State Trims Gulf Power Rate Hike, Allows No Increase For North Escambia Nuclear Plant
February 28, 2012
The Florida Public Service Commission on Monday approved a $64.1 million base-rate increase for Gulf Power Company but allowed no increase for the purchase of 4,000 acres of land for a possible nuclear power plant near McDavid.
The increase was less than the company sought — but more than attorneys for consumers and business groups said the Pensacola-based utility should receive.
Gulf Power oiginally requested a $93.5 million hike, but that number increased to $101.6 million because of accounting-related issues stemming from improvements to a power plant. The PSC on March 12 will determine how the increase will affect customers’ bills, with the changes expected to take effect April 11.
“We approved only the operating revenues needed for Gulf to provide its customers with reliable, safe electric service, which also reduced the potential financial impact on customer bills,” PSC Chairman Ronald Brise said in a prepared statement.
The Public Service Commission did not allow Gulf Power to pass along costs related to a potential nuclear-power plant site in North Escambia because the utility has not taken an initial step — known as getting a determination of need — for such a project.
The PSC also trimmed a company request to pay for new employees.
Company spokeswoman Sandy Sims said that Gulf Power was pleased the PSC had approved most of its proposals. She also said the company has not had a base-rate increase in a decade. ”
This increase was very necessary because it has been 10 years since we last were able to increase our base prices,” Sims said. “Since then, we’ve seen significant increases in the price of materials we use to make and deliver electricity.”
As part of its decision, the commission also reduced the potential investor returns that Gulf had sought. It set a 10.25 percent return on equity — a closely watched measure of profitability — while Gulf requested an 11.7 percent return.
Pictured top: One of many house that now sit abandoned near McDavid where Gulf Power has purchased thousands of acres for a possible nuclear power plant. On of many Gulf Power “Posted” signs that line the roads in the area of the potential plant. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Century Couple Details Allegations Against Flomaton Police Chief
February 28, 2012
A Century couple said Monday night that Flomaton’s police chief pulled his weapon and illegally searched their home in Florida, all part of multiple attacks against them by Flomaton’s top cop.
Their complaints have led to an ongoing investigation by the Florida State Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into then-Flomaton Police Chief Geoff McGraw’s alleged actions in Florida.
McGraw was placed on an indefinite leave with pay Monday night. [Read more...]
Tracy Tedder and his wife Tabitha Tedder live in Century, near the Alabama line. As they spoke about their claims involving McGraw, they referred to him as “McGruff”.
“Chief McGruff drawed his gun on Florida property without Florida police department being involved and goes through our home,” Tabitha Tedder said. “He illegally arrested our son-in-law and transported him back to Alabama.”
“It’s a Florida matter; we can’t comment,” Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant said about the allegations.
“It wouldn’t be a Florida matter when he pulled me out of the car for an illegal arrest in Flomaton…said I was another ‘Tedder boy’, snatched my license, said it was an improper license, stolen license, stolen car, snatched me out of the car,” Tracy Tedder said. “This is brutal in front of all my friends.”
In addition to contacting Florida law enforcement about McGraw’s alleged actions, the Tedders said they intend on suing the Town of Flomaton.
“We’ve got two different lawyers that want to take the case,” Tracy Tedder said, ‘and we are coming after Alabama and McGruff and going further than that.”
“He illegally searched my car in Flomaton…just three months before,” he said. “He told me I was another ‘Tedder boy’, said my car was stolen, my license was a lost license…This has being going on and on and on. It ain’t going no more. This is federal things coming up.”
Tracy Tedder said he recently sold his car to his daughter and drove to Larry White Insurance in Flomaton, just north of the state line to change insurance on the car.
“I took it right across the tracks on the Florida side and was sitting there giving them (the purchasers of the vehicle) the paperwork,” he said. “He (McGraw) came across the tracks (into Florida), gave me a ticket for no insurance, blocking the highway.”
He said he explained the situation in court to Escambia County (Ala.) Judge David Jordan and and the ticket was dismissed.
“When he pulled me over, it was on the Florida side, and he did not chase me. This has been going on for six months. And then he runs up to my house and goes through my house. There is going to be lawsuits. He will not be a cop again.”
“We are upset because of the way he does things,” she said.
“We understand you being upset,” Flomaton Councilman Jim Johnson said. “With Florida investigating, they hadn’t told us anything yet. We know they are investigating.”
“These things are pending, and there is no way legally we can make any remarks on a pending case,” Councilman Buster Crapps added. “When it’s legal, we are out of it. It’s going to be in the courts…we can’t make any comments on anything like that.”
” That’s the problem. Everybody wants to cover up for McGruff; he’s not here to defend himself, ” Tracy Tedder said Monday night at a Flomaton Town Council meeting. “He don’t want to be in public eye, but why not? What’s he got to hide?…If he knows he didn’t do anything wrong, why isn’t he here to defend himself?”
“If the man ain’t guilty, he should be here,” she added. “The whole…town knows he’s doing wrong.”
“I do not have any comment at this time due to this being an ongoing investigation,” McGraw said January 26 when he learned that NorthEscambia.com had knowledge of the investigation. McGraw has not made any public comment since that date.
Pictured top: Tabitha Tedder turns to the audience for support as her husband Tracy Tedder addresses the Flomaton Town Council Monday night. Pictured inset: Tracy and Tabitha Tedder. Pictured middle inset: Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant. Pictured bottom inset: Councilman Buster Crapps. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Places Police Chief On Leave, Names Interim Top Cop
February 28, 2012
The Flomaton Town Council voted Monday night to place their police chief on leave with pay as Florida law enforcement continues to investigate his alleged actions, and the council also named an interim chief.
Assistant (Fla.) State Attorney Greg Marcille confirmed last week to NorthEscambia.com that Flomaton Police Chief Goeff McGraw is the focus of an ongoing investigation into the department. The results of the State Attorney’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement probe have not yet been released.
At Monday night’s meeting of the Flomaton council, two Century residents alleged the McGraw pulled his weapon and searched their Florida home without jurisdiction. [Read their complete allegations here.]
Acting on a request by Mayor Dewey Bondurant, the Flomaton Town Council voted unanimously to place McGraw on paid leave with pay for an indefinite time period pending further action. The mayor and the council did not give a specific reason for the suspension, but they did acknowledge that they were aware of the Florida investigation.
The council approved the mayor’s recommendation that current officer Daniel Thompson be named Flomaton’s interim police chief.
Bondurant said McGraw’s status would be up for consideration at the council’s next regular meeting.
Pictured top: Council members Buster Crapps (left) and Jim Johnson (middle), and Mayor Dewey Bondurant Monday night’s meeting of the Flomaton Town Council as they voted to name Daniel Thompson (bottom inset) as the town’s interim police chief. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview FFA Qualifies For Livestock State Finals
February 28, 2012
Northview High School’s FFA is one of just 30 in Florida to qualify for the Florida FFA Livestock Career Development Event (CDE) State Finals.
There were 94 total teams from throughout Florida that competed for a spot in state finals. Northview’s team qualified at No. 18 overall after qualifying events held earlier this month.
The purpose of the Livestock Evaluation CDE is to stimulate learning activities related to the production and marketing of cattle, sheep and swine.
Woman Charged In ‘Crime Spree’
February 28, 2012
A woman was arrested Monday morning in what deputies are calling a “crime spree”.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the crimes by Amanda Atkins, 33, began when she entered the home of a 74-year old woman on Fairview Avenue. The victim said she heard someone banging on her front door about 6:20 a.m. When she opened the door, Atkins pushed her way into the home, striking the victim in the face.
She fled the scene in a silver pickup. Moments later, deputies received more calls about a female hitting cars with her truck on Kearny Drive. Atkins then entered another home and struck a female victim. After exiting the home, she jumped onto the hood of another car.
Deputies arrived and arrested Atkins. She was charged with burglary with assault or battery, battery on a person over 65, criminal mischief, and battery. She was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $108,000.
Bill Would Limit Funeral Protests
February 28, 2012
No protests would be allowed within 500 feet of a funeral under a bill was passed unanimously by the House and sent to the Senate.
The bill (HB 31), sponsored by Rep. Pat Rooney, R-Palm Beach Gardens, is a response to the protests that have been held at military funerals around the country by the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas.
“A funeral is a time meant for family and friends to grieve and remember, it is not a time for a spectacle to be made,” Rooney said in a statement afterward. “For those that are suffering the terrible loss of a loved one, unwarranted harassment some attempt only compounds their grief creating a potential powder keg of emotion and violence.”
Molino Library, Tax Collector And Property Appraiser Office Work Continues
February 27, 2012
Progress is continuing on a $4 million project to convert the old Molino School into a community center and museum.
Roof shingles are expected to be installed this week, while interior electrical and plumbing rough-in work is in progress on a new building. Rough-in for plumbing, mechanical and electrical continues on the existing building.
The project includes the conversion of the old Molino School into a 15,600 square foot library, community center and museum under a $2.95 million construction contract awarded by Escambia County to Birkshire Johnstone, LLC.
In addition to converting the 72-year old school building, a new 7,000 square foot building is being constructed adjacent to the old building for the tax collector and property appraiser. The current Escambia County Tax Collector office in the former Winn Dixie shopping center in Cantonment and the property appraiser office on Highway 97 in Molino will both be closed. The facility will also house a polling station for early voting and elections.
Final completion for both buildings is scheduled for November 2012.
Pictured: Work to convert the old Molino School into a new library and museum, plus the addition of a new building for the tax collector and property appraiser. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jeff Miller: Solution Needed To Rising Gas Prices
February 27, 2012
In his latest newsletter, U.S. Rep Jeff Miller discusses rising gas prices.
The following was submitted by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla for NorthEscambia.com:
With gas prices slowly creeping upwards toward $4 a gallon, one would think the President of the United States and Congressional Democrats would finally get serious about working across the aisle on solutions to ease the pain at the pump. At the very least they could put forward a few ideas that would provide consumers already hard hit by a weak economy some relief in their weekly gas bill. However, this week we saw instead an incredible demonstration of the blame game by the Administration. The key message of the President was not about working together to find an answer, but a clear statement of “it’s not my fault.”
The blame was extended to anyone but the Administration – rising gas prices are caused by increased demand from China. Or maybe it’s the recent tensions with Iran. Or it could be decreased foreign supply. Or the Administration’s consistent election-year boogeyman: the Wall Street speculators. Better yet, gas prices are higher because of oil companies. Of course, these things are outside of the control of the U.S. government, so the Administration can’t do anything about it.
President Obama offered little in the way of solutions, instead telling the American people that he wouldn’t make “phony election-year promises about lower gas prices.” The American people don’t want phony promises, but they also don’t want inaction while gas prices go up. I am astonished that in a speech about lowering gas prices, the President also called for higher taxes on the oil industry and more money for unproven clean energy. Let me clear, clean energy technologies will play a role in a long-term solution, but will do nothing to solve the problem this year.
When the rhetoric over gas prices heats up, it is helpful to take a look at some of the facts about gas prices and American energy production. The Administration claims it is opening up more than 75 percent of our offshore oil and gas resources. Yet, that is just the status quo and includes only the areas we have already explored. Eighty-five percent of all American offshore areas remain off-limits. This Administration also placed a moratorium on new drilling and has barely begun to approve any new leases. One example of backwards policymaking is in the Chukchi Sea in Alaska. The energy industry has spent $2.6 billion to obtain close to 500 leases; yet, to date the Administration has not allowed a single well to be drilled on any of these leases. Rhetoric does not drill wells and does not create jobs. Action does. There is no doubt that in light of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill almost two years ago, new safety and inspection measures must be put in place; but, new energy exploration cannot and should not be halted altogether.
The Executive Branch is also quick to blame “tax breaks” for energy companies, specifically oil and natural gas companies. The fact is, however, the oil and gas industry does not receive a single targeted tax credit from the IRS. It takes deductions on the cost of doing business, just like other companies. The Administration’s call for an $85 billion tax hike on a particular sector of our economy is not going to lower gas prices. It will make them higher. Giving millions in loan guarantees to companies like Solyndra while increasing taxes on proven energy resources is not going to solve the energy crisis. To call out the oil and gas industry over others is yet another illustration of the government picking winners and losers in the marketplace, something it does not need to be in the business of doing. In fact, the government should not be “in business” at all.
I agree with the President on one thing he said this week, namely that “[t]here is no silver bullet, there never has been.” Nonetheless, I completely disagree with his assertion that there is little we can do about it. The President and Senate should join us in putting forward a viable “All of the Above” energy strategy that will expand domestic sources of production, invest in clean energy technologies, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and help keep gas prices low for Americans. The United States can be a leader in innovation and clean energy without limiting our current sources of energy. I hope my colleagues will join in pushing for solutions to increasing gas prices that could have a debilitating effect on our fragile economy.
Ernest Ward Boys, Girls Swim Teams Take Second In County
February 27, 2012
Both the boys and girls Ernest Ward Middle swim teams finished second in Escambia County for the season. Pictured: The EWMS boys and girls swim teams at a recent county meet. Submitted photo by Stephanie Sims for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Indicted For New Year’s Day Abortion Clinic Bombing
February 27, 2012
A man accused of firebombing an abortion clinic in Escambia County has been indicted.
The two-count indictment charges Bobby Joe Rogers, 41, with arson and damaging a reproductive health facility in connection with the fire that destroyed the American Family Planning Clinic on January 1. Rogers has remained in federal custody since his arrest on January 5.
If convicted, Rogers faces 5 to 20 years in prison for the arson count and up to one year in prison for damaging a reproductive health clinic.