Florida Weekly Gov’t Roundup
August 21, 2011
Florida Gov. Rick Scott this week found his policies on the receiving end of numerous challenges as the governor’s calls for less government, privatization and less red tape wound their way through the courts.
Meanwhile, the governor’s quest to bring 700,000 jobs to the state was made both easier and more difficult depending on which economic data you choose to hang your hat on. While unemployment remained uncomfortably high, brisker home sales, slow but steadily increasing state revenue collections and government-backed efforts show the state’s economic engine is at least engaged.
BUSY WEEK IN THE COURTS
It was a hectic week in legal circles. The Florida Supreme Court early this week ruled that Scott overstepped his legal bounds when he put a hold on proposed agency rules until they could be reviewed by the governor’s office.
Scott, who in his first act as governor suspended agencies’ ability to make rules, immediately called the 5-2 opinion nonsensical, while attorneys for a blind woman who sued over the new requirement said the ruling would help preserve the ability of Florida residents to participate in the process by which new regulations that affect them are put into place.
The state’s highest court said that agency rules are largely an extension of legislation, which makes Scott’s action a separation of powers issue.
Chief Justice Charles Canady and Justice Ricky Polston, disagreed with the majority, saying the constitution gives the governor “supreme executive power.”
“If supreme executive power means anything, it must mean that the governor can supervise and control the policy-making choices — within the range of choices permitted by law — of the subordinate executive branch officers who serve at his pleasure,” Canady wrote in dissent.
Scott faces another challenge next month for his attempts to privatize a hefty chunk of Florida’s prison system. A Tallahassee circuit judge, Jackie Fulford, this week scheduled a hearing for September on a motion for summary judgment in the Florida Police Benevolent Association’s lawsuit challenging a plan to privatize several state prisons.
The PBA is challenging a Scott-backed move to privatize prisons in South Florida, an effort backers say will save millions.
Critics including Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, are skeptical of such savings, and got information this week that might make them right – internal documents show the prison system is worried about a $25 million price tag related to corrections officers losing their jobs, payments for things like untaken vacation or sick time. Scott told reporters this week that if the savings don’t materialize, the privatization won’t be done, simple as that.
Meanwhile, a Florida appeals court ruled that agencies must take into account collective bargaining agreements when they look to trim employee health costs. The Second District Court of Appeal this week ruled that the Polk County school district couldn’t bypass collective bargaining in imposing insurance changes.
JOBLESS RATE REMAINS HIGH, BUT STEADY
Florida’s 10.7 percent unemployment rate for July was unchanged from an upwardly revised June figure. The legion of jobless remains just shy of 1 million as the state claws its way back to economic prosperity.
On Friday, the Agency for Workforce Innovation reported that the number of jobs created since Jan. 1 had shrunk from previous estimates, a drop that negatively affects Scott’s promise to add 700,000 jobs to the state’s economy in the next seven years.
The drop of 21,200 immediately became fodder for politicians – Democrats quickly put out a statement questioning what happened to all those jobs, jobs, jobs.
State employment officials, meanwhile, cautioned that the unemployment rate, which represented a 0.1 percentage point uptick from preliminary June figures, was not unexpected as the state crawls its way back from the biggest economic downturn since the 1930s.
“You need to look at the long term trends,” said AWI Chief Economist Rebecca Rust. “There will be fluctuations month to month.”
Tourism-related employment continues to make steady headway while construction jobs remain well below historic levels.
A number of the job losses were in the government sector – something that also continued this month.
Though their number didn’t show up in the July figures, 134 workers were laid off from the South Florida Water Management District in the last week, saving the district $9 million in salaries.
Included in the group are 20 scientists with an average of 15 years of service. They join 19 scientists who took a buyout in June and several others who found jobs at different agencies or institutions before the layoffs.
Unlike construction and water management sectors, the lobbying business appears alive and well. We learned this week from new disclosure filings that despite the state’s economic woes, legislative lobbyists earned as much as $52 million for the quarter ending June 30, up from the $49.3 million spent on lobbyists that same time last year.
Lobbying firms Gray Robinson; Ron Book; Smith & Ballard and Southern Strategy Group earned the most, with each reporting income of greater than $1 million for the quarter.
Speaking of jobs, Associated Industries of Florida this week named insurance lobbyist Cecil Pearce the business group’s interim managing director. Pearce replaces the talkative and provocative Barney Bishop, who is stepping down as president at the end of the year.
ECONOMIC NEWS
Despite jobless rates that have remained higher than national averages since 2008, signs of economic rebirth were there this week if you looked. Favorable interest rates and ample inventory helped boost home sales in July by 12 percent compared to a year ago, with some markets seeing much higher increases.
The statewide average belied much heftier increases in some markets. Sales jumped 47 percent in Miami and 57 percent in Tallahassee as buyers appeared to be taking advantage of lower prices in those markets, where median prices fell 8 percent and 10 percent respectively. Statewide, prices held relatively stable, falling 1 percent year to year, from $137,700 to $136,500.
Doing its part, the state began a $291 million road project in Jacksonville to be financed by the Florida Turnpike Enterprise and repaid by tolls. The First Coast Outer Beltway project will be one of the first of a series of new projects aimed at jumpstarting infrastructure construction while the economy is slumping, taking advantage of low costs for the work, and – the Scott administration hopes – helping to lower the state’s unemployment rate.
The project is a harbinger of things to come as the state weans itself off fuel taxes to pay for roads. State transportation officials expect to lose $5 billion by the end of the decade in gas tax revenue that traditionally pays for roads, bridges and other infrastructure that connects Floridians.
The Florida Transportation Commission found out Tuesday that the effects of improved gas mileage will have an even more immediate impact, reducing 2011 revenue by $24 million and reaching $500 million a year by 2015.
Florida’s recovery efforts will also get some help from the feds. The state will get nearly $100 million in federal money for small business loans.
Meanwhile, BP Oil has, as of this week, paid Florida individuals and businesses more than $2 billion in payouts. But federal officials overseeing the payouts said the going may get tougher for some with more stringent requirements for future payments under the $20 billion program.
All is not rosy on the business front. Florida businesses could see an 8.9 percent increase in workers-compensation insurance rates next year, as costs slowly creep up after several years of massive declines.
The National Council on Compensation Insurance, an organization that files workers-
compensation rate requests for the industry, submitted the proposed increase Thursday to state regulators.
Businesses were hit with an overall hike of 7.8 percent last year, after enjoying years of rate cuts that stemmed from lawmakers overhauling the system in 2003.
POLITICS
Lawmakers redrawing Florida’s political boundaries took their caravan south this week as they took testimony from interested parties from Stuart to Key West. Given the range of testimony, it will be no easy task.
At a Wednesday hearing in downtown Miami, lawmakers got a checklist of sorts, from Cubans and other Latinos to Haitian immigrants to African Americans. Even the gay community called for a seat or two — though the chairman of the Senate committee charged with drawing maps said he doesn’t even know how that would be achieved.
Several candidates in the U.S. Senate GOP primary are preparing to debate this weekend in a debate co-sponsored by the Florida Family Policy Council and The Central Florida Tea Party Coalition. Confirmed candidates are Adam Hasner, George LeMieux, Mike McCallister, and Craig Miller.
The field is also set for the election to replace former Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, who quit the Legislature to go work for Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. The overwhelmingly Democratic Senate District 1 takes in parts of Duval, Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties.
Four candidates qualified to be on the ballot: Audrey Gibson and Terry Fields, who are both former state representatives; and Ramon Day and Leandrew Mills III. The primary is Sept. 20.
Former House Speaker Ray Sansom this week filed an ethics complaint against state attorney Willie Meggs who prosecuted Sansom on corruption charges that were eventually dropped, but only after Sansom lost his job as speaker and had to leave the Legislature.
The complaint alleges illegal and unethical behavior by Meggs in pursuing the case by manipulating a grand jury and illegally releasing testimony to the public. Sansom agreed to pay $300,000 to the state after being accused of misappropriating state money in the budget.
MAKING PROGRESS?
Progress Energy Florida brought its case to state regulators this week as the utility asked to pass along about $140 million in nuclear costs to customers: Attorneys for consumers and business and environmental groups repeatedly tried to cast doubt on the company’s hopes for meeting 2021 and 2022 target dates for the project.
The Florida Public Service Commission is expected to decide Oct. 24 whether to grant Progress’ request, along with a $196 million nuclear-cost request by Florida Power & Light.
MOVE OVER DORA THE EXPLORER:
Pre-kindergarten programs should test their students more extensively, argues David Lawrence, the head of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation. Lawrence said this wouldn’t be a “baby FCAT,” but instead a loose assessment of a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive skills in order to determine progress.
Next week, the State Board of Education will take up a draft legislative budget request for next year that asks for $4.6 million to begin offering voluntary pre-kindergarten assessments at a cost of $25 per student.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Rick Scott’s effort to vet all pending rulemaking in a central office is wiped out by a state Supreme Court majority that said the governor doesn’t have the power to meddle in rulemaking in such a way, because that’s a legislative function.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The complaint won’t undo what Mr. Meggs did to me. What I do hope it does is prevent Mr. Meggs from doing this to another innocent family,” Former House Speaker Ray Sansom in regard to his ethics complaint filed against State Attorney Willie Meggs.
Back To School: Lunch Menus
August 21, 2011
Here are the elementary lunch menus for the first week of school in Escambia County:
(As of Sunday, the school district had not yet made the middle and high school menus available.)
Elementary
Monday, Aug 22
Poptart
Cheese Wedge
Mixed Fruit
Orange Chicken w/Sticky Rice
Pepperoni Pizza
Fresh Fruit
Peaches
Broccoli
Garden Salad
Tuesday, Aug 23
Cinnamon Toast
Sausage Patty
Mandarin Oranges
Chicken Alfredo
Hotdog
Chef Salad w/ Crackers
Fresh Fruit
Pineapple
Carrots
Roll
Wednesday, Aug 24
Breakfast Pizza
Pears
Fried Chicken
Country Fried Steak
Fresh Fruit
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Garden Salad
Cornbread
Thursday, Aug 25
Chicken Biscuit
Applesauce
Taco Salad
Cheeseburger
Fresh Fruit
Fruit Juice Slush
Corn
Friday, Aug 26
Waffle
Sausage Links
Peaches
Chili Fiesta Stix
Grilled Cheese
Sandwich
Fresh Fruit
Mixed fruit
Green Peas
Garden Salad
Elise Scott Crook
August 21, 2011
Elise Scott Crook, 92 of Fairhope, Al formally of Atmore, Al died Friday August 19, 2011, in Daphne.
She was a retired school teacher. She was born in Cedar Hill, Alabama, on January 27, 1919, to the late George English and Elizabeth Lee Morrissette Scott.
She was the president of the Atmore Red Cross chapter, past president of the United Methodist Women’s, member of the DAR Society, an Atmore Citizens of the Year, and was active member of Alabama Women’s Dental Auxiliary.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Samuel F. Crook and A son Samuel F. Crook, Jr.
She is survived by two sons, Charles Crook and wife, Cindy of Culpepper, VA and Fred Crook and wife, Karen of Fairhope; two brothers, Charlie Scott and wife, Leah, Gorin Scott and wife, Joyce all of Uriah; one sister, Blanche Binford of San Antonio, TX; five grandchildren, Alison C. Hulsey, Elizabeth C. Dickinson, C.J.Crook, Carrie Crook, and Rachael Crook.
Funeral services will be Monday August 22, 2011, at 11 a.m. from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Jim Reece, Rev. Tim Trent, and Rev. Diane Everette officiating.
Interment will follow in Oak Hill cemetery.
Active Pallbearers are, Fred Crook, Charles Crook, C.J. Crook, Charles Scott, George Alford, George Scott and Rob Scott.
Family will receive friends, Sunday, August 21, 2011, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 5-7 p.m.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home in Atmore in charge of all arrangements.
Driskells Celebrate 50th
August 21, 2011
Gene and Liley (Jernigan) Driskell recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with dinner and cake with family. Their family surprised them with a cruise to Mexico.
The Driskell’s were married on August 4, 1961, in Flomaton. During their life together they have enjoyed taking motorcycle trips alone and with friends. They also enjoyed having a houseboat on the Alabama river.
Gene was a meat cutter. Liley was a sewing machine operator at Vanity Fair. In 1976, they opened Driskell’s Grocery in Byrneville. They retired after 32 years of operating the store.
They are the proud parents of Lynette Brock and husband Kevin of Pace, and Allen Driskell and wife Michelle of Byrneville. They have three grandchildren, Jessica Johnson and husband Jeremy, Drake Allen Driskell, and Maddie Mae Driskell. The also have one great grandchild, Kayla Nicole Johnson.
Gene and Liley’s Parents were Allen and Lena (Emmons) Driskell and Lawrence and Nettie (Blanton) Jernigan.
Back To School: School Start Times
August 21, 2011
School start and end times are the same this year at Escambia County Schools.
- Elementary: The earliest drop time for students will be 7:20. School will begin at 7:45 and will dismiss at 2:00. The North Escambia area elementary schools — Bratt, Byrneville, Molino Park and Jim Allen — will all follow this schedule. The 7:45 to 2:00 day is the standard elementary day in Escambia County. On early release days, students will be dismissed at 11:00.
- Middle School: Ernest Ward will begin the school day at 9:05 and dismiss at 3:45. The earliest students can be dropped off at school will be 8:55. Ransom Middle School, will follow the standard 9:20 to 4:00 school day with drop off time of 9:05. On early release days, Ernest Ward will dismiss at 12:35 while Ransom will dismiss at 12:50.
- High School: Northview High School will have an 8:30 drop time, and an 8:45 to 3:20 school day. Early release time will be 12:10. Tate High School will have an 8:30 to 3:05 day. Morning drop time will be 8:15. Early release time for Tate will be 12:00.
- For a detailed list of start and dismissal times for all Escambia District Schools, click here (pdf).
Back To School: Lunch Prices, Free And Reduced Guidelines
August 21, 2011
There’s a little good news for parents sending their children back to school Monday in Escambia County — school lunch and breakfast prices are the same as they were last year.
And there’s no need to worry about cash or checks — pay online at mealpayplus.com.
Escambia Breakfast And Lunch Prices
- Elementary Breakfast: $1, full; $0.30, reduced; $1.80, adult.
- Elementary Lunch: $2, full; $0.40, reduced; $3, adult.
- Middle/High Breakfast: $1.50, full; $0.30, reduced; $1.80, adult.
- Middle/High Lunch: $2.50, full; $0.40, reduced; $3, adult.
- Extra Mile (Elementary): $0.50
Free And Reduced Price Meals
Applications will be sent home with students during the first week of school, or apply online.
To view the income guidelines for the free and reduced price meal program, click here.
Antoinette Alesci Perkins
August 21, 2011
Antoinette Alesci Perkins, age 85, of Cantonment, passed away Wednesday, August 17, 2011. She was born August 26, 192, in Messina Sicily, Italy to Antonio and Maria Alesci. She was raised in Oswego, New York. She resided in Cantonment for 50 years. Mrs. Perkins was a devoted member of St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church. She was a member of various organizations including St. Jude Alter Society, Legion of Mary, and Diocese of Catholic Women.
Preceding her in death was her husband of more than 61 years, Avery W. “Smokey” Perkins, Jr.; her sister; Francis Baker; her identical twin Mayme Bradshaw and her brother Lucian Alesci.
She is survived by her two children; Kathi (Michael) Guy and Bill (Shelly) Perkins; eight grandchildren; Jeremy, Mary, Lora and Carolyn Guy, Matthew, Ashley, Caitlin and Daniel Perkins, three great grandchildren; Ashley, Begonia and Tony; her brother; Frank (Muriel) Alesci; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, August 22, 2011, at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church with Monsignor Raymond Mullins officiating. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North-Cantonment from 5-6p.m. on Sunday, August 21, 2011, with a rosary at 4:00 p.m.
The family would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Donna Judson and her staff.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North, 1000 Highway 29 South Cantonment is in charge of arrangements.
Fallen Marine’s Family: He Was Our Hero
August 20, 2011
Their world was shattered about noon Thursday at the Nelson home in Bratt as three men in military uniforms stood at the door.
“I just screamed and said no,” Beckie said Friday, just over 24 hours after she learned that her son, LCpl Travis Nelson, was shot and killed while conducting combat operations in in Helmand province, Afghanistan. “I just went to my knees and said don’t let them come in. I knew right away that he was gone.”
Late Friday afternoon, Beckie sat holding a framed 5×7 photo of Travis. She has held onto the photo practically every moment since Thursday afternoon.
“He will always be our hero,” Scott Nelson said of their son.
Travis Nelson’s first love in his young life was fishing. At four years old, he would spend hours with relatives fishing on the Escambia River. No matter how old he got, he never gave up the love for a fishing pole and hook.
“He did not go to the beach to swim or watch the girls in their bathing suits,” Beckie said. “He loved to fish.”
He also loved playing baseball at Northwest Escambia’s Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill. “He couldn’t tie his shoes; he would trip on his shoelaces. But he sure could hit those home runs,” she said with a smile.
The Nelsons knew that Travis wanted a career in the military from a young age, and they supported him. At 14, he joined the Young Marines of Pensacola.
“We talked it out for hours, Scott said. “He wanted to serve his country. I was so proud that he had a direction in his life.”
Beckie Nelson, who served in the Navy, also supported Travis’ decision to join the Marines, but she encouraged him to go into avionics, not the infantry.
“I knew he would be safer in a plane than he would with a gun in his hand,” Beckie said.
“But he would not have it that way. He would tell me that it did not always have to be somebody else serving in the infantry. He was not scared.”
Travis Nelson was set to marry Madeline Cates upon his return from Afghanistan. She moved to Bratt after he shipped out overseas, sleeping in his room. It made her feel closer to him.
The family last saw Travis on July 13 as he deployed for Afghanistan. Their last phone conversation was Monday as he requested items for a care package. That package still sits by the front door. It never made it to the mail.
Now the Nelsons, and Cates, await the return of Travis’ body from Afghanistan. His remains are scheduled to arrive at an Atmore funeral home mid-week. In the meantime, they work to comfort each other amongst family and friends.
And they’ve found great solace in the words of the community and complete strangers.
Beckie sat Friday afternoon in the middle her bed with a laptop, reading the scores of reader comments on a NorthEscambia.com story about Travis Nelson’s death.
“The support has been tremendous,” she said. “We want to thank everyone for their comments. When you read what they have say, especially the comments from complete strangers around the country, you know that what Travis did in 19 years was more than some people do in a lifetime.”
“He really was our hero.”
For an earlier story about the death of Travis Nelson and to read the comments mentioned in this story, click here.
Pictured: Scott and Beckie Nelson hold a photo of their fallen son, LCpl Travis Nelson, who died Thursday while serving in Afghanistan. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
County Worker Dies After Being Trapped In Ditch Under Mower
August 20, 2011
An Escambia County worker died Friday as the result of injuries he received when he was trapped last month in a deep ditch under an overturned mower.
Jerry W. Milam passed away at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. He was mowing high grass and weeds on the shoulder of Olive Road about 9 a.m July 26 when he did not see a ditch. The mower fell about 15 feet into the ditch, struck a culvert and trapped the 64-year old underneath for about four hours.
A pedestrian discovered the accident several hours after Milam became trapped. It took rescue workers several minutes to free Milam from the ditch.
Arnold Found Guilty Of Murdering Pregnant Woman, Baby
August 20, 2011
A Cantonment man was found guilty Friday in the stabbing death of a pregnant Cantonment woman and her baby last summer, despite claims that the murders were self defense.
Phillip Arnold, 66, took the stand Friday, continuing to claim that he acted in self defense. He showed no emotion as the jury verdict was read — guilty of second degree murder for the death of Angela Brown, and first degree murder for the death of her baby. He will be sentenced on September 15.
“Yea, my name is Phillip Arnold. I did some stabbing up here on what’s the name of this road?…Stacey Road. “Tell police to come pick me up,” Arnold said in a 911 call on July 5, 2010.
Arnold claimed Brown had picked up knife and he stabbed her before she could stab him.
The state argued that Arnold planned the murder, saying that a witness claimed Arnold has stated that he was going to kill someone just before the murder. But the defense said the statement was just talk.
After the stabbing, Brown’s child was delivered in an emergency c-section and lived for seven hours later. The baby’s father said on the stand Thursday that Brown was six months pregnant, but defense attorneys said that was not the case and that the baby could not have survived on its own.
Pictured top: Double murder suspect Phillip Arnold took the stand in his own defense Friday. Photo courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.