Volunteer Wanted For West Florida Public Library Board of Governance
January 26, 2023
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking county residents interested in volunteering to be considered for an appointment to the West Florida Public Library Board of Governance.
The duties of the board include establishing policy and overseeing the management of Escambia County library services and making recommendations to the BCC regarding the annual budget according to the purposes and authority set forth in resolutions, interlocal agreements and other agreements, as well as state and federal laws. These duties also include establishing an annual plan of service and the long-range strategic planning of library services.
West Florida Public Libraries provides service to all of Escambia County, with the board typically meeting on the fourth Monday of the month from 4-6:30 p.m.
Residents interested in serving on the board are asked to submit a resume and letter indicating their desire to serve by 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 9. Resumes should be submitted to Todd J. Humble, Director, West Florida Public Libraries, 239 N. Spring St., Pensacola, FL, 32502 or by email to tjhumble@mywfpl.com.
Resumes submitted to a BCC agenda for consideration will become part of the official minutes and are subject to public records requests.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Three Airlifted After Multi-Vehicle Crash On Highway 97 In Molino
January 25, 2023
Three people were airlifted to an area hospital with critical injuries following a multi-vehicle crash Monday afternoon on Highway 97 in Molino.
The crash happened about 3 p.m. on Highway 97 just north of Sunshine Hill Road.
Three people were declared “trauma alerts” and flown to the hospital by three different medical helicopter services — LifeFlight, Medstar Air Care, and Shandscair — from a landing zone set up at Molino Park Elementary School. At least two of the victims were males in their 60s, according to reports.
At least one other person was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered critical.
The vehicles involved in the wreck included a GMC Hummer, a pickup truck and a passenger car.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released the cause of the crash, which closed down Highway 97 and detoured drivers.
The Molino, McDavid and Cantonment stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue responded, along with multiple Escambia County EMS units and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Photos by Melody Johnson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lane Closures Planned For Two Highway 29 Bridges Between McDavid And Century
January 25, 2023
Delays are possible on two North Escambia Highway 29 bridges the next few days for routine bridge maintenance.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, motorists may encounter intermittent land closures on the Highway 29 bridge over Mitchell Creek between 8 p.m. Wednesday and 4 a.m. Thursday. The bridge is located just north of Highway 164 and the McDavid Fire Department.
There will also be intermittent lane closures on the Highway 29 bridge over Canoe Creek between 8 p.m. Thursday and 4 a.m. Friday. The bridge is just north of Roach Road.
Bratt Elementary Cuts The Ribbon On A New Book Vending Machine
January 25, 2023
Bratt Elementary School kicked off Celebrate Literacy week by cutting the ribbon on a new book vending machine.
Students will read to earn tokens that can be used to “purchase” books. Monday, top accelerated reader scorers in each grade level were the first to use the new book vending machine.
“A love for books is one of the greatest ways we can instill in our children a lifelong desire to learn and grow,” Principal Amy McCrory said. “We want their world to be enlarged even after they leave our school by this love for books that was first planted in their minds here at Bratt Elementary . It is our hope that this book vending machine will be an innovative tool to spark this love.”
The vending machine was funded by the Bratt Elementary School PTA and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
After 15 Months, Escambia Emergency Rental Assistance Program Closes
January 25, 2023
After accepting applications for 15 months, the Escambia County Emergency Rental Assistance Program has officially closed.
The application portal opened on October 18, 2021, to assist eligible low-income Escambia County residents and families facing financial hardship due to COVID-19.
Residents who have already submitted an application or an additional funding request for emergency rental assistance before January 24, 2023, will continue to have their application or request reviewed.
“However, there is no guarantee applications will be funded due to a lack of funds,” the county said. For more information, contact the ERAP help desk at 850-403-6044 or email erap@myescambia.zendesk.com.
Emergency rental assistance was available to eligible low-income Escambia County residents and families who:
- Were financially impacted by COVID-19;
- Had total household income at or below 80% Area Median Income;
- Were at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and
- Had received any other rental assistance for the requested months.
Both the renter and the landlord were required to submit an application, and reimbursements were paid directly to the landlord or utility provider. The program provided for up to 12 months of overdue or late rent and utility bills for households in Escambia County.
Santa Rosa School Resource Officer Charged With Lewd and Lascivious Behavior
January 25, 2023
A school resource officer in Santa Rosa County was arrested Tuesday for lewd and lascivious behavior.
The arrest of Santa Rosa County Deputy David Daniels came after an official report of misconduct was made to the Department of Children and Families.
Immediately after receiving the report, the SRCO Major Crimes detectives began to investigate the reported incident. Due to the nature of the claim and Daniels’ position as a SRO at High Road School of Santa Rosa, he was immediately removed from his position at the school and replaced with another deputy.
According to SRSO, the incident happened in January 2016.
“Due to this information, and other details of our investigation, we have no reason to believe that any misconduct occurred while Daniels was on duty or school premises,” Jillian Durkin, SRSO public information officer, said.
Daniels was placed on administrative leave and was ultimately released from his employment with the SRSO upon his arrest.
“Unfortunately, today we had to arrest one of our own. This is another case of an individual that has tarnished the badge. Once we were made aware of it, we responded appropriately, arrested him, and terminated his employment. At the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, we put our citizens first and any deputy who breaks the law will be immediately held accountable,” Sheriff Bob Johnson said.
Daniels’ mugshot was exempt from release under Florida law.
Attorney General Honors Local FHP Troop For Rescuing Human Trafficking Victim
January 25, 2023
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody today presented a Back the Blue Award to Florida Highway Patrol Troop A for rescuing a human trafficking victim. Troop A’s area includes Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Troopers recovered a minor trafficked by a known gang member after a car pursuit. The investigation uncovered that the defendant transported the victim across the state and coerced the teenager into sex work and child pornography. In addition to the Back the Blue Award, Attorney General Moody presented a resolution to FHP Troop A recognizing National Human Trafficking Prevention Month in a Florida Cabinet meeting.
“I’m proud to present this Back the Blue Award and Cabinet Resolution to the courageous law enforcement officers in FHP Troop A—they are true heroes who rescued a minor from a dangerous human trafficker. Ending this atrocious crime is one of my top priorities and I’m grateful for our law enforcement in Florida who work daily to help us achieve this lofty goal,” Moody said.
Troopers rescued a human trafficking victim following a car chase involving the trafficker, a known felon and gang member. The perpetrator fled the scene, and troopers discovered the female minor. The investigation uncovered that the trafficker transported the minor from South Florida to Okaloosa County to coerce the victim into sex work and the creation of child pornography.
Attorney General Moody honored the following Troopers for rescuing the victim: Corporal Jacob Moore, Trooper Ethan Ellerbee, Trooper Matthew Davis and Trooper Ronald Khune.
Pickup Driver Airlifted After Crashing Into ECUA Truck
January 24, 2023
One person was injured when they rear-ended an ECUA sanitation truck in Barrineau Park Tuesday.
The driver of a Ford F250 slammed into the rear of the ECUA truck on Molino Road near Barrineau Park School Road. The crash dislodged a John Deere Gator UTV being transported on a utility trailer behind the Ford, causing the Gator to crash into the back of the pickup truck.
The driver, a male reportedly in his 70s, was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital by MedStar Air Care helicopter.
For additional photo, click or tap here.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Returning From Probation Officer Visit Stabs Lyft Driver In The Head, ECSO Says
January 24, 2023
A man returning from a visit with his probation officer allegedly stabbed a Lyft driver in the back of the head Tuesday morning.
River Austin Sewell, 27, was charged with felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, destroying evidence, and burglar of an occupied structure.
took the ride sharing service Lyft to see his probation officer. On the way back home, he allegedly stabbed the driver in the back of the head before running from the vehicle. He then broke into a nearby business on Fowler Avenue near Sagebrush Trail, just south of Nine Mile Road.
The sheriff’s office said Sewell and the driver did not argue prior to the incident.
The Lyft driver was transported to an area hospital. Information on his condition was not available.
Court records show Sewell was convicted of fleeing and eluding, petit theft, resisting arrested and driving without a license for an incident in Cantonment in January 2020.
FPL Seeks Rate Hike For Hurricane, Natural Gas Costs
January 24, 2023
Florida Power & Light is asking the Public Service Commission for permission to raise electric bills to recover hurricane costs and the increased price of natural gas.
FPL residential customers using 1,000 kWh in Northwest Florida saw a decrease on their January bill of one penny to $155.60. That same bill is set to go $159.79 in February. If the proposal filed Monday is approved, that same 1,000 kWh bill will increase to $173.09.
Customers in the rest of the state pay less for 1,000 kWh — $129.59 in February and, with the increase, $142.88 in April.
FPL is seeking $1.3 billion due to Hurricanes Ian and Nicole over 12 months, beginning in April. They also want to recover $2.1 million in increased natural gas costs over 21 months.
FPL is also seeking permission to recover about $2.1 billion to make up for the difference between projections and actual costs for natural gas in 2022. FPL’s proposal would spread these unrecovered 2022 fuel costs over a 21-month period beginning in April 2023 to reduce the impact on customer bills.
Partially offsetting these higher fuel costs, FPL plans to decrease its projected 2023 fuel factor by about $1 billion during the final nine months of this year due to a sharp drop in projected natural gas prices after 2023 projections were filed with the PSC in the third quarter of 2022.
FPL customers in the former Gulf Power territory may get some relief in the coming months.
As part of Monday’s filing, FPL also responded to the PSC’s request to calculate the impact of spreading the remaining costs from past hurricanes that affected customers of the former Gulf Power across all FPL customer bills. Doing so would reduce the monthly storm charge on a typical 1,000-kWh bill in Northwest Florida by nearly $10.
“FPL has a proven track record of keeping bills below the national average. When events beyond our control – like hurricanes and significant changes in fuel prices – force a change to customer bills, we try to do so in a thoughtful way that minimizes the impact on our customers while balancing the risk of invoices piling up,” said FPL Chairman and CEO Eric Silagy. “Still, we recognize that every dollar matters, which is why we encourage customers to use FPL’s free tools and simple tips to save energy and money on their electric bills.”