ECUA Saves $2.77 Million On Demoliton Of Old Sewage Plant
June 24, 2011
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has accepted a $734,617 bid to demolish the old Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant — a bid about $2.77 million less than the $3.5 million that was anticipated.
Cross Environmental Services of Crystal Springs will begin demolition in early August. The process is expected to be completed by July 2012.
CES plans to recycle many parts of the 70-year old plant.
The Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant was replaced by the new $316 million Central Water Reclamation Facility adjacent to Ascend Performance Materials (formerly Solutia) on Old Chemstrand Road in Cantonment.
A full 15 miles north of the existing Main Street Treatment Plant, the facility is well above the flood plain and is built to resist hurricane-force winds. Redundant power and storage systems help to ensure that the facility can remain operational during conditions that crippled the Main Street plant during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
Santa Rosa Employees To Get Lump Sum Payment
June 24, 2011
The Santa Rosa Commission voted Thursday morning to give employees a one time, lump-sum salary supplement that will cover the amount they will be required to contribute during the first three months of a new state requirement that requires them to contribute three percent to their retirement.
The supplement will cover July 1 until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. No decision has been made about the supplement for the upcoming budget year that begins October 1.
Two Arrested For Burglary After Attempting Getaway On Scooter
June 24, 2011
Two Escambia County men were arrested Thursday morning after allegedly burglarizing a home and making their getaway on a motor scooter.
At around 10:17 a.m. this morning, deputies responded to the report of a burglary in progress in the 5000 block of Mifflin Street.
“According to a witness, the two kicked in the front door of the residence before being startled and fleeing,” said sheriff’s office spokesman Deputy Chris Welborn.
The caller described the suspects to a dispatcher, telling the dispatcher that the two men were leaving the neighborhood on a motor scooter.
As Deputy Wayne Meadows was responding to the call, he noticed the scooter being ridden down Michigan Avenue by two men fitting the suspect description. Deputy Meadows was able to stop the scooter and identified the men as Qavontae Machell Lang and Jordan Donovon Scott, both 18.
An investigation into the burglary revealed that Lang and Scott had caused about $1,200 worth of damage to the Mifflin Street home. It was not yet clear as to what may had been taken out of the residence. Property crime investigators believe that Lang and Scott are suspects in other area burglaries and questioned the two men after their arrest.
“This is a great example of how community cooperation, coupled with great teamwork from our patrol deputies and our investigators, can help fight this type of crime,” said Welborn. “The witnesses were our eyes and ears in this case and the credit for these arrests goes to them.”
The two men were charged with criminal mischief, burglary and possession of burglary tools. They were being held at the Escambia County Jail on just over $100,000 bond each.
Tuition To Increase 15 Percent At Florida Universities
June 24, 2011
For the third year in a row, undergraduate students at Florida universities will pay 15 percent more in tuition.
The governing board for the State University System approved a 7 percent increase in tuition on Thursday. That’s on top of an 8 percent tuition increase approved by the Legislature earlier.
All of the Board of Governors voted for the increase, except Michael Long, the student representative from New College, who chose to vote against the increase for Florida Gulf Coast University and University of North Florida. Long said he was reflecting earlier votes by student body presidents at those schools.
The tuition increases come at a time when financial aid programs, such as the popular Bright Futures scholarship, are being cut, leaving students with bigger tuition bills. Some Board of Governors members are beginning to examine how tuition increases are impacting middle class students who aren’t eligible for need-based aid.
“We are looking at it,” said Tico Perez, a member of the Board of Governors and the chair of the board’s Budget and Finance Committee. Perez said the additional financial aid given to offset tuition increases is aimed at federal Pell grant recipients, who must meet federal low-income requirements to qualify.
“As tuition continues to increase, as Bright Futures continues to be cut…it is creating more and more of a challenge and we need to take a look at whether or not we broaden access to financial aid,” Perez said.
Universities argue that Florida students pay far less than students in other states for tuition. Florida ranks 48 in the cost of tuition and fees compared to other states, according to the College Board.
Fifteen percent is the maximum amount universities are allowed to increase tuition in a given year under state law.
University presidents spent most of Wednesday pleading their case for tuition increases to the Board of Governors. They said the hikes were needed to offset severe cuts in state funding. If it weren’t for tuition increases, universities would have to fire faculty, increase class sizes, and kill off academic programs and courses.
Some of Florida’s biggest universities – such as Florida State and the University of Florida – are fearful of losing prominent faculty and increasing class sizes because it could hurt their effort to climb in national rankings.
Some university officials are pushing for increases of more than 15 percent, such as University of Florida President Bernie Machen. The idea of the cap was to give universities time to catch up to the national average. But as other universities have also increased tuition, the national average has become a moving target.
There may be no end in sight for tuition increases in Florida. Universities disclosed to the governing board this week that without significant improvement in the economy, 15 percent tuition hikes will continue to be necessary every year. Each university, except for the University of North Florida, projected 15 percent increases the next four years.
Data presented to the Board on Thursday showed it would take at least 10 years to reach the national average assuming universities asked for 15 percent tuition increases each year, and assuming the national average of tuition and fees rose at 7 percent each year, which is the same percentage as the last five years.
“It creates a bit of a challenge to catch up to the national average,” Perez said. But he added that meeting the average is “not the goal” and is simply a “measuring device.”
By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida
Escambia School Board Member Elected To Statewide Office
June 24, 2011
Escambia County School Board member Patty Hightower was elected vice president of the Florida School Boards Association at its annual spring meeting earlier this month in Tampa.
The association is a state-wide organization of all Florida school board members which provides training for school board members and coordinates the exchange of information and ideas among the state school districts.
“It is an honor to serve on the Florida School Board Association leadership team not only to represent the students and citizens of Escambia County, but to support public education for the whole state as we create partnerships and leadership to keep the public aware of developments in public education,” Hightower said.
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said Hightower, who represents District 4, is a strong and capable leader.
“We are excited that these attributes are being recognized by others and that her talents will be used to tackle state-wide school issues,” he said.
Santa Rosa Joins Escambia In Issuing Burn Ban
June 23, 2011
Santa Rosa County issued a burn ban Thursday morning, joining Escambia County (Fla.) and the entire state of Alabama in prohibiting outdoor burning.
The ban prohibits open burning, to include but not limited to campfires, bonfires, yard debris, and other similar forms of incineration in both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. State permitted burns, authorized fireworks displays, State of Florida legal consumer firework products such as sparklers, fireworks sales which are authorized by state law, and outdoor cooking in barbecue grills, smokers, or other outdoor stoves located at private residences are exempt.
Violations are punishable by a fine of up to $500.
In Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, the burn bans included the cities of Century, Jay, Milton and Pensacola as well as the unincorporated areas of the counties.
911, Phone Outage Resolved In Escambia And Santa Rosa Counties
June 23, 2011
A cut fiber optic cable left northern Escambia and Santa Rosa county AT&T landline customers unable to call 911 or make many other calls for about an hour Thursday morning.
In Escambia County, the outage Thursday morning included AT&T landline customers in Century and Cantonment. In Santa Rosa County, the outage was north of the Yellow River and Escambia Bay, including Jay.
Animal Abandonment Charges Dropped Against Former Century Fireman
June 23, 2011
Charges against a former Century fireman accused of abandoning three dogs have been dropped after he successfully completed a pretrial diversion program.
Dustin Ryan Burkett, 29, was charged with three misdemeanor counts of abandonment of animals and obstruction of justice after allegedly abandoning three dogs that were reported to be rescued by the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue in August 2010.
The Century Station of Escambia-Rescue responded to a reported motor vehicle accident on Sunday, August 22, 2010, on North Century Boulevard just south of Tedder Road. They discovered that there was no accident; rather, a motorist had stopped after seeing the three dogs nearly in the road. Both the fire department and the Sheriff’s Office requested that Escambia County Animal Control respond, but the agency refused stating that it did not meet their call-out criteria.
Rather than leave the dogs beside the road, they were taken back to the Century firehouse as firefighters worked to determine what to do with the canines. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office incident report, the Burkett told his follow firefighters to, “Put them in my truck. I have a pen at my house”.
A Century Volunteer Fire Department officer emailed NorthEscambia.com that night, providing photographs of the dogs and asking for help in find the dogs’ owner. NorthEscambia.com published that story Monday, August 23.
After the article was published on NorthEscambia.com, the dogs’ owner contacted the fire department. According to the ECSO, the owner confronted Burkett at the Century fire station the next evening and asked the whereabouts of his dogs. Burkett according to the incident report, “refused to respond and acted like he didn’t know what (the victim) was talking about”.
The dogs’ owner then went to the Burkett’s residence on Highway 4A and spoke with the suspect’s father. The father was helpful but said that he did not see the dogs or know where his son had put them, the victim told deputies.
Burkett told a fire department officer that he had found a good home for the dogs in Walnut Hill, and the officer contacted NorthEscambia.com with the information. Based on that information from the fire department, a followup story was published by NorthEscambia.com on Thursday, August 26, reporting that a home had been found for the dogs.
Deputies met with both Burkett and his father. Burkett told deputies, according to their report, that he had given the dogs to a man he met. He told a deputy that he did not know how to contact the man and that the deputy should call his friend. The friend told the deputy by phone that “he did not want to be involved and that he was not going to tell a lie to keep (the suspect) out of trouble”. He said that Burkett contacted him Sunday night and “asked him to cover for him if asked the whereabouts of the missing dogs”. The friend told the deputy that Burkett told him that he took the dogs and dropped them off at the intersection of North Pine Barren Road and Highway 168.
When contacted by phone, the deputy said Burkett admitted to putting the dogs out of his vehicle on Pine Barren Road on Wednesday. About 30 minutes later, Burkett called the suspect again to advise him that he was going to face charges over the dogs. “He advised me that he didn’t kill them or sell them and that he put them out on Sunday,” Deputy David Bashore wrote in his report.
The dogs were found a few days later on Highway 4, not far from Northview High School. They were determined to be in good condition by a veterinarian and returned the owner.
Burkett was subsequently suspended from Escambia Fire Rescue.
In March 2011, Burkett entered into a plea agreement in an unrelated case on one count of child abuse, and the state dropped a charge of lewd and lascivious battery on a victim 12 to 15 years of age.
Burkett was arrested in September, 2010, in connection with a 2009 incident in which a 15-year old girl told deputies she had intercourse with Burkett at Lake Stone Campground in Century. The encounter, the victim told deputies, took place on or about March 28, 2009.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Burkett was sentenced to five years probation on a felony child abuse charge. He was not be required to register as a sex offender, but he was required to attend counseling, the State Attorney’s Office said.
Pictured top: Former Century firefighter Dustin Ryan Burkett. Pictured top inset: These cellphone photos show three dogs found the evening of August 22 on North Century Boulevard just south of Tedder Road. The firefighter partially in the photograph is not suspected of any wrongdoing. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
U.S. Marshals Bust Sexual Battery Suspect At Nine Mile Rd. Restaurant
June 23, 2011
A wanted sexual battery suspect was arrested at a Nine Mile Road restaurant Wednesday afternoon by a U.S. Marshals Task Force.
The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested 25-year old Daniel Brooks, wanted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for sexual battery by physical force.
On June 4, Brooks allegedly became enraged when his wife denied his sexual advances and used force to sexually assault her. He was arrested at Chili’s on Nine Mile Road and booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Cantonment Teen, 16, Gets 36 Months In Shooting Of West Florida Student
June 23, 2011
A Cantonment teen has been sentenced to up to 36 months for the February shooting death of a West Florida High School student also from Cantonment.
Nicolas Anthoni Diaz, 16, will serve his sentence in a high-risk juvenile facility on a manslaughter charge for the shooting death of Ryan Edward Flaherty, 17. After his release, he will be on probation until his 21st birthday.
Flaherty had been at a Pensacola home with several friends on February 27 when Diaz shot him in the head with a handgun, the Sheriff’s Office said. He later died at a Pensacola hospital.
Investigators believe Diaz was under the influence of alcohol when he began to handle a handgun found in the house. The gun discharged as Diaz pointed it at Flaherty; the bullet struck Flaherty in the head.
Flaherty was a student at West Florida Tech High School Multi-Media Academy and a member of the varsity soccer team.