Ernest Ward Students Explore Past With National History Day Projects
February 10, 2014
History came alive through the eyes of students at Ernest Ward Middle School recently as they displayed weeks of work on projects for National History Day.
The History Fair in the school’s gym capped off a project in which EWMS students were required to do research into a topic. The research was presented in exhibit form, much like the typical science fair, or as a drama or web presentation. Students complete projects either individually or in teams.
This was the fifth year Ernest Ward has participated in the national program, with the top projects from Ernest Ward headed next to a district competition. Winners included:
Individual Exhibits
- Cameron Long
- Bailey Seibert
- Dalton Hamilton
- Bailee Hinote
Group Exhibits
- Ashlan Harigel, Anna King, Bailey Van Pelt
- Lexi Broadhead, Karlee Criswell, Jessie McCall
- Celeste North, Kayla Galvan
- Colby Morris, Logan Wise
Web Design
- Triston Long
- Ashtyn Carnley, Delaney Reynolds
Performance
- Nikoal Creamer, Seth Parker, Chris Johnson
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Senate Fast Tracks State Run Tech Agency
February 10, 2014
The Senate is once again trying to upload an information-technology agency to oversee large computer projects and set tech policy for the state government.
But, unlike in past years, the House is also backing the concept of a technology oversight agency. The Senate proposal comes against the backdrop of on-going troubles with Florida’s $63 million unemployment system and security breaches at giant retails such as Target.
The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee on Wednesday, with little comment, unanimously supported a measure (SPB 7024) to create the Agency for State Technologies which would cost $5 million in the first year and add nine new government positions.
The Senate last year unanimously passed last year a similar measure that died in the budget conference process with the House.
Although no companion bill has yet been introduced in the House, Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, included development of a state government information technology strategy in their 2014 legislative work plan released late last month.
“The Speaker believes Florida should not be the only state in the nation without a Chief Information Officer,” Weatherford’s spokesman Ryan Duffy said in an email.
Sen. Jeremy Ring, a Margate Democrat who sponsored the bill, has pushed for the creation of the agency for the past three sessions. He said he expects the House to look more favorably on the tech oversight agency because of high costs and high-profile difficulties associated with some of the state’s latest tech systems. The Department of Financial Services’ Florida Accounting Information Resource (FLAIR) system, now in development, could top $100 million. The Department of Economic Opportunity’s $63 million Connect system for jobless claims has been plagued with problems.
Since Dec. 20, the state has imposed a $15,000-per-business-day penalty and withheld a $3 million payment to Minnesota-based Deloitte Consulting until the Connect system it helped create is deemed “fully functional.”
The glitches have delayed the disbursement of thousands of unemployment checks since the system went live on Oct. 15.
Ring also warned that Floridians remain vulnerable due to a Target Corp. data breach in which information from 70 million credit cards was stolen late last year. The lack of any centralized oversight of the state’s computer systems and websites put Florida “at risk of significant security breaches,” said Ring, a former Yahoo.com executive.
“There is no question that when you have a $70 billion business, and you don’t have a chief information officer, you can see how flawed that really is and how illogical that really is,” Ring said. “We should have done this a couple of years ago.”
More importantly, he said, it’s difficult to “wrap our arms around how much money we spend on IT.”
The agency would be located within the Department of Management Services and run by a chief information officer appointed by the governor.
“It’s imperative we have an agency head that can actually speak the same language as the person on the other side of the table,” Ring said.
The agency would not have oversight of Cabinet agencies such as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Lottery, Florida Housing Corp., and the Department of Legal Affairs. But those departments would have to follow guidelines set up by the new agency and any new programs or software costing more than $50 million would have to undergo a review.
The agency, which would require $2.1 million in start-up costs as part of the first year expenses, would consolidate 226 positions from state data centers and the former Agency for Enterprise Information Technology, according to a Senate press release. The nine new positions would include the governor-appointed CIO.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Escambia County Seeks Appointees To Numerous Boards, Committees
February 10, 2014
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is seeking volunteers for several Boards and Committees, effective immediately.
The Big Bend Health Council (Northwest Florida) was established in accordance with Florida Statutes. The duties of this council are to assist the State in planning for health facilities and services, provide a health data repository and help counties and local communities to obtain better health care. Health care consumer, provider and purchaser positions are available. Council members serve a two-year term of office.
The Escambia County Board of Adjustment was established under Ordinance No. 88-16. The Board of Adjustment (BOA) conducts any required quasi-judicial public hearings to grant, grant with conditions, or deny applications for variances, conditional uses, requests for final extension of development orders for site plan approval, requests for the temporary use of a mobile home as a guest residence due to medical hardship and appeals of administrative decisions filed by those persons aggrieved by interpretations or administration of these regulations. Under county ordinance the Board of County Commissioners can review of the orders of the BOA affirming, reversing or modifying the decision of an administrative official. Board members serve a two-year term of office and a Financial Disclosure Required.
The Escambia County Extension Council was established in accordance with Florida statutes. The purpose of this council is to study the needs of the county in developing its natural resources, families and youth; to provide for the organization of planning committees in various agricultural commodities in youth and in all phases of home economics important to Escambia County; to provide for close liaison between the committees, county extension agents and the council; and to coordinate the reports of all committees into a single Escambia County resource development program designed to develop the county’s resources and its people through programs for which the cooperative Extension Service has a responsibility for initiating or coordinating. Council members serve a two-year term of office.
The Escambia County Health Facilities Authority was established in accordance with Florida statutes. The authority’s duties are to assist health facilities in acquisition, construction, financing and refinancing of projects. Knowledge of finance and/or health care administration required. Authority members serve a four-year term of office. Financial Disclosure Required.
The Escambia County Housing Finance Authority was established in accordance with Florida law. The authority’s duties are to assist in eliminating shortages of adequate housing; stop reoccurrence of slum conditions; and stimulate employment and commerce. Knowledge in the area of labor, finance or commerce required. Authority members serve a four-year term of office. Financial Disclosure Required.
The Escambia County Planning Board was established under Ordinance No. 88-15. It shall be the continuing duty of the planning board to be currently informed and knowledgeable of the conditions and development of the county and to make studies and recommendations relating to county growth management, either initiated by the planning board, the county administrator, or the Board of County Commissioners. The planning board shall hear, give consideration to and make recommendations to the board of county commissioners on matters in accordance with the requirements of the applicable county ordinance or state regulations. Board members serve a two-year term of office and a Financial Disclosure Required.
The Escambia County Tourist Development Council (TDC) was created in accordance with Florida statutes. The TDC duties are to review each proposal for expenditure of funds to determine if it complies with the Tourist Development Plan as outlined, review all expenditures from the Revenue Trust Fund and to report findings to the BOCC and the Florida Department of Revenue. Members shall be owners/operators of motels, hotels, recreational vehicle parks or other tourist accommodations in Escambia County and subject to the tax, and/or individuals involved in the tourist industry, or who have demonstrated an interest in development but are not owners/operators within the tourist industry. Council members serve a four-year term of office.
The Escambia-Pensacola Human Relations Commission was established by an inter-local agreement between Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and the City of Pensacola in April 1978. The purpose of the commission is to be “responsible for the promotion of fair treatment and equal opportunity to all citizens of the local community.” Commission members serve a two-year term of office.
The Value Adjustment Board provides for the hearing of all petitions, complaints, appeals and disputes concerning taxable assessment of properties, was established in accordance with Section 194.015, Florida Statutes, which was revised on September 1, 2008. Board members serve a one-year term of office.
If interested in serving on the committees, councils or boards listed above, please contact Judy Witterstaeter, program coordinator at (850) 595-4916 to submit your resume. All resumes must be submitted no later than Friday, February 28. Please note appointees serve without compensation and some positions require filing of financial disclosure forms.
Florida House Looks To Give Nurse Practitioners More Power
February 10, 2014
In an issue that could spur a health-care industry fight, a House select committee Monday will take up a 155-page bill that would give nurse practitioners independence to provide medical services without physician supervision.
House leaders say giving more authority to nurse practitioners, at least in part, could help address a shortage of primary-care physicians in Florida. The bill would apply to a group technically known as “advanced registered nurse practitioners,” who have more education and training than registered nurses. Along with applying to nurse practitioners who provide primary care, it would apply to specialists such as nurse anesthetists.
But the issue is controversial, with physician organizations such as the powerful Florida Medical Association long arguing that supervision needs to continue. Also, Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Chairwoman Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, said Thursday she is working on a bill that would make far less-dramatic changes than the House measure.
“We’re against it (the House bill),” Florida Medical Association General Counsel Jeff Scott said after reviewing the newly filed proposal Thursday. “I don’t think there’s any room for doubt on that one.”
The House Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation has been studying the practice issues in recent weeks, including holding a lengthy hearing last month.
Jorge Valdes, president of the Florida Association of Nurse Anesthetists, told lawmakers during the hearing that members of his group have the training to provide anesthesia without physician supervision. Also, backers of the changes say nurse practitioners, including specialists such as the nurse anesthetists, already provide services without doctors being present, though they have to get approval from physicians for what are known as “protocols” that outline care.
“In Florida, anesthesiology is delivered by both anesthesiologists and CRNAs (certified registered nurse anesthetists),” Valdes said. “I’m a CRNA. I’m a professional. I’m not asking for anything additional than something I already do, (and that) is to practice my profession.”
The House bill, which will be discussed during a committee workshop Monday, would create two categories of nurse practitioners: “independent advanced practice registered nurses” and “advanced practice registered nurses.”
The advanced practice registered nurses would continue providing services under physician supervision, though they would receive additional authority to prescribe controlled substances. Nurse practitioners currently can prescribe other types of drugs, such as cholesterol medication or antibiotics.
Meanwhile, the independent advanced practice registered nurses, including the specialists, would be able to provide services without supervision if they meet criteria for experience and pharmacology training. Along with being able to prescribe controlled substances, they would have authority to make a wide range of other decisions, such as admitting and discharging patients from hospitals.
Part of the impetus for the House taking up the issue is that Florida faces a shortage of primary-care physicians. The House and Senate also are considering other steps, such as trying to encourage telemedicine, to address that issue.
“As we move into (the legislative) session, this committee will be proceeding with a bold initiative to expand access to care to Florida’s workforce and to increase the competitiveness of that workforce market,” select committee Chairman Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, told the House panel last month.
Grimsley said Thursday the Senate bill would not allow nurse practitioners to immediately work without physician supervision, though it would allow them to prescribe controlled substances. She said the bill likely will set a time in the future, possibly five years, when nurse practitioners could work independently if they meet criteria. She said her bill would not allow nurse anesthetists to work independently.
Such health-care issues — known as “scope of practice” issues — frequently touch off lobbying battles in Tallahassee. As an example, optometrists and ophthalmologists battled for years about the drug-prescribing powers of optometrists, before a bill passed in 2013.
Scott, the Florida Medical Association general counsel, said the new House bill is the broadest scope-of-practice expansion he has seen, and physician groups are already preparing to fight it.
“There is no compelling health care policy goal, realized financial incentive, or access to care reason to eliminate the nearly nationwide gold safety standard of anesthesia physician supervision,” anesthesiologist Jay Epstein, president of the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists, said in a prepared statement Thursday.
by Jim Saunders The News Service of Florida
Do Not Call Tops List of Consumer Complaints For January
February 10, 2014
Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced Monday that the top three complaints received in January 2014 at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services were regarding the statewide Do Not Call List, fuel and communications. The agency received 3,927 written complaints in December.
In addition, there were 26,708 calls and 453 emails requesting consumer assistance and information. The top three calls to the agency’s 1-800-HELP-FLA hotline requesting information or assistance were related to the solicitation of contributions from charities, motor vehicle repair and landlord/tenant.
In the past month, the department responded to many consumer concerns and taken action against several individuals or businesses operating outside of Florida law. During the month of January, the agency:
- Registered 7313 businesses.
- Initiated 244 investigations.
- Arrested 13 individuals.
- Recovered $251,456.00 on behalf of Florida consumers.
- Added 13,367 telephone numbers to Florida’s Do Not Call List. Currently, there are more than 593,000 numbers on the list.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, protection and information. The call center is staffed with trained analysts who can respond to questions about programs and regulations under the department’s purview, provide information on a wide variety of topics or direct callers to the appropriate government agency.
Consumers who believe fraud has taken place can contact the department’s consumer protection and information hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832). For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com.
Peanut Butter Challenge A Big Winner For Local Food Banks
February 9, 2014
Over 9,000 jars of peanut butter were donated to local food pantries thanks to the Peanut Butter Challenge from UF/IFAS Extension Northwest District agents and the Florida Peanut Producers Association.
Through donations and support from various businesses and groups like county 4-H clubs, local Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, churches and the EscaRosa Young Farmers
and Ranchers groups, district-wide more than 3,100 jars of peanut butter were collected.
Escambia County’s peanut butter collection landed a windfall when Escambia County peanut growers, Rodney and Michael Helton of Helton Brothers Farm donated an entire pallet of peanut butter and in turn asked a local buying point, Tri County Peanut LLC, to purchase another pallet.
“My brother (Michael) and I feel like we have been very blessed with growing some good crops. We both wanted to share our blessings,” said Rodney Helton.
And when they learned who would be getting the donations and “how great the need for peanut butter is and how appreciative food pantries are to get it, I knew it was the right thing to do,” Helton said. “The owners at Tri County Peanut feel the same. We all want to help our local communities, and if providing a product that is made from some of the crops that we grow will help, we are all for that.”
When the contributions from the Heltons, Tri County Peanut, and two pallets from Florida Peanut Producers Association are added to what was collected at the county level, area UF/IFAS Extension offices shared a total of 9,044 jars of peanut butter with local food pantries.
The first challenge a year ago netted 2,039 jars of peanut butter, providing more than 3,500 for local food pantries when coupled with a pallet donation from the Florida Peanut Producers Association.
Plans are already underway for the 2014 Peanut Butter Challenge. Like to two previous challenges, the 2014 collection dates and locations will be announced on NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured top: Escambia County peanut growers Helton Brothers Farm donated a pallet of peanut butter and asked local buying point Tri County Peanut to do the same for the Florida Peanut Butter Challenge. Shown are (L-R) Michael Helton, Bo Gideons, Rodney Helton and Adam Respress. Pictured inset: Escambia County 4-H members collected peanut butter for the drive, including members of the Barrineau Park 4-H Club (below). Pictured bottom. Tri County Peanut Butter purchased pallet of peanut butter for the drive. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Release Of Florida Gambling Bill On Hold For A Couple Of Weeks
February 9, 2014
The rollout of a comprehensive gambling bill will be delayed two weeks, with the Senate Gaming Committee now expected to take up the measure during the first week of the 2014 legislative session.
Gaming Committee Chairman Garrett Richter, R-Naples, sent a memo to members of the committee on Friday and said a draft of the bill won’t be introduced Monday — as he had indicated earlier.
“As it turned out, we did not finish the workshop on ‘elements and options’ for inclusion in the proposed committee bill,” Richter wrote. “Our discussion was helpful and productive, but there simply was not enough time to cover the issues presented. That being the case I think the right choice now is to postpone filing the proposed committee bill until the committee completes its high-level review.”
The committee will continue to consider the options Monday, with the draft ready by Feb. 24, Richter wrote.The committee would first review the proposal the week of March 3, he added. The 60-day legislative session starts March 4.
The measure could cover a wide range of issues such as creation of a gaming-control commission, “decoupling” racing from pari-mutuel permits that allow for slot machines and card rooms and possible authorization of one “destination resort” casino permit each in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
by The News Service of Florida
Prayer Breakfast Unites Political Leaders
February 9, 2014
Leaders from across the area gathered Saturday morning in Pensacola for the 38th annual Governmental Prayer Breakfast. The non-denominational event seeks to cross political lines is to encourage moral and spiritual values in government. The event seeks to honor God in government.
Federal Judge Roger Vinson was honored with the God in Government Award during the event at New World Landing.
The keynote speaker was the Rev. Bernard Yates of the Zion Hope Primitive Baptist Church .
Pictured top: Several hundred people attended the annual Governmental Prayer Breakfast Saturday morning in Pensacola. Photo by Clay Ingram for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Moves On To Regionals After Loss To Chipley
February 9, 2014
The Northview Chiefs took the runner up sport in District 3-1A basketball Saturday night with a 63-52 loss to Chipley.
Chipley held a 31-22 lead at the half, but outscored the Chiefs just 32-30 in the second half.
Northview moves on in playoff action into the regionals, facing West Gadsden High School in Quincy on February 18 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Pictured: Northview’s Neino Robinson sinks a free throw against the Tigers Saturday night in Chipley. Submitted photo by Carrie Bryan, click to enlarge.
Five Years After Foster Care Child’s Suicide, Findings Could Resurface
February 9, 2014
The suicide of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers in foster care shocked the child-welfare system in 2009. It led to a series of recommendations about Florida’s use of psychotropic medications on foster kids and how to protect already-traumatized children from sexual abuse by other abused children.
But nearly five years after Gabriel hung himself in the shower of his foster home in Margate, the findings that followed his death are mostly unfulfilled.
Children’s advocates haven’t given up, though, and will try to move several measures forward during the 2014 legislative session.
In 2008, when he was 6 years old, Gabriel was found in a car with his mother, who was passed out with drugs at her side, authorities said. He was placed in foster care. Documentation in his case files showed that, while living in Ohio before moving to Florida, he had been sexually abused by an older child and shown pornography by an adult relative. Gabriel exhibited sexual behavior problems at school and had lost one foster placement due to his troubling behavior.
“One of the major things we learned was that the reason he was so disturbed was that he had been sexually abused himself,” said attorney Howard Talenfeld, president of the advocacy group Florida’s Children First. “As a victim of sexual abuse, he was acting out. This was a significant part of his problem that went unaddressed.”
Gabriel was also taking two psychotropic medications when he died, and a Department of Children and Families investigation found that neither his parents nor a judge had approved them, nor was the medication he took reflected in his case files.
Then-DCF Secretary George Sheldon appointed two work groups in 2009 and 2010 to study and make recommendations about the use of psychotropic medications on foster children and about child-on-child sexual abuse.
One of the groups learned that in 2009, about 5 percent of all U.S. children were treated with psychotropic medications, but in Florida’s foster care system, 15.2 percent of children received at least one such medication. Of these, more than 16 percent were being medicated without the consent of a parent, guardian or judge.
Five years out, the verdict is that more progress has been made on the psychotropic medication issue than on the issue of child-on-child sexual abuse.
“I think we’re a lot better. I think we’re a lot better than most states,” said Robin Rosenberg, deputy director of Florida’s Children First, who served on the workgroup on psychotropic medications. “But I think more can be done on alternatives (to medication) and on really making sure that parents give informed consent and that courts have a true understanding of what it means.”
Talenfeld charges that while extensive recommendations were offered to address both psychotropic medications and child-on-child sex abuse, they were dropped in January 2011, when Gov. Rick Scott took office and tapped David Wilkins as the new secretary.
“This report was abandoned, and nothing was done to implement any of the recommendations,” Talenfeld said. “And they were very, very significant.”
In July, when Esther Jacobo became DCF’s interim secretary, Florida’s Children First contacted her and, Talenfeld said, began drafting legislation addressing key recommendations, such as mandatory reporting to the abuse hotline of the sexual abuse of children in state care and a tracking, placement and quality assurance system.
The group is also pushing to eliminate the age distinction for children who act out sexually in the foster care system. Currently, those 13 and over are reported to the sheriff’s office as sex offenders. Talenfeld —- who also hopes lawmakers will pass a claims bill for a client of his who was sexually abused by a foster child — says all child victims should be treated for the abuse they’ve endured, even if the symptoms involve acting out.
Another key recommendation was that the Legislature should provide funding to ensure that each child in the care of the state is assigned a guardian ad litem — an advocate for abused and neglected children in the court system.
“Nothing will get better unless the Legislature fully funds guardians ad litem for every trial,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman. “We are still far behind in that most important recommendation.”
By the terms of both state and federal law, the program should be fully funded, said Alan Abramowitz, executive director of Florida Guardian ad Litem. Currently, there are 29,285 children under court supervision statewide, of whom 76 percent have a guardian ad litem.
This year, Scott recommended an increase that would extend coverage to all children in out-of-home care and 77 percent of those under court supervision. Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford, in a work plan for the session, said they hoped to fully fund the program over the next several years.
Abramowitz said the guardian ad litem program will need about $6.1 million in Fiscal Year 2014-15 and additional funds in the following three years to achieve 100 percent representation of all dependent children.
He also said the program “has made psychotropic medication a priority. Our standards require our program to prioritize children on psychotropic medication.”
As to how DCF is handling the psychotropic medication issue five years after Gabriel’s death, Rosenberg said “the state put a pretty good system in place, as far as creating a rule to be followed and attempting to ascertain whether at least a legal authority is there.”
But as a foster parent, she said, she’s also seen the other end of the process.
“I think we still kind of default to ‘If a doctor prescribed it, then it must be what the kid needs’ — and not enough questions about what information was provided, what did the doctor look at and what else has been tried? …I’m not convinced that everyone on the front line has an in-depth understanding to the extent that they need in order to get good decisions made for each child,” Rosenberg said.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida