Santa Rosa Joins Escambia In Issuing Burn Ban
June 23, 2011
Santa Rosa County issued a burn ban Thursday morning, joining Escambia County (Fla.) and the entire state of Alabama in prohibiting outdoor burning.
The ban prohibits open burning, to include but not limited to campfires, bonfires, yard debris, and other similar forms of incineration in both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. State permitted burns, authorized fireworks displays, State of Florida legal consumer firework products such as sparklers, fireworks sales which are authorized by state law, and outdoor cooking in barbecue grills, smokers, or other outdoor stoves located at private residences are exempt.
Violations are punishable by a fine of up to $500.
In Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, the burn bans included the cities of Century, Jay, Milton and Pensacola as well as the unincorporated areas of the counties.
911, Phone Outage Resolved In Escambia And Santa Rosa Counties
June 23, 2011
A cut fiber optic cable left northern Escambia and Santa Rosa county AT&T landline customers unable to call 911 or make many other calls for about an hour Thursday morning.
In Escambia County, the outage Thursday morning included AT&T landline customers in Century and Cantonment. In Santa Rosa County, the outage was north of the Yellow River and Escambia Bay, including Jay.
Phone Outage: Emergency EREC Contact Information
June 23, 2011
Due to the current telephone outage in northern Santa Rosa County, Escambia River Electric Cooperative members needing to report a power disruption or emergency should call the toll-free outage number, 877-OUT-EREC, from their cell phone. If still unable to reach EREC, this information can be reported to memberservice@erec.com temporarily until the telephone outage has been repaired.
Animal Abandonment Charges Dropped Against Former Century Fireman
June 23, 2011
Charges against a former Century fireman accused of abandoning three dogs have been dropped after he successfully completed a pretrial diversion program.
Dustin Ryan Burkett, 29, was charged with three misdemeanor counts of abandonment of animals and obstruction of justice after allegedly abandoning three dogs that were reported to be rescued by the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue in August 2010.
The Century Station of Escambia-Rescue responded to a reported motor vehicle accident on Sunday, August 22, 2010, on North Century Boulevard just south of Tedder Road. They discovered that there was no accident; rather, a motorist had stopped after seeing the three dogs nearly in the road. Both the fire department and the Sheriff’s Office requested that Escambia County Animal Control respond, but the agency refused stating that it did not meet their call-out criteria.
Rather than leave the dogs beside the road, they were taken back to the Century firehouse as firefighters worked to determine what to do with the canines. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office incident report, the Burkett told his follow firefighters to, “Put them in my truck. I have a pen at my house”.
A Century Volunteer Fire Department officer emailed NorthEscambia.com that night, providing photographs of the dogs and asking for help in find the dogs’ owner. NorthEscambia.com published that story Monday, August 23.
After the article was published on NorthEscambia.com, the dogs’ owner contacted the fire department. According to the ECSO, the owner confronted Burkett at the Century fire station the next evening and asked the whereabouts of his dogs. Burkett according to the incident report, “refused to respond and acted like he didn’t know what (the victim) was talking about”.
The dogs’ owner then went to the Burkett’s residence on Highway 4A and spoke with the suspect’s father. The father was helpful but said that he did not see the dogs or know where his son had put them, the victim told deputies.
Burkett told a fire department officer that he had found a good home for the dogs in Walnut Hill, and the officer contacted NorthEscambia.com with the information. Based on that information from the fire department, a followup story was published by NorthEscambia.com on Thursday, August 26, reporting that a home had been found for the dogs.
Deputies met with both Burkett and his father. Burkett told deputies, according to their report, that he had given the dogs to a man he met. He told a deputy that he did not know how to contact the man and that the deputy should call his friend. The friend told the deputy by phone that “he did not want to be involved and that he was not going to tell a lie to keep (the suspect) out of trouble”. He said that Burkett contacted him Sunday night and “asked him to cover for him if asked the whereabouts of the missing dogs”. The friend told the deputy that Burkett told him that he took the dogs and dropped them off at the intersection of North Pine Barren Road and Highway 168.
When contacted by phone, the deputy said Burkett admitted to putting the dogs out of his vehicle on Pine Barren Road on Wednesday. About 30 minutes later, Burkett called the suspect again to advise him that he was going to face charges over the dogs. “He advised me that he didn’t kill them or sell them and that he put them out on Sunday,” Deputy David Bashore wrote in his report.
The dogs were found a few days later on Highway 4, not far from Northview High School. They were determined to be in good condition by a veterinarian and returned the owner.
Burkett was subsequently suspended from Escambia Fire Rescue.
In March 2011, Burkett entered into a plea agreement in an unrelated case on one count of child abuse, and the state dropped a charge of lewd and lascivious battery on a victim 12 to 15 years of age.
Burkett was arrested in September, 2010, in connection with a 2009 incident in which a 15-year old girl told deputies she had intercourse with Burkett at Lake Stone Campground in Century. The encounter, the victim told deputies, took place on or about March 28, 2009.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Burkett was sentenced to five years probation on a felony child abuse charge. He was not be required to register as a sex offender, but he was required to attend counseling, the State Attorney’s Office said.
Pictured top: Former Century firefighter Dustin Ryan Burkett. Pictured top inset: These cellphone photos show three dogs found the evening of August 22 on North Century Boulevard just south of Tedder Road. The firefighter partially in the photograph is not suspected of any wrongdoing. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
U.S. Marshals Bust Sexual Battery Suspect At Nine Mile Rd. Restaurant
June 23, 2011
A wanted sexual battery suspect was arrested at a Nine Mile Road restaurant Wednesday afternoon by a U.S. Marshals Task Force.
The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested 25-year old Daniel Brooks, wanted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for sexual battery by physical force.
On June 4, Brooks allegedly became enraged when his wife denied his sexual advances and used force to sexually assault her. He was arrested at Chili’s on Nine Mile Road and booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Cantonment Teen, 16, Gets 36 Months In Shooting Of West Florida Student
June 23, 2011
A Cantonment teen has been sentenced to up to 36 months for the February shooting death of a West Florida High School student also from Cantonment.
Nicolas Anthoni Diaz, 16, will serve his sentence in a high-risk juvenile facility on a manslaughter charge for the shooting death of Ryan Edward Flaherty, 17. After his release, he will be on probation until his 21st birthday.
Flaherty had been at a Pensacola home with several friends on February 27 when Diaz shot him in the head with a handgun, the Sheriff’s Office said. He later died at a Pensacola hospital.
Investigators believe Diaz was under the influence of alcohol when he began to handle a handgun found in the house. The gun discharged as Diaz pointed it at Flaherty; the bullet struck Flaherty in the head.
Flaherty was a student at West Florida Tech High School Multi-Media Academy and a member of the varsity soccer team.
Arrests Made In Robbery, Stabbing In Atmore
June 23, 2011
Arrests have been made in an Atmore convenience store robbery and an unrelated stabbing.
Robbery Suspected Arrested
An Atmore man is charged with the early morning robbery of a convenience store.
The Atmore Police Department responded to a panic alarm at the Kangaroo Express on North Main Street about 4:09 Monday morning. The clerk, who was not injured, said she was robbed by a black male wearing a hoodie and armed with a handgun. The suspect fled on foot toward Brooks Lane. A K-9 tracking team from the Alabama Department of Corrections was unsuccessful in locating the suspect.
After Tracy Devon Owens, 40, was later arrested on a unrelated charges, investigators determined he was responsible for the convenience store holdup. He was booked into the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton on charges of first degree robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Stabbing Suspect Arrested
An Atmore man was arrested this week on charges related to a stabbing a week ago.
Maurice White, 39, is charged with stabbing Bruno Marshall, 41, on Ann Street on Friday, June 17. Marshall was found lying on the ground with multiple stab wounds to his chest. He was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital and later transported to the USA Medical Center in Mobile by LifeFlight.
Witnesses said White ran toward Marshall’s vehicle and the two got into a fight. White then, according to witnesses, pulled out a knife and stabbed Marshall several times before fleeing on foot.
Tax Breaks For Water Management Districts In Florida, But Not Locally
June 23, 2011
Floridians that live in four of five water management districts will see a property tax decrease, but not Panhandle residents in the Northwest Florida Water Management District.
The annual relatively small amount accessed on the property tax bills of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will remain the same.
Governor Rick Scott signed legislation Wednesday that will save homeowners and businesses throughout Florida $210.5 million on property taxes due in 2012. Senate Bill 2142 caps the taxes Florida’s five water management districts can assess on residential and commercial properties.
That cap meant decreases of 8 to 36 percent for residents in the other four water management districts:
- Southwest Florida Water Management District — 36% reduction
- South Florida Water Management District — 30% reduction
- St. Johns Water Management District — 26% reduction
- Suwannee River Water Management District — 8% reduction
- Northwest Florida Water Management District — No increase
In addition, citizens will have more access to information about each water management district’s budget. Each district is required to provide a monthly financial statement to its governing board and make the information available to the public on the district’s website.
Redistricting Meeting Raises Concerns Between Urban, Rural
June 23, 2011
The separation between rural and urban was the center of discussion about redistricting Florida at a meeting in Pensacola.
Population shifts and growth have forced Florida to redraw district lines — the boundaries that divide equitable population areas between lawmakers .
Florida’s westernmost counties, including Escambia and Santa Rosa are currently divided with Senate and House districts representing the coastal and city populations and different districts for the northern, more rural areas.
The rural-urban division was clearly a battle line at a redistricting meeting held at WSRE in Pensacola.
“If the districts are put together we will lose our voice,” Brett Ward of Walnut Hill said, representing the Florida Farm Bureau. “Let us keep the district where the rural area is represented.”
Other speakers said that with a division, counties like Escambia and Santa Rosa lose fair representation.
At issue at a redistricting meeting in Tallahassee was the decision by legislative leaders to hold the public meetings before releasing proposed maps — something that citizens and activists attending the meeting said put them at a disadvantage when it came to trying to figure out what lawmakers might be thinking as they craft new districts for the state House, state Senate and U.S. Congress.
Rep. Will Weatherford, a Wesley Chapel Republican slated to become House speaker in late 2012, and Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican scheduled to be his Senate counterpart, said no vote would be taken on a proposed map before a public hearing was held on the plan.
Weatherford also said the House and Senate would adopt a joint rule requiring a map to be made public for at least three days before a vote, and any amendments would be required to remain on the desks for two days.
“There’s going to be plenty of time for politicians to give their opinions, plenty of time for politicians to draw maps,” Weatherford said. “Now is the time for the people to have their say. We want the citizens of Florida to be dictating what these maps look like, not politicians.”
Gaetz largely brushed off the complaints.
“If I have to choose between a criticism of politicians didn’t get enough chances to speak enough or voters didn’t get enough chances to be heard, I’ll take the criticism that you just articulated every day and twice on Sunday,” he said.
Others complained that a redistricting process that might not produce maps until late winter or early spring, and then begin winding through the courts, could make it harder for voters — and potential challengers — to figure out which district they were in and set up an organization.
Deirdre Macnab, president of the League of Women Voters, said the timeline could create “chaos and confusion” ahead of the 2012 elections.
“Florida deserves elections where the people have time to understand their choices,” she said. “This timeline benefits only incumbents and is likely to diminish competitive elections and certainly the time our voters need to consider their choices.”
Marty Monroe, a former civics teacher, said the schedule “looks like an incumbent protection plan here.”
“I want you to stop the delays, I want you to stop the stalling, and I want you to get to work,” she said.
Weatherford and Gaetz responded that Florida often goes later in the process, and that nothing precluded lawmakers from voting on a plan shortly after the 2012 session convenes in January — two months earlier than usual.
Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida, contributed to this report.
Rain Chance 70% Today
June 23, 2011
At 70 percent, today’s rain chance is higher than we have seen in a long time. Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
- Tonight: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming southwest between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.
- Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 9am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.
- Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
- Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
- Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.