Flag Football: Northview, Pine Forest, PHS, Tate (With Gallery)
April 7, 2023
Here are high school girls flag football scores from Thursday:
- Pace 52, Tate 6
- Pine Forest 30, Pensacola High 0
- Pensacola high 6, Northview 0
- Pine Forest 28, Northview 7
For a photo gallery with Northview, Pine Forest and PHS, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Good Friday Holiday, Weekend Closures And Trash Info
April 7, 2023
The following closures have been announced for Good Friday and the Easter weekend.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Escambia County offices will be closed Friday, April 7:
- Escambia County Board of County Commissioners – all departments including:
- West Florida Public Libraries (all locations)
- Escambia County Property Appraiser
- Escambia County Tax Collector
- Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller
- Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare
- Escambia County Supervisor of Elections
- Escambia County Extension Office
- Waste Services Administration
- ECAT administrative offices
Escambia County notes/exceptions:
- The Perdido Landfill will be open with regular hours Friday, April 7.
- ECAT buses will operate regular service Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8. ECAT buses and UWF trolleys will not run service on Easter Sunday, April 9. Regular service will resume Monday, April 10.
- The Department of Animal Welfare will resume regular hours Saturday, April 8
- West Florida Public Libraries will remain closed Saturday, April 8. All locations will resume regular hours Monday, April 10.
ECUA
- The ECUA Customer Service office will be closed on Friday, April 7, in observance of Good Friday. However, the drive-thru payment area and all ECUA business offices will be open. All residential and commercial sanitation collections for ECUA will be unaffected by the holiday and will be carried out as usual.
TOWN OF CENTURY
- Town of Century offices will be closed for Good Friday. However, Town Hall will open at 5:30 p.m. for a council swearing in ceremony at 6 p.m.
Although Behind Schedule, Officials Say Manufacturing Company Is Still Locating In Century
April 6, 2023
The startup date for a new industry in Century is running a little behind a previously announced schedule, but officials say the company is still committed to operations in the town’s industrial park.
In January, the 50-year old foreign company agreed to lease a building in the Century Industrial Park. The company will set up their first domestic manufacturing and warehouse distribution facility serving the oil and gas industry in what is commonly known as the Helicopter Technology Building.
“They are still working to establish their U.S. presence and we are being patient while they are moving forward,” FloridaWest Business Development Officer Danita Andrews said Wednesday. “We can confirm that they are moving forward and are still committed to Century.”
In January, officials said the company could begin warehouse operations by the end of February with a forthcoming expansion into manufacturing.
The company is working to establish their legal presence in the United States in order to execute a lease with the town, Mayor Ben Boutwell said.
The company has agreed to pay the appraised value of the building — $7.833.33 a month, totaling $188,000 the first two years. The lease will continue for five years with a 3% annual increase beginning in the third year. The company will accept the building “as-is” and pay all utilities, maintenance, insurance and taxes.
The town re-acquired the industrial building at public auction for less than $1 out of pocket back in August 2009, following the town’s foreclosure judgment against the now defunct Helicopter Technology company. The building has sat empty since then.
According to FloridaWest, the company plans to hire five people initially, with a goal of 10 employees by the end of the year with an average salary of $46,570 — the average wage in the Pensacola area.
The FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance is the economic development organization for Escambia County. Most details about the new company and their plans remain confidential during discussions, as is allowed and is standard in economic development in Florida.
Century’s $10 Million Application For Gym, Shelter Project Hits Another Snag
April 6, 2023
Century’s plans to seek a $10 million grant to turn the old Century High School gym into a multipurpose facility that could also serve as a hurricane or other disaster shelter has hit another snag.
The town does not own the old gym, which was constructed in 1960; it belongs to Pensacola State College.
The town council voted this week to continue with the grant application, contingent upon PSC giving transferring the building and property to the town. A long term lease, Council President Luiz Gomez said, is not an option.
As we previously reported, town consultant Robin Phillips, who is managing the grant submissions, said the gym is laden with asbestos and lead. It has been essentially abandoned for years, and is in poor condition. For those reasons, Phillips said an architect is recommending that the building be demolished and rebuilt.
A few weeks ago, the council considered PSC as a co-applicant for the grant, but that plan is off the table.
Phillips said she will write the grant as being contingent upon the ownership transfer. Otherwise, the town will withdraw the application.
Mayor Ben Boutwell said he spoke to the college president, but their board must approve the transfer. The PSC board’s next meeting is not until just after the April 14 grant application deadline.
The council discussed seeking the $10 million to build the multipurpose building and shelter elsewhere on town-owned property, including the industrial park. Phillips said there was not enough time before the deadline for a required public notice and comment period in order to change the location.
Century is also seeking a seperate $2,862,137 grant to replace a failed bridge on Freedom Road that has been closed for three years, and make drainage improvements to two other bridges that suffered embankment erosion during Hurricane Sally. The bridge and drainage grant will not be impacted by the continuation or withdrawal of the gym application.
The grant, if awarded, would be from Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Small Cities Hurricane Sally Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding through the Rebuild Florida Infrastructure Repair Program.
Former Navy Federal Employee Charged In $357K Theft, Fraud Case
April 6, 2023
A former Navy Federal Credit Union employee has been arrested for grand theft and fraud in connection with over $350,000 in fraud from account holders.
Johnathan Toriana Coleman Jr., 28, of Delray Beach, was charged with one felony count each of bank fraud, grand theft and organized fraud.
The investigation showed that Coleman used his position while employed in Pensacola to supply customer account information to a third party, who would pose as the member and initiate unauthorized transfers of funds to mule accounts at the credit union.
Agents discovered that Coleman helped defraud 38 account holders out of a total of $357,491, and that, within three days of each illegal transfer made by the third party, Coleman received payments from the third party totaling nearly $30,000.
All of the affected account holders have since been notified by the credit union.
Agents with FDLE’s Miami Regional Operations Center, with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Coleman. Coleman was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on $115,000 bond. He will be extradited to Escambia County
Motorcycle Crash On Pensacola Beach Kills Driver, Critically Injures Passenger
April 6, 2023
One person from Escambia County was killed and another was airlifted to the hospital following in motorcycle crash Wednesday evening on Pensacola Beach.
The 23-year old male driver lost control of his motorcycle in a curve and struck a curb on Fort Pickens Road near the Margaritaville Beach Hotel about 6:11 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said he was pronounced deceased at the scene. His 21-year old female passenger from Pensacola was flown to the hospital in critical condition.
FHP is continuing their investigation.
Tate High Names Students Of The Month
April 6, 2023
Tate High School recently announced their January Students of the Month. They are Makenzie Greene and Bray Touchstone. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fields Of Faith: Community Worship Service Held
April 6, 2023
Northview High School’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes hosted a spring Fields of Faith Wednesday night in Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium.
Fields of Faith is a national student-led initiative. “Students invite, pray for, share with, and challenge their peers to read the Bible and follow Jesus Christ. An athletic field provides a neutral, rally point where a community can come together,” according to national organizers.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Contractor Matt Banks Indicted On Four Felony Charges Including Racketeering
April 5, 2023
A grand jury has indicted Pensacola contractor Matthew Scott Banks has been indicted on four felonies.
“Matthew Banks, a local contractor, personally and through his business Banks Construction, engaged in a pattern of criminal activity and stole over $5 million in funds, materials and services from more than 150 victims. Yesterday, Matthew Banks was indicted by an Escambia County grand jury,” State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden announced Wednesday afternoon.
Banks, 39, was indicted for racketeering, aggravated white collar crime, organized fraud, and tampering with evidence. He surrendered at the Escambia County Jail and was released on a $150,000 bond nine minutes later.
The first three counts are first degree felonies and are each punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and the fourth count is punishable by up to five years in prison. A trial date has not yet been set.
“The defendant, in this case, has been charged and will be brought to justice for exploiting innocent victims who were trying to improve their lives for his personal gain,” said Madden. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold him accountable for taking advantage of people by stealing their money and robbing them of trust in businesses. This arrest proves he is not representative of our many reputable contractors.”
The case was investigated by the Office of State Attorney Division of Investigations, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Agriculture, and the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services.
PSC Approves FPL Rate Decrease, But Rates Are Still Up Overall For 2023
April 5, 2023
Tuesday, the Florida Public Service Commission today approved a reduction of $494 million in 2023 fuel costs for Florida Power & Light. Of this amount, an approximate $379 million reduction will be applied from May to December 2023. The remaining $115 million will be included in FPL’s 2024 fuel cost recovery factors.
Beginning in May, FPL residential bills will reflect the reduced fuel charge. For FPL customers in Northwest Florida, the current monthly 1,000 kWh residential bill of $144.38 will change to $139.95, a decrease of $4.43, or approximately 3.1 percent.
For FPL customers in the rest of the state, a monthly bill of $144.38 will change to $139.95, a decrease of $4.43, or approximately 3.1 percent.
Utilities do not earn a profit on fuel charges. The fuel and capacity cost component of customers’ bills is set for each calendar year, but mid-course corrections are used when a utility’s costs increase or decrease significantly in the interim. Under Commission rules, a utility must notify the PSC when it expects an under- or over-recovery greater than 10 percent.
Northwest Florida FPL customers are still paying about $3 a month more for 1,000 kWh than in January, and they are still paying $1.3 billion due to Hurricanes Ian and Nicole over 12 months, beginning in April.
Our customers count on us to keep bills as low as possible – that’s especially important as we all deal with inflation and rising costs for food and rent and other basics,” said Armando Pimentel, president and CEO of FPL. “As fuel prices have moderated, we are pleased to pass through the savings to customers. Importantly, we continue to encourage customers to use FPL’s free tools to save energy and make their bill even lower.”