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Learn More About Plan For 15,000 Acres In Escambia County

Escambia County residents can learn more next week about a detailed long-term conceptional plan for thousands of acres.

As part of the county’s adopted Optional Sector Plan, the Detailed Specific Area Plan encompasses approximately 15,000 acres of land north of Interstate 10, south of Barrineau Park Road and west of Highway 29. It is a long-term conceptual planning project aimed at encouraging orderly, logical growth and economic development in north Escambia County that will incorporate road networks, parks, schools, commercial and residential projects.

Residents are invited to a long-term conceptual planning meeting on the Detailed Specific Area Plan from 6 to 9 p.m. on May 11 at Ransom Middle School, 1000 West Kingfield Road.

The meeting will be host by Escambia County Development Services, in conjunction with the Massachusetts-based engineering firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

Future Business Leaders Compete; Northview Student To Nationals

Three Escambia County students or groups will advance to the national FBLA competition this summer, including one from Northview High School.

District One Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members attended the Sixty-First Annual State Leadership Conference for the Florida Chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America which was held in Orlando recently.

Students competed in over 25 events including business law, public speaking, cyber security, technology concepts and digital video production to test their business knowledge and skills.

Three local individuals or groups will now compete in the national competition and include:

• Kasie Lee Braun, Northview High School, second place in Introduction to Business Communication
• Kenneth Earl Staton (Trey), West Florida High School, second place in Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure
• Bellview Middle School, third place Local Chapter Activities Report Middle Level

The FBLA National Leadership Conference will be held  June 28-July 1 in Orlando.

Pictured: Northview High FBLA member Kasie Braun, see here after a district win in February, will advance to the national FBLA competition this summer. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Expansion Of Charter, Virtual Schools Poised To Become Law

The Legislature on Wednesday approved two major education reform proposals that authorize significant expansion of charter and virtual schools.

But advocates for public schools say the measures drain dollars away from traditional schools, favoring charter schools and virtual programs which do not have to meet the same rigorous standards as public schools.

Only Gov. Rick Scott’s signature stands in the way of the bills becoming law and all indications are that he will likely sign them. “These bills expand choices for students and their parents, giving them a chance to get the education that best suits the needs of the student,” said Scott spokesman Lane Wright.

Increasing options for parents beyond traditional public schools is a high priority of Republicans, who are expanding upon a legacy of school reforms that began with Gov. Jeb Bush in the late 1990s.

Indeed, Bush weighed in over Twitter on the passage of the bills on Wednesday, as the legislative session enters its last couple of days.

“Florida is one step closer to transforming education for 21st century,” Bush said, using Twitter shorthand, on Wednesday. “Thanks to Florida’s leaders for expanding access to customized education.”

The charter school bill (SB 1546), passed by the House in a 87-27 predominantly party-line vote, establishes a system that allows highly rated charter schools to expand enrollment and add new grades without having to seek approval from school districts. A school that has received an “A” or “B” grade in the last three years would qualify as highly rated. It also grants these schools longer 15-year charters.

The virtual school bill (HB 7197), passed the Senate in a 27-12 predominantly party-line vote, and allows charter schools to offer full-time or part-time virtual school classes, if approved by the school district.

It also requires all high school students to take one online class prior to graduation and permits children as young as five to take full-time virtual classes paid for with state funds. It expands the number of grades the Florida Virtual School offers and requires districts to offer more virtual instruction programs.

Bill sponsor Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, said it promotes the kind of interactions children are used to – on computers and the Internet. “It’s a step in the right direction to make sure that we as the adults catch up to the way our kids are learning,” Flores said. Many Democrats suggested it was unfair to push technology on to students who may not have equal exposure to computers at home.

Some critics of online education also question the quality of instruction, with tales of students taking open-book exams and copying homework answers from the Internet. Virtual schools say they have stringent quality standards.

Even some Republicans marveled at the wide-ranging impact of the virtual school bill.

“I wish that the increase to virtual schools would have been more modest,” said Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland.

During debate on the charter school expansion, Democrats said they were troubled by the push to increase charter schools rather than help failing public schools. “This bill takes away from traditional public schools and gives an unfair advantage to charter schools,” said Rep. Cynthia Stafford, D-Miami.

Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach, said the bill carves out favors for charter schools. “We need to fund low-performing schools,” Gibbons said, not make it easier for charter schools to expand.

But Republicans said the bill rewards charter schools that are performing well.

“The reason I like this bill is because it allows us to copy success,” said Rep. Daniel Davis, R-Jacksonville. “There are good charter schools and there are bad charter schools. We are able to emulate the good charter schools.”

A common criticism of using state funds to support private, virtual or charter schools is that they are not held to the same standards as public schools in terms of testing, class sizes, merit pay and other requirements.

Florida School Board Association Executive Director Wayne Blanton said “as long as everybody is on a level playing field,” these expansion plans are fair. But Blanton said public schools are subjected to more oversight.

For instance, the new teacher merit pay law may not apply to some teachers of virtual programs.

The virtual school bill permits hiring of adjunct instructors, who are exempted from the new merit pay law that requires tying teacher pay to test scores, according to Florida Education Association lobbyist Ron Meyer.

“Once again, while the public schools in Florida are held to prescribed standards, charter, voucher and virtual schools – all of which are funded with public dollars – are not required to meet the same standards,” Meyer said.

By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida

Tornado Victim Collections Continue

Voters To Get Obama Health Care Mandate Question

In what likely will be a fierce partisan battle, Floridians next year will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that targets President Obama’s signature health-care law.

The House on Wednesday approved a ballot measure aimed at allowing Florida residents to opt out of the most controversial part of the law — a requirement starting in 2014 that Americans buy health insurance.

The 80-37 vote on SJR 2 followed almost straight party lines, with only Greenville Democrat Leonard Bembry joining Republicans in support. The Senate also overwhelmingly approved the measure in March.

House debate echoed the national partisanship that has surrounded the law, which Republicans deride as “Obamacare.” Critics say the law is an abuse of federal power, in large part because of the requirement that people buy insurance.

“I say keep your hands off my freedom,” said Rep. Scott Plakon, a Longwood Republican who sponsored the measure.

But Democrats defended the health law, officially known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and said many uninsured people have to go to hospital emergency rooms for care. They said hospitals pass on those costs to people who buy health insurance.

If the argument is that people don’t want to pay for other people’s health care – it falls apart because people without health insurance still get care paid for by everyone else, said Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando.

“You are paying for health care — the most expensive form of health care — when people go to the emergency room,” said Thompson.

Lawmakers approved a nearly identical amendment proposal last year, but the Florida Supreme Court kicked it off the 2010 ballot because of misleading wording. Plakon and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, tweaked the wording to address the court’s concerns and brought it back during this year’s session.

The proposal would add provisions to the Florida Constitution that say, in part, a “law or rule may not compel, directly or indirectly, any person or employer to purchase, obtain or otherwise provide for health care coverage.”

Supporters hope that would allow Floridians to choose not to participate in the insurance requirement, which has become known as the “individual mandate.” Florida and other states also are challenging the legality of the requirement in a closely watched lawsuit, which is scheduled for arguments next month in an Atlanta-based appeals court.

Democrats have long argued that the proposed constitutional amendment would not ensure Floridians can opt out of the individual mandate. That is because the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution generally leads to federal laws trumping state laws when conflicts arise.

Such nuances, however, didn’t play a part in Wednesday’s debate, as Republicans and Democrats argued about the health law and the role of the federal government. Those arguments likely will be common through November 2012, when Obama also will seek re-election.

“This Obamacare, to me, is the single most divisive issue that has come across our country since the Vietnam War,” said Punta Gorda Republican Rep. Paige Kreegel, who is a physician.

But Hallandale Beach Democrat Joe Gibbons said the House shouldn’t “make decisions solely on partisan political preferences.”

“We should be concerned with healing and not repealing,” Gibbons said.

By Jim Saunders
The News Service of Florida

No More Pants On The Ground: Lawmakers Pass Saggy Pants Ban

For five years, Sen. Gary Siplin has fought to pass a bill that requires school districts to develop school dress codes that prohibit saggy pants.

It looks like 2011 is his lucky year. After no debate, the House on Wednesday passed a bill (SB 228) in a 101-15 vote requiring school boards to adopt dress code policies that prohibit clothes that “expose underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner.” It now is poised for final approval by the governor.

The bill penalizes students caught offending the dress code with a call to their parent, with the most stringent punishment being removal from extracurricular activities and in-school suspension.

“It’s been a long road,” Siplin said Wednesday, as it appeared likely his bill would finally pass the Legislature. Siplin, D-Orlando, said he’s passionate about the issue because he feels too many young people are being bypassed for jobs because they dress inappropriately.

“I firmly believe part of the education process is teaching them how to dress,” Siplin said. “If you look at successful people and how they dress, they are not showing their body parts.”

Siplin said it took so long to get the bill passed because people thought “it wasn’t a serious issue.”

Also known as the “droopy drawers” bill, it became known as Siplin’s pet project over the years and incited a fair share of media attention and ribbing from fellow lawmakers. But Siplin said it was one of the top issues people would approach him about back in his district, urging him not to drop his push for outlawing baggy pants.

Wayne Blanton, the executive director of the Florida School Boards Association, said school boards are neutral about the dress code mandates.

“Most already have a policy like that or something similar,” Blanton said. “It is redundant for the most part.”

Some of the “no” votes came from many of the House’s black caucus members, who in earlier committee stops had expressed concern that the bill might cause possible harassment of minorities.

By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida

Body Found In River Identified As Atmore Man

A body found last weekend in floating in the Tensaw River has been identified as that of 51-year Eural L. Ward of Atmore.

The body was discovered Saturday by fishermen near Cloverleaf Landing between Bay Minette and Spanish Fort. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office was able to identify the body as Ward’s  using fingerprints, as well as family identification of his jewelry and tattoos.

On April 27, three days before Ward’s body was discovered, Alabama State Troopers towed an abandoned vehicle from an I-65 bridge between Little River and the Tensaw River. A followup on that vehicle ultimately led to the body identification.

Initial information indicates that foul play was not involved in Ward’s death, but final autopsy results are pending.

Divers Recover Body Of Drowning Victim In Bluff Springs (With Photo Gallery)

Tuesday night, divers recovered the body of a Century man that drowned in a lake south of Century.

Friends and family members identified the man as Joseph “Jo Jo” Walter Kimmons, 47. Campers along the lake in a remote are near the Escambia River off Bluff Springs Road reported that Kimmons went under the water sometime before 5 p.m. but did not resurface. They told authorities that Kimmons was attempting to recover a small paddle boat that drifted away from the campsite when, for unknown reasons, he went below the surface. A bystander said he attempted unsuccessfully to save Kimmons.

Shortly after the drowning was reported, first responders from the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue searched as much of the wooded shoreline as possible, while a LifeFlight helicopter crew scanned the area from above. There was no sign of Kimmons.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office dive team used sonar to search the area of the lake where Kimmons was reported to have disappeared.  As friends and family members comforted one another on the shore, divers were able to recover Kimmons’ body about 8:15 p.m. He was found in about 12 feet of water.

The drowning is under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said preliminary information did not indicate foul play.

Escambia County EMS and Escambia Search and Rescue also responded to the call.

For a photo gallery from the search and recovery effort, click here.

Pictured: Authorities searched this lake near Bluff Springs for a drowning victim Tuesday evening. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.

Good Economic News For Flomaton, Century: McDonald’s Opens

A new McDonald’s opened in Flomaton Tuesday morning, and local leaders say it will be a much needed economic shot in the arm.

The 24-hour location is what McDonald’s calls a “small-town retail store”. The location choice was not based upon the local population and demographics; rather, the store will depend on a high traffic count to be successful.

Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant said recently that the expansion of Highway 113 — a joint Alabama and Florida project — is improving the economic outlook in his town, which, in turn, will help Century. He said that his town was excited about the opening of the new McDonald’s restaurant at Highway 113 and Highway 31 — a business that employees Century residents among the 60 hired for the new store.

Bondurant said he believes the four lane expansion of Highway 113 will eventually lead to more business growth in Flomaton.

“I loved it; it was really nice on the inside. They should get a lot of business being in the spot they chose,” said Bondurant. “I really enjoyed them and their service.”

Pictured top: A new McDonald’s opened Thursday at Highway 113 and Highway 29 in Flomaton. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Law Approved That Targets Underage Drinking, Open House Parties

The Florida Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will increase penalties on adults who illegally serve alcohol to minors at an open house party. Senate Bill 746/House Bill 105 passed the Senate on a 38-1 Floor vote.

Sponsored by Senator Thad Altman (R – Rockledge) and Representative Tom Goodson (R – Rockledge) the legislation stiffens criminal penalties especially if the minor who was served alcohol is killed or seriously injured. SB 746 increases the penalty from a second degree misdemeanor to a first degree misdemeanor, which carries a fine not to exceed $1,000 and a term of imprisonment not to exceed one year.

“Ultimately, we are trying to protect our youth and help make Florida a safer place for them,” said Senator Altman. “We need to hold adults who illegally serve alcohol to minors accountable for such poor and dangerous decisions. There are tragic outcomes to underage drinking, and Florida is fortunate to have a strong coalition of advocates statewide who have supported this bill.”

House Bill 105 will now go to Gov. Rick Scott for his signature.

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