Cops Searching For Lego Thief
November 19, 2009
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a Lego thief.
A white male stole $735 worth of Lego sets from the Pace Target store, walking out without paying for a shopping cart packed with popular toys. He was seen entering a gray van, along with a blond white female.
The van (pictured left) is believed to be a late 90’s Honda Odyssey, gray in color, with no hubcaps. The male suspect was wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap.
Anyone with information concerning the identities of the two individuals is asked to contact Santa Rosa County Crime Stoppers at 437-STOP, or the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office at 981-2230.
Pictured top: Deputies are looking for this man who sole $735 worth of Lego toys from a Santa Rosa County Target store. The woman is believed to have been with the man. Pictured bottom inset: The van used in the crime. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Murzin Honored By Retail Federation
November 19, 2009
State Rep.Dave Murzin has received the Florida Retail Federation’s 2009 Legislator of the Year award for his work as chairman of the House Economic Development and Community Affairs Council.
Prior to the 2009 Legislative Session, Murzin met with business leaders around the state to seek their input on business development and economic growth. “As a result of those meetings, Dave helped author and pass Senate Bill 360 which will remove numerous burdensome government regulations and will have an immediate positive impact on Florida’s businesses—both small and large,” retail federation President Rick McAllister said.
Senate Bill 360, which revises Florida’s growth management laws to foster economic development, started in Murzin’s council and was passed by the Florida Legislature.
“My job is to create jobs and not just any jobs,” Murzin said after receiving the award “I want high paying jobs that compete with other states in this economy, and it truly requires state government to get the heck out of the way.”
Murzin has represented District 2 in the Florida House since 2002. Murzin is a Republican candidate for the District 2 Florida Senate seat currently held by Durell Peaden.
Poarch Creek Indians To Present Century Library Program
November 19, 2009
The Poarch Creek Indians teen dance troupe will perform Creek Native Dancing and demonstrate traditional customs this afternoon at the Century Branch Library.
The event, which is free and open to children of all ages, begins at 4:00 at the library, 7991 North Century Boulevard. For more information, call (850) 256-6217.
Everyone Wins: Welcome To The Miracle League
November 19, 2009
The 1A Northview Chiefs will take on the 4A Tate Aggies at noon Saturday at Tate with proceeds benefiting the Miracle League.
The Miracle League of Northwest Florida, a baseball league for disabled and special needs persons that plays spring and fall at the Mitchell Homes Miracle League Park on Nine Mile Road.
The following is a NorthEscambia.com feature about the Miracle League from earlier this year.
Every game ends in a tie. Every player hits; every player scores. There are no strikeouts, no errors. Everybody wins.
Welcome to the Miracle League.
It’s a baseball league for disabled and special needs persons. With players from ages 3 to 63, there are 14 teams that play on the two fields at the Mitchell Homes Miracle League Park on Nine Mile Road.
“Abigail rounds second! She looks good this year, all decked out and playing some ball,” announcer Crystal Martinez says during an afternoon game at the Miracle League. “Loooook at her go! She’s headed home! She scores! Yeah Abi!”
That’s just the way a Miracle League game goes — always.
The players are in wheelchairs and walkers. Some handicaps are mental, some are physical.
Joshua heads toward the batter’s box in his walker to take a swing at the ball with his “buddy”. Each player has a “buddy” assigned to them to help them hitch, catch, throw or run the field.
“Go Joshua!” Martinez announces. “Good job!”
In the end, the game between the Orioles and the Twins was tied, just as every game has ended in a tie for the past nine seasons. The stats for each of the 150 players will be the same at the end of the season — perfect.
“It’s a wonderful thing for these kids,” Martinez told NorthEscambia.com after the game. “It’s about them getting to play a sport that otherwise they could not play…it’s about the smiles. I love to say that they are all stars when I am announcing.”
“I think it is a great thing,” said Stephen Gruenwald of Pensacola. His son James, 5, plays Miracle League ball from his wheelchair. “He enjoys it very, very much. And he loves the people; the volunteers are one of the best things.”
Players and volunteers come from not just Pensacola, but Mobile, Crestview, Brewton and points in between. Everybody is a volunteer that participates with the Miracle League. The are paid only in smiles.
“It’s a beautiful thing. Everybody here does it for one reason” volunteer Larry Powell said, placing his hand over his heart. “It’s here, in your heart, for these kids.”
“We have a guy that was a Marine for 32 years,” Powell said. “He will sit on that field with the smallest child and help them. It really gets to you.”
Each of the two Pensacola Miracle League fields is made up of 180,000 pounds of rec ycled tires formed into tiles painted to match a regular field. It provides a softer landing spot for a hard fall, while still providing a good bounce for the hollow core ball that is also designed to lesson injury potential. There are two seasons at the park, spring and fall. The rubber surface gets too hot to play in the summer.
The Miracle League needs more volunteers to serve as buddies, work the concession booth, pickup trash and many more tasks around their area of the Nine Mile Road ballpark.
The public is always welcome and encouraged to cheer on the players.
“It’s a special place here,” Powell said. “Everyone should watch one of these games. It will touch you.”
For more information on Miracle League, or to volunteer, visit www.miracleleaguepensacola.org.
Pictured top: Abigail gets a high five after a base hit during a Miracle League game in Pensacola. Pictured top inset: James takes a swing: Pictured bottom inset: Headed for home. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Free Seniors Thanksgiving Lunch Today In Byrneville
November 19, 2009
The annual Byrneville Community Senior Citizen’s Thanksgiving Luncheon will be held at Beulah Chapel Assembly of God at 11:00 this morning.
All seniors in the Byrneville community are invited to take part in this free meal, good fun and fellowship. The church is located on Highway 4A, north of Highway 4.
House Fire Reported In Century
November 18, 2009
Area fire departments were dispatched to a house fire on Freedom Road in Century about 3:10 Wednesday afternoon after a caller reported smoke coming from a house.
The first firefighters on scene in the 1000 block of Freedom Road reported light smoke from the home. The fire was an overheated toaster oven that had accidentally been turned on.
There were no injuries reported.
The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire-Rescue, the Flomaton Fire Department, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office were all dispatched to the call.
Enjoy A Pancake Supper Tonight In Molino
November 18, 2009
There will be a pancake supper, beginning at 5:00 tonight at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino.
The cost for the pancake supper is a donation to benefit the church’s children’s programs. Aldersgate is located on Highway 29 just south of Highway 97.
Frost Advisory Overnight
November 18, 2009
A frost advisory is in effect for North Escambia and surrounding inland areas.
Areas of frost will form in the late night hours across area and persist until around 7 a.m. Thursday morning. A frost advisory means that frost is possible. Sensitive outdoor
plants may be killed if left uncovered.
Here is your official North Escambia forecast:
- Tonight: Areas of frost after 2am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 36. Calm wind.
- Thursday: Areas of frost before 7am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 68. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
- Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 37. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Northeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. East wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. East wind around 10 mph.
- Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Government Consolidation Plan Begins To Take Shape; Read The Report
November 18, 2009
The Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission has compiled a status report and listed its tentative findings.
The Consolidation Commission was created by the Florida Legislature to study the feasibility of consolidating the governments of Escambia County, Century, and Pensacola into one, or unifying the administrative services of the three bodies. The commissions plans will be presented to the Florida Legislature in January and then to voters as early as November 2010.
The Consolidation Commission must present a status report to the Town of Century, Escambia County and the City of Pensacola by the end of November. In order to present that report and begin to draft a consolidation plan, the commission has voted on a number of issues and decided how certain aspects of a consolidated government would be handled.
Today, we begin a two-part series looking at the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission’s findings to date. Tomorrow, in part two of our series, we will take a more in depth look at the commission’s findings and what they might mean to the residents of North Escambia and Century.
Below is a summary of the commission’s findings and recommendations. The undecided issues, primarily those involving the sheriff and the actual form of government, will be up for a commission vote on December 8.
To read the actual 14 page report, click here (pdf).
Constitutional Officers
- Constitutional Officers (excluding the Sheriff) unaffected (not within consolidated government): The Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, Clerk of the Court, and Supervisor of Elections, should remain as independent constitutional officers. In other words, these official should not be included within the consolidated government.
Public Safety
- Unified Law Enforcement: (not yet decided)
- An elected Sheriff as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer: (not yet decided)
- Non-partisan election for Sheriff: (not yet decided)
- Unified Fire Departments: The Escambia County and City of Pensacola Fire Departments should be consolidated into a combined system of professional and volunteer firefighters.
- Unified Communications: The Communication Centers (911, etc) for Law Enforcement and Fire should be combined.
Administrative Services
- Unified Administrative Services: Under the consolidated government, all “structural impediments” to a full merger of the administrative services of the County and municipalities (i.e., Human Resources, Finance, Public Information, Information Technology, and Purchasing) can and should be merged.
Planning and Permitting
- Unified Planning and Zoning: The County and City of Pensacola Planning and Zoning Departments should be consolidated.
- Unified Permitting and Building Inspection: The County and City Permitting and Building Inspection departments should be consolidated.
- Unified Code Enforcement: Code enforcement should be consolidated.
- Code Enforcement Officers to be certified law enforcement officers: (not yet decided)
Utilities
- One Utility Authority: All utilities services in Escambia County and the City of Pensacola should be consolidated under a single utility authority. The utilities operating under this Utility Authority would include the services of: Natural Gas, Water, Waste Water and Solid Waste Management.
- Utility Authority Governing Board: The Utility Authority should be governed by a board of 7 members. Board composition should exist with five of the members being elected in the same manner as the present ECUA Board; one member should be appointed by consolidated government’s Council; and, the remaining member should be appointed by the elected Mayor.
- Powers and Duties of the Utility Authority Governing Board: Similar to the consolidated government’s Council, the Utility Authority Governing Board should not be involved in directing the day-to-day activities ofthe Utility Authority. The day-to-day activities should be the responsibility of the Executive Director. The primary responsibility of the Board responsibilities will be to select and oversee the performance of the Executive Director, approved the budget and set major organizational policy. The members of the Board should meet once each month in a public forum to conduct the official business of the Utilities Authority.
- Utility Authority Executive Director: There should be created a position of Executive Director of the Utilities Authority. The Executive Director should be selected and confirmed by the governing Board of the Utilities Authority. Serving at the pleasure of the Board, the Executive Director should be removed only by a majority vote of the Board.
- Powers and Duties of the Executive Director: If necessary, the Consolidation Charter may describe the position(s) as follows: Powers and Duties of the Executive Director of the Utility Authority: There shall be an Executive Director of the Utilities Authority who shall serve as the professional manager of the Public Utilities under the authority ofthe Board ofDirectors. The Executive Director shall be appointed and hired by the Utilities Authority Board and shall be responsible to the Board for the day-to-day – management and operation of the utilities. The Executive Director shall have sole authority to appoint, suspend, or remove all department directors, employees, and administrative officers of the Utilities Authority.
Roads
- Unified Roads Department: The County and City Road Departments should be combined.
Parks and Recreation
- Unified Parks and Recreation Department: There should be a consolidated Parks and Recreation department
Existing Special Districts and Authorities
- Special Districts and Authorities: Existing special districts and authorities should be left “as is” under the consolidation plan.
Economic Development
- Economic Development: The plan should make provision for an Economic Development Commission with the details of that commission to be left to ordinance by the council.
Office of General Counsel
- Office of General Counsel: There should be an Office of General Counsel to help resolve legal disputes between the different elements ofthe consolidated government (including its independent agencies).
Taxing and Service Districts
- Separate Taxing and Service Districts: Under a consolidated government, there should be eparate taxing districts with taxation proportionate to services provided.
Existing Debt and Pension Obligations
- Restrictions on existing debt obligations: The existing liabilities of the City (pension plans, Maritime Park, etc) should remain with the boundaries of the present city. More specifically, the repayment of debt service should be restricted to the same funding source or property which is subject to taxation for repayment to the source or property from which such ebt service would be paid had consolidation not taken place and before the effective date of the Charter.
- Pension Obligations: Current employees should be able to continue in their existing plans but future employees should be under the retirement system adopted by the Council.
Office of Independent Budget Analyst
- Office of Budget Analyst: An Office of Independent Budget Analyst as an independent department whose role is to advise and inform the Council on fiscal matters should be included in the Plan.
Forms Of Government
- Mayor-Council: (not yet decided)
- Council-Manager: (not yet decided)
- Personnel Sytem: Establish a merit system.
Bratt Elementary Renovations Final Total: Just Under One Million
November 18, 2009
The final bill is in for building renovations at Bratt Elementary School – $975,660.35. The Escambia County School approved paying the bill at their Tuesday night meeting.
The renovations took place in the front/west wing of the school and included new windows, doors, and floors for the building that was constructed in 1980. It also included the installation of a central heating and cooling system. The main portion of the renovation contract was $770,500.
The board approved additional renovations at the school when the original contract was awarded, including:
- replace restroom fixtures in the west wing, $3,425
- replace lighting and ceilings in west wing, $36,500
- renovations in guidance and administration areas, $26,000
- replace air handling units in cafetorium, $82,600
- replace water meter and piping for increased water pressure, $27,382
The total contract awarded last March was $946,407 to Morette Company of Pensacola. There were a total of nine bidders on the project, with five bids coming in at over $1 million.
During the project, there were several deletions and additions to the contract, including:
- replace restroom fixtures in the west wing, $3,425
- replace lighting and ceilings in west wing, $36,500
- renovations in guidance and administration areas, $26,000
- replace air handling units in cafetorium, $82,600
- replace water meter and piping for increased water pressure, $27,382
- replace existing electrical outlet covers with stainless steel covers, $727.67 (principal’s request)
- move electrical disconnect in stage area and existing conduit in room 25, $702.03 (contractor’s request)
- paint bathroom ceilings to match wall color and paint existing doors and frames, $754.36 (principal’s request)
- modify transaction counter at front office by raising it approximately six inches, $678.76 (principal’s request)
- add electrical ground bus bar for additional surge protection for communications system, $698.14 (engineer’s request)
- modify existing boiler, $713.41 (owner’s request)
- lower urinal in bathroom (Room 16), $949.78 (principal’s request)
The project was funded from capital construction monies from the half cent sales tax.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.