Bill Allowing Guns In Schools Clears First Committee
March 28, 2013
A bill that would allow for designated employees to carry guns at Florida schools began moving Wednesday, overwhelmingly passing its first House committee after an emotionally-charged debate.
The measure (HB 1097) passed the House K-12 Subcommittee on a bipartisan, 10-3 vote. But it has three more committee stops left before the bill can move to the floor, and similar legislation in the Senate (SB 1418) has yet to be heard.
Under the proposal, sponsored by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, school principals would be allowed to designate someone who could carry a firearm at his or her school as long as that individual goes through statewide firearms training and the same training required for armed guards.
Steube stressed to the committee that the principal’s decision would be voluntary.
“I’ve talked to some principals that don’t feel comfortable doing it and they’re not going to do it in their schools, and that’s fine,” he said. “But there are a lot of principals out there that want to utilize something like this to know that there’s somebody there that can react to a situation if a situation presented itself.”
While much of the national discussion of how to react to the school massacre last year in Newtown, Conn., has centered on gun control and video game or movie violence, Florida lawmakers have largely focused on school safety.
Steube’s bill follows suggestions by conservatives that having armed employees at schools could quickly bring an end to any shooting spree.
“I want my children safe,” said Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala. “And the reality, in our overwhelming desire to protect our children with gun-free zones, we have inadvertently made them the ideal target — the ideal, sterile target — for a madman.”
But school boards have pushed back against the measure, objecting to the responsibility being given to principals and saying that it could bring liability concerns for districts. Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association, said his organization supported police officers at schools.
But he said Steube’s bill was not the answer to concerns about school violence.
“You would send the wrong message to our students, you would send the wrong message to our teachers, you would send the wrong message to our parents and you would send to your communities when you’re telling them that we’re going to arm our teachers,” Blanton said.
By The News Service of Florida
Former GOP Chair Sentenced To 18 Months
March 28, 2013
Former state Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison for essentially stealing from the party, far less than prosecutors wanted but more than Greer’s lawyer argued he really deserved.
Greer, 50, pleaded guilty last month to money laundering and theft in connection with a scheme in which he created a company and then steered party business to it. The affair was a major embarrassment to Republicans, who forced Greer out after the matter became public.
Greer argued all along that he was being punished for supporting former Gov. Charlie Crist, who picked Greer out of obscurity to lead the party, after Crist fell out of favor with many in the GOP as he left the party and ran for U.S. Senate as an independent.
Circuit Judge Marc Lubet said he was giving Greer the 18 month prison term, instead of the term of more than 40 months sought by prosecutors, because Greer had paid $65,000 in restitution, and because Greer was facing the charges while his business partner in the fundraising company and co-conspirator in the scheme was getting off with no prison time after coming forward about the plan and working with law enforcement against Greer.
His partner in the scheme, former RPOF Executive Director Delmar Johnson, wasn’t prosecuted, and wore a wire to help prosecutors make the case against Greer.
“A court has responsibility to see that there’s justice whenever it sentences, tempered with some sort of mercy if that mercy is deserved,” Lubet told Greer at the sentencing in Orlando. He noted Greer had no prior criminal history, but that he had “egregiously violated a position of trust for your employers.
“…You are now a five times convicted felon and are going to have to live with that the rest of your life,” Lubet told Greer.
Greer’s lawyer had argued Greer should get a short sentence – saying that he was being punished because of who he was and the high profile of the case, arguing that for a similar crime, an unknown person essentially embezzling from a company would get off with no prison time.
“If this weren’t Jim Greer, this would be probation,” lawyer Damon Chase told Lubet before the sentencing. “Mr. Greer wants to move on, he wants to make amends, he is contrite for everything that occurred.”
Lubet said the violation of the position of trust deserved more than probation, but said Greer has done the right thing since his crime, noting that he’s paid back $65,000.
Greer will be on probation after he is released from prison. He was handed over to law enforcement immediately after the sentencing.
Greer had been relatively obscure, the vice mayor of Oviedo, before being chosen to head up the party in 2007. It was widely believed he was rewarded by helping Crist get elected governor. Crist denied in a deposition that he knew Greer had created a company, Victory Strategies, to secretly contract with the party for fundraising help.
Prosecutors said essentially that Greer, as party chairman, and Johnson, the director, signed the contract with Victory Strategies, without other party officials knowing they were paying themselves for “outsourced” work they were already being paid for in their positions at the party.
Prosecutors also said they chose not to prosecute Johnson because he blew the whistle on the scheme and made it possible to prosecute Greer.
“There wouldn’t be a case without Mr. Johnson, whatever his motives for coming forward were,” said prosecutor Michael Williams. “Without Mr. Johnson coming forward, we probably wouldn’t be before you today.”
By The News Service of Florida
Relay For Life Mega Rummage Sale Planned For Saturday
March 28, 2013
Relay for Life teams in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will team up Saturday for a multi-team Mega Rummage Sale.
The teams, led by volunteers driven to find a cure, are organizing the rummage sale at the American Cancer Society office on Corporate Woods Drive.
The public is invited to shop for bargains and learn more about Relay for Life at the sale. Proceeds from sales will support efforts to find a cure and provide local programs to help those impacted by all forms of cancer.
The sale will begin at 8 a.m. in the parking lot of the Corporate Woods office complex, 5401 Corporate Woods Drive, and continue until noon, rain or shine. All Relay teams are invited to participate. Teams who would like to reserve a space need to call Lois Gaston at 416-6585 or email lgaston@shhpens.org.
Five Homeless After Cantonment Mobile Home Fire
March 27, 2013
Fire heavily damaged a mobile home in Cantonment this morning, leaving three adults and two children — ages 3 and 9 — homeless.
The fire was reported about 7:20 a.m. in the 100 block of San Carlos Road. Heavy fire was showing from one corner of the double-wide mobile home as firefighters began their assault.
Firefighters were slightly hampered in fighting the fire by a lack of a nearby hydrant, and because the mobile home was located down a long driveway. Fire crews used water from their fire engines and shuttled additional water supply using tanker trucks.
It took just over 10 minutes to knock down the fire.
There were no injuries reported, but a family dog did perish in the blaze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The Cantonment, Molino, Ensley, McDavid and Beulah stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the fire.
Pictured: Five people were left homeless by this mobile home fire Wednesday morning on San Carlos Road in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Molino Woman Charged With Extortion From Trucking Company
March 27, 2013
A Molino woman has been charged with extortion after a State Attorney’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into her dealings between her employer and a trucking company.
Authorities allege Denise Jaquith Smith, age 60 of Fairground Road, accepted cash payments in exchange for using an additional truck daily from the trucking company to haul sand from a sandpit to Pensacola Beach.
According to the arrest warrant, Michael Bartlett, manager of RLF Baldwin Operations II, LLC met with Willie C. Kirland of Willie Kirkland Trucking in November 2012. Bartlett and Kirkland agreed to have Kirkland’s company provide three trucks per day to haul sand from RLF Baldwin’s sandpit in Marcus Pointe to a Utility Services project restoring a portion of Pensacola Beach.
As office manager for RLF Baldwin, Smith had the responsibility to organize the trucking company’s pickup and delivery of sand. On February 18, the day the project started, Smith told a Kirkland employee that they would not be using the third truck. That would cause Kirkland to lose more than $550 per day, the report states.
Eventually, Smith told Kirkland that she would ensure RLF Baldwin would use the third truck if Kirkland paid her $75 per day.
On March 6, Kirkland, under the supervision of the State Attorney’s Office and FDLE, met Smith at the sandpit. She told him again that he was to pay her $75 a day in cash and that she planned to get more from him. She told him she was going to use the money to pay for her moving expenses, including gas and a U-haul.
On March 14, Kirkland told investigators that Smith stated should would be leaving RLF Baldwin on March 27 and that she expected to be paid through that date. She assured him that RLF Baldwin would continue to use Kirkland’s three trucks through the end of the project, and because she arranged that he might want to give her some extra money.
Kirland paid Smith $450 on March 14 under law enforcement surveillance and agreed to pay the remainder due through March 27 by March 21.
On March 19, a warrant was issued for Smith’s arrest. She was later arrested and booked into the Escambia County Jail. She was released from jail on a $10,000 bond.
Gulf Power Warns Of Scam
March 27, 2013
Gulf Power is asking residents to be alert after scam artists have victimized residents in Northwest Florida recently by impersonating utility company employees.
Someone impersonating a Gulf Power employee contacted a resident by telephone, the company said. The caller told the victim that their electric bill was past due and that electricity would be cut off if the customer did not provide a credit card payment immediately. The card numbers were then used to make fraudulent purchases.
To prevent this from happening, the company is offering these tips:
- Gulf Power employees will never call a customer at home seeking any personal information including credit card numbers.
- Gulf Power representatives will never ask a customer for money when they visit a residence.
- All Gulf Power representatives carry badges with picture identification that includes the employee’s name and the company’s name and logo.
Customers should call Gulf Power at 1-800-225-5797 if they have any questions about the identity of anyone representing Gulf Power.
Gulf Power is working with local law enforcement agencies to identify the perpetrators. If anyone has been victimized by one of these schemes, or has any information about suspects, they are asked to call local law enforcement and to contact Gulf Power at 1-800-225-5797.
SWAT Team Conducts School Bus Hostage Training
March 27, 2013
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the school district joined forces this week to conduct a hostage training exercise.
“We are here in conjunction with the school board; they’ve donated us a bus to practice on in case we ever had the situation where there was a hostage situation they recently had in Alabama,” Ted Roy said. “If we practice it, then hopefully if it ever happens we would be ready for it.”
“Events in the last few months forces all of us to take a second thought about how we can protect our valuable asset, our children,” Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said about school security. “So with the sheriff conducting exercises like he is doing today, it should increase confidence of our citizens that our students are going to be safe when you leave them in our care.”
Roy said the exercise allowed the SWAT team to become familiar with the school buses and look as positions the team might use in a real-life hostage scenario. With a plan in place, Roy said, the SWAT team can react faster.
Pictured: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team conducts a training exercise with an Escambia County School District bus. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Family Searching For Missing Special Needs Companion Dog
March 27, 2013
A local family has been searching for their dog Jasper for over a week now, and they are asking the Molino community for help in finding him.
Jasper is a male yellow lab about four years old, and he is a specials needs companion for a child named Destiny, who suffers from Downs Syndrome. He’s been missing since last week from the Brickyard Road area. The family has listed him missing on the NorthEscambia.com classifieds page and on Facebook.
“He first met Destiny when she was about six months old,” aunt Aundrea Smith said. “It was like they automatically latched onto each other.” Jasper has learned to alert the family when Destiny is experiencing difficulty breathing or find an adult when she has other needs.
“I don’t have any money, or I’d offer a million dollars reward for him; he’s that special,” Smith said.
Anyone that sees Jasper is asked to call Aundrea Smith immediately at (850) 754-0053.
Pictured: Special needs companion dog Jasper has been missing from a Molino home for over a week. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
House Will Propose College Tuition Hike
March 27, 2013
Splitting from the Senate and Gov. Rick Scott, the House will propose a six percent tuition increase for students in state universities and colleges.
House Appropriations Chairman Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland, said the House wants to prevent Florida’s universities from “falling further and further behind their peers throughout the country.” He added, “I just think we need to keep pace.”
Senate Education Appropriations Chairman Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, told the Lakeland newspaper that the Senate will not include a tuition increase in its budget proposal. Scott also is opposed to the idea.
By The News Service of Florida
FHSAA Warns Legislation Will Create High School Free Agents
March 27, 2013
The association that dictates rules for Florida’s middle and high school athletes is fighting what it says is a power grab by legislators that will lessen the oversight of mid-season transfers and allow some schools to become recruiting giants.
The Florida High School Athletic Association is objecting to measures (HB 1279, SB 1164) by Rep. Larry Metz, R-Yalaha, and Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, that could restrict their investigations into student-athlete transfers, limit the amount of fines and fees member schools pay, and revamp the makeup of the association’s board.
FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing, during a media teleconference on Tuesday, claimed the legislation would essentially allow middle and high school student-athletes to become “free agents.”
“This legislation opens the door for nefarious people who might want to circumvent rules in order to do what they may think is getting students scholarships to college, or even open the door to professional athletics,” Dearing said.
The measure by Metz also further expands the state law that allows students to play for the school of choice if the public or charter school they attend does not offer the sport.
Stargel’s companion proposal adds more legislative oversight to the FHSAA board by having the House and Senate each make four appointments to the board, with the Commissioner of Education getting to name three.
While the board would be expanded from 16 to 25, the majority of appointments would come from Tallahassee.
Currently, FHSAA member schools select 13 board members, with the three others coming from the Department of Education.
The proposals also call for replacing Dearing by having the commissioner of education name the FHSAA executive director rather than the association’s board.
Dearing said his job being on the line was less a concern than keeping the playing field level for students and schools as they compete across the state if each school district is given powers to self-regulate transfers.
Stargel, in a release from Access for Student Athletes Coalition sent out prior to the teleconference, denied her proposal will allow illegal recruiting or create student-athlete “free agency.”
“This proposal would not prevent the FHSAA from fulfilling their primary role,” Stargel stated. “However, it would help combat their predisposition to consider students as guilty until proven innocent, and would establish true due process and rights for student athletes, which the current system of conducting investigations clearly lacks.”
The coalition, which contends the FHSAA displays overreaching and arbitrary authority when conducting investigations on student eligibility, is an initiative launched by the Naples-based conservative-policy think tank Floridians for Government Accountability, Inc. The think tank is run by former Maine legislator Tarren Bragdon.
The FHSAA doesn’t directly receive state funding, but in addition to relying upon corporate donations for funding draws public dollars through membership fees from public schools.
FHSAA Chief Financial Officer Linda Roberston said the expected reduction in revenue by capping fines and fees could hinder the non-profit association’s ability to promote and run championship events at professional fields, along with training and certification for coaches and officials.
“The quality of our events will certainly suffer,” Robertson said.
“Mike Alstott, the football coach at Northside Christian High in St. Petersburg, said an athlete shouldn’t be allowed to play for one school in the fall for football, another in the winter for basketball and a third in the spring for baseball.
“This could really change the playing field, to not be fair,” said Alstott, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer fullback.
The high school student-athlete proposal follows a law enacted a year ago that pushed back on the FHSAA for clamping down on mid-school year transfers and students following coaches to new schools.
The law, sponsored by Stargel – then a member of the House – allows students-athletes to change schools at any time without having to sit out a year as was the prior rule after the first 20 days of a school year. Meanwhile it is up to the school districts to self-police themselves for recruiting violations by coaches, parents and alumni.
The FHSAA initially fought the law, noting that none of its member high schools had requested the change.
Months before the bill was introduced, the FHSAA imposed more than $62,500 in fines against the Lakeland High Dreadnaughts after seven of its athletes, including five from the school’s perennial football powerhouse, were found ineligible to play for infractions ranging from falsifying addresses, failing to make a full and complete move before enrolling, and receiving impermissible benefits that included free rent.
Stargel argued that the bill serves Florida’s student-athletes, while regulating FHSAA investigators.
By The News Service of Florida