Health Department Urges Residents To Get A Flu Shot Now
January 15, 2014
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County is urging residents to protect themselves and their families by getting the flu vaccine. The recommendation comes after at least one reported death in the area from the H1N1 virus, which has been identified as the primary strain of the flu virus causing the most severe illness as well as numerous deaths nationwide.
The death of Santa Rosa County Lifeguard Paramedic Rodney Gajewski has been publicly attributed to the the H1N1 virus.
The health department said the everyone six months and older should get vaccinated, especially adults 65 and older, children 5 and younger, pregnant women and caregivers of infants under 6 months of age, and those living with chronic health conditions. Pregnant women are especially encouraged to get vaccinated. Pregnancy’s effect on the immune system can cause a more severe infection leading to poor outcomes for both mother and baby.
The flu vaccine may be given as a shot or a nasal spray. The flu shot is approved for use in people 6 months of age and older, including people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women. The nasal spray is approved for use in people 2 through 49 years of age who do not have underlying medical conditions and are not pregnant. Flu vaccines are available at many physicians’ offices, clinics, and local pharmacies.
The flu shot is offered free of charge for pregnant women on Medicaid at the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County. For residents not covered by Medicaid, the fee is $28.00. The vaccine takes approximately two weeks to become fully effective. Children may be able to receive the vaccine under the Federal Vaccine for Children Program.
Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness and can sometimes lead to death. Symptoms of the flu may include cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue and fever. Some people may also experience diarrhea and vomiting. Health officials advise individuals who are at risk of complications from influenza to contact their physicians immediately if flu symptoms appear. Individuals should see a physician early, as antiviral medications may be effective in reducing the severity of symptoms or the length of the illness.
Individuals can protect themselves and their families from the flu by practicing preventive behaviors. While the best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated every year, frequent hand washing is another important key to prevention. Individuals can spread the flu to others before they even know they are sick. The most effective ways to avoid spreading the flu are by covering coughs and sneezes with the elbow rather than the hand and by staying home when sick. Other healthy behaviors such as avoiding close contact with those who are sick, getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, and eating nutritious foods can also help in preventing the flu.
Sea Turtles Rescued From Cold Released Again
January 15, 2014
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and several partners returned approximately 50 sea turtles to the wild Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico off Cape San Blas after the animals were rescued from last week’s cold water temperatures.
“It is very satisfying to be able to release these turtles following the exhaustive effort put in by rescuers last week,” said Dr. Allen Foley, FWC sea turtle biologist. “Our staff, partners and volunteers spent many hours braving cold conditions to search for and rescue these cold-stunned turtles.”
The sea turtles were rescued between Jan. 7 and Jan. 9, when water temperatures dipped below 50 degrees, causing cold-stunning. Cold-stunned turtles may float listlessly in the water or wash ashore, largely unable to move. In this state, they are susceptible to further effects from the weather, and to attacks by gulls that often involve eye injuries. Many of these turtles would die without human intervention.
Many of the turtles were rescued near Crooked Island and in Big Lagoon in Escambia County. The rescued turtles were all taken to Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City to allow them to recover from exposure to the unusually low water temperatures.
A water-temperature-monitoring buoy in St. Joseph Bay allows biologists to predict when sea turtle cold-stunning may occur. Thanks to this, responders were ready with a plan of action for this event. There is no forecast of cold-stunning conditions returning to the area in the near future.
The turtles were tagged before their release to allow researchers to individually identify them if any are encountered again in the future. Biologists chose to release the turtles into the Gulf at Cape Palms Park on Cape San Blas because the water is warmer and turtles released in the area in the past have returned to St. Joseph Bay, which is a known feeding area.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Five Hooter’s Employees Get Federal Prison Time For False Oil Spill Claims
January 15, 2014
Five former Hooter’s employees have been sentenced to federal prison for filing fraudulent BP oil spill claims.
Charles C. Martin, 40, and Joseph B. Doyon, 43, of Pace, and Marquis R. Seals, 34, Bernard Cook, 39, and Tremayne C. Jamison, 42, of Pensacola, were sentenced in federal court after having pleaded guilty to mail fraud and filing false claims related to the 2010 BP oil spill.
Martin, Seals, Doyon, and Cook admitted to submitting fraudulent claims to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF). They falsely inflated their income as employees of Hooters of Pensacola Beach and stated they lost money due to the oil spill in their GCCF claims. Martin, then general manager of Hooters, and Seals, then assistant manager, aided and abetted their co- workers by providing fraudulent employment documentation for their claims. Jamison filed a false claim with the National Pollution Funds Center of the U.S. Coast Guard, which included a letter from Martin stating a contract between Jamison’s company and Hooters of Pensacola Beach was cancelled due to the oil spill, when actually no such contract existed.
Tuesday, Martin was sentenced to 24 months in prison for his role in the scheme, and Doyon was sentenced to 12 months. Last month, Cook was sentenced to 12 months in prison, Seals was sentenced to nine months, and Jamison was sentenced to six months. More than $85,000 will be paid back to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust due to the restitution ordered in this case.
The cases result from an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service.
Poarch Creeks’ Barrel Racing Under Scrutiny Again
January 15, 2014
Did regulators change state policy when they approved barrel racing as a pari-mutuel activity for the first time in the nation?
That’s the question at the heart of oral arguments heard Tuesday by the 1st District Court of Appeal concerning barrel racing a Poarch Creek Indian operated facility in Gretna, FL.
Administrative Law Judge John G. Van Laningham decided this spring that, by issuing the permit in 2011, the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation effectively created a new rule regarding what constitutes a horse race without going through the necessary rule-making process. Lawyers for the Florida Quarter Horse Track Association Inc., a horse association affiliated with a Gretna pari-mutuel facility, are appealing the ruling.
Right out of the gate and throughout the Tuesday morning arguments, the three-judge panel peppered David Romanik, representing the Gretna horsemen, with questions demanding why the change in policy didn’t constitute a new rule.
Judge Nikki Ann Clark asked Romanik if barrel races had been running anywhere else in the country as a pari-mutuel activity when regulators issued the permit to Gretna Racing.
“I don’t know of any,” Romanik responded.
“So nobody in the country was doing it. You get a permit to do it and that’s not a substantial change of policy?” Clark asked. “Bottom line is it changes the game.”
Judge T. Kent Wetherell called the issue before the panel “a simple case” and referred to Van Laningham’s ruling about whether the agency’s determination that a certain type of event is horse-racing equated to a rule.
“And on that issue, isn’t that a very simple yes? Of course when an agency interprets a statute, that interpretation…is a rule,” Wetherell said.
But Romanik argued that there are no rules or statutes specifying any types of horse racing, including traditional horse races.
“So the standard against which this new activity is judged is again based on management decision. There are no rules. There are no policies. There’s no nothing. The only thing different about what we’re doing is that it’s new. That’s all,” he said.
“It’s new. But it’s a new policy,” Clark pushed back.
“It’s just a new form of the same thing,” Romanik insisted.
Since Van Laningham’s decision in May, Gretna Racing stopped the barrel races and entered an agreement with the state to hold “flag drop” matches in which two horses race against each other without obstacles.
The agency, meanwhile, is in the midst of crafting new horse racing rules after granting another quarter-horse permit for barrel racing to a track in Hamilton County.
The proposed rules appear intended to rein in barrel racing and other nontraditional horse races in a variety of ways, including requiring a minimum of six horses to race around oval tracks, barring “the racing animal to change course in response to any obstacles on the racing surface” and setting up new requirements for jockeys, including that they “wear racing silks consisting of white pants and racing colors registered with the racing secretary” and weigh less than 130 pounds. Women racing at Gretna typically dress in sparkly, rodeo-style garb.
The agency is sitting on the sidelines in the case because it did not appeal Van Laningham’s decision.
The Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association Inc., the Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Association Inc. and a horse breeder and owner originally challenged the Gretna permit and on Tuesday asked the panel to dismiss the appeal.
Steve Menton, a lawyer representing the horse men and breeders during Tuesday’s arguments, said the agency’s decision to legitimize barrel racing as a pari-mutuel activity had far-reaching implications because the horse racing permits allow tracks to operate card rooms and could open the door for slot machines.
“The ramifications of what is happening here as a result of the introduction of a new pari-mutuel activity further highlights the idea that this…represents a significant policy shift which is going to result in the expansion of gaming in different areas and it’s all being done without going through the rule-making process,” Menton said.
Owners of the Gretna track, which also has a cardroom, are hoping the quarter-horse permit will open the door for more lucrative slot machines. Voters in Gadsden County, where the track is located, approved a referendum that would allow the machines, but DBPR last month turned down Gretna’s application for slots. The track is appealing that decision.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Scott Names Lopez-Cantera As New Lieutenant Governor
January 15, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday named Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser Carlos Lopez-Cantera as the state’s new lieutenant governor. The appointment of Lopez-Cantera, a former state House majority leader, fills a job that has been vacant for 10 months.
Scott said Lopez-Cantera would use the next few weeks to transition from his current role and begin serving as Lieutenant Governor of Florida on February 3.
“Carlos Lopez-Cantera will be a major part of our agenda to build an opportunity economy in Florida. Carlos has two daughters, like I do, and he is focused on how we can transform our economy so we aren’t just creating jobs, we are creating careers and opportunities that will be here for our children and our children’s children. I am confident that we took the right amount of time to find the right person to serve as Florida’s Lieutenant Governor. Carlos’ leadership experience will make him a vital part of ensuring the passage of our $500 million tax cut package this year. And his business experience and expertise in cutting taxes and government regulations will support small business growth and success,” Scott said.
Lopez-Cantera said, “I am honored to have been chosen by Governor Scott to serve Floridians as their Lieutenant Governor. I look forward to leveraging my experience with small businesses and government tax reform to help further Governor Scott’s mission of economic growth and job creation.”
Lopez-Cantera was elected as the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser in 2012. He previously served eight years in the Florida House. As a legislative member, he chaired the Committee on Business Regulation and the Government Affairs Committee, and served as Majority Whip from 2009-2010 and as Majority Leader from 2010-2012. He is a licensed realtor and has worked in real estate for 15 years and is also the president of a small business.
Lopez-Cantera is a graduate of Miami-Dade Community College (1994) and the University of Miami (1996) with a degree in Business Administration. Born in Spain and raised in Florida, he and his wife Renee reside in Miami with their two young daughters, Sabrina and Sofia.
Early Morning Fire Destroys Abandoned Home In Cantonment
January 14, 2014
Fire destroyed an abandoned home early Tuesday morning in Cantonment.
The fire was reported about 12:50 a.m. in the 100 block of Webb Street. The small wood frame, shotgun-style home was almost fully involved when the first fire engine arrived on scene moments after the initial call.
The house, which had burglar bars on the windows, had no electric service.
There were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The Cantonment, Ensley, Bellview, Beulah, Ferry Pass and Osceola stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded or provided coverage during the fire.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Morgan Prefiles For Third Term As Sheriff
January 14, 2014
Incumbent David Morgan prefiled Monday to seek the office of Escambia County Sheriff in the 2016 election.
If elected, this would be Morgan’s third term as sheriff. In the 2012, he received 77 percent of the vote over 23 percent for challenger John Powell. Republican Morgan defeated Democratic challenger Larry Scapecchi by a margin of 52.6 percent to 47.4 percent in the 2008 election.
Morgan is the first candidate to prefile for any Escambia County office in 2016.
Body Found In Bay Identified As Former Tate High Student
January 14, 2014
A body found in Choctawhatchee Bay on Christmas Day has been positively identified as a former Cantonment resident.
A cause of death has not yet been determined for 20-year old Levi Alfred Waltene Barnes, according to the Fort Walton Beach Police Department. But police currently do not suspect foul play or suicide, saying they currently believe his death to be accidental.
He was last seen December 14.
Barnes attended Tate High School where he was active in the JRTOC program. He is a former resident of the Florida Baptist Children’s Home in Cantonment.
One Injured In Highway 97 Collision With A Deer
January 14, 2014
One person was injured late Monday night in a collision with a deer south of Walnut Hill.
The accident happened just before midnight on Highway 97 at Tungoil Road. A 27-year old passenger in the vehicle was transported by Atmore Ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital with minor injuries.
The deer did not survive the collision.
The accident was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the accident.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Florida Changes To Common Core Are Unveiled
January 14, 2014
The Florida Department of Education unveiled a list of recommended changes to the state’s learning standards Monday, the next step in an effort to tamp down criticism of the state’s participation in a national set of benchmarks known as Common Core.
The agency’s list, which followed three public hearings across the state last year, included 98 changes to the voluminous standards. Many of the changes are technical, would clarify existing standards or would shift some concepts from one grade to another.
But others are more substantive, including amendments that emphasize financial issues in math and specify that Florida students must still learn cursive writing.
“With your input, we have strengthened our standards to ensure they are the best and highest standards, so that all Florida students graduate from high school prepared for success in college, career and in life,” Education Commissioner Pam Stewart said in a statement issued by her department.
The new standards will be further outlined Tuesday in a pair of online workshops, and the agency is launching a web page to allow the public to submit comments. Stewart’s recommendations are expected to go before the State Board of Education on Feb. 18.
The changes are part of an effort by Gov. Rick Scott and his administration to calm concerns on the political right about Common Core. The national benchmarks started out as a joint project by officials in about four dozen states, but some conservatives have grown worried that the benchmarks will instead lead to unprecedented federal intrusion in local schools.
by The News Service of Florida