Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Pension, Red-Light, Marijuana Proposals Fly
February 15, 2014
Lawmakers seemed to be drawing closer this week to giving a green light to a limited form of medical marijuana, while some of them complained that red-light cameras were spreading across the state like weeds.
With the Legislature going through its next-to-last week of committee meetings before the annual session opens March 4, time is running short for lawmakers to float trial balloons or major legislation, whether on red lights or a marijuana extract that doesn’t get users high. At the same time, a bill emerged in the Senate that could drive the likely fiery debate over public employee pensions.
Divisions exist on all those issues, of course. Lawmakers are trying to separate the medical cannabis bill they’re pushing from a broader measure being sought by Orlando attorney John Morgan and his “army of angels.” Efforts to slam the brakes on the proliferation of red-light cameras have long been contentious. And public employees’ unions can still be expected to fight the pension changes, even if a strategic difference from last year’s bill will make the measure more palatable in the Senate.
The legislative session has essentially begun, but the end on some of the high-profile issues of the session is still unclear.
A ‘BALANCE’ APPROACH TO PENSIONS
Overhauling the pension plan for future public employees might have been one of House Speaker Will Weatherford’s top priorities last year, but it was the Senate that moved first on the issue this year, now that the revamp is part of the joint House-Senate agenda.
Senate Community Affairs Chairman Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, this week introduced a bill (SPB 7046) that would close the Florida Retirement System to most new public employees, instead shifting them either to the state’s existing 401(k)-style investment plan or a new “cash balance plan.” Law-enforcement officers and firefighters would still be allowed to join the traditional pension plan.
The exclusion of those “special risk” employees appeared to be an effort to defuse the most controversial part of changes to the pension plan after an effort to force all new employees into the investment plans was torpedoed last year by renegade Senate Republicans.
“The proposed committee bills relating to Florida’s retirement system are a common-sense approach to ensure that we are able to fully deliver on the benefits that we’ve promised our hard-working state employees for years to come,” Simpson said.
Under Simpson’s bill, employees would have de facto accounts set up and would be guaranteed a return of at least 2 percent a year on the money in their accounts. If the plan’s investments made more than 2 percent, then three-quarters of the extra money would go to employees.
House leaders said they were still trying to decide between the cash balance idea and a hybrid plan that would essentially split an employee’s account into two, with part of it being invested in the traditional pension system and the other portion going into the investment plan.
Some critics zeroed in on the difference between special-risk employees and the rest of the state, questioning why only police officers and firefighters should get to stay in the traditional pension plan.
“If it’s good for one set of employees, it should be good for all sets of employees,” said Florida Education Association Vice President Joanne McCall.
In an interview with The News Service of Florida, Weatherford had a ready answer.
“I would say there’s a reason we call them ’special risk,’ ” he said. “They have a special job. They put their lives in danger.”
RED LIGHT FOR RED-LIGHT CAMERAS?
Almost since they were approved by the Legislature with the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act of 2010, red-light cameras have faced a vocal group of critics looking to roll back or get rid of the robotic intersection overlords. And a report out this week from the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability is fueling the drive to scrap the cameras.
According to the OPPAGA report, there were fewer fatalities but more crashes at electronically monitored intersections, and fines issued due to the technology cost motorists nearly $119 million last year.
The study recommends that local governments demonstrate a safety need at each intersection where cameras may be installed, that local communities should be required to follow standards on the length of yellow lights, and that revenue local governments generate from the cameras be restricted to public and traffic safety uses. But foes of the cameras want to go even further.
“I think we should go all in for full repeal,” Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, said during a press conference at the Capitol to highlight the study. “I think this data clearly shows that this program is not working as the Legislature intended, that we’re not seeing a reduction in accidents, (and) that we’re seeing a clear, dramatic increase in revenues that are being generated from this.”
But camera opponents have some other ideas — just in case a repeal doesn’t happen. Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, who has filed a measure (HB 4009) to repeal the 2010 law, said if legislators are unwilling to support repeal, they should enact the series of recommendations included in the legislative study.
“I still firmly believe that this program should be repealed, but if we cannot repeal it I’m willing to modify it significantly,” Artiles said.
Artiles also proposes that the amount local governments can fine be reduced from $158 to $83.
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, local governments were not at all convinced by the report. The Florida League of Cities quickly questioned whether the study was fair. Lobbyist Casey Cook maintained that the cameras do improve safety and called the study “biased and inconsistent.”
“The report’s conclusion is not surprising given that it was requested by a legislator who sponsored a bill to repeal Florida’s red-light safety camera law,” the release said.
Those opposed to the red-light cameras have one powerful ally: Weatherford, who made clear Wednesday he wants to overhaul the state’s red-light camera law. Weatherford described the report as “scathing.”
Weatherford said he would support passing a bill to repeal the cameras, though he acknowledged that likely will not happen.
‘SOME POT’
When E.B. White wrote the book “Charlotte’s Web,” which was published in 1952, he probably didn’t think a work about a spider putting messages like “Some Pig” in her web to save a porky friend would later be applied to a form of medicinal marijuana.
But “Charlotte’s Web” is more than a book and animated movie; it’s now a marijuana extract that supporters say can help children with a form of epilepsy. And three Republican senators filed a bill Wednesday that would allow the product to be used.
Filed by Sens. Rob Bradley of Fleming Island, Aaron Bean of Fernandina Beach and Brandes, the measure (SB 1030) centers on the extract, which has a relatively small amount of tetrahydrocannabinol — the psychoactive component in marijuana. Supporters say the low level of THC in Charlotte’s Web means users do not get high.
“Charlotte’s Web helps patients improve their quality of life and offers hope to parents desperate to provide relief to their children,” Bradley said in a prepared statement. “While many Floridians have significant concerns about medical marijuana being misused, SB 1030 offers a new opportunity for Floridians who have not found relief with current medications.”
Also apparently on board with the new push: Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, whose son is behind a similar House bill (HB 843). Gaetz’s son, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, is one of the leading supporters of legalizing Charlotte’s Web.
“As a father myself, I am unwilling to require these parents to be criminals in order to get treatment for their children,” the elder Gaetz wrote in a release posted on the Senate website and addressed “Dear Neighbor” to people in his Panhandle district. “As the father of Representative Matt Gaetz, I am proud of my son for his political courage in fighting for these families as they fight for their children’s lives.”
Legislative leaders, though, have taken pains to separate the issue of Charlotte’s Web from a wider constitutional amendment that would legalize prescription pot. That measure, backed by People United for Medical Marijuana, is set to go before voters in November.
Reports filed Monday showed that the group had burned through about $4.6 million by the end of January, with Morgan footing most of the bill.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Legislative wrangling began over the pension overhaul that could be one of the more hotly-contested bills of the session. Senate leaders put forward a “cash balance plan,” while House leaders said they were still deciding which way to go with their bill.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Ninety percent of the time it feels like our agenda is your agenda, maybe more than that.”–House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, to members of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
New 108 Acre Home For Escambia County 4-H On The Horizon
February 14, 2014
After months of disagreement between involved parties, Escambia County 4-H may finally have a new home on the horizon.
Contracts transferable to Escambia County 4-H have been signed on two parcels totaling about 108 acres off South Highway 99 and Chalker Road near Barrineau Park.
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 with $1.5 million in local option sales tax (LOST) funds.
$2 million of the sale proceeds were placed in an endowment fund for 4-H, and $1.6 million was reserved for 4-H to use under the guidance of UF/IFAS for a property including livestock facilities.
But after reviewing the findings of a task force, University of Florida/IFAS Extension Dean Nick Place recommended 4-H keep the $1.6 million and use the Cottage Hill State Forest, Escambia County Equestrian Center and private lands for outdoor activities and livestock education. The Escambia County Commission in July refused to accept the plan, with some commissioners saying that land deal was in no way equitable to the former 240 acres at Langley Bell.
And in January, the commission put the brakes on approval of a $1.65 million 4-H facilty to be located at the Escambia County Extension Office on Stefani Road.
As the impasse continued between Place and the commission — including very public letters chastising each other — Place reached out to Lamar Christenberry, retired Escambia County IFAS director, as in intermediary.
Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry researched local available properties on the internet and found the two properties which he toured with Christenberry and 4-H supporters Brett Ward and Jimmy Cunningham, who is also president of Escambia County Farm Bureau.
“The utility of what 4-H has now at Langley Bell can easily be recreated on the new property,” Barry said.
One parcel is 79.5 acres in the 5600 block of Chalker Road and currently belongs to Scott and Denise MacMurray of Pensacola. The property includes about 20 wooded acres, a pond and a 5722 square foot barn. The property was listed at $425,000 with a $390,000 offer accepted on behalf of 4-H.
The second property, located at South Highway 99 and Chalker Road, is about 28.7 acres and allows the main property to have road frontage on South Highway 99. An offer of $5,000 per acre was accepted.
The land deals will be handled by Beck Properties with a fee approximated at $9,750. Beck will make a $10,000 donation to 4-H when the deals are closed to negate their fee, Barry said.
A few residential lots border east side of the proposed 4-H site along Chalker Road, while the north side is bordered by a 50 acre improved agricultural lot. The southern and western sides of the site are surrounded by hundreds of acres of timber belonging to La Floresta Perdida, Inc.
“It’s the perfect place where live stock won’t bother the neighbors,” Barry said.
Barry said that by the time the Escambia Commission meets again on February 18, he expects a letter of support for the project to have been approved by Escambia County 4-H, and he expects Place and IFAS to express their support for the land purchase.
After the land deal is approved by the Escambia County Commission, which acts at trustee for the 4-H Foundation, commissioners are expected to consider moving forward with the 4-H Center on Stefani Road. The 4-H Center will be used indoor classroom type activities, while the 198 acres will be used for outdoor activities and livestock education.
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.
ECAT Reports Ridership Up
February 14, 2014
Escambia County Area Transit announced Thursday that ridership was up during the final quarter of last year. ECAT provided 403,612 rides in the fourth quarter of 2013, up four percent from the same period in 2012.
“I could not be more pleased with these numbers,” said Lisa Bacot, Executive Director of the Florida Transportation Association. “The fourth quarter numbers show us that providing public transportation is important. ECAT is meeting the needs of its community by giving residents personal mobility and connects people with their jobs and schools.”
In 2013, ECAT provided a total of 1,529,769 rides to residents and visitors alike, marking another year that ridership of the system has increased.
“ECAT provides a valuable and needed service for this area,” said Tonya Ellis, director of Marketing and Community Relations. “We work to provide our community with excellent, dependable service. I am looking forward to 2014 and all that it will bring for our passengers. We have several exciting changes coming this year that are designed to enhance our customers’ experience.”
Waffle House Robbery Suspect Arrested — At Waffle House
February 14, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has nabbed a suspect in a couple of Wednesday robberies.
Thomas Aaron Byrd, age 18 of Eight Mile, AL, is charged with two counts of armed robbery and remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $16,000.
The first reported robbery was at a Waffle House in the 6900 block of Pensacola Boulevard, the second in the 4600 block of Mobile Highway. The suspect in both robberies was a white male driving a grey Dodge Charger. Shortly after 10:00p.m., a deputy observed a matching vehicle at the Waffle House located in the 100 block of New Warrington Road.
Byrd exited the vehicle and was taken into custody.
Valentine’s Day: Love On The Line
February 14, 2014
On Valentine’s Day, an 82-person Gulf Power storm team was hard at work in north Georgia to restore power after a winter storm.
Ice storms, hurricanes or just afternoon thunderstorms, linemen and other power company employees are there to restore our electricity as fast as possible. But working in Georgia means the 82 men and women were away from their someone special for Valentine’s Day.
Special thanks to Gulf Power employee Tabbatha McGhee for helping with this story and photographs.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
the road to the crown: Meet The Girls (part three)
February 14, 2014
Today, it’s part three of our multi-part series “the road to the crown” as we follow 14 young ladies at Northview High School in their quest for the crown and the title of “Miss NHS 2014″.
Today we introduce you to the third and final group of contestants. Their biographies, as submitted by the girls, are below along with their photos. You can click any photo below to enlarge. (For the first set of contestants, click here; for the second set, click here.)
Our series “the road to the crown” will continue tomorrow. The pageant is Saturday night at 7:00, and NorthEscambia.com will have the new Miss Northview High School and all the photos here Sunday morning.
Tickets are available at the Northview High School office.
Tiffani Nichole Pritchett
Tiffani is 17-years old and is a senior at Northview High school. Tiffani has been a member of the volleyball team for four years and the softball team for four years. She has been on the weightlifting team for two years. She has been a member of Rho Kappa for two years, an FCA member for two years and CECF (DCT) member for one year. She has received many awards including the 2014 Coach’s Award in weightlifting, 2011 best offensive volleyball player, 2012 most improved award in volleyball and the 2013 Subway volleyball all star. She has also received the Atmore Rotary Academic All-Star award. Tiffani is a member of the 2013 Class 1-A state volleyball team and the student chair of Discipline Committee. In her community she is a member of the First Baptist Church of Bratt, played softball at the Molino ballpark for seven years, and helps to coach young girls softball.
Her hobbies are playing sports, cooking, photography and spending time with loved ones.
Her future plans are to attend FSU and pursue a medical degree.
Brianna Morgan Smith
Brianna is 16-years old and is a freshman at Northview High school. Brianna is a member of the National Honor Society and SGA. She is also a member of the junior varsity Lady Chiefs softball team and a majorette with the Tribal Beat marching bad. In her community she is vice president of the Greater Pensacola Youth Bowling Association. She is a seven-time youth bowling all-star. Brianna is a member of the United States Bowling Congress and VSBC Junior Gold Medal. She has won several scholarship tournaments in bowling. Brianna also dances with Heather Leonard’s Danceworks and twirled baton with Twirl Time for six years.
Her hobbies are bowling, baton, softball, dancing, fashion designing and doing crafts of all kinds.
Her future plans are to attend a college that offers bowling and softball as well as a marching band so she can continue her hobbies and attain a degree in teaching.
Morgan Nicole Digmon
Morgan is 17-years old and is a senior at Northview High school. Morgan has been a member of the Northview Dance team for three years and played softball for one year. She is a member of the Beta Club for three years, Glee Club for one year and Fellowship of Christian Athletes for three years. She has received the Atmore Rotary Academic All-Star Award, was named Miss Poise and Appearance in the Miss NHS pageant in 2011 and a talent show winner in 2013. In her community she volunteers at Relay for Life and Manna Food Bank. She has danced at Heather Leonard’s Danceworks for nine years. Morgan attends Ray’s Chapel Baptist church where she participates in the youth group and volunteers in the church nursery.
Her hobbies are dancing, singing, shopping, listening to music and spending time with her family and friends.
Her future plans are to attend Auburn University and pursue a degree in nursing and become a neonatal nurse. She also hopes to become a member of the Tiger Paws dance team.
Olivia Kate Neal
Olivia is 17-years old and is a senior at Northview High school. Olivia has been a member of the varsity cheerleading team for one year and a member of the competition cheer team for one year. She has been a member of the Glee Club member for one year, a member of the weightlifting team for two years, junior varsity volleyball team for two years, Students Against Destructive Decisions member for one year and FFA for one year. In her community, Olivia attends Little Escambia Baptist Church and is an active member of the youth group. She is lead singer for her youth praise band.
Her hobbies are playing the guitar, singing, cooking, attending mission trips and spending time with her loving family and unfailing friends.
Her future plans are to attend Pensacola State College to obtain a degree in culinary arts.
Jessica Kathryn Amerson
Jessica is 16-years old and a sophomore at Northview High school. Jessica has played the French horn for six years and has been a member of the Tribal Beat band for two years. She is a member of the SGA, yearbook staff, math team, battle of the book team and a member of the mock United Nations team. Jessica was freshman class historian, and represented the sophomore class on the 2013 Homecoming Court. She has been a member of the junior honor society for three years and is currently the top student in her class. Jessica was a sophomore representative for the Pensacola spelling bee, placed third in the VFW Voice of Democracy districts, and won first place in the Rotary Four-Way Test essay contest. She has also placed in the science Olympiad competition and was voted into honor society at summer camp. In her community she is a member of St. Robert Bellarmine church.
Her hobbies are reading, camping, writing, drawing, horseback riding, playing piano, traveling and taking pictures.
Her future plans are to master and become fluent in at least three languages other than English, with basic knowledge of as many languages as possible. Jessica plans a career in government as a translator with plans to be a UN Ambassador for the White House.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Scott Signs Death Warrant For 1987 Killer
February 14, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott signed a death warrant Thursday for Robert Lavern Henry, who murdered two women at a fabric store in Deerfield Beach more than 26 years ago. The execution is scheduled for March 20 at Florida State Prison near Starke.
Henry, 55, who has been on Death Row since 1988, was convicted in the deaths of Phyllis Harris and Janet Thermidor.
When police and firefighters responded to a call on Nov. 1, 1987, the women were found in the store’s restrooms. Harris was tied up and dead in the men’s room. Thermidor, located in the women’s restroom, was conscious despite a head wound and burns to more than 90 percent of her body. Thermidor stated that Henry, the store’s maintenance man, hit her on the head with a hammer, left with the store’s money, only to return to douse her in a liquid before setting her on fire. Thermidor died the next day.
A year later, Henry was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of armed robbery, and one count of arson.
The warrant comes a day after the execution of Juan Carlos Chavez, who committed the notorious 1995 murder of 9-year-old Jimmy Ryce in Miami-Dade County. Chavez was the 13th Death Row inmate executed in Florida since Scott took office in 2011.
Also Wednesday, a North Florida circuit judge ruled that a new lethal-injection drug would not violate the rights of Paul Augustus Howell who is scheduled for execution on Feb. 26. Howell was convicted in the 1992 killing of a state Trooper James Fulford in Jefferson County.
Rep. Jeff Miller Honored For Championing Employment Of Disabled
February 14, 2014
U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller received the AbilityOne Congressional Champion Award Thursday in recognition of his support for the employment of people with significant disabilities.
Richard “Micky” Gazaway, executive director, South Region, SourceAmerica, presented the award on behalf of AbilityOne, a program that leverages the purchasing power of the federal government to promote employment for people who have significant disabilities.
The AbilityOne Congressional Champion Award is given to elected federal policymakers who support the AbilityOne Program and employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Parasailing Regulations Get Launched In Florida Senate
February 14, 2014
An effort to impose minimum regulations on the parasailing industry, aided by video of a ghastly accident last summer that went viral on the Internet, is starting to get off the ground in the state Legislature.
The Senate Regulated Industries Committee on Thursday unanimously backed a measure (SB 320) that sponsor Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, said should lessen the chance Florida will again find itself showcased worldwide as a risky place for amusements. It would prohibit parasailing operations when sustained winds are 20 mph or higher or when lightning storms are within seven miles.
The video involved a parasailing accident last summer in Panama City Beach that seriously injured two Indiana teens.
“When you see those storm clouds coming up (on the video), and those two young girls slammed against buildings and balconies, and then going up against power lines and finally landing against on an SUV, you think why is this happening,” Sachs said after the committee hearing. “That dramatized the need for safety regulations and I think that, unfortunately, that had to happen before a lot of people said, ‘You know what, we need to do this’.”
Similar measures — opposed by the parasailing industry mostly because of increased insurance costs — failed in the last six years.
The House version of the bill (HB 347) was unanimously supported last week by the Business and Professional Regulation Subcommittee, and it is now headed to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee.
“We are not trying to punish the industry. … We only want to make this a safe activity,” said Rep. Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed, D-Deerfield Beach, the sponsor of the House bill.
The proposal — named the “White-Miskell Act” — was aided Thursday by appearances at the Capitol by Alexis Fairchild, who was one of the two Indiana teens injured July 1, and by family members of Amber May White, 15, of Belleview, who died in 2007 after a line snapped on a parasail, resulting in her hitting the roof of a hotel.
“If this law had been passed when it was brought up the first time I wouldn’t be standing here,” Fairchild, who suffered head trauma and had to undergo surgery to her spine, told Senate committee members. “If it was passed the second time, I wouldn’t be standing here. I don’t want another person to be standing here.”
Shannon Kraus, White’s mother, added that lawmakers have a “moral obligation” to approve the legislation.
The other part of the bill is named after Kathleen Miskell, a 28-year-old Connecticut woman who died in 2012 after she fell from a harness while parasailing over the ocean off Pompano Beach.
The measure has the support of people in the industry, said Larry Meddock, executive director of the Water Sports Industry Association.
“They’ve accepted the fact that they need to have best practices to try to do a better job,” Meddock said.
Meddock said operators have come around to “reality” after being advised by the U.S. Coast Guard that if regulations backed by people in the industry are not in place, the federal agency would impose rules, due to the “frequency of incidents” in recent years.
“That message was sent out loud and clear,” Meddock said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates there are about 100 active commercial operators in Florida, most along the coasts, with one at Walt Disney World on Bay Lake in Orange County.
From Jan. 1, 2001 through Oct. 30, 2013, the state has recorded 21 parasailing incidents that have resulted in 23 injuries and six fatalities. Nearly half were due in part to wind conditions, with others because of equipment or operator error.
The legislative measure would require owners of vessels engaged in commercial parasailing to carry at least $1 million in bodily injury liability coverage, for the boats to be equipped with a functional VHF marine transceivers and separate electronic devices capable of providing access to weather forecasts and current weather conditions, and for operators to record the weather whenever on the water with passengers.
Putting the information in a log was among the hurdles that have kept past efforts to impose regulations on the industry from advancing in the Legislature, Sachs noted.
“It’s been a hurdle, but I figure if they can swipe a credit card, they can log the weather,” Sachs said.
The effort to impose regulations was aided last summer when Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, advised those in the parasailing industry to talk to Sachs after he heard from constituents who had witnessed the accident involving Fairchild and her friend Sidney Good.
During a meeting in November with about 250 owners and operators, Meddock said, nobody objected when asked if they had a problem with the proposed legislation.
The measure doesn’t impose regulations on the types of equipment used by parasailing operators, but Sachs said the insurance regulation should force those in the industry to demonstrate they are up to date on safety to get their policies.
The proposal still must get support from the Senate Commerce and Tourism and Community Affairs committees.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Woman Convicted Of Child Neglect After Toddler Found Wandering In Road, Living In Squalor
February 13, 2014
A Cantonment woman was convicted this week on child neglect charges in connection with an October 2013 case in which her 3-year old was found wandering in a busy roadhundreds of feet from the home where he lived in squalor.
Cynthia Faye Godwin,36, was convicted of three counts of felony child neglect without bodily harm. She was sentenced by Judge Linda Nobles to three years probation, ordered to undergo mental health evaluation and complete a parenting class. She must also abide by a Department of Children and Families case plan, the details of which have not been made public. Godwin, who had been jailed since the October 28 incident, was released from jail following her sentencing.
Michael Roy Godwin has pleaded not guilty to three counts of felony child neglect without bodily harm in the case. His trial is set to begin next week.
Bus driver Daisy Robinson, her bus 1-12 loaded with Ransom Middle School students, found the child in Kingsfield Road in the area of Pauline Street and the railroad tracks, just off Highway 95A. She managed to safely coach the 3-year old onto her bus and radio bus dispatch for help, according to Rob Doss, the Escambia County School District’s director of transportation.
After waiting for a short time period, she moved her bus to the parking lot of a nearby gas station to wait for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to arrive. The young boy was not injured.
At the child’s home, deputies found the Godwins outside searching for him, stating that he had walking about about 30 minutes before. Once inside the trailer, a responding deputy reported, “the smell was horrible and the conditions appeared even worse”, according to arrest report.
The deputy reported there were roaches crawling on the floor and counters. There were no drinks or food in the refrigerator or freezer. The refrigerator contained dead roaches, according to the arrest report. The house was in a mess with clothing covering the floors. The three mattresses in the house for the child were very dirty and stained; one of these had dog feces on it.