Final Touches: Work Begins To Wrap Up Resurfacing Project On Hwy 97
January 4, 2011
Contractors are almost finished with a $5.7 million project to resurface 22 miles of Highway 97 from Highway 95 in Molino to the Alabama state line. The project, which began in April, 2010, also included constructing new guardrails and making minor drainage improvements. Monday, a final coat of reflective striping was being added to the highway markings.
Pictured: A final coat of reflective paint is added to a white line on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill Monday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys RV
January 3, 2011
Fire destroyed a recreational vehicle in Walnut Hill Monday night.
The fire was reported on dirt lane near the intersection of Garrett Road and Pine Forest Road just about 6 p.m. The RV was completely destroyed when the first firefighters arrived on scene.
There were no injuries reported.
Scott’s Inaugural Eve Event Salutes Military
January 3, 2011
Governor-elect Rick Scott’s inaugural eve events turned country at an afternoon military appreciation event Monday a few blocks from the state Capitol.
The anthems of the nation’s military branches were sung by Fort Pierce’s Avenue D Boys Choir to open the show, which also featured performances by John Michael Montgomery, Rockie Lynne, Pensacola’s Aaron Tippin – performing the Gulf War era hit, ‘You’ve Got to Stand for Something’ – and, of course, Lee Greenwood, who capped the event with – what else – a rendition of “Proud to Be American,” with Scott and incoming Lieutenant Gov. Jennifer Carrroll standing by him.
About 1,000 people attended, including many service members and their families, along with many military retirees. Also in the crowd was retired Col. Bud Day, the former Air Force officer and Vietnam POW who frequently steps into Florida politics.
Scott’s inaugural committee has raised $3.5 million for the events surrounding his swearing-in. A portion of the contributions – so far just over $100,000 – has gone to the “wounded warriors” program which helps injured veterans and their families.
State Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, who doubles as the Florida Republican Party chairman and was awarded the Bronze Star, said the military could expect Scott, who served in the Navy, to stand by them.
“I know we’re going to have a governor who believes in a strong military, and in the men and women who serve in the military,” Thrasher said.
Carroll, who like Scott served in the Navy, retiring as a lieutenant commander, said “she outranks him. Until tomorrow.”
Scott said he thought it was important to include the military on an inaugural eve.
“We honor and respect the tradition of our great country,” Scott told the crowd.
Scott Inaugural Events Get Underway This Morning
January 3, 2011
Gov.-elect Rick Scott started two days of inaugural events Monday at the Governor’s Mansion where he’ll reside the next four years, and where his family photos are already displayed.
Scott doesn’t officially take office until he takes the oath on Tuesday, but he got a sense of what it will be like, having spent the night there, and riding to his first inaugural celebration event, a “Salute to Women in Leadership” breakfast in a motorcade after greeting the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agents assigned to him.
Scott, who campaigned on a theme of “Let’s Get to Work,” appeared eager to start – getting going in the early morning hours with a walk with his yellow lab Reagan on the Mansion grounds.
Reagan didn’t make a public appearance Monday morning. But Scott was seen leaving the mansion at 8:24 a.m., for the breakfast, which drew about 300 invitees.
At the breakfast, Scott noted that he and his wife Ann – scheduled to be honored at an event just for her later – are the parents of two daughters.
“I hope they feel there is no limit to their lives,” Scott said.
He also recalled the challenges facing women, remembering his law school days in the late 1970s when women had to fight legally for opportunities and advancements.
“No woman who has come up in the past 50 years as a female has had an easy job,” Scott said, before sliding into his economic theme.
“This is the beginning. We’re going to turn this state around,” Scott said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, black or white…anything is possible. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure everybody in this state has that opportunity.”
There are two days of events surrounding Scott’s inauguration on Tuesday. The former health care executive, who has never held elected office, defeated Democrat Alex Sink in the closest governor’s race in modern times in November.
Morning temperatures in Tallahassee on Monday hovered around 35 degrees, recalling other recent inauguration days.
“It’s not as cold as it was for Jeb Bush’s first inaugural,” horse-track lobbyist Wilbur Brewton recalled. “My feet were frozen at that.”
Former Gov. Bob Martinez said his 1987 inaugural still was chillier. But he was ready to offer some advice for the new guy.
“They’ve put together a good team,” Martinez said of Scott and Lieutenant Gov.-elect Jennifer Carroll. “It’s not complete. But they should be able to work with the Legislature.”
Martinez also noted the $3.5 billion budget shortfall. “Money is always a huge challenge,” he said.
Among those spotted coming in for the nosh: former Florida Insurance Commissioner Bill Gunter, ex-Florida Republican Party Chair Carole Jean Jordan, GOP fundraiser and BellSouth lobbyist Mike Hightower, state GOP vice-chair Deborah Coxe-Roush, Scott lawyer and lobbyist John French (on crutches nursing a torn quadricep), House budget chair Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-Lake Placid, and former Florida Secretary of State Sandra Mortham.
Incoming Cabinet members, Attorney General-elect Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner-elect Adam Putnam also were there. Bondi was given a video introduction and handed the microphone for the women’s event.
She recalled campaigning and having teen-aged girls surrounding her.
“Young girls would come up to me, 14, 15, and 16 and say ‘I want to go to law school because of you. I want to be attorney general because of you,’” Bondi said, although she added, “it’s not all about me.”
“I tell you there is no glass ceiling,” she said. “Because of people who have come before.”
The breakfast’s featured speaker was Fox News host Greta Van Susteren. She derided Washington as home to the “Hatfields and McCoys” because of its partisan divide.
“You can either mimic Washington with this ridiculous gridlock we’ve had, or you can do better,” Van Susteren told the crowd.
Florida’s 12 percent unemployment rate — “that’s bad. That’s horrible.” But she said if bipartisan work can bring the jobless rate down a couple points — to say, 10 percent, that’s success.
“People aren’t looking for miracles, they’re looking for progress,” she said. “If you can bring it down, you can own that one.”
Van Susteren touted bipartisanship to the almost exclusively Republican gathering.
“It’s a team sport,” Van Susteren said of governing. “You can either be on the team, or off the team. Sometimes you have to compromise.”
Carroll was also honored and she also took up the theme of empowerment for women.
“I know I will be making a way for other women to one day walk in my shoes,” Carroll said.
“It is because of a forward thinking man, a political outsider…who is secure in who he is, that I stand before you today,” Carroll said.
Photo by Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Update By John Kennedy
The News Service Florida
Boyfriend Charged In Murder Of Atmore Woman Shot In Her Bedroom
January 3, 2011
Atmore Police are investigating the murder of a 44-year old woman shot to death by her boyfriend.
Cedric Floyd, 28, of Atmore, is accused of shooting Tina Roshell Jones, 43, inside her 5th Avenue residence. Jones called 911 at 12:46 Sunday morning to report that Floyd was breaking into her home. Two minutes later, Atmore Police officers arrived and found Jones lying in the floor of the home with what appeared to be several gunshot wounds, according to Atmore Police. She was transported to Atmore Community Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
“Witnesses at the scene said they were asleep, but were waken by Floyd demanding keys to a vehicle. After several moments, Floyd fled the scene on foot,” said Jason Dean, Atmore Police chief..
“While officers were at the residence, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from Cedric Jerome Floyd, 28 years of age, the boyfriend of Jones, stating he wanted to turn himself in. Deputies responded to Freemanville Drive where Floyd met officers. Floyd was then taken into custody,” said Dean.
Police said Floyd made forcible entry into the home through a Jones’ bedroom window in the rear of the home.
Floyd is being held without bond on a charge of capital murder in the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton.
2 More Weeks: Work Continues On North Highway 99 Bridge
January 3, 2011
As school traffic returned this morning, drivers still faced detours around a North Highway 99 bridge and will for perhaps another couple of weeks.
Target reopening date for the North Highway 99 bridge over North Pine Barren Creek, just north of the Oak Grove Park, is Friday, January 14, according to Sonya Daniel, public information manager for Escambia County. The target date depends, she said, on weather and the timely delivery of materials to the contractor.
The 55-year old bridge was closed to traffic December 9 after a routine inspection revealed a deterioration of concrete at the southern end of the bridge.
“The southern end of the bridge will be completely reconstructed,” Daniel said. “They will also clean and reseal all of the bridge joints.”
The repairs are being done by DKE Marine under an emergency Escambia County purchase order not to exceed $100,000. A recent county report estimated the total cost to replace the bridge at $2.34 million.
The roadway is heavily traveled and is a primary route for school traffic to and from Bratt Elementary, Ernest Ward Middle and Northview High schools. Escambia County’s recommended north/south detour for the bridge is Gobbler Road and Still Road.
Pictured above: Looking under the North Highway 99 bridge over Pine Barren Creek. Pictured below: The bridge was closed December 9. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
2010 Persons Of The Year: Nadine McCaw
January 3, 2011
NorthEscambia.com is naming Persons of the Year for 2010 each day this week. Click here for previous recipients.
Nadine McCaw of Century has been named one of our North Escambia Persons of the Year for 2010.
Publicly, Nadine is known because she currently serves as a member of the Century Town Council. And she’s worked tirelessly to support the Century Relay for Life. And she is active in the Century Chamber of Commerce, and her church, the First Baptist Church of Century. And she was one of those helpful ladies checking out our books at the Century Branch Library. And the list goes on of the public things Nadine is seen doing for the town she loves.
But perhaps Nadine is most deserving of being a North Escambia Person of the Year for being the person that most people never see.
Like any grandparent, Nadine loves her grandchildren and cherishes every moment with them. When Rebecca Jones, 4, was born, it was grandchild number eight for Nadine and Eddie, her husband of 39 years. It was a happy time with a new life in the world. But within a matter of days, Nadine was told that her life was about to be over.
While visiting with Rebecca, Nadine got sick. Five doctors and two weeks later, she had been told five times that she was not likely to survive the invasive cervical cancer that doctors found. She even saw one of the top cancer doctors in the South at the University of Alabama Birmingham.
Lead specialist at UAB told Nadine that if she survived the surgery, she might have six months to live.
Nadine knew the possibility of dying from cancer was very real. When Nadine was three, her mother died from cancer at age 21. Her brother-in-law died from colon cancer. The list of relatives in her family that died from cancer is a long one.
Her family, her friends, her church…they all prayed. And prayed.
Prayer worked.
She went from doctors telling her she had six months to live, to being one of the most important words in the world of cancer — survivor.
Fast forward to 2010. Nadine was diagnosed with renal caner. She had one of her kidneys and several lymph nodes removed in October and continues to recover at home.
The Century community rallied behind Nadine as she was faced with inadequate insurance and mounting medical bills. Hundreds of fish plates were sold, walkers braved frigid temps and other events worked to raise funds for Nadine. Community members posted purple bows to show their support for the lady that helped Century in so many ways.
Many of those ways Nadine helped Century were very quiet — those that know Nadine know that she likes to stay far from the spotlight. Humble does not begin to explain Nadine.
Most never knew about the times she dug into her own pocket to buy items for the library, plants to decorate city hall, plants for a local park or Christmas decorations for all. Most never knew while bedridden with renal cancer, she participated in a town council meeting.
Most never knew about the friends and relatives she worked to care for. Most never knew of the times she and husband Eddie would walk the town and pick up trash.
Most never knew the Nadine McCaw for which we name her a North Escambia Person of the Year.
Wreath Fire Safety Campaign Ends With 18 Red Bulbs; No North Escambia Fires
January 3, 2011
The seventh year of the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign in Escambia County ended with 18 red bulbs representing residential fires — none in North Escambia.
On December 1, 2010, Escambia County Fire-Rescue and the City of Pensacola Fire Department kicked off “Keep the Wreath Green,” a holiday fire safety campaign.
Five-foot wreaths lit with green lights were placed at locations throughout the county. During the month-long event, 18 of the green bulbs in each wreath were replaced with red ones, representing residential fires that occurred in the county over the holiday season.
In 2009 there were 12 residential fires, with none in North Escambia.
Escambia residents can call 595-HERO for fire safety information and information about obtaining a free smoke detector.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
End Of Christmas Break: Back To School Time
January 3, 2011
Students across the area headed back to school Monday morning following the Christmas holidays.
Students in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties returned to class Monday
Students in Escambia County, Alabama, returnedto school on Tuesday. Teachers were back at work Monday for a professional development day.
Scott Inauguration: NorthEscambia.com Exclusive Interview
January 3, 2011
Rick Scott will be sworn as Florida’s governor Tuesday During his campaign, he refused to sit down with any newspaper editorial board, but he did sit down for a one-on-one interview with NorthEscambia.com on his campaign bus following a campaign stop in Molino.
Here are excerpts from our exclusive interview with the future governor and his North Escambia visit just days before the election:
Small Towns
The Town of Century’s primary focus over the past several years has been to improve economic conditions. Scott said he can help.
“My focus is to get people jobs. The real key is to get everybody a job and build businesses back in the state. Then our local communities like Century will have the tax base to grow,” Scott said.
North Escambia, Other Rural Communities
If elected, Scott said he won’t forget about small rural communities like those in North Escambia. He pledged to get out and talk to people all across the state to learn what issues are important to them.
“When I am governor, I will get out and see how these laws, these regulations impact them. I grew up with no money, so I know what it’s like when government passes things that cost you money.”
One such regulation, Scott said, is SB 550, legislation passed earlier this year to require septic tank inspections every five years to protect Florida springs.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me and I want it repealed. What is the state government involved in that? It makes no sense.”
The Right Thing For Florida
“We have the chance to change our country. If we do the right thing here in Florida, every state has to compete for us with jobs, for people. We can change the whole country with what we are doing,” he said. “We cannot allow this country to go down the path of high taxes and high regulation. This is our opportunity.”
Government has gotten too big at every level, from local to federal governments. The place to cut, Scott said, is at the state level. “We can be the number one state. The number one state for taking care of taxpayers, the number one state for job creation.”
700,000 Jobs In 7 Years
Scott’s plan includes the creation of 700,000 jobs in Florida during a seven year period.
“We are doing really well,” Scott said as he echoed his ongoing message of seven steps to 700,000 jobs. “I am going to make sure the state runs like a business. I am going to reduce regulation; I am going to work every day…I am going to run the state like you run a household or you run a business.”
Back To Work
“I believe in this country; I believe in the American dream,” said Scott, who grew up in public housing and worked since he was in second grade before building successful businesses. “I’ve lived the American dream, and I want that dream for all of Florida. That’s the dream that we all want, and we want to get the state back to work.”
Pictured top: Rick Scott addresses supporters at Fran’s Country Grill in Molino just days before being elected Florida’s governor. Pictured inset: Scott sits down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with NorthEscambia.com on his campaign bus. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.