Escambia’s Child Death Rate Among State’s Highest
January 7, 2013
A new report says Escambia County has one of the highest child death rates in the state.
The annual Statewide Child Abuse Death Review Committee report shows 100 children died in Escambia County in 2011. Four of those deaths were verified to be the result of child abuse or neglect.
There were only seven counties in Florida reporting more child deaths — all much larger counties like Orange, Duval and Miami-Dade. Only six counties had more children die as the result of child abuse.
In Santa Rosa County, there were seven child deaths reported, with one of those deaths the result of child abuse or neglect.
Statewide, there were 126 child deaths verified to be the result of abuse or neglect in 2011, 62 of those were caused by drowning or unsafe sleeping practices with infants.
So many of these deaths are preventable,” said Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins. “By working together, we can all do more to educate parents and caregivers and prevent these tragedies in the future.”
Some of the report’s findings include the following:
- The number of child deaths in Florida continues to decrease.
- Children under four are at the highest risk of dying, especially from preventable causes such as drowning and co-sleeping.
- Domestic violence intervention in families’ lives can prevent some child abuse deaths.
- Neglect is the leading factor in verified child deaths. Drowning is the top cause.
The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) worked collaboratively with the Statewide Child Abuse Death Review Committee, local death review teams, law enforcement, prosecutors, medical professionals and prevention specialists to identify risk factors associated with these types of deaths and to develop training on preventive measures.
Century Council To Consider Water Rate Hike
January 7, 2013
The Century Town Council considered a water rate hike at Monday night’s regular council meeting.
The town is considering an overall 10 percent rate hike to be implemented with an immediate 5 percent increase and additional 5 percent increase six months later.
If the ordinance passes, the rate for the first 1,500 gallons of water will increase to $9.45 on February 1 and increase again to $9.90 on August 1. Each additional 1,000 gallons will be $2.27 on February 1 and $2.49 on August 1. Sewer rates will remain the same at $13 for the first 6,000 gallons of water used.
The rate increase would be the first in the Century since 1995. In the past, the town has had difficulty applying for, or receiving the full amount of, federal grants for the water system because Century’s rates were markedly lower than surrounding areas.
The first reading of the ordinance was held during the town’s regular council meeting Monday night, with a second reading and vote scheduled for 7 p.m. on January 28.
Tate Grad Leads Alabama’s Million Dollar Band
January 7, 2013
A Tate High School graduate led the University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band during Monday night’s BCS National Championship game.
Drum major Benjamin Carmichael is a 2009 Tate graduate. This is his fourth year with the Million Dollar Band and this third National Championship performance. He served as trumpet section leader for two years before being named drum major this year. He will graduate from UA with a degree in mechanical engineering in May and will enter graduate school in the fall.
Carmichael marched for four years in the Tate High Showband of the South.
Pictured: University of Alabama Million Dollar Band drum major Benjamin Carmichael, a 2009 Tate High School graduate. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jeff Miller: Voting Against Fiscal Cliff Deal
January 7, 2013
Late on New Year’s Eve, a deal was struck behind closed doors in the Senate to avert the “fiscal cliff”—the return to Clinton-era tax rates and the implementation of deep cuts to defense and other discretionary spending imposed under Sequestration. The Senate, without having sufficient time to read the full bill, quickly voted to pass this deal and left town. The House met on New Year’s Day to take up the bill as passed by the Senate and 257 members voted in favor of passage. I voted against it.
Our nation currently sits at the bottom of a fiscal well, drowning in more than $16.4 trillion in debt—debt that has grown by more than $1 trillion in each of the four years since President Obama was first elected, and that is projected to continue its runaway growth into perpetuity. Rather than embracing a solution that addresses the roots of our current fiscal crisis—debt and spending—this deal raises taxes on job creators, makes no significant reforms to entitlements or cuts to discretionary spending, and increases our debt by an additional $4 trillion over the next 10 years. Furthermore, it doesn’t reasonably address Sequestration’s cuts to our national defense, but again kicks the can down the road.
Rather than cutting spending, the bill I voted against adds $134 billion in stimulus spending, extends for the 11th time the “temporary” unemployment benefits extension, re-establishes the death tax at a 40 percent rate, and continues the marriage penalty. And despite the President’s claims to the contrary, this bill does in fact raise taxes on middle class Americans. That middle class tax increase comes from the expiration of the two percent payroll tax cut. So, every American worker, regardless of income, will see a two percent increase in their tax bill. If you make $30,000 per year, your tax bill will increase by $600 this year.
The painful, uncomfortable truth we need to confront as a community of Americans is this: we cannot tax our way out of this crisis. Washington has a problem because it spends too much, not because it doesn’t tax enough. Even if we raise taxes on top earners to 100 percent, we still will not generate enough revenue to close our budget deficit and begin paying down our mountain of debt. In fact, according to House Budget Chairman, Paul Ryan, taxing top earners at 100 percent would only run the government for two and a half to three months. The fact of the matter is that government spending on entitlements and unnecessary discretionary programs has grown to unsustainable levels. The longer we take to confront this truth, the closer our nation comes to fiscal and economic ruin.
The President and his administration are correct that we need a balanced approach to deficit reduction, but their definition of “balanced” is unrealistic. In their minds, a deal in which we cut $1 in spending for every $41 in tax increases, while adding $4 trillion to the debt, is “balanced.” That is the kind of math that put us in our current predicament, and it is a dangerous mindset for the people who are supposed to lead us on a path to prosperity.
A responsible, truly balanced approach to deficit reduction will include long-overdue entitlement reforms that restore sustainability to programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and ensure their viability for future generations. A balanced approach will include tax code reforms that simplify our tax code, lower rates, and provide individuals and businesses with the certainty they need to achieve success. Finally, a balanced approach will eliminate wasteful spending on unnecessary government programs to ensure we have the resources to invest in the core functions of government laid out by our Founders in the Constitution.
The elements of a balanced approach I just laid out were conspicuously absent in the deal agreed to on New Year’s Day. I was not elected to this office to enable the irresponsible behavior that got us in our current predicament, and I will not be deceived by attempts to sugarcoat wasteful legislation. This is why I voted against the fiscal cliff deal, and it is why I will continue to fight for legislation that reins in wasteful government spending.
Red Light Camera Repeal Filed As Report Says Crashes Down
January 7, 2013
A South Florida lawmaker filed legislation Friday to repeal the law allowing the use of red light cameras, following a report earlier this week that says intersections where they’re used have seen drops in crashes in most places.
Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, filed legislation Friday seeking to end the use of the cameras, saying they unfairly dole out tickets to people who can’t defend themselves, noting that malfunctioning cameras can’t be cross-examined.
Meanwhile, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles released a report Thursday showing that crashes were less frequent at red light camera intersections, based on data from 73 agencies. The report said accidents were less frequent in intersections with cameras in 41 jurisdictions but up in such intersections in 11 jurisdictions.
The rest of the 73 jurisdictions where they are in use didn’t have the data, and the state didn’t say what the overall numbers were in the report, which was sent to lawmakers.
Since state law was changed in 2010 to allow local governments to use the cameras to catch red light runners they’ve been under attack. A repeal effort was mounted starting the very next year in the Legislature.
Campbell’s legislation (HB 91) would repeal the state law that authorizes their use. The law also sets out how the money from such tickets is allocated. Before there was a state law, some local jurisdictions used them, but there was considerable confusion about whether they were legal. Even since the law has been passed, their use has continued to be challenged in court.
“The red light camera companies exploit victims to push Florida laws to gain millions,” Campbell said in a statement. “People are presumed guilty by the picture of the camera. The corporations are the ones making the money.”
The Florida League of Cities, however, said Friday that keeping the cameras is a top priority of local governments.
“Providing cities with the tools they need to keep residents safe is the Florida League of Cities’ No. 1 priority, and this technology has been proven to help authorities punish lawbreakers, reduce dangerous T-bone crashes and change the behavior of those drivers who selfishly choose to run red lights,” the league said in a statement.
Local governments don’t want to lose their share of the revenue from the $158 fines paid by people caught on red light cameras, but also say their law enforcement budgets are strained and the cameras help them enforce laws they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
“While the data in this report suggests a significant positive effect on traffic safety, the Florida League of Cities believes the government closest to the people governs best, and nobody knows a city better than its residents,” the league’s statement said. “Some municipalities have determined that red light running is not a problem in their community and have chosen not to install traffic infraction detectors. Other cities, after holding public hearings and listening to concerned citizens, have determined that red light safety cameras will make their streets safer.”
Campbell’s bill is yet to be assigned to a committee.
By The News Service of Florida
New Year Marks Return Of Perennial Issues In Florida
January 7, 2013
With the holidays over and the fiscal cliff problem put off for a few months, drivers of public policy are turning their attention toward the 2013 legislative session.
As advocacy groups prepare for a legislative cycle that for all intents and purposes begins a week from now, a handful of hot button issues has already re-emerged that will provide fodder for part-time lawmakers who will spend most of their time in the capital for the next several months.
Local pension benefits, fast-track foreclosures, taxes and health care reform are again expected to play prominently when lawmakers return for the 2013 session. With committee hearings gearing up a week from now, much of the process will happen before the official March start of the regular session.
Gov. Rick Scott was in the thick of working on his proposed budget this week. He must turn it in to lawmakers in a couple of weeks. While major growth in revenue isn’t expected, neither is a big deficit.
“Hopefully, what we’re doing is we’re solving some problems,” Scott said this week in an interview. “As we solve problems, hopefully we don’t have to spend as much money in certain areas.”
Scott said he’ll suggest more money anything that creates jobs, and look to save elsewhere. For example, more money for Enterprise Florida, which recruits companies to come to Florida – and at least a little new money for education, he said Friday. Anything that doesn’t give the state a return, might not make it.
While school funding may be safe, a number of education issues, from battles over charter schools and protecting schools from gunmen to the funding formula for early learning and how much tuition should be, will be on the table in the coming months.
HEALTH CARE
Advocates were also looking ahead this week to a health care debate in the coming year.
Medicaid and the state’s response to the Affordable Care Act have already drawn the attention of both Scott and Republican leaders. The state has been pressing to move more Medicaid patients into managed care plans, an effort that has drawn opposition from Democratic lawmakers and some patient advocates.
The state Agency for Health Care Administration has been seeking approval from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for more than a year and also has started the contracting process for managed-care plans that want to take part in the long-term care system.
The state also is seeking approval to require the broader Medicaid population, such as low-income women and children, to enroll in managed-care plans.
Lawmakers must also respond to the Affordable Care Act — better known as Obamacare –which will remain the law of the land following the November elections. Both chambers have established committees to deal exclusively with the issue.
VOTING
Also as the new year has begun, state officials have continued the look at what went wrong on Election Day and how the voting apparatus might need to be changed, if it does.
Scott said on national TV recently that early voting days need to be re-examined – hinting that he and other Republicans may have made a mistake in cutting the number of days during which people can vote. He said this week that he does want lawmakers to look at that, though he isn’t ready to say how many days, exactly, is a good idea. Scott also repeated this week the assertion that the ballot may be too long – something that should be looked at, he said, as a way of reducing voting wait times.
PENSIONS, LOCAL REVENUE
Cities and counties this week outlined legislative agendas that focus on protecting longstanding revenue streams while seeking more flexibility in dealing with police and firefighter pensions.
Both groups are wary of changes to the state’s communication services tax. Originally established in 2000 as a way to consolidate taxes on a growing list of communication services, the tax generated about $1.5 billion in revenue last year, according to Department of Revenue estimates. Of that, cities and countries receive about half.
Changes made last year were determined to have a year negative impact on local governments, but state economists couldn’t determine what the long term economic impact would be on local collections.
For many cities, increasingly expensive pensions, especially for police and firefighters, are gobbling up larger portions of cash strapped budgets. The Florida League of Cities has made pension reform its top priority for the coming year.
While many cities have adequately funded pensions, some municipalities have seen their ability to fund pension benefits erode as the economy went south and tax collections dipped.
A study by the LeRoy Collins Institute, a Tallahassee-based think tank housed at Florida State University, reported in September that pensions for police, firefighters and other special category employees grew at a much steeper rate than that of other government workers. In seven years, contributions for public safety employees grew from 28 to 41 percent.
OTHER ISSUES IN THE HOPPER
A bill to speed up the foreclosure process was filed this week in the House by Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples. At first blush, the bill is a more limited version of a bill (HB 213) that passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate.
This time around, the proposal jettisons some of its more controversial items, including a provision dealing with abandoned property. The new bill (HB 87) Also maps out in more specificity the rights and obligations following a final foreclosure judgment.
A handful of House bills has also been filed dealing with tuition for Florida high school students who are American citizens but the children of undocumented immigrants.
STORY OF THE WEEK: With Congress barely averting a “fiscal cliff” by passing a last-minute deal to extend a series of tax breaks while postponing planned spending cuts, Gov. Rick Scott was working on his proposed spending plan for the state – which is required to have a balanced budget. Scott dropped a few hints, but mostly hasn’t said much about what he’ll suggest, other than additional tax relief for businesses and more money for education.
By The News Service of Florida
Attorney General: Nine Hate Crimes In Escambia, Santa Rosa Counties
January 6, 2013
Nine hate crimes were reported in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties during 2011, according to a report released last week by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
In Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, the following hate crimes were reported, along with the alleged motivation behind the offenses:
- Escambia Sheriff’s Office: Two aggravated assaults due to ethnicity or national origin
- Pensacola Police Department: One simple assault due to race or color; one simple assault due to sexual orientation
- Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office: One case of intimidation due to race or color; three cases of intimidation due to ethnicity or national origin
- Milton Police Department: One aggravated assault due to ethnicity or national origin
The numbers represent an increase for Escambia County and Pensacola over 2010. Escambia County reported three hate crimes in 2010, while the City of Pensacola reported zero.
During 2011, there were 139 reported hate crimes in Florida. Hate crimes motivated by the victim’s race represented 43.2 percent of all reported hate crimes, followed by religion at 20.9 percent; sexual orientation at 20.1 percent; ethnicity/national origin at 15.1 percent; and mental disability at 0.7 percent. No hate crimes were reported under the categories of physical disability or advanced age.
A hate crime is an act committed or attempted by one person or group against another – or that person’s property – that in any way constitutes an expression of hatred toward the victim based on his or her personal characteristics. It is a crime in which the perpetrator intentionally selects the victim based on one of the following characteristics: race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, advanced age or mental/physical disability.
New District 5 Member Appointed To County Mass Transit Advisory Committee
January 6, 2013
The Escambia County Commission has confirmed District 5 commissioner Steven Barry’s appointment of Jonathan Michael Pytynia as the District 5 representative to the Escambia County Mass Transit Advisory Committee.
The appointment will run concurrent with Barry’s term as a commissioner.
Pytynia, a resident of Cantonment, is currently employed in business development at Pensacola Data Storage Center and has experience with property management and reality companies.
The previous District 5 representative, Jeffery S. Overhalser, resigned his appointment.
The Escambia County Mass Transit Advisory Committee advises the commission on mass transit issues in the county. The next meeting is Wednesday, January 9 at 3 p.m. at the Central Office Complex at 3363 West Park Place.
Escambia Legislative Delegation Meets On Thursday
January 6, 2013
The Escambia County Legislative Delegation will hold a public hearing on Thursday, January 10.
The delegation — consisting of Sen. Greg Evers, Rep. Clay Ingram and Rep. Clay Ford – will hear public comments on local proposals for the 2013 regular Legislative session.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for the 6-8 p.m. meeting on Thursday, January 10 at the Jean and Paul Amos Performance Studio on the Pensacola State College campus at 1000 College Boulevard.
For 10th Year, Weight Watchers To Meet At Aldersgate UMC
January 6, 2013
Now in its 10th year, the Molino Weight Watchers class will meet again this year at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino. Weight Watchers is a program which provides a healthy method to loose and maintain your goal weight.
The first class is Monday, January 7. Classes are held on Mondays, with weigh-in from 6 until 6:30 p.m. and the class is from 6:30 until 7 p.m.
For more information, contact class leader Sandra Greenwell at (850) 587-2489.