$202K To Rehab 4 Homes, Including 105 Year Old, $11K House In Flood Zone
March 22, 2012
The Town of Century has been awarded $202,704 in grant-funded contracts to rehabilitate four private homes in the town — including a 1907 home located in a floodplain.
The town was awarded a $650,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) last year to rehabilitate or replace about nine homes that are currently occupied by persons of low or moderate income. The town also received $100,000 in Residential Construction Mitigation Program Funds for hurricane retrofits.
A 105-year old wood frame home (pictured top) at 541 East Pond Street is among the four selected by the town for rehabilitation. According to the Escambia County Property Appraiser’s website, the home owned by Roy and Rosie Pearl Hale has a taxable value of $10,960, while the rehab cost will be $81,850.
According to the town, the 1,456 square foot East Pond Street home is located in a floodplain — so demolition and reconstruction is not allowed. “The only assistance available to the homeowner is substantial rehabilitation of the existing unit and the homeowner will be required to purchase flood insurance upon completion of the substantial rehabilitation,” according to town documents.
Other homes selected for rehabilitation will range in cost from $34,611 for a home at 210 East Street to $51,701 for a home on Mayo Street (pictured inset). The project for each of the homes is detailed in the graphic below.
Back in November, the town awarded $230,567 in contracts to rehab four other homes.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Elections Outreach Event Today In North Escambia
March 22, 2012
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford will hold an outreach event to give North Escambia residents a chance to verify and update their voter information, register to vote, pick up a voter guide or become a poll worker.
Staff from the elections office will be in Century on Thursday from 1-3 p.m. at the Century Branch Library, 7991 North Century Boulevard.
Florida residents 18 years of age and older can register to vote, change their address, update their signature, change party affiliation and sign up to vote by mail. Individuals 16 or 17 years old can preregister to vote.
The elections staff will also have poll worker applications available. Poll workers are hired and trained to work Election Day at precincts throughout Escambia County. “Standby” workers are also needed in the event that someone is unable to serve at the last minute.
For more information about outreach opportunities or serving as a poll worker, contact the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office at (850) 595-3900.
Roger Steele
March 22, 2012
Roger Steele, 78, of Pensacola passed away Sunday, March 18, 2012.
Roger was born in Oak Grove and after graduating from Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill, he served in the US Air Force for four years. Roger, an electrical engineer, was retired from Armstrong after 36 years of service to the company. His hobbies were fishing, camping and gardening. Roger was loved by all who knew him and helping others was his trademark. His strong Christian ethics were evident in his lifestyle. He was a faithful, long time member of East Brent Baptist Church.
Preceding Roger in death are his parents, Alex Steele and Elizabeth Greer Steele; grandson, Michael Steele and two brothers, Marshal and Aamond.
Survivors include his devoted wife of 54 years, Willa Jean (Lassiter) Steele; daughter, Shelby Brown (Randy); son, Alfred Steele; grandchildren, Lee and Heather Brown; great grandson, John; granddaughter, Nichole Weaver; one sister, Laverne Passmore (Melton-deceased); 8 brothers, Raymond (Ruby-deceased), Juber (Ethel), Edward (Fran), Cleveland (Ann), Aaron (Carolyn), Artis (Syble), Onoree (Brenda), Bennie (Eloise), and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Wednesday, March 21, 2012, at the church with Brother Dale Patterson officiating.
Interment followed at Pensacola Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearerswere Jeremy and Adam Merritt, Gary, Glen, Ronnie, Allen and Dale Steele and Bobby Passmore.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the East Brent Baptist Church Building Fund.
Tate Gets Tourney Win; EA Girls Beat Sparta
March 22, 2012
Here’s a look at baseball and softball action from around the area:
Tate 10 — McAdory (Ala.) 5
After suffering their first loss of the season Tuesday, the Tate Aggies bounced back with a win Wednesday.
The Aggies beat the McAdory (Ala.) Yellow Jackets 10-5 in the Acentria/Aggie Classic. The Aggies are now 11-1 on the season. Tate dropped to Pinson Valley 3-2 in eight innings Tuesday.
Tate will play the Hueytown Golden Gophers at 7 p.m. Thursday at Tate (this is a location change) for fifth place in the tourney.
SOFTBALL
Escambia Academy 14 – Sparta 0
The Lady Cougars of Escambia Academy shut out Sparta on Tuesday, 14-0. Sydney McGhee was 3-4 at bat with a single, double and triple. Megan Duncan was 3-3 with 2 RBIs.
Escambia Academy 2 — Sparta 1
In junior varsity play, Escambia Academy defeated Sparta 2-1. Kennedy McGhee and Autumn Corley had doubles for the JV Lady Cougars, while Victoria Sawyer, Anna Catherine Sasser and Carson Barnett had singles.
Race, Morality Enter Senate Redistricting Fight
March 22, 2012
Racial and even moral conflicts entered the already-contentious redistricting process Wednesday as a key Senate committee sent a proposed map to the floor despite Hispanic and conservative Christian disagreements with some elements of the plan.
The maps passed the Senate Reapportionment Committee on a day that at times veered between the unusual and the surreal.
District numbers for the upper chamber’s new redistricting plan — necessary because the Florida Supreme Court threw out the maps — were selected in part by a raffle-style drawing. That prompted one Senate Republican to accuse the panel of breaking the state’s gambling laws.
And the racial politics of Miami-Dade County, which had been relatively muted throughout the redistricting process, have begun to boil over in a battle over whether to create a fourth majority-Hispanic district in the county.
The most unique flare-up of the day came when senators essentially raffled off odd and even seats. Because of the way the state’s term limit laws work, an odd or even seat can mean the difference between a lawmaker serving an eight-year term or getting an extra two years.
The original Senate map gave almost every incumbent in the chamber an opportunity to serve as long as 10 years, one of several aspects of the plan that the Florida Supreme Court said violated the anti-gerrymandering Fair Districts amendments approved by voters in a 2010 referendum.
But the raffle upset some lawmakers who are opposed to gambling and said the new system sent the wrong message.
“I believe that there are people all across the state of Florida that will be very, very deeply offended by the Florida Senate casting lots to make a decision,” said Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico.
Storms later called a point of order and asked for an opinion by Attorney General Pam Bondi during the raffle, saying Senate staff might be committing a misdemeanor by running the operation. Senate Reapportionment Chairman Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, rejected the point but said Storms was free to ask for an opinion from Bondi.
“This isn’t a lottery,” he told reporters. “This is the minority leader and the majority leader advising me as to what they believe ought to be put in the amendment that describes the assignment of senatorial district numbers.”
Storms said she would file an amendment to reorder the districts and make sure incumbents serve no longer than eight years — though she admitted the measure was likely to fail. The current way, she said, would damage the institution over the long term.
“Even though these particular 40 Senators are serving, I think that we have diminished the decorum and the stature of the state of Florida by twirling balls around in a basket and having the secretary of the Senate call out numbers,” Storms said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla said he would take his fight to create a fourth majority-Hispanic seat in Miami-Dade County to the Senate floor. Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, would turn the district represented by Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-North Miami Beach, into one where non-black Hispanics would comprise 66.2 percent of the voting-age population.
But he brushed aside claims that the effort was meant to help his brother, Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who has filed to run for Margolis’ seat.
“Whoever wants to run for that district, that potential fourth Hispanic seat, will have to run and compete with a number of other people, because it will be an open seat,” Miguel Diaz de la Portilla said.
Margolis, in a debate with Diaz de la Portilla in front of reporters, dismissed those claims and said Diaz de la Portilla’s amendment could lock whites out of the county’s delegation.
“This amendment, if it makes a fourth seat in Dade County a protected seat, disenfranchises every Anglo,” said Margolis, who is white. “There will never be an Anglo member of the Florida Senate from Dade County if this amendment passes.”
Diaz de la Portilla portrayed Margolis as an incumbent attempting to cling to power and said deciding not to create the fourth district could open the map up to a challenge under the federal Voting Rights Act.
“You have incumbency protection on the one hand versus enfranchising language minorities on the other,” he said.
The map ultimately passed on a 21-6 vote, with Margolis and three other Democrats joining every Republican in approving the plan. In a separate vote, five Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando, opposed renumbering the districts through the raffle.
Democrats who opposed the overall plan said it didn’t go far enough to address justices’ concerns about eight districts, the numbering system and the division of the city of Lakeland.
“We have fixed a few things,” said Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, D-Weston. “But I think the map simply does not fix a number of the things that the court suggested to us that needed to be corrected.”
Republicans, though, said the map was a success despite the arduous process.
“This is as good a product as you can possibly get,” said Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice.
By The News Service of Florida
Tate High Mock Trial Team Wins State Championship
March 22, 2012
Tate High School recently won the Florida High School Mock Trial Championship in Orlando.
Teams from 18 judicial circuits competed for the state title. Each competed in multiple rounds on the way to the state title. Judges and attorney from across the state evaluated each team.
Tate High School competed in four rounds of competition and then faced off against the Community School of Naples in the fifth and final round to win the state championship title. Tate will represent Florida in the national championship to be held in New Mexico.
Members of the Tate team were:
Asia Cravens, Sarah Barlow, Tanner Newman, Hannah Malone, Matthew Bailey, Chance Sturup, Tatiana Teate, Amy Sapp, Brianna Riddell, Andrew Belt and Ryan Colburn.
Cravens also won “Best Attorney” for her performance throughout the competition.
The Tate High Mock Trial Team is led by teacher Angie Sapp and their attorney-coach Travis Johnson of Meador and Vigosdky.
Justice Harry Lee Anstead (Retired) served as keynote speaker for the program and administered the Lawyer’s Oath to students to be temporary members of the Bar during the program. He addressed issues of professionalism and civility and encouraged students to be friendly and ethical throughout the competition.
This was the 22nd year of the state program administered by the Florida Law Related Education Association, a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan civic education organization.
Pictured top: Members of the state championship Tate High School Mock Trial Team.Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
U.S. Marshals Capture Escambia Child Sex Abuse Suspect
March 22, 2012
The U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested an Escambia County man wanted locally for three sexual assault charges on a person under 18 years old.
Anthony Cherry was captured Wednesday morning around 11:00 while he tried to hide in a bedroom of a house on the 700 Block of N. G Street. Cherry is wanted by Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for sexual battery by a custodian on a victim over 12 and under 18 years of age, soliciting an act of sexual battery by a custodian on a victim under 18 years old, and lewd and lascivious behavior on a victim 12 years old and up to 16 years of age.
According to police reports, Cherry allegedly committed these acts between March 8 and March 11 of this year. Reports also alleged that on one of the occasions he held the female victim’s arms down behind her while performing sexual acts.
Cherry, 36, was arrested without further incident by Task Force members form the U.S. Marshals, Escambia and Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office along with help from Escambia patrol deputies. Cherry was transported to the Escambia County Jail where he was held with bond set at $52,500.
Pensacola NAS Closed Today, Friday
March 22, 2012
Pensacola’s navy base will be closed the next two days as part of a security exercise.
Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP, Corry Station and Saufley Field) will participate in Exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2012; an anti-terrorism/force protection exercise that will be conducted on all continental United States naval installations March 19 – 24.
Naval Air Station Pensacola will close all access and activities aboard the base at 11 a.m., March 22 and remain closed through 11 a.m., March 24. Only mission essential personnel will be allowed on the base.
The National Museum of Naval Aviation will be closed all day, Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24. Fort Barrancas, the Advanced Redoubt, and Barrancas National Cemetery will be closed Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 22 though 24.
At Naval Hospital Pensacola, there will be no scheduled appointments from 11 a.m. Thursday until 4 p.m. Friday. The emergency room will be open for emergency services. Normal pharmacy services will be provided.
This annual exercise, coordinated by U.S. Fleet Forces Command is designed to enhance training and readiness of Naval Security Force personnel to respond to threats to installations and units throughout the nation. All security processes will be implemented during the exercise to evaluate preparedness.
Local communities may also experience traffic delays on roadways leading to or in proximity to the base. Area residents may also notice increased military activity associated with the exercise. Elevation of force protection conditions and increased security measures can be anticipated for the duration of the exercise.
Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield is a regularly scheduled exercise and is not being held in response to any specific threat.
Downed Tree Limb Blocks Molino Road, Highway 95A
March 22, 2012
High winds downed a large tree limb near the intersection of Highway 95A and Molino Road, blocking both roadways.
Fire crews from Molino and Cantonment responded about 10:40 a.m. and worked to remove the limb. Both roads were re-opened by 10:55 a.m.
Black Lawmakers Call For Special Prosecutor In Trayvon Martin Shooting
March 22, 2012
Black lawmakers Wednesday called on Gov. Rick Scott to appoint a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation of Trayvon Martin’s death in Sanford last month.
The unarmed black 17-year-old was shot on Feb. 26 by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, who is claiming self-defense and has not been charged.
Martin’s family has maintained all along that Zimmerman should be charged, and state Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, agreed, saying that if Martin had been white and Zimmerman black, Zimmerman would have been arrested by now.
Siplin said Seminole County State Attorney Norm Wolfinger, who said this week that a grand jury will review evidence in the case, should step aside because he regularly deals with the local sheriff.
“We’re not contesting the veracity of the current prosecutor, but…he has a relationship with the sheriff’s department, the police department and the city of Sanford, and we think he should step down,” Siplin said.
Siplin also announced a senatorial fact-finding mission to Sanford. He said he will be joined by two other black senators, Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, whose district includes the home of Martin’s mother, and Sen. Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale, who will be the Senate Democratic leader next year, along with three white Republicans: Sens. Joe Negron of Stuart, Lizbeth Benacquisto of Fort Myers and Ronda Storms of Valrico. The group will examine the status of African Americans in Sanford within the next month, Siplin said.
Siplin, who is leaving the Senate in November because of term limits, alleged that in Sanford, whites and blacks are not treated equally by law enforcement.
“The police [have] a history of stopping black folks and taking their fingerprints, or searching their cars without permission. You either let them take your fingerprints, or they threaten to take you to jail,” said Siplin.
The Seminole County State Attorney’s Office and the Sanford Police Department did not immediately return calls for comment.
The shooting death and Zimmerman’s self-defense claim have reopened debate over the 2005 “stand your ground law”,” under which people who feel threatened don’t have to retreat from their attacker before using violence.
Braynon said he believed the law had “empowered people to become vigilantes.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Perry Thurston, D-Plantation, sent a letter to House Speaker Dean Cannon, requesting that a select committee be formed to review the self defense law.
“While no action of any governmental entity can restore the life of Trayvon Martin, I believe it is imperative that the Florida Legislature take this matter seriously and action be taken to prevent future tragedies of this kind,” Thurston wrote.
By The News Service of Florida