Report: Florida Trailing Most States In Kids’ Health, Education
July 30, 2012
A new report shows Florida trailing most other states in the health and education of its children – with an especially low ranking in economic well-being.
The effects are harmful and could be long-term – not just for the children but for the state, advocates say.
The annual Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks Florida 44th in the economic well-being of its children, 38th in their health outcomes and 35th in their educational performance.
The state ranks 38th overall.
The number of Florida children living in poverty is up 28 percent from 2005 to 2010, the last year for which data were included in the study. That measurement considers such factors as whether the parents have secure employment or the ability to cover their housing costs.
Ted Granger, president of the United Way of Florida, said he wasn’t surprised by the ranking given the need local agencies are seeing.
Economic instability is “having a huge and dramatic effect on children,” Granger said. “The largest group of new homeless are single parents with children. These children, whether or not homeless or in poverty, are part of a group that statistically we know have worse health care outcomes [and] lack the educational opportunities to realize their full potential.”
In 2010, 23 percent of Florida children were living in poverty. The parents of 34 percent lacked secure employment, up from 28 percent in 2008. Nearly half of Florida households – 49 percent – saw their housing costs grow to 30 percent or more, up from 42 percent in 2005. The number of teens who were neither in school nor working was 10 percent, the same as in 2008.
In all these categories, Florida’s stats were worse than the national average.
“I think it’s a ticking time bomb,” said Roy Miller, president of the Children’s Campaign in Florida. “Children are exposed now in much larger numbers to poverty and all of its ill effects. So what’s going to happen to those children five years, 10 years, [or] 15 years down the road? We don’t know.”
Susan Weitzel, Florida Kids Count director, said the state’s children are growing up with risk factors that predict they will not succeed in Florida’s future economy.
“When children are going to school hungry and do not know if they have a place to sleep at night, how can they be successful in the classroom?” she asked in a statement about the report.
David Wilkins, secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, agreed that his agency is seeing poor children at risk for future difficulties.
“When you see children in poverty over time, you may see them in other parts of the system, such as [the Department of Juvenile Justice] system or child welfare system,” he said. “That’s what we always have to be careful about and watch.
“The other thing that’s in our state that a lot of other states aren’t facing to anywhere the same level is the substance abuse and prescription drug problem,” Wilkins added. “That’s also crossing across that same demographic.”
But while Wilkins said he wasn’t surprised by the findings, he pointed out that the report’s 2010 economic data don’t include Gov. Rick Scott’s job-creating efforts. Scott was inaugurated in January 2011.
“The issue of poverty in the state is driven almost entirely by the economic situation of jobs and the housing market,” Wilkins said. “That’s why the citizens elected this governor…In the past year, we’ve reduced unemployment in Florida another two percentage points.
“So I think we’re heading in the right direction.”
And the Kids Count report did have some good news for Florida. The number of uninsured children has dropped slightly, to half a million. Students are doing a bit better in reading and math, although still below the national average.
According to the Kids Count findings, while Florida ranked 44th among the states in terms of economic well-being, it was 38th overall, with better outcomes in four other areas.
The state ranked 35th in education. The number of Florida children not attending preschool in 2008-2010 was 51 percent, compared to 52 percent in 2005-2007. The number of high school students not graduating on time was 31 percent in 2008-2009, an improvement from 36 percent in 2005-2006. In two categories with 2011 data, 65 percent of fourth graders were not proficient in reading, compared to 70 percent in 2005, and 72 percent of eighth graders were not proficient in math, a slight improvement from 74 percent in 2005.
In children’s health, Florida ranked 38th. In 2010, I3 percent of Florida kids lacked health insurance, compared to 18 percent in 2008 – although still below the national average of 8 percent. In 2009, child and teen deaths slowed to 29 per 100,000, down from 37 percent in 2005. The numbers of teens abusing alcohol and drugs dropped from 8 percent in 2005-2006 to 7 percent in 2008-2009. The number of low birth-weight babies stayed at 8.7 percent over the same period, compared to the national average of 8.2 percent.
Florida ranked 35th in the family and community category, with 39 percent of children living in single-parent families in 2010 – up from 36 percent in 2005. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of children living in high-poverty neighborhoods grew from 7 to 8 percent. Teen births per 1,000 dropped from 42 in 2005 to 39 in 2009. Between 2005 and 2010, the number of children in families where the head of household lacked a high school diploma dropped from 15 to 14 percent.
For children’s advocate Miller, the improvements are welcome but frustrating, since they show where the state has invested money successfully.
“And I think that’s the frustration of the child advocacy community,” he said. “Why don’t we make the investments in all the areas that need help, so that we see investments across the board?…We’re seeing investments save money and improve lives. Why aren’t we making better choices?”
But the United Way’s Granger said the Legislature is “between a rock and a hard place” when it comes to investing in children.
“We’ve underfunded these services for decades – probably forever,” he said. “We’re in a situation where we’ve got these crises, and we have to fund the crises. So it’s really a difficult balance [lawmakers] have to determine, ‘Do we fund the crisis of the moment, or do we fund something that’s going to give us results in five, six, 15, 20 years?’
“And unfortunately, the crises are such that they compel many of us to say we’ve got to fund the crisis.”
By The News Service of Florida
Drought Means Pain At The Grocery Checkout
July 29, 2012
Economists say food prices are likely to rise in the coming months in the wake of record-breaking temperatures and drought in the major corn and soybean producing regions of the U.S.
Despite early predictions of a record corn crop, estimates have plummeted after a string of record-high temperature days and dry conditions stretching across the Midwestern farm states.
The USDA is predicting that meat prices will rise, with beef and veal expected to increase in price 3.5 to 4.5 percent during the remainder of the year. Beef prices are currently 6.9 percent higher than this time last year, with steak prices up 8.1 percent and ground beef prices up 7.3 percent. In the short term, beef prices are forecast to actually fall a bit, as increased feed prices force producers to decrease herd sizes and, in turn, increase the beef supply.
The USDA is forecasting an increase of 3.5 to 4.5 percent in chicken and turkey prices, also due to higher feed prices.
Consumers can expect to pay more for cheese and milk, with dairy prices seeing an anticipated 3.5 to 4.5 percent jump. Eggs are forecast to rise about 2 percent in price.
Cooking and vegetable oil, with soybeans as the main ingredient, are forecast by the USDA to rise 4 to 5 percent in price in 2012.
There’s one bright spot in the consumer price forecast from the USDA. Since last year at this time, fresh vegetable prices are down 3.6 percent, with potato prices down 3.4 percent, lettuce prices down 6.4 percent, tomato prices down 6.9 percent, and other fresh vegetable prices down 1.8 percent
“We need rain, and it doesn’t look like we’re going to get it,” says Iowa State University economist Dermot Hayes.
Pork and chicken prices will go up, as well as beef, milk and eggs, because corn and soybeans are key ingredients in animal feed.
Pictured top: Corn in Walnut Hill suffers the effects of drought earlier this year. The area has since received significant rainfall. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Ride Benefits Tate Student Battling Rare Form Of Cancer (With Photo Gallery)
July 29, 2012
A benefit motorcycle ride was held Saturday for Halee Boyd, a 17-year old Tate High School student battling cancer.
Halee is fighting Alevola Rhabdomyosarcoma , ARMS for short, a rare cancer of the muscles that are attached to the bones. There are only a few hundred new cases per year in the United States. She is undergoing regular treatments at Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville..
Saturday, Halee was along for the ride, her smile outshining her fluorescent green sunglasses as the motorcycles traveled from Tate High to Walnut Hill and back to a lunch at Heritage Baptist Church in Cantonment.
For a photo gallery, click here.
In April, Halee started having severe headaches, followed by blurry and double vision. Within 10 days her right eye was swollen, and the Boyds headed to a hospital emergency room. On April 29, they learned she had a tumor.
“It is still hard to hear myself say that she has cancer, the words catch in my throat and tears well up in my eyes and my heart stops. It’s not that it’s affected my life so much; it’s that from April 29, 2012, her life changed so drastically in a hallway in an emergency department,” her mother Mardi said in an earlier interview.
“I think it is just surreal,” Mardi added. “It all seems like a bad dream, I just get up each day and get through it and lean on my faith in God. I have been through some things in life that were bad, but those all made me strong enough to face this. Halee is incredibly strong and we are able to feed off of that.”
Halee does not currently have health insurance. Donations are also being accepted for Halee through the family’s church, Heritage Baptist Church, 3065 Highway 297A, Cantonment, (850) 478-3316.
Pictured top: Tate High student Halee Boyd on a motorcycle ride benefiting her medical expenses as it passes through Walnut Hill. Pictured inset: Halee talks to a young friend waiting for the start of the ride Saturday morning at Tate High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate High photos contributed by Kristi Smith for NorthEscambia.com.
State Questions State Farm Insurance Rate Hike Request
July 29, 2012
State insurance officials and consumer advocates are pressing State Farm Florida Insurance Co. over a proposed 57.3 percent increase in rental property premiums when the company is still not writing any new business.
In addition, Florida’s insurance consumer advocate questioned the rationale behind the company’s request to ask policyholders to foot the bill for paying off a $750 million loan made to the Florida subsidiary by its parent company, State Farm Mutual.
The repayment will add an additional 8.5 percent to the parent company’s bottom line and comes in addition to a 16-percent profit margin.
State Farm representatives were before the Office of Insurance Regulation to request the rate hike on roughly 33,000 policies for the owners of rental property, including apartment buildings, or single homes that landlords rent out.
The company has about 470,000 total policies in the state, the bulk of which are residential homeowners’ policies. With few exceptions, State Farm has not written new policies in several years and has seen its exposure shrink. At one time in had more than 1 million policies and was the state’s largest property insurer.
“In addition to the general concerns of a nearly 58 percent rate increase, is the concern that State Farm has not given any indication that this rate increase will result in them writing any new policies,” said Brian Deffenbaugh, senior counsel for the Office of Insurance Consumer Advocate.
Despite the proposed increase, State Farm actuary Sara Frankowiak said she “was not aware of any plans” for the company to resume writing policies in the state, but is instead shoring up its financial position.
“We certainly have concerns for the impact that this kind of rate change has on our customers,” Frankowiak said. “But at the same time, we owe an obligation to all of our customers to make sure we are financially strong and able to pay when the storms come.”
In 2010, State Farm announced it would not renew 125,000 policies. The action came after Florida insurance officials denied a request for a 47 percent increase in homeowners premiums and the company threatened to exit the state altogether.
State Farm is also requesting a 14.9 percent increase in homeowner rates and nearly 28 percent increase in condominium insurance. Those rates are subject to separate rate filings.
Given the company’s presence in Florida, Florida Justice Association representative Reggie Garcia questioned why multiple rate hearings weren’t being conducted around the state, noting the lack of public participation.
“Why aren’t we having public hearings at least in three or four major urban areas on this issue? No one is here,” Garcia said. “That is your prerogative, but what you obligated to do is different from what you should do.”
In response, OIR General Counsel Belinda Miller said the agency used to travel around the state seeking comment but policyholders often didn’t show up. In addition, most of the legal issues between the state and State Farm have been settled in court so both parties are pretty sure where they stand on the issue.
The statewide 57.3 percent rate hike for rental property owners varies greatly depending on the territory. Rates in Duval County would increase from $695 to $1,065, an increase of 53.3 percent. Orange County rates would jump 60.7 percent, or $720. Miami-Dade County policies would increase 110 percent to $6,008. In Monroe County, where State Farm insures just four properties, the rates would rise from $4,857 to $14,411.
By The News Service of Florida
Photos: King Of The Jungle In Molino
July 29, 2012
Children at Highland Baptist Church presented “King of the Jungle” Sunday evening The children attended a daily music camp last week — Camp Quarternote — to prepare for the presentation.
Pictured: Scenes from “King of the Jungle” at Highland Baptist Church. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Kids Invited To 4-H ‘Bites, Bites And Bytes’ Program
July 29, 2012
Escambia County 4-H is inviting kids to participate in the “Bites, Bites and Bytes” day program next month.
The “Bites, Bites and Bytes” program is open to kids ages 9-14. Youth will learn about a variety of animals that bite, they will build their own nutritious snack bites and experience a variety of technology bytes.
The cost of this program is $5, which can be paid the day of or prior to the program. Participating youth will need to bring an iPod, iPhone, iPad or Android device – or bring a friend that has one and share.
Attendees wear clothes that are appropriate for both indoor and outdoor activities. A variety of healthy snacks will be provided during the snack bites portion.Participants must be registered by Friday, August 3.
The program will take place on Tuesday, August 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Escambia County Extension office at 3740 Stefani Road in Cantonment.
For more information or to pre-register, contact Angela Hinkle at ahinkle@ufl.edu or (850) 475-5230.
Drug Related: One Killed In Escambia County Robbery
July 29, 2012
A robbery resulted in the shooting death of a 19-year old Escambia County man late Friday night, and investigators say the crime was drug related.
The incident happened in the 4400 block of Deauville Way off Massachusetts Avenue about 11:48 p.m. with deputies responding to a reported robbery of an individual and a possible gunshot victim.
When they arrived, they learned that Matthew Cox and 20-year old Charles D. Boutwell were outside of a house of Deauville Way when when an unidentified black male approached them demanding money. During the robbery, Cox was shot and later pronounced dead at Baptist Hospital.
Boutwell was unharmed.
There have been no arrests reported, and no suspect has been named.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Former House Speaker Samson Says State Should Pay Legal Bills
July 29, 2012
Former House Speaker Ray Sansom is suing the state, saying he should be reimbursed for the costs of defending himself against corruption charges that were eventually dropped.
Sansom is asking for $817,518.73, plus interest, for his defense in the case that ultimately drove him from office. Sansom faced charges including grand theft and conspiracy in the case, which stemmed from a 2007 appropriation that was supposed to be for an emergency operations center in Sansom’s district.
Prosecutor Willie Meggs argued at trial that it was really a thinly-disguised effort to build a taxpayer-funded airplane hangar for Jay Odom, a political contributor to Sansom.
Meggs gave up on the case after Circuit Judge Terry Lewis said he didn’t believe prosecutors had made any progress in their attempt to prove a conspiracy by Sansom and Odom to steal taxpayer money, which Meggs said made it difficult to move forward with the case procedurally.
Now, the former speaker is asking taxpayers to foot the bill for Sansom’s hiring of Dobson, Davis & Smith, which billed Sansom anywhere from $275 to $400 an hour for the services of five lawyers as well as $75 an hour for work done by paralegals. Sansom also agreed to pay expenses for the legal team.
In the suit, filed Tuesday, attorneys with another law firm, Broad and Cassel, argue that Sansom has a right to the funds under a common law principle that any public official who successfully defends himself or herself from charges related to his public duties is entitled to have legal costs covered.
The charges against Sansom were “directly related to Plaintiff’s performance of his public duties and arose out of the context of passing an appropriation act that served a public purpose,” the attorneys argue.
“The public official’s entitlement to reimbursement is an obligation which arises independent of statute or contract and is not subject to discretion,” the suit says.
The bills aren’t broken down by Sansom beyond the $50,000 retainer and another $767,518.73 in costs the law firm rang up from April 29, 2009 until the case was dropped in late March 2011.
Meggs’ decision to drop the case ended what was then a four-year saga that toppled Sansom, R-Destin, who had only briefly served as speaker when he decided to take a leave of absence from the job. Amid a growing Republican clamor to resolve the caucus’ leadership situation, Sansom resigned.
Sansom, Odom and former Northwest Florida State College President Bob Richburg agreed to pay restitution for the $310,000 spent on the facility before the college returned the $6 million appropriated for the project.
A spokesman for current House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, said the speaker was out of the state and couldn’t be reached for comment.
In addition to the expenses for the criminal case and interest, Sansom is asking that the state be forced to pay his legal fees for the new lawsuit itself.
By The News Service of Florida
Pensacola Runs Past Huntsville In Front Of Sellout Crowd
July 29, 2012
The Blue Wahoos stole a season-high five bases, including two from Billy Hamilton to increase his season total to 115 as part of a two-hit game, as Pensacola defeated the Huntsville Stars 6-4 in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 on Saturday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
With the victory, the Fish improved to 20-15 in the second half to remain one game behind the Montgomery Biscuits in the South Division, while the Stars fell to 16-19 since the league’s All-Star Break. The capacity crowd was the 34th of the season for the club in their inaugural season of play at the bayfront stadium.
Four of Pensacola’s five stolen bases came in the opening frame, when the Blue Wahoos plated three early tallies. Hamilton got the rally started with a single, before promptly stealing second and third, before coming across on LF Bryson Smith’s sacrifice fly to center. The swiped bags moved the speedster’s total to 115 this year, bringing him to within 30 of Vince Coleman’s record of 145, which was set in 1983.
CF Ryan LaMarre and 1B Donald Lutz each drew free passes later in the inning before they came home on 2B Brodie Greene’s two-run single to left, which gave Pensacola a 3-0 advantage.
Following a single score from the Blue Wahoos in the third, Huntsville got on the board in the fourth thanks to the longball. LF Khris Davis reached on a base hit, before 1B Hunter Morris mashed his 19th homer of the year to left. It was also the fourth roundtripper of the series for Morris, and the Stars’ ninth of the series.
Hamilton would later drive home a run with his second hit of the game in the fourth, bringing in 3B David Vidal after he doubled to left to extend the margin to 5-2, though the Stars mounted a comeback attempt in the late innings. CF Josh Prince singled before 2B Scooter Gennett reached on a fielder’s choice being both came plateward on Kris Davis’ two-run single to center, cutting their deficit to one. The Blue Wahoos however, tacked on an insurance run in their half of the inning thanks to consecutive triples from Lutz and Smith.
Hamilton (2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI) was the lone Blue Wahoos batter to record two hits in the win, while Khris Davis (3-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB) collected three base knocks for Huntsville in the defeat. The Pensacola shortstop has now reached base in all 16 of his games for the Fish.
Fish starter Wirfin Obispo (5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO) earned the victory after giving up two earned runs on just two hits while fanning seven, while Stars RHP Jimmy Nelson (2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 1-1 on the year. Four Blue Wahoos relievers, including Drew Hayes (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO), Mark Serrano (1.0 IP), Brian Pearl (0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER) and Wilkin De La Rosa (1.2 IP, 1 H) fired the last four innings in support of Obispo. Hayes, Serrano and Pearl all earned holds, while De La Rosa notched his first save of the year.
Pensacola will travel on their offday Sunday to Tennessee to begin a ten-game road trip, with five-game series versus the Tennessee Smokies and at Huntsville. The Blue Wahoos will begin their five-game set with the Smokies on Monday, July 30 for a scheduled double header, with the first contest slated to begin at 4:30 p.m.
The next homestand at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium begins on Wednesday, August 8th with a five-game series against the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
By Andrew Green
Pictured top: Pensacola’s Billy Hamilton stole two bases to extend his total to 115 on Saturday night. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Flag Football Tournament Benefits Youth Football Program
July 29, 2012
An adult flag football tournament was held Saturday in Walnut Hill, with proceeds benefiting the Northwest Escambia youth football program.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.