2-Week Click It Or Ticket Seat Belt Campaign Begins Today
May 21, 2012
The Florida Highway Patrol, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies have began a two-week “Click It or Ticket” crackdown designed to increase seat belt use and decrease motor vehicle fatalities across the county. The campaign will run day and night.
“While Florida reached a record high last year for safety belt use, we still see many drivers and passengers who fail to buckle up. All too often it ends in tragedy,” said FHP Director, Col. David Brierton. “One of our goals is to save lives through education and enforcement campaigns such as Click it or Ticket.”
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2010 nationally, 61 percent of the 10,647 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes overnight (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal crash, compared to 42 percent during the daytime hours.
“While Florida reached a record high last year for safety belt use, we still see many drivers and passengers who fail to buckle up. All too often it ends in tragedy,” said FHP Director, Col. David Brierton. “One of our goals is to save lives through education and enforcement campaigns such as Click it or Ticket.”
Democratic Leader: Battered Women Not Protected By ‘Stand Your Ground’
May 21, 2012
Incoming Senate Democratic Leader Chris Smith has ratcheted up criticism of Florida’s “stand your ground” law, pointing to a loophole that could endanger some women, rather than protect them.
Smith’s remarks came in response to a recent case in which a Jacksonville woman was sentenced in a domestic assault case.
Smith said the law – which allows people to shoot back when threatened without a duty to retreat – could actually end up making domestic violence victims more vulnerable.
Smith, an attorney, said the “stand your ground” law affords domestic violence victims fewer rights than they had before it was passed in 2005 – unless they have an injunction for protection.
“An invited guest is considered a ‘resident’ under the law,” he wrote in a recent analysis. “This means that as soon as a woman invites her ex-husband to pick up their children at her home, she is powerless to defend herself, even if she holds sole title to the property. Given that most attacks happen at home, by relatives or individuals known to the victim, this loophole in the law is unconscionable.”
While the Trayvon Martin killing that has brought the stand your ground self defense law into new focus in Florida involved two young men, Martin and shooter George Zimmerman, some of the focus on the need for a lenient self defense law has begun to focus on the needs of women.
Incoming Senate President Don Gaetz and his son, Rep. Matt Gaetz, both Republicans, made that claim in a recent editorial headlined: “Calls to repeal Stand Your Ground are anti-woman.:
“Consider an elderly woman in a dimly lit parking lot or a college girl walking to her dorm at night,” they wrote in the May 2 Northwest Florida Daily News in Fort Walton Beach. “If either was attacked, her duty was to turn her back and try to flee, probably be overcome and raped or killed. Prior to Stand Your Ground, that victim didn’t have the choice to defend herself, to meet force with force.”
Both Gaetz senior, R-Niceville, and Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala and House sponsor of the measure, dismissed concerns by Smith that for other women, the law makes things worse.
“Sen. Smith’s been working too hard,” said Baxley. “He needs to let the Citizen Safety and Protection Task Force, which has a lot of smart people on it, complete their work before he starts proposing changes to statute.”
The Citizen Safety and Protection Task Force was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to review the “stand your ground” law following Martin’s death Feb. 26 in Sanford in a case that has drawn international attention.
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, entered a not-guilty plea after remaining free for five weeks – until the case had become a national controversy.
Now, after an organizational meeting earlier this month, the Scott task force is slated to hold its first public hearing in Sanford on June 12. Baxley is a member of the panel, which has been criticized for including him and two other lawmakers who voted for the “stand your ground” law – plus a fourth, Jason Brodeur, who was elected in 2010 and sponsored last year’s law banning doctors from asking patients about guns in their homes.
The panel’s chair, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, also voted for “stand your ground” while a House member. There are no known gun-control advocates on the panel.
Smith did not wait for Scott to name his panelists before creating a separate, South Florida-based task force that recommended changes to “stand your ground” last month. These included grand jury involvement, public education, and a self-defense claims tracking system.
On Friday, Smith also said a domestic violence exemption should be part of the overhaul.
He said he was “very surprised” to discover the domestic violence provision last week after 31-year-old Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville was sentenced in an assault case for firing a shot at her husband during a dispute in their home when she said she was under attack.
Using a “stand your ground” defense, Alexander rejected a plea bargain, lost her case and received a 20-year sentence under a mandatory minimum law for gun crimes.
“I immediately thought how Gaetz and others are talking about poor, helpless women defending themselves,” said Smith. “More women are attacked in their homes than in the Publix parking lot.”
The Gaetzes wrote that “[i]mposing a duty-to-flee (puts) the safety of the rapist above a woman’s own life. In fact, until Stand Your Ground was passed, criminals were suing victims because victims, in protecting themselves, were allegedly using excessive force against the criminals.”
Gaetz senior called Smith a good friend and a good lawyer.
“If he believes that there’s a way that we can strengthen Second Amendment protections for battered women, I’m all ears, and I can’t wait for him to introduce the legislation,” Gaetz said.
The discussion comes as Republicans and Democrats are locked in a national debate about which party better supports women.
In the case of Marissa Alexander, Jacksonville Congresswoman Corrine Brown, a Democrat, called on the U.S. Department of Justice to study whether “stand your ground” is applied fairly.
Meanwhile, the Gaetzes also saw a role for stand your ground in the national debate.
“Riding the extreme rhetoric of Al Sharpton and encouraged by the ‘concerns’ of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, anti-gun groups have already declared ['stand your ground'] guilty of murder and sentenced it for repeal by the Florida Legislature,” wrote the Gaetzes in their op-ed.
Baxley said other laws might be more applicable to domestic violence cases than “stand your ground.”
“I think what we’re figuring out is – case by case – sometimes it applies and sometimes it doesn’t.
“I am going to continue to be very cautious about doing anything to ["stand your ground"] that would diminish law-abiding citizens from defending themselves,” he said.
By The News Service of Florida
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: A Numbers Game For Jobs, Schools, Lobbyists
May 20, 2012
Gov. Rick Scott has spent the past several months talking about two big issues: adding jobs and bolstering the public-education system.
So Scott could preen a little Friday when new figures showed the state’s unemployment rate had dropped to 8.7 percent in April, down 0.3 percentage points from March and 1.9 points from April 2011.
But the picture in the education system wasn’t so upbeat. The state Board of Education called an emergency meeting Tuesday to lower the passing score on statewide writing tests after results showed that most students wouldn’t meet more-rigorous standards.
After more than a decade of Republican leaders emphasizing the need for higher standards and accountability, some state board members reluctantly approved the change. At the same time, the move added fuel to the arguments of Democrats and the Florida Education Association that the state’s focus on standardized tests has run amok.
CLAWING BACK THE FCAT
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test has been the backbone of the state’s controversial efforts to measure the performances of students, teachers and schools.
With this year’s tests, the state ratcheted up the standards for passing the writing portion of the FCAT in fourth, eighth and 10th grades. In part, students needed to score a 4.0 or better on a 6-point grading scale, up from 3.0 last year.
Also, the state made other changes, including placing more emphasis on writing basics such as punctuation, capitalization and grammar.
But the test results showed a huge drop in the number of students meeting the standards. In fourth grade, the passing rate dropped from 81 percent to 27 percent; in eighth grade, it dropped from 82 percent to 33 percent; and in 10th grade, it dropped from 80 percent to 38 percent.
With FCAT scores affecting such sensitive issues as school grades, the state Board of Education moved quickly to call Tuesday’s emergency meeting. Board members agreed to dial back the passing score to 3.0 this year, despite some reluctance.
“The change from 4.0 to 3.0 looks like we are lowering standards,” said board member John Padget, of Key West. “I’m only voting on this so we can hold (schools) harmless for this year only.”
But other board members rejected the idea that they were lowering standards.
“This is absolutely not a retreat, said Vice Chairman Roberto Martinez, of Coral Gables. “It is maintaining the equivalence with last year, we’re just using a much more rigorous application of the scoring rubric.”
Regardless, the change caused the Department of Education to say it did not adequately prepare schools and teachers for the tougher standards.
“This conversation should have come up earlier,” Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said. “We’ll do better going forward.”
The change also reignited long-simmering arguments about whether the state’s heavy reliance on the FCAT is wise.
“Florida’s overemphasis on testing is insane,” said former Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach. “We have become a school system whose entire purpose seems to be to prepare kids for minimal competence tests.”
For his part, Scott issued a rather-nebulous statement Monday.
“Our students must know how to read and write, and our education system must be able to measure and benchmark their progress so we can set clear education goals,” Scott said in the statement. “The significant contrast in this year’s writing scores is an obvious indication that the Department of Education needs to review the issue and recommend an action plan so that our schools, parents, teachers and students have a clear understanding of the results.”
GETTING TO WORK
Scott, who won the governor’s office in 2010 on a theme of “Let’s Get to Work,” was far from nebulous Friday after the April unemployment numbers came out.
“Florida’s jobless rate moved to its lowest point in more than three years and is a clear sign we are moving Florida in a direction that gives businesses and job creators the confidence they need to grow and expand,” he said in a statement.
The jobs report, released by the Department of Economic Opportunity, also included other positive signs. As an example, the number of jobs in Florida was 7,325,300 in April, up 52,600 from last year. Also, the number of counties with double-digit unemployment rates fell from 10 in March to five in April.
But other indicators showed that Florida’s job problems continue. For instance, one factor in the lower unemployment rate is that the civilian labor force dropped by 28,000 people.
“Having the unemployment rate fall because people have given up looking for a job is not an improvement,” University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith said.
The April numbers came just days after Florida TaxWatch issued a report showing that a government entity is the largest employer in 51 of 67 counties. Scott argues that the key to Florida’s economic growth is private-sector jobs.
“While this analysis does not consider the total size of government employment compared to total private employment, it is certainly clear that the government has a massive direct effect on local economies throughout the state through employment and payroll practices, in addition to the indirect effects that government actions, such as regulation, have on the economy,” TaxWatch said in the report. “Moreover, for many counties the potential closure of a military base or correctional facility, or large layoffs due to federal, state, or local budget shortfalls, poses a significant economic threat.”
NO EMPLOYMENT HELP NEEDED HERE
While many Florida workers and businesses might be scraping by, Tallahassee’s lobbying industry appears to be doing just fine.
Lobbyists this week had to file compensation reports for the first three months of the year, which included the 2012 legislative session. Those reports showed that 16 lobbying firms each raked in more than $500,000 in fees during the quarter.
Four firms collected more than $1 million. Those firms were Ballard Partners, GrayRobinson, Ronald L. Book PA and Southern Strategy Group.
Among the issues generating large amounts of lobbying fees was the big-money fight about allowing resort casinos in the state. The casino proposal died, but it could re-emerge — with the possibility of another big payday for lobbyists — — in the future.
HEADED FOR THE DOOR
Steve MacNamara probably won’t wind up in any unemployment line. But after a flurry of critical news reports, the hard-charging MacNamara submitted his resignation last weekend as Scott’s chief of staff.
Adam Hollingsworth, who served as chief of staff to former Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton, will replace MacNamara as of July 1.
MacNamara had planned to leave the Scott administration by the end of the year, but the critical reports about his handling of such things as government contracts sped up the move.
“It has been a pleasure and an honor serving you, but the recent media attention I have been receiving has begun to interfere with the day-to-day operations of this office,” MacNamara said in his resignation letter. “I feel now is the time to plan for me to depart, for you to name my replacement and for us to work on a smooth transition.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: The state Board of Education lowers the passing score on FCAT writing tests.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Hey governor, it’s Jim. I’m sure you know our friendship has ended, is over, and I’m just very saddened by that. But I wanted you to know personally from me that in the future there’s probably going to be things coming out that are going to be very hurtful to both you and Carole (Crist). But I’ll be honest with you, I don’t care anymore because I did everything that I could for you.” — part of a 2011 voice mail message that former state Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer left for former Gov. Charlie Crist. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Crist thought Greer was trying to extort money from him.
By The News Service of Florida
Abundant Life Youth Place In Fine Arts Competition, Head To Nationals
May 20, 2012
Several youth from the Abundant Life Assembly of God in Century attended the Assemblies of God Fine Arts Competition in Marianna recently. After winning superior in their categories, they were invited to attend the National Fine Arts Competition in Louisville, KY.
The band “The Bridge” placed in the fine arts competition. Zach Ingram won Superior with an invitation to nationals for songwriting, and Victoria Creamer had a separate solo Superior win with an invitational to the national competition.
Pictured: The band “The Bride” from Abundant Life Assembly of God with (L-R) Caleb Ingram, percussion; Zach Ingram, guitar and songwriter; and Victoria Creamer, vocals. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gov. Scott Heads To Spain Looking For Business
May 20, 2012
Gov. Rick Scott will lead an entourage of business leaders and economic developers this week as he travels to Spain to drum up business for Florida companies.
Don’t call it a trade mission, though. Instead, the endeavor that begins Sunday evening with takeoff from Miami is being touted as a business development mission. Instead of looking for export opportunities, the governor is looking for Spanish companies to expand their business footprints on this side of the Atlantic.
“The mission is designed to help increase Spanish business development in Florida,” said Scott spokesman Lane Wright, who will accompany the governor on the three day mission. “We already have more than 300 Spanish companies doing business in the state. We want to grow that.”
“I want a thousand of them,” Scott said Wednesday morning during a radio interview with WFLA in Tallahassee.
The itinerary includes meetings with the U.S. diplomatic corps and an audience with Spanish King Juan Carlos. Businesses and local officials will also have the opportunity to hold private meetings with Spanish companies. Participants pay a $1,000 registration fee and cover their own travel and expenses.
“This mission to Spain has a goal of recruiting more foreign direct investment for Florida and enhancing Florida’s image as an ideal investment destination for Spanish companies,” said Stuart Doyle, spokesman for Enterprise Florida.
For participating businesses, the trip can produce business leads and strategic relationships in Spain. Local economic developers get a chance to promote their own regions.
In 2011, Spain was Florida’s 33rd largest trading partner, with $847 million in trade between the two countries, according to Enterprise Florida data. Trade with Spain was up 6.7 percent in 2011 from the year before. Top Spanish imports include processed oils, ceramics, perfume and wine.
Florida exports to Spain are led by aircraft parts.
Among the 70 participants signed up for the tour, are executives from Florida Power & Light, The St. Joe Co., Florida Crystals, and the Holland and Knight, and Gray-Robinson law firms.
Government groups include representatives from Enterprise Florida, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, and the Beacon Council, the Florida Department of Transportation, the governor’s office and Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos.
By The News Service of Florida
Kinnard Celebrates 101st Birthday In Barrineau Park
May 20, 2012
Mary Lou White Kinnard recently celebrated her 101st birthday at the Barrineau Park Community Center. Mary Lou’s brother, Burley White, ran the White Grocery Store in Barrineau Park from the 1940’s through the 1980’s. The Barrineau Park Historical Society provided the cake for the celebration.
Pictured are Mary Lou White Kinnard, her niece Faye White Conett and Craig Exner, BPHS president. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Hang On For 6-5 Win
May 20, 2012
The Blue Wahoos had to hang on for their second straight win as they downed the Jacksonville Suns 6-5 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Saturday night. Pensacola got out to a 6-0 lead before the Suns plated five runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull within one.
Brodie Greene put the fish in front with an RBI single in the first, which scored Ryan LaMarre, one of two runs he scored in the game. David Vidal drove in Didi Gregorius later in the inning to put the Wahoos up 2-0. Joel Guzman doubled the lead with a two-run homer in the fifth, part of his 2-for-4 night with three RBI. The home run was his team-leading sixth of the season. Pensacola went up 6-0 in the seventh on an RBI double by Greene and a run-scoring knock by Guzman.
The Suns added some suspense in the bottom of the inning when they scored five runs against four different pitchers. They used three hits, three walks and two hit batters for the rally, which all took place with two outs. Curtis Partch was able to get Ryan Patterson to fly out to right field to end the inning. Patterson made two of the three outs in the inning. Partch worked a scoreless eighth to get the game to Donnie Joseph (9) in the ninth.
Joseph walked a batter with one out in the ninth but retired the next two batters to earn his league-leading ninth save of the season as the Blue Wahoos move within one win of the .500 mark.
LaMarre led the way offensively for the Blue Wahoos with a 3-for-4 game. He also scored two runs and stole a base. Greene and Vidal added a pair of hits to the effort. Mark Serrano (3-0) earned the win by working 2.1 innings out of the bullpen. He allowed two runs on one hit. Kyle Lotzkar started for Pensacola and went four shutout innings. He surrendered just two hits and struck out seven batters, the most of his three Double-A appearances. Graham Taylor (2-4) was tagged with the loss for the Suns. He gave up four runs on eight hits over six innings.
The series continues in Jacksonville on Sunday when the Blue Wahoos send right-hander Daniel Corcino (2-2, 3.64) to the mound against Suns righty Matt Neil .
200 Year Old Shipwreck Discovered In Northern Gulf Of Mexico
May 20, 2012
During a recent northern Gulf of Mexico expedition, NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and partners discovered an historic wooden-hulled vessel which is believed to have sunk as long as 200 years ago. Scientists on board the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer used underwater robots with lights and high definition cameras to view remnants of the ship laden with anchors, navigational instruments, glass bottles, ceramic plates, cannons, and boxes of muskets.
The NOAA-funded 56-day expedition that ended April 29 was exploring poorly known regions of the Gulf, mapping and imaging unknown or little-known features and habitats, developing and testing a method to measure the rate that gas rises from naturally-occurring seeps on the seafloor, and investigating potential shipwreck sites.
The shipwreck site was originally identified as an unknown sonar contact during a 2011 oil and gas survey for Shell Oil Company. The Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) requested this and other potential shipwreck sites be investigated during NOAA’s Gulf of Mexico expedition. Surveys and archaeological assessments are required by BOEM to aid in its decision-making prior to issuing permits for bottom-disturbing activities related to oil and gas exploration and development.
“Artifacts in and around the wreck and the hull’s copper sheathing may date the vessel to the early to mid-19th century,” said Jack Irion, Ph.D., a maritime archaeologist with BOEM. “Some of the more datable objects include what appears to be a type of ceramic plate that was popular between 1800 and 1830, and a wide variety of glass bottles. A rare ship’s stove on the site is one of only a handful of surviving examples in the world and the second one found on a shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Significant historical events occurring in the regions around the Gulf of Mexico during this time include the War of 1812, events leading to the Texas Revolution, and the Mexican-American War, he said.
“Shipwrecks help to fill in some of the unwritten pages of history,” said Frank Cantelas, a maritime archaeologist with NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. “We explored four shipwrecks during this expedition and I believe this wreck was by far the most interesting and historic. The site is nearly 200 miles off the Gulf coast in over 4,000 feet of water in a relatively unexplored area.”
The expedition also discovered areas exhibiting rich biodiversity. At the base of the West Florida Escarpment, a steep undersea cliff, explorers found a “forest” of deep corals, several of which were new to scientists on the ship and ashore. For several days the expedition team also imaged deep-coral communities in the vicinity of the Macondo oil spill site. On another part of the expedition, team members designed and installed a device on the ship’s undersea robot system, or ROV (remotely-operated vehicle), to measure the rate that gas rises in the water column.
Pictured top: While most of the ship’s wood has long since disintegrated, copper that sheathed the hull beneath the waterline as a protection against marine-boring organisms remains, leaving a copper shell retaining the form of the ship. The copper has turned green. Pictured inset: An anemone lives on top of a musket that lies across a whole group of muskets at the site of the shipwreck. A variety of artifacts inside the ship’s hull relates either to daily life on board or to the ship’s cargo. Artifacts include ceramic plates, platters, and bowls; and glass liquor, wine, medicine, and food storage bottles of many shapes and colors (some with the contents still sealed inside). Photos courtesy NOAA/Okeanos Explorer program for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
2011 Northview Grad McCall Graduates From Basic Training
May 20, 2012
Air Force Airman Jessie D. McCall graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
McCall is the daughter of Steven McCall of Thomas McCall Lane, McDavid.
The airman is a 2011 graduate of Northview High School, Bratt.
Birth – Russell John LeMesurier
May 20, 2012
Desmond and Sarah LeMesurier of Byrneville are blessed to announce the birth of their son Russell John LeMesurier.
He was born March 22, 2012, at 2:12 p.m. at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. He weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 18 and three-quarters inches long. His proud grandparents are J.B. and Trudie Johnson of Byrneville and Desmond and Violet LeMesurier of Woodsboro, Texas.
“Russ” has one great grandmother, Laura Johnson of Century, and an uncle, Jeff Johnson of Flomaton, and one great uncle, Bill and Aunt Angie Weaver of Byrneville.