Consolidated Escambia Government Bill Clears First Florida House Committee
March 22, 2009
The Florida House bill filed by State Rep. Greg Evers that, if approved, would led to the formation of a commission to study the consolidation of the governments of Century, Pensacola and Escambia County has cleared its first House committee
The Military and Local Affairs Policy Committee cleared the bill Friday afternoon, and the bill had its first reading in the Florida House late Friday afternoon. The bill has been referred to two other committees — the Finance and Tax Council and the Economic and Community Affairs Policy Council. It has not yet made the agenda of either group.
If the bill is approved by the legislature and signed by the governor, a consolidation study commission will be formed in Escambia County.
Once a consolidation plan is created by the study commission, it is to be submitted to the Escambia County Commission, the City of Pensacola and the Town of Century for action before submission to the Escambia County legislative delegation by January 15, 2010. Once approved by the legislature, the plan would presented to Escambia County voters.
Century, Pensacola and Escambia County will not be required to pay for the commission, under the house bill, but they will be required to provide clerical, technical and legal assistance to the commission.
The commission, to be appointed by July 1 of this year, would include up to 25 members from various groups in the county.
The commission will include:
- Five members appointed by the Escambia County Commission, with one member being appointed from each district
- One member appointed by the Century Town Council, with that member being a resident of Century
- Two members appointed by the Pensacola City Council, both of them being residents of Pensacola
One member will be appointed by each of the following groups:
- NAACP
- Escambia County Taxpayer’s Association
- League of Women Voters of Pensacola Bay Area
- Pensacola Young Professionals
- Pensacola Ministerial Alliance
- Escambia County Farm Bureau
- Home Builders Association of West Florida
The president of the University of West Florida will appoint one member with expertise in local government matters. The sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, clerk of court and supervisor of elections will each appoint one member.
The chief judge of the First Judicial Circuit will appoint two Florida Bar members with legal expertise in local government matters.
One member will be appointed by the Escambia County School Board, and the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority will appoint a member.
A special advisory committee on public safety will be appointed under the house bill, consisting of the following or their designee:
- Escambia County Sheriff
- Pensacola Police chief
- Escambia County Community Corrections Bureau
- Escambia County Public Safety Bureau Chief
- Pensacola fire chief
- Escambia County Medical Director
- chairperson of the Escambia County Fire Services Advisory Board
- Police Benevolent Association of the City of Pensacola
- Police Benevolent Association of Escambia County
- Chapter of of the International Association of Firefighters of the City of Pensacola
A special advisory committee on economic development will be appointed, including members appointed by the following groups:
- Pensacola Junior College
- Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
- Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce
- Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board
- Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce
- local chapter of the Florida Black Chamber of Commerce
- Florida’s Great Northwest
- Town of Century Chamber of Commerce
- Walnut Hill Ruritan Club
- Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce
An advisory committee on health care will be appointed by:
- Baptist Health Care
- Sacred Heart Health System
- West Florida Hospital
- Escambia County Health Department
- Escambia County Medical Society
Click here to read the entire bill (pdf format).
Spring: March Tips For Your Flowers, Shrubs, Lawn And Garden
March 22, 2009
Now that spring is here and the outdoors are turning green again, it is time to begin thinking about working in your outdoor areas in North Escambia and surrounding areas. From flowers, to tree and shrubs to lawns, the Escambia County Extension Service offers some great tips for the late March through April time period:
Flowers
- Begin planting colorful annual flowers such as ageratum, alyssum, amaranthus, asters, baby’s breath, begonia, calendula, celosia, cosmos, dahlia, dusty miller, gaillardia, geranium, hollyhock, impatiens, marigold, nicotiana, ornamental pepper, pentas, phlox, rudbeckia, salvia, sweet Williams, torenia, verbena, vinca and zinnia.
- Caladium bulbs are extremely sensitive to cold soil so there is no advantage to planting early. Purchase caladiums while there is a good selection, but wait until late March or April before planting them in shady beds.
- Begin watching roses for black spot fungus disease (small black spots on the leaves that quickly worsen). Control it by spraying every seven to ten days with a fungicide. Call your local Extension Office for recommended products.
Trees and Shrubs
- Finish pruning summer flowering shrubs such as althea, hibiscus, abelia, oakleaf hydrangea and oleander.
- Delay pruning azaleas, camellias, spiraeas, gardenias and other spring flowering shrubs until after flowering is complete.
- Prune any cold weather-damaged plants only after new growth appears.
- If needed, fertilize shrubs and small trees with a slow release fertilizer. A good general-purpose landscape fertilizer is a 15-0-15.
- Mature palms should receive an application of granular fertilizer. Use a special palm fertilizer that has an 8-2-12 +4Mg (magnesium) with micronutrients formulation. Apply one pound of fertilizer per 100 sq ft of canopy area or landscape area.
- Pick up all fallen camellia blossoms and remove them from your property. This practice helps to prevent petal blight next season.
- Prune ornamental grasses. For more information visit the online publication, “Considerations for Selection and Use of Ornamental Grasses,” at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP233 or call you local Extension Office for a copy.
- Evergreen and semi-evergreen trees such as live oak and laurel oak shed most of their leaves during March and early April. Make plans to recycle these leaves on your
property by composting or using them as mulch in vegetable, flower and shrub beds.
Vegetable Garden
- In mid-March, plant vegetables such as bush beans, pole beans, lima beans, cantaloupes, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, southern peas, peppers, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes and watermelon.
- Sweet potato plants (slips/draws) can be set out April through June.
Lawns
- Removing excessive accumulation of leaves from the lawn will increase the effectiveness of fertilizer and pesticide applications.
- If a pre-emergence lawn herbicide is needed to control summer weeds, it should be applied in early March or when day temperatures reach 65 to 70 degrees F for 4 to 5 consecutive days. Make certain to choose one that is safe on your type of grass. Call your local Extension Office for a recommendation.
- Wait until early April to fertilize lawns. If fertilized too early, they often respond with yellow spots of iron chlorosis. Use a slow release nitrogen product with a 3-1-3 ratio
(like a 16-2-16) or a 1:0:1 ratio such as a 15-0-15. - Service the lawn mower by sharpening the blade and adjusting the cutting height for your type of grass.
- Anyone considering establishment of centipede grass from seed should hold off until the soil warms up and stabilizes above 70°F.
- Spring dead spots may be present. Before treating these areas, get a diagnosis. Treat, if necessary, and then patch these areas before weeds invade the bare spots. Sodding, plugging or sprigging helps them to fill in quicker.
Photo Galleries: NWE Opening Day, First Day Games, Wee Ball
March 22, 2009
Saturday was opening day for the Northwest Escambia Little League.
For a complete photo gallery from opening ceremonies, click here.
For a complete photo gallery from opening morning games, click here.
For a photo gallery form the first-ever wee ball game at Drew’s Field, click here.
Pictured top: Opening Day ceremonies for the Northwest Escambia Little League. Pictured middle: Pitcher Mallory Ryan winds up for the Northwest Escambia Sandy Sansing team. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Birth: Savannah Leigh Gilmore
March 22, 2009
Benjamin and Rachel Gilmore are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Savannah Leigh Gilmore. Savannah was born on February 8, 2009 at 12:56 pm and weighed 8 lbs and 10 oz. She is the granddaughter of Glen and Jean Wiggins and Elton and Missy Gilmore and the great granddaughter of Pattie Stone and the late George Stone, Ouida Wiggins and the late Billy Wiggins, and Mattie Lou Sheffield.
NorthEscambia.com is now proud to offer free birth and wedding announcements. For more information, email news@northescambia.com. Announcements will ordinarily appear on our Features page.
NHS Winning Streak Comes To An End With Loss To Catholic
March 21, 2009
An eight game winning streak came to an end for the Northview Chiefs Friday night with a painful district loss to Catholic High School.
The Crusaders downed Northview 13-3 Friday night in Bratt.
The Chiefs are now 8-3 on the season. They were scheduled to play two on the road in Mobile Saturday, but their afternoon game has been canceled.
Northview will travel to St. Paul’s in Mobile Saturday for a single game starting against St. Paul at 11 a.m.
The Chiefs were originally scheduled to play Washington County, Ala., at 1:30, but that afternoon game has been canceled.
Click here for more photos from Friday night’s game. Submitted photos by Heather Leonard.
Pictured above: Senior Patrick McPherson at bat for the Northview Chiefs Friday night in Bratt. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Another Sweepstakes Scam Letter Delivered To Local Resident
March 21, 2009
A local woman received a $4,750 check and the promise of a $125,000 prize in a sweepstakes when she check her email Friday, but she soon realized it was nothing more than a scam.
She told NorthEscambia.com that the check was in Friday’s mail, but it all sounded too good to be true to the resident that lives between Bratt and Byrneville.
The letter promised that she had one second place in a drawing, and that was worth the $125,000. The $4,750 check was included for her to pay $3,785 in taxes, the letter said. The letter instructed her to call a telephone number that appears to be a cell phone in Montreal, Canada. A person at that number was to instruct her how to pay her taxes after depositing the check.
The letter included the logos of Wal-mart, Sears, Kmart and TJ Max. It had a Canadian stamp.
The local woman tells us she called the Better Business Bureau and was told that the letter was a scam, and she was warned to not cash the genuine-looking check because it would bounce.
“I know that these are some very hard times,” the local woman wrote to NorthEscambia.com “So many people are hoping for a break in life and would most likely fall for this scam in a heartbeat and end up so much worse off than before the letter and check arrived in their mailbox. ”
The scam is very similar to one that cost at least six North Escambia residents thousands of dollars in late February. Read that story here.
Pictured above and below: The check and letter received by a local woman Friday promising her big sweepstakes winning. The Better Business Bureau told the woman that the whole thing is a scam. Submitted for NorthEscambia.com.
Guns From Burglaries Recovered; One Suspect To Face Additional Charges, Another Warrant Issued
March 21, 2009
The recovery of guns from recent burglaries in the area will have one of three suspects facing additional charges, and a warrant for a fourth suspect has been issued.
Escambia County Deputy Ty Brewton and other officers have recovered nine firearms from a recent string of burglaries, according to Lt. Tony Jordan. The firearm recovery has solved additional burglaries, Jordan said. Some of those firearms have already been returned to their rightful owners.
The recovery of those firearms has additional charges pending against burglary suspect Patrick Hosea Bell, 20, of Cantonment, according to Jordan. Bell (pictured left) remains in the Escambia County Jail on multiple counts including theft, burglary, trespassing, criminal mischief and narcotics charges. He is being held on a $104,000 bond.
He was arrested Monday in connection with a string of about 25 burglaries, many of which were in the Molino and Cantonment areas.
Jermaine Lamar Patterson, 17, of Cantonment is still in the the Escambia County Jail, being held on $70,000 bond. He faces multiple charges, including burglary, theft and criminal mischief.
Sara Louise Temoney, 22, of Pensacola was granted pre-trial release by the court Tuesday. She was charged with criminal mischief, burglary, grand theft and knowingly giving false information to law enforcement.
Deputies say they have named a fourth suspect in connection with the burglaries, and a warrant has been issued for their arrests. They have not publicly released the suspect’s name.
As NorthEscambia.com first reported Tuesday morning, Bell, Patterson and Temoney were arrested Monday by deputies after an attempted burglary on Clymil Drive, just south of Williams Ditch Road in the Cottage Hill area. Deputies say at least two more people are expected to be arrested in connection with the burglaries. In all, the suspects are believed to be responsible for about 25 burglaries in the area.
“We recovered a lot of merchandise,” Lt. Tony Jordan of the Escambia Sheriff’s Department told NorthEscambia.com. Property recovered from an apartment complex on Olive Road in Pensacola included a long list of big screen TVs, jewelry, games systems, DVDs, computers and more.
The arrests came Monday after the Clymil Drive resident came home to find a vehicle backed to his home and called for help. Deputies located the vehicle and made their arrests, but not before the female suspect reported that she had been carjacked, Jordan said.
The persons arrested Monday are possibly linked to 25 similar burglaries across the area this year, according to the Sheriff’s Department. In the typical burglary, one suspect would knock on the front door of the home. If no one answered the door, the suspects would back their car up to the home and kick in the backdoor, Jordan said. Most of the burglaries took place in isolated areas, often at homes where trees or shrubbery block the view of the home from the road.
In an incident last week, a man returned to his home in the 4000 block of Chestnut Road in Molino to find one of the burglars inside his home.
Pictured above: More charges are expected to be filed against Patrick Hosea Bell in connection with a string of burglaries. Pictured below: Burglary suspects (L-R) Jermaine Lamar Patterson, Sara Louise Temoney and Patrick Hosea Bell. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com.
Camp Fire Kids Sing In Spring At Century Care Center
March 21, 2009
The first day of spring had some “precious flowers” from Camp Fire USA Day Camp singing for the residents of the Century Care Center. The residents received a handmade piece of artwork and lots of hugs. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
1,000 Take Part In Northview FFA Food For America Program (With Photo Gallery)
March 21, 2009
About 800 elementary school students from nine schools attended the annual “Food for America” program Friday at Northview High School , with about 1,000 people total either attending or working with the program.
The program, sponsored the National FFA Organization and conducted by the Northview FFA, gave the students a chance to learn about agriculture firsthand as they got up close and personal with farm animals, farm equipment and more. The students even had the opportunity to make their own butter and enjoy it on crackers.
The Northview FFA has participated in the program for 14 years, placing second in the state two years ago. Northview has placed in the top five in the state for the last ten years.
Click here for a complete NorthEscambia.com photo gallery with dozens of pictures from the event.
About 120 FFA students from Northview and Ernest Ward Middle School conducted the program, with about 1,200 people total either attending or working with the program.
Schools scheduled to attend the Food for America program Friday at Northview were Bratt Elementary, Byrneville Elementary, Jim Allen Elementary, Atmore Christian Academy, Jay Elementary, Molino Park Elementary, Century Carver Elementary, Pollard-McCall Elementary, Pensacola Beach Elementary and area home schooled children.
Participants in the FFA’s program included: the Northview FFA, Ernest Ward FFA, North Escambia Beekeepers Association, Escambia River Electrical Cooperative, Young Farmers and Ranchers, Pine Ridge Farms, Florida Division of Forestry, University of Florida-Milton, University of Florida/IFAS Extension, Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department, Century Fire Department, Northview 4-H, National Resource Conservation Service, Humane Society, Hendrix Tractor Company, Escambia County Farm Bureau and Stewart’s Grist Mill.
Pictured top: Hundreds of elementary students had the chance to get up close to livestock Friday morning at Northview High School’s annual Food For America program. Pictured middle: Children had the chance to sample fresh strawberries. Pictured below: Students learned about making fresh corn meal. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
4-H Celebrating 100 Years; Special Event Next Saturday
March 21, 2009
Florida 4-H Youth Development is celebrating 100 years of teaching youth to become responsible citizens and community leaders with various activities throughout Florida. Escambia County invites the public to commemorate “Florida 4-H: A Century of Youth Success” at the Langley Bell 4-H Center, next Saturday, March 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Langley Bell 4-H Center, located at 4810 West Nine Mile Road, will host a Florida 4-H Centennial exhibit as well as 4-H Club and heritage arts displays in the auditorium. The annual Spring Livestock Show featuring preview and market steer, beef and dairy heifers, swine, meat goats, rabbits and chickens will be held outside.
There will also be face painting, moon walks, popcorn, cotton candy, a petting farm, games, the Perdido Creek Indian Traveling Museum and much more.
What began as a program to teach new farming techniques in corn and tomato clubs has become a community-based educational program. Projects range from aerospace and citizenship to horses and forestry. With more than 234,000 current members, Florida 4-H is the state’s largest non-formal youth development program and the largest youth organization in the world with over nine million members. A total of 6,226 youth, ages five through 18, are enrolled in the Escambia County 4-H Youth Program that helps youth cultivate leadership, citizen and life skills that benefit themselves and the communities where they live. The interdisciplinary curriculum serves as the foundation of the program and is applied at 4-H day camps, after-school programs, 4-H clubs, school settings and through partnership with various youth organizations.
Florida 4-H is the youth development program of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service (CES) headquartered in Gainesville within the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). The CES is funded by a partnership between federal, state and county government agencies.
For more information about Escambia County 4-H, visit http://escambia.ifas.ufl.edu or call 475-5230.