Road
May 16, 2014
The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday to pave the current dirt Campbell Road near Century.
The low bidder for the project, which also include drainage improvements, was Road, Inc., of NWE, in the amount of $590,295. Once work begins, the project is to complete within 210 days.
Three other companies bid on the project: Panhandle Grading and Paving at $628,725; Chavers Construction at $696,996; and Mid-South Paving at $733,455.
Northview High School Tribal Band Members Honored
May 16, 2014
Members of the Northview High School Tribal Beat Band were recognized during their annual awards ceremony Thursday night at the school.
Band members were recognized for the following accomplishments:
Dixieland Marching Festival
- Superior Rating and Best in Class 1A award
- Drumline – Superior Rating and Best in Class 1A Drumline
- Drum Major Cory Hester – Superior Rating and Best in Class 1A Drum Major
- Color Guard – Superior Rating and Best in Class 1A Color Guard
- Dance Team – Superior Rating
Florida Bandmasters Association Marching Music Performance Assessments
- Dance Team, Majorettes, and Color Guard – Superior Rating
Florida Bandmasters Association Solo and Ensemble Music Performance Assessments
- Kendrick Walker – Excellent rating – Saxophone solo
- Kylie Brook – Excellent Rating – Flute Solo
- Paula Spicer and Abbie Johnson – Excellent Rating – Piano Duet
- Maddi Weber and Taylor Brook – Superior Rating – Trumpet Duet
- Taylor Brook – Superior Rating – Trumpet Solo
- Cory Hester – Superior Rating – Saxophone Solo
- Dance Team – Superior Rating – Dance Ensemble
Seniors were also honored with a trophy.
Members of the Northview High School Tribal Beat band are:
*Seniors denoted with an asterisk.
Drum Major
Cory Hester*
Band
Jessica Amerson
Ellie Amerson
Kylie Brook
Taylor Brook*
Anna Donald*
Amber Freeman
Magen Hardy
Austin Hill
Adrian King
Triston Long
Kyle Smith
Kent Smith*
Jessica Stacey
Samuel Stott
LaDarrius Thames
Kendrick Walker*
Emily Walston
Madison Weber
Pit
Tristan Brown
Hunter Dettling*
Davy Hanks
Abbie Johnson
Darion Riley
Jeremy Stacey*
Drum Line
Donald Baity*
Dylan Baker
Jonathan Elliott
Cheyanne Merchant
Benjamin Stott
Maxwell Townson
David Weber
Tristan Williams
Dance
Morgan Digmon*
Anna Fischer*
Leah Fischer
Chloe Leonard*
Jessica Lowery*
Shelby Nielsen*
Bethany Reynolds
Danielle Scott*
Rebekah Sepulveda*
Lily Townson*
Majorettes
Julie Hester
Brianna Smith
Morgan Wiggins
Color Guard
Tabitha Chavers
Sarah Dutton
Mashama Codrington*
Jasmine Maher*
Brittany Martin*
Morgan Packer
Paula Spicer
Pictured top and below: The Northview High School Tribal Beat Band’s annual award ceremony Thursday night. Photos by Gary Amerson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flood Warning Continues For Escambia River; Crest On Saturday
May 16, 2014
A flood warning continues for the Escambia River near Century until further notice.
Thursday night, the stage was 18.4 feet. Minor flooding was occurring and minor flooding is forecast. The flood stage is 17 feet. The river will crest to near 20.4 feet on Saturday then begin falling by early Sunday morning.
At 19.0 feet, low lying pastures will flood and cattle should be moved to higher ground.
No Injuries In Pine Forest Road School Bus Crash
May 16, 2014
A Mississippi driver was ticketed Thursday afternoon after hitting a rear-ended a school bus.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 21-year old Erin Johnson of Ridgeland, MS, was northbound on Pine Forest Road near Sharon Lane and rear-ended the bus which was stopped at a scheduled bus stop. Johnson, bus driver Amarilys Dominguez and the seven students on the bus were not injured.
Johnson was cited for careless driving by the FHP.
Florida Ag Boss: Marijuana Won’t Be Coming To A Field Near You
May 16, 2014
Though Florida could be headed toward allowing marijuana for medical purposes, marijuana won’t replace citrus or be seen growing in fields across the Sunshine State, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam told the South Florida Sun Sentinel editorial board on Wednesday.
“There won’t be fields of marijuana growing in Florida,” Putnam said in the videotaped interview, of which snippets were posted on the newspaper’s website. “It will be grown under roof, in controlled environments, inside, for obvious security reasons.”
State lawmakers have asked Gov. Rick Scott to approve a measure (SB 1030) that would help patients get access to a strain of marijuana that is high in cannabidiol (CBD) and low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Meanwhile, voters will be asked to approve a proposed constitutional amendment in November that would lead to broader legalization of medical marijuana.
Putnam, who is opposed to the amendment, expects the proposal will garner the needed 60 percent of votes for approval.
Still, “this is not a boon for Florida agriculture,” Putnam said. Putnam noted that under the low-THC bill approved by the Legislature, the Department of Health would choose five nurseries — one in each corner of the state along with Central Florida — to grow, manufacture and sell the product. And those growers must be registered nurseries that have operated in the state for 30 years and produce more than 400,000 plants.
by The News Service of Florida
Tate Grad McElroy Completes Navy Recruit Training
May 16, 2014
Patrick I. McElroy recently completed basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill.
During the eight-week program, the recruit completed a variety of training, including classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety.
The capstone event of boot camp is ‘Battle Stations.’
This exercise is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of honor, courage and commitment.
McElroy is the son of William and Dawn McElroy and a 2013 graduate of Tate High School.
FEMA Plans Meeting For Governments, Private Non-Profits
May 16, 2014
State representatives will conduct a meeting to inform public assistance applicants of available assistance and eligibility on Tuesday, May 20, at 9 a.m., at the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center, 6575 North W Street, Pensacola.
The meeting is only for public entities such as counties, municipalities, villages, towns, districts and private nonprofits. Private nonprofits can include educational, utilities, emergency, medical, custodial care, museums, zoos, homeless shelters and libraries, etc. Any agency planning to file a claim should make plans to send an agency representative to the applicant’s briefing.
Wahoos Fall 11-0 To Suns
May 16, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (18-23) fell to the Jacksonville Suns (18-22), 11-0, in the first game of the five-game series in front of a sellout crowd at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The Suns jumped on the Wahoos early for nine runs in the first three innings and never looked back.
RHP Daniel Corcino was chased from the contest just 1.2 innings into the game. Corcino gave up six runs, but only two of them were earned as an error in the second inning thwarted him from having a quick one-two-three inning. Brooks Pinckard pitched well in relief for the Wahoos; the right-hander threw a perfect sixth inning and struck out one batter.
Hits were hard to come by for the Wahoos as they managed just three throughout the game. Travis Mattair singled in the fifth to break up the no-hitter for RHP Jose Urena. Steve Selsky managed an infield hit to lead off the sixth, but the top of the order couldn’t bring home the defensive replacement. Brodie Greene got his second hit as a pinch hitter in the ninth.
Urena had a fantastic start for the Suns. The right-hander gave up two hits over 6.0 innings of work and struck out five Wahoo batters. The Suns have now won each of Urena’s last six starts. Edgar Olmos pitched 3.0 innings in relief and earned the save for the Suns.
The Suns exploded offensively over the first three innings of the game against the Wahoos. J.T. Realmuto led the charge for the Suns; he went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Realmuto is the 10th best prospect in the Marlins system and had an RBI in each of the first three innings. Leadoff hitter Brent Keys had a great night at the plate; he went 4-for-6 with four singles and three runs scored. Third baseman Alfredo Silverio hit a solo shot to lead off the top of the third and gave the Suns a 7-0 lead. Austin Nola doubled three times for the Suns and added two RBI to his ledger.
The Wahoos will send top prospect RHP Robert Stephenson (2-3, 3.72) to the bump in the second game of the series. The Suns starter has yet to be determined.
by Tommy Thrall
Lawsuits Seek To Ban Blind Trusts For Public Officials
May 16, 2014
Open-government advocates are backing a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the Florida Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of a 2013 law that allows elected officials to put financial assets in blind trusts that do not offer detailed public disclosure of the holdings.
The lawsuit was filed by Jim Apthorp, former chief of staff to the late Gov. Reubin Askew. It has the backing of the First Amendment Foundation, the League of Women Voters and half a dozen media organizations that will file friend-of-the-court briefs, including the Associated Press, The Miami Herald and The Florida Times-Union.
Apthorp and the attorney in the case, Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte, said the use of blind trusts circumvents the full disclosure of public officials’ holdings required by the Sunshine Amendment, which Askew spearheaded and Florida voters overwhelmingly passed in 1976.
Apthorp’s petition asks the high court to prohibit Secretary of State Ken Detzner from accepting the qualifying papers of any candidate who has placed finances in a blind trust. With just a month before the weeklong qualifying period begins on June 16, he is seeking an emergency ruling.
“The judge of this, in the end, is the voter,” Apthorp said. “Whether there is full disclosure or not is a matter for voters to decide.”
Lawmakers unanimously passed the 2013 law allowing blind trusts, and the Commission on Ethics twice approved Gov. Rick Scott’s use of one. Supporters say blind trusts can help elected officials avoid appearances of conflicts of interest in matters involving their personal investments.
Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford released a joint statement Wednesday defending the law, which was known as Senate Bill 2. The pointed to a 2010 grand jury recommendation about the use of blind trusts and a 2012 recommendation from the Commission on Ethics and suggested that the lawsuit was politically motivated.
“For the plaintiff to suddenly come forward with his objections four years after the grand jury report, two years after the ethics commission’s recommendations and one year after Senate Bill 2 was enacted raises the suspicion that this is not a serious or sincere constitutional challenge but a cynically timed political ploy designed and timed to affect the outcome of this year’s elections,” the statement said.
A Scott campaign spokeswoman also noted that former state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, a Democrat, used a blind trust.
“As recommended by the ethics commission and unanimously approved by the Legislature, Governor Scott put his assets in a blind trust to prevent even the appearance of any conflict of interest,” Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said in an email Wednesday evening. “This is the course CFO Alex Sink took as well. Governor Scott will always operate in full compliance with the law.”
But Apthorp and D’Alemberte said the use of a blind trust doesn’t satisfy the requirements of the Sunshine Amendment and is therefore unconstitutional.
“When you start using these devices, these schemes, to start avoiding the language of the constitution, you run the risk of seeing everything drift back to the way it was before,” said D’Alemberte, a former president of Florida State University.
Although Apthorp and D’Alemberte are Democrats, as was Askew, they said the lawsuit doesn’t target Scott, a Republican.
“Gov. Scott did everything that the ethics commission and the Legislature asked him to do,” Apthorp said. “So I don’t think he’s done anything wrong here. The problem is that the statute under which he received advice is not constitutional.”
Rather, Apthorp said, he and other aides to Askew, who died in March, had discussed filing the lawsuit with the former governor, but Askew’s health worsened. At the former governor’s funeral, they decided to file it to honor his memory.
Apthorp’s petition recalled the era of public corruption that sparked Askew’s campaign for the Sunshine Amendment. That included Watergate and the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew.
“Florida state government also was rocked by scandal: Three Florida Cabinet members, at least three Supreme Court justices, at least one state legislator, and even Askew’s lieutenant governor were exposed for their ethical lapses — some resulting in prison terms,” the petition said.
Askew campaigned for eight months to gather the signatures needed to put the amendment on the November 1976 ballot. It garnered 79 percent of the vote.
Apthorp’s petition acknowledges that he currently knows of only one Florida public official using a blind trust — Scott.
“However, the new statute would allow other officials or candidates to file blind trusts in 2014,” the document said.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida