Hertz Moving World Headquarters From New Jersey To Florida
May 8, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott and Hertz announced Tuesday that the company will locate its worldwide headquarters to Estero, Florida, from Park Ridge, New Jersey. Over a two-year period, up to 700 jobs will be relocated starting later this year, while more than 2,000 personnel will remain in New Jersey and the metro-New York City area, including up to 150 employees who currently work in Park Ridge. All other Park Ridge employees will be able to retain their current positions at the new headquarters in Ft. Myers, scheduled to be completed in early ”
“It is great news for Florida that Hertz has chosen Lee County to relocate its corporate headquarters. These 700 jobs, along with opportunities for continued growth in Southwest Florida, will make a big impact across the Sunshine State,” Scott said. ” We are proud to say that Florida is not just a top destination for vacationers, but for growing businesses from all around the world.”
Hertz made the decision to relocate to Florida following its recent acquisition of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, which is currently headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Consolidating the corporate offices to one location will allow for increased efficiencies and cost synergies across the company. Additionally, access to the Florida travel and tourism population will position the company for long-term growth.
“After our recent business expansion, we have been looking for the right location to blend Hertz and Dollar Thrifty head office employees. Florida is the center of the U.S. travel and tourism industry – this move enables us to be closer to leisure and business customers, as well as many travel and association partners,” said Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark P. Frissora.
Pictured: Gov. Rick Scott and Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark P. Frissora announced Tuesday that the company will locate its worldwide headquarters to Estero, Florida from Park Ridge, New Jersey. Courtesy photo NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Go 13 Innings To Down Jacksonville Suns
May 8, 2013
The third time was the charm for the Blue Wahoos on Tuesday night at Bragan Field at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Pensacola took the lead in the game’s potential final inning three times before hanging on for the 5-4 win over the Jacksonville Suns. It is the second-straight win for the Blue Wahoos after snapping the longest losing streak of the season on Sunday.
Jacksonville’s Christian Yelich was the story of the game for the Suns. He accounted for two of the Suns four runs by going 5-for-6 and finishing a double shy of the cycle, despite hitting a pair of triples. His first three-bagger led to the game’s first run against Wahoos starter Chad Rogers in the bottom of the first inning.
Pensacola drew even when Tucker Barnhart singled home Ryan LaMarre in the fourth inning. Jacksonville reclaimed the lead in the sixth, when Derek Dietrich scored on a hit by pitch of Audy Ciriaco with the bases loaded. Three straight walks opened the inning, but Dietrich’s run was all the Wahoos would allow the Suns to score. Lee Hyde picked off Ciriaco at first for the second out before coaxing a groundout by Noah Perio to end the threat.
The Blue Wahoos quickly answered by taking advantage of a leadoff double from Bryson Smith in the top of the seventh. Michael Gilmartin delivered an RBI single which plated Smith and tied the game at two. Pensacola took its first lead of the game in the top of the ninth. Steve Selsky brought home Smith from second with a base hit. The Suns drew even in the bottom of the ninth with three hits against Wahoos reliever Drew Hayes to tie the game at 3-3 and force extra innings.
After each team traded zeros in the 10 th and 11 th innings, Pensacola broke through against Jacksonville reliever Collin Cargill with a run in the 12 th. Again, it was a leadoff hit that led to a run as it was with the previous two runs. Brodie Greene led the inning off with a single, and scored on a soft roller up the first base line from Barnhart that was misplayed by Suns first baseman Mark Canha. Yelich then homered in the bottom of the 12 th to send the game to the 13 th when Pensacola reclaimed the lead for the final time.
Gilmartin drew a leadoff walk and scored from second on another Greene single. That proved to be the game-winner as Wilkin De La Rosa retired the Suns in order to end the game. Despite allowing the home run to Yelich, De La Rosa earned the win. Cargill gave up the Wahoos runs in the 12 th and 13 th and was saddled with the loss. Blue Wahoos starter Chad Rogers got a no-decision after working five innings, allowing just one run and matching his career-high with eight strikeouts.
Pensacola and Jacksonville will continue their series with a matinee on Wednesday from the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. First pitch is slated for 12:05 p.m. CT. Pensacola will start LHP Ryan Dennick (1-2, 3.86) against Suns RHP Sam Dyson (0-2, 2.96).
story by Tommy Thrall
Southwest Airlines To Serve Pensacola; Add Flights To Nashville, Houston
May 7, 2013
Southwest Airlines will begin services at the Pensacola International Airport later this year.
In 2011, Southwest completed the purchase of AirTran Airways, which has served Pensacola since 2001. Southwest announced in January 2012 that it intended to convert Pensacola’s AirTran operations to Southwest over time. This morning, Southwest announced their flight schedule for the remainder of 2013, including nonstop service from Pensacola to Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) and Nashville International Airport (BNA), slated to begin by November.
As a result of its decision to transition Atlanta from a hub to a focus city, Southwest is expected to phase out service from Pensacola to Atlanta. The new Southwest service will represent a 22% increase in seat capacity over AirTran’s existing service, and the number of one-stop destinations served will increase from 53 to 65.
“Today’s announcement is a tremendous victory for our community,” said Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward. “Pensacola is driving economic development, tourism, and transportation across the region, and I believe this partnership with Southwest will help take us to new heights.”
Pictured top: Greg Donovan, director of the Pensacola International Airport and Mayor Ashton Hayward Tuesday morning as they announced that Southwest Airlines will serve Pensacola. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
$500K Savings: Escambia To Privatize School Nurses, Health Techs
May 7, 2013
The Escambia County School District is set to privatize school health services next school year due to cutbacks at the Escambia County Health Department.
School nurses and health technicians in Escambia County schools have been outsourced through the health department for years. But beginning next year, the district plans to outsource medical staff through a private company, PSA Healthcare. The move is expected to save the school district about a half million dollars per year, according to Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
“We will have health techs in every school,” Thomas said. Additionally, there will be 15 nurses, seven of which will serve a regional cluster of schools. “It’s the same arrangement we currently have with the health department.”
School nurses and health techs were notified last week that their jobs with the health department were being cut. Those employees will be offered jobs with PSA, Thomas said.
A contract between the Escambia County School District and PSA Healthcare is in the legal review stage and will be presented to the Escambia County School School Board for approval in May or June.
Cantonment Man Critically Injured In Santa Rosa I-10 Crash
May 7, 2013
A Cantonment man was critically injured in a single vehicle accident Monday night on I-10 in Santa Rosa County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 50-year old Robert Merrill McGhee, Jr., was eastbound on I-10 when he entered the grass median at a high rate of speed in an attempt to pass vehicles in the eastbound travel lane. McGhee lost control of his 1993 Mercedes in the median, crossed over the travel lanes of I-10 and slid across a grassy area into multiple trees.
The FHP said McGhee traveled about 500 feet in the median before he lost control.
McGhee was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Charges against him are pending, the FHP said.
One Injured In Brentwood Shooting
May 7, 2013
A shooting Monday in Escambia County is under investigation.
A man was reportedly shot numerous times in the abdomen on Rosalyn Way near Palm Court in the Brentwood area, just a few blocks from the North Palafox Street and Beverly Parkway intersection.
The man was transported to a local hospital ambulance. His name and condition were not available early Tuesday morning. Further details have not been released by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Small Farms Spring Field Day To Focus On Food Production
May 7, 2013
UF/IFAS county extension agents and the UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center have joined efforts to provide relevant hands on training for the small farmers of northwest Florida and surrounding areas through the Gulf Coast Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises program.
The spring field day will be a sneak peek for what the program will offer in the coming months and years. Attendees on Friday, May 10 can discover new production practices and opportunities for small farms.
Training topics include irrigation practices, small farms integrated pest management, hydroponic float bed lettuce, protected ag and food safety issues for the small farm.
Registration and check-in on Friday will begin at 8:30 a.m. , with the event itself beginning at 9:00 a.m. and ending at 1:30 p.m. The training will be held at the UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center located at 4253 Experiment Road in Jay. The $25 registration fee includes lunch For a complete listing of speaker topics or to register online, visit gulfcoastsmallfarmsandalternativeenterprises.eventbrite.com.
For more information call Robin Vickers at (850) 983-5216 ext. 113 or email rvickers@ufl.edu.
Florida Judge: Horse Barrel Racing License For Poarch Creeks Violates State Law
May 7, 2013
Clarification: In this story Monday, The News Service of Florida incorrectly said, based on information from the source, that the parent company of Gretna Racing would appeal a DOAH ruling saying its license was invalid. Neither Gretna Racing, nor its parent company PCI Gaming, was actually a party to the case, and thus has no apparent standing to appeal. An intervenor in the case is the Florida Quarter Horse Track Association, which shares leadership with Gretna, and of which Gretna Racing is a member. The actual party which lost was the state Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.
Horse barrel racing at a Poarch Band of Creek Indians facility in Gretna, Fla., shouldn’t have been approved by a state agency for wagering in Florida, an administrative law judge ruled Monday.
Since the Legislature has not approved the unique form of pari-mutuel horse racing, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, violated state statute when approving the license in October 2011 – renewed in March 2012 – for Gretna Racing, in Gadsden County, to run the contests, the judge ruled.
“The Division’s issuance of an operating license to Gretna Racing unmistakably implemented and unambiguously communicated a significant new policy, which is that (barrel match racing) is a licensable pari-mutuel wagering activity,” Division of Administrative Hearings Judge John Van Laningham wrote in an order signed Monday.
State law says rulemaking is not a matter of agency discretion.
Van Laningham added that since the Legislature has not clearly authorized pari-mutuel wagering on barrel match racing, the “policy behind Gretna Racing’s license, therefore, is the division’s own policy.”
“While we are disappointed with the technical issue identified by the judge in his ruling which will impede the continuation of the racing format currently being conducted in Gretna, we are pleased that the vast majority of the claims by the (Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association) were dismissed by the administrative law judge,” Creek Entertainment Gretna spokeswoman Allison North Jones said. “We intend to make the requisite modification to the racing to comply with the judge’s order while we appeal its arbitrariness.”
The administrative ruling doesn’t impact the current race schedule at Gretna, about 25 miles west of Tallahassee. But, the ruling could become an issue when the license is up in 2014.
The state department, along with the Florida Quarter Horse Track Association, an industry group tied with Gretna Racing, had defended the license during the hearings, arguing that the law doesn’t define how quarter horse races must be run.
A spokeswoman for the state department said Van Laningham’s ruling was being reviewed.
“I think our review will help us answer whatever questions we have about the ruling,” said department spokeswoman Sandi Copes Poreda.
Marc Dunbar, an attorney who represents the Florida Quarter Horse Track Association and Gretna Racing, was not immediately available to comment on what the decision means for racing in Gretna.
Wesley Cox, chairman of the North Florida Horsemen’s Association, which races horses at Gretna, said that only technical changes will be needed to acquire future licenses.
“We are pleased this ruling means that the North Florida Horsemen will be allowed to continue conducting races and reap the benefits of racing at Gretna,” Cox said in a release.
A release from Florida Quarter Horse Racing, the Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners association, praised the ruling for protecting the state’s horse racing industry and for rejecting the “outright hijack of Florida’s legislative and regulatory process by a few special interests.”
“As this audacious case has dragged on, our policymakers have come to realize what we horsemen knew all along – that Gretna Racing LLC’s ‘pari-mutuel barrel racing’ was simply the pilot project to bypass state and federal laws that protect and ensure integrity in the wagering and racing product throughout America,” Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association President Steve Fisch said in the release.
The ruling comes as the state is embarking on a $388,845 two-part study on the potential future of gambling in Florida that is expected to be the basis of major legislation in 2014.
The quarter horse associations and one individual argued that state law only allows pari-mutuel facilities to offer more traditional forms of horse racing – thoroughbred, harness and quarter-horse sprints.
Those races are run with multiple horses competing side-by-side on a flat, oval racetrack from a single starting gate to a common finish line.
Gretna’s barrel racing was set up as a challenge of speed and agility, with contestants running cloverleaf patterns individually on neighboring obstacle courses. The outcome is determined by time. A five second penalty is added for hitting a barrel.
The associations feared Gretna’s brand of racing, using fewer horses and requiring less land, could drive out the traditional quarter horse racing from the state.
Also, the horse association argued that the barrel races were simply a way for Creek Entertainment Gretna, which includes the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, to operate a poker room and possibly add slot machines in the future at Gretna.
Voters in Gadsden County in January 2011 approved a measure aimed at allowing slot machine permits at Creek Entertainment Gretna. But Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an advisory opinion at the time declaring Florida law doesn’t allow slot machines at pari-mutuel facilities outside Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Gretna Racing initially applied for a permit to operate a quarter horse track in Gretna in 2008.
In September, 2011, Gretna began communicating with the agency regarding the novel barrel racing format, something that had never before been licensed or regulated as a pari-mutuel event.
Van Laningham called the decision “the product of a deliberative process, in which Gretna Racing had been afforded opportunities to explain in detail the type of contest it proposed to stage.”
“Although this was the first time that the Division had been called upon to review BMR as a potential pari-mutuel event, the division’s decision to permit gambling on BMR was not a mistake, nor was it tentative or provisional,” Van Laningham wrote.
by The News Service of Florida
Century Council Honors Northview’s State Ranked Weightlifters
May 7, 2013
The Century Town Council presented proclamations Monday night honoring two Northview High School weightlifting team members that recently placed at the state 1-A finals in Kissimmee.
LaMikal Kyles finished eighth in the state in the 183-pound class with a total of 560 pounds, an improvement over his 535 pound total at regionals. Kyles, weighing in at 172.5 pounds, had a bench press of 310 pounds and a clean jerk of 250 pounds — all personals bests.
In the 199-pound class, Arkelle Elliot finished 11th in the state with a total of 575 pounds. Weighing in at 198.9 pounds, Elliot had a best bench press of 330 pounds and a clean jerk of 245 pounds — all matching his personal best records.
Pictured top are Northview Assistant Principal Gerry Pippins, Principal Gayle Weaver, Football Head Coach Sid Wheatley, LaMikal Kyles, Mayor Freddie McCall and NHS Coach Derek Marshman at Monday night’s Century Town Council meeting. Pictured below are the same individuals with Arkelle Elliot. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
1970 Chevy Chevelle Takes ‘Best Of Show’ At Century’s Sawmill Day
May 7, 2013
A 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle owned by Jerry Dawson was the Best of Show winner in Saturday’s car show at Century’s Sawmill Day.
Other trophy and prize winners were:
- Diane Van Leer, 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
- Eric Uptegrove, Chevy Corvette Roadster Convertible
- Freddie McCall, 1930 Model A
- Gene Sims, 1965 Mercury Comet
- Gerald Dubose, 1940 Chevrolet
- Jean Yale, Chevrolet SSR
- Joe Pecjak, 1967 International Harvester
- John Henderson, 1947 Ford
- Louis Tharp, 1966 Corvette
- Peggy Lynn, 1966 Mustang
- Ramon Renfro, Mitshubishi
- Will & Rita Adams, 1966 Volkswagen
- Buddy Lynn, 1963 ½ Ford Galaxie, Best Interior
- Joe Linzy, 1958 Ford Hardtop Convertible, Best Paint
- Donnie Carlisle, 1970 Mustang, Best Engine
Fore more photos from the Sawmill Day and Car Show, click here.
Pictured top: Jerry Dawson’s 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle was the Best of Show winner at Saturday’s Century Sawmill Day. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.