Florida ‘Stand Your Ground’ Panel Hears Emotional Testimony
July 11, 2012
The task force created by Gov. Rick Scott to review Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law heard from experts on security and neighborhood-watch programs at its third meeting Tuesday – along with emotional statements from members of the public who said crime had touched their lives.
The speakers included the widow, mother and friends of Scott Standard, who was killed in front of his home in Citrus County in January 2011. James W. Conner III, a neighbor engaged in a long-running dispute with Standard, shot Standard at least twice, but pleaded self-defense under the “stand your ground” law and was not charged. The only witness, Conner’s wife, supported his claim, but Standard’s family has insisted that Conner was the aggressor.
“This law is written as a license to kill,” Barbara Standard, Scott Standard’s mother, told task force members who met in the rural community of Arcadia. “Are we bitter? You better believe it.”
Other members of the public described their own ordeals.
“This law failed my son,” said Debra Peoples of Tampa, who said her son Chyvas was attacked by gang members in Ybor City and is now serving 30 years for killing one of them. “There’s a disparity in the application and interpretation of the “stand your ground’ law.”
Peoples said her son’s case, “where he was in fear for his life, needs to be reinvestigated and a hearing held.”
But others who testified, like Ed Johnson of Arcadia, said they were crime victims and urged the panel not to weaken the statute. “We need the ’stand your ground’ law to protect us from evil people,” Johnson said.
The governor formed the task force after neighborhood-watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed teen, Trayvon Martin, who was walking in a gated community in Sanford. When Zimmerman pleaded self-defense under the “stand your ground” law and wasn’t immediately arrested, charges of racism sparked protests across the country.
The task force, which is chaired by Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, is expected to make recommendations to lawmakers about whether the law needs changes, and is collecting testimony and data, with meetings planned through November.
Tuesday morning’s agenda was devoted to expert testimony, while the public spoke in the afternoon.
The expert consensus was that crime-watch volunteers “are not to engage in any kind of confrontation,” as Jane Meier of the Melbourne Police Department’s Volunteer in Partnership Program put it.
Expectations vary from program to program, but crime-watch volunteers agreed that trained volunteers are not vested with any law enforcement authority.
“Our objective is a visible presence,” said Len Smally, manager of the Meadows Community Association in Sarasota, which employs private security. “It certainly deters crime.”
One member of the panel, Judge Krista Marx of Palm Beach County, said the common thread of the expert testimony is that crime-watch volunteers shouldn’t act as law enforcement.
“Under the present state of the law, under ’stand-your-ground,’ if a neighborhood watch individual were to pursue or confront, they would be perceived as the provoker, and therefore, not be able to avail themselves of ’stand-your-ground’ immunity,” Marx said.
But Karl “KC” Poulin, president of the Florida Association of Security Companies, said watch volunteers can find themselves in some pretty difficult situations. He said private security officers and neighborhood watch volunteers are often on the front line against crime, when police aren’t always right there.
“I had an officer last year killed in one of these neighborhoods. He was gunned down by a gang member. And then we’re going to ask them as citizens to go out there in that same neighborhood, and get involved with us and communicate with us and tell us what’s going on? That’s a lot to ask,” Pullen said.
After the public testified, which took about 90 minutes, Carroll took a moment to address charges of racial disparity in application of the law. One speaker, Andrea Ortiz, a student of ethics at New College, had referred to an investigation of roughly 200 “stand your ground” cases by the Tampa Bay Times last month.
“Justice cannot be done if white shooters are killing black kids,” said Ortiz.
But Carroll cautioned that the Times’ sample was too small and said the University of Florida is examining all “stand your ground” cases documented by state attorney’s offices and law enforcement agencies for the panel’s review.
“That data we receive to this task force should be what we look at to see if there is disparity in the application and the use of the law, and not just a very small sample coming out of a newspaper article,” Carroll said.
By The News Service of Florida
Belle Foods: New Name Coming To Area Grocery Stores
July 11, 2012
Changes are coming to several grocery stores across the area as they are transformed into “Belle Foods” stores.
The Food World in Atmore, four Food World stores in Pensacola and the Piggly Wiggly in Brewton are among 57 stores undergoing the name change within the next 18 months.
All of the stores are owned by Southern Family Markets of Birmingham, now renamed Belle Foods, LLC.
With the slogan “Refreshing Simple”, the company plans to develop the brand, focusing on customer service, simplicity and “loyalty card” savings.
Pictured top: The Food World store in Atmore is one of a half dozen stores in the area that will be rebranded as Belle Foods stores in the coming months. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Panel Remain Cautious But Optimistic On US Growth
July 11, 2012
Facing financial insecurity in Europe, sluggishness in China and an election in November, state economists on Tuesday took a cautious, stay-the-course approach to their view of the national economic picture while reiterating that the recent slowdown likely won’t result in another recession.
Meeting to update their national economic forecast last tweaked in December, economists from the Legislature and the governor’s office said they will likely be in a much better position to read the tea leaves the next time they meet, as events in the United States and abroad become clearer over the next several months.
Despite recent dips in consumer confidence and sluggish job growth, economists estimate the national economy will grow by 2 percent during the fiscal year that began July 1, a 0.1 percentage point uptick from the forecast late last year.
But the panel expects the recovery to take longer than previously expected, prompting members to reduce the forecast for the 2013-14 fiscal year by a full percentage point, lowering GDP growth expectations to 2.1 percent.
The overall growth rate comes despite lower expectations for job growth, as national employment figures remain weak. December estimates, which called for a 1.4 percent increase in non-farm employment in the current fiscal year, have been pared back by 0.1 percent. Job creation also is expected to move at slower pace than previously predicted for the next several years.
“Despite the slowdown in the economy, I believe the economy has hit a soft spot and is not heading back toward recession,” said Clyde Diao, an economist in the governor’s office.
Some recent indicators are cause for such optimism. A dramatic decline in gasoline prices in recent months translates into a 0.5 percentage point increase in consumer disposable income. Auto sales are up and are expected to remain stronger than previously expected over the next few years.
Housing appears to be another rebounding sector as pent-up demand continues to mount while interest rates remain low and relatively stable. Housing starts for the current fiscal year are expected to climb about 23 percent. Fueling the increase is demand from renters and continued low interest rates.
Despite such encouraging domestic news, it’s become abundantly clear the U.S. economy is closely linked to the fates of other nations. Instability in the euro zone over the past several months has hurt U.S. exports. Likewise, an economic slowdown in China has also been felt halfway around the world.
“Unlike the ’60s and ’70s when most of the growth was from within, any slowdown in the world economy affects us from afar,” Diao said.
Making the forecasters more cautious are a handful of factors that could affect the national economy over the next 12 months and beyond, said Amy Baker, coordinator for the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research.
Federal lawmakers face an upcoming deadline to agree on cost saving measures or face automatic budget cuts in defense and social services spending. The presidential election will also strongly influence economic activity, especially in the area of health care programs.
By The News Service of Florida
The Sky’s The Limit At Highland Baptist VBS
July 11, 2012
Vacation Bible School is a summertime tradition for children and churches across the North Escambia area.
One of the largest is Highland Baptist Church in Molino, where over 250 children are attending Sky VBS where kids learn that “everything is possible with God” and the sky is the limit.
For a photo gallery from Monday and Tuesday nights at Sky VBS at Highland Baptist, click here.
Sky VBS at Highland continues Wednesday through Friday from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. for ages three years through fifth grade.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tri-County, NWE Eliminated From State 12U All-Star Tournament
July 11, 2012
Northwest Escambia and Tri-County have both been eliminated from the Cal Ripken 12U All Star state tournament in Alexander City, Ala.
Monday, NWE lost to Lincoln 11-9, and lost to Talladega 13-3.
The Tri-County All Stars also fell short at the state level, losing all four of their matchups.
Pictured: The NWE 12U 2012 All Star team (front row) Dawson Brown, Jackson Bonner, Chase Gifford, Preston Milstead, Daniel Mascaro, Samuel Stott, Coach PJ Gifford, (second row) Adrian King, Beau Bryan, Jason Fischer, Trey Holder, Teddy Nelson, Jacob McCullough, (back row) Coach Jerry Fischer, Jr., Coach Gil Bonner. Photo by Ramona Fischer photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scott: Concern, Enthusiasm At UK Air Show Over Airbus, Aviation Market
July 11, 2012
Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday that signs of strength in the global civil aviation market are being tempered by worries over declining U.S. defense budgets as he meets with private companies during a weeklong trade mission in the United Kingdom.
Speaking from London, Scott said that he remains optimistic that the state can benefit from global developments within the aircraft manufacturing industry that include the announcement last week of a new Airbus facility in Mobile.
Florida remains well poised to capture some of the economic activity expected to be generated by the $600 million plant, which is projected to directly employ 1,000 workers but will have a much broader economic impact, especially along the Florida Panhandle.
“People are excited,” Scott said after a day of meetings with business prospects at the Farnborough International Air Show in London.”There are a lot of suppliers to Airbus, and I think they are going to be more interested (in looking at Florida) now.”
Scott said there is concern that long-term defense cutbacks could affect portions of Florida’s aviation sector, which now is made up of nearly 2,000 companies employing more than 83,000 workers. Florida has a huge military aviation sector, with flight installations located throughout the state.
As part of a budget deal forged last year, federal lawmakers have agreed to $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts over a decade, half of which would affect the Defense Department. The cuts are expected to begin in January, but congressional leaders have been speaking about extending the deadline to March.
The budget cuts were part of a deal signed into law in August to raise the nation’s debt limit. Along with spending cuts, lawmakers are also looking at moves that could increase taxes and eliminate tax loopholes. Scott said the looming deadline is on the minds of many at the air show.
“On one side, the one dealing with U.S. defense spending, there is concern about the automatic cutbacks” that could kick in, Scott said.
The governor said concern on the military side is being offset by an apparent buying spree in the commercial flight sector. Deals have already been announced at the air show totaling billions of dollars in contracts for aircraft and related equipment.
“On the civilian side, this is one of the busiest times for sales,” Scott said. “Boeing has made some big announcements already.”
Scott said the six day trade mission has given him an opportunity to tout some recent developments in the state including the push toward science, technology and math degrees and the creation of Florida Polytechnic, the state’s 12th university that backers say will be a showcase for STEM education.
Besides making pitches to companies that Florida is a great place to do business, Scott said he’s also meeting throughout the week with tourism officials. Britain is Florida’s third largest source of tourists behind Canada and Brazil.
Scott also said he remains fiscally cautious about how to spend the state’s economic development funds, which total about $103 million. Alabama reportedly provided about $165 million to Airbus to locate its manufacturing plant in Mobile. Scott said the news won’t necessary prompt him to ask Florida lawmakers for more money.
“I want to make sure we get a return on the number of dollars we spend,” Scott said.
By The News Service of Florida
One Shot At Pensacola Liquor Store
July 10, 2012
Pensacola Police are investigating a shooting that occurred Monday night inside a Cervantes Street liquor store.
Officers responded to Tom, Ann & Buddy’s around 9:40 p.m.after dispatchers received a 911 call about the shooting. Upon arrival, police were told a man had been shot inside the establishment and been taken to Baptist Hospital by private vehicle. The man’s injuries were not considered life threatening, according to police.
An employee told police he heard two shots and then saw a man carrying a handgun run out a door on the east side of the establishment The man was described as a black male, thin
build, short hair, and wearing a gray tank top. Investigators are pursuing leads on the suspect.
Anyone having information on the incident is asked to contact the Pensacola Police Department at (850) 435-1900.
Last December, an officer-involved shooting took place at Tom, Ann & Buddy’s. A Pensacola Police officer was determined to be justified in shooting a man during an undercover drug operation gone wrong.
Joyce Ann Knotts Ashcraft
July 10, 2012
Joyce Ann Knotts Ashcraft, age 69, of Jay, passed away July 9, 2012. She had resided in Jay since 1968. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and sister.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Eva Knotts; two sisters Elaine Knotts and Ruth Tedder.
She is survived by her husband of 52 years Paul Ashcraft; son Jeffrey (Emerald) Ashcraft; brothers Gene (Shelby) Knotts and Alvin Knotts; grandchildren Libby, Ian and Ethan Ashcraft and many nieces, nephews and other relatives.
Visitation will be held Thursday, July 19, 2012 from 6-8 P.M. at Jay Funeral Home.
Jay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Man Charged With Opening Fire With AK-47 Assault Rifle At Nightclub
July 10, 2012
A 21-year old Cantonment man has been charged with opening fire with an alleged AK-47 assault rifle at a Pensacola nightclub.
Davaress Lee Dixon of Pace Parkway was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm in public . He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $22,000.
The incident happened at the Live Nightclub on Pensacola Boulevard at Nine Mile Road, next to the Vallarta Mexican Restaurant, on July 5, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
A 21-year old male told deputies he was in the parking lot when he was attacked by what he believed to be three white males and one black male, and one of them struck him on the head. He told deputies that during the altercation, an older model red sports car pulled up and the black male retrieved a rifle from the car and fired six shots into the air. Witnesses corroborated the victim’s story.
Responding Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies were unable to locate the vehicle in the area, but they did find six 7.62 caliber shell casings in the parking lot of the nightclub, according to an arrest report.
On Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a witness that said he saw Thursday night’s incident and that the car and man that pulled an AK-47 were back at the Live Nightclub. When deputies arrived at the Pensacola Boulevard nightclub, the witness said he had information that the vehicle was now at O’Reilly’s Irish Pub on Creighton Road. Deputies reported finding the vehicle at the Creighton Road bar with a handgun in the front driver’s seat and what appeared to be a clip connected to an automatic weapon in a back passenger floorboard.
Dixon was detained in the parking lot of O’Reilly’s Irish Pub and then positively identified by a witness as the man who fired the AK-47 two nights before at the Live Nightclub.
A Pensacola Police Department K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A search of the car located a Strum Ruger P90 handgun, an Interec TEC-DC9 assault weapon, as well as multiple baggies of marijuana and four Xanax bars, according to Dixon’s arrest report.
Dixon was also charged with possession of marijuana. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Tuesday morning.
50 North Escambia Bridges Need Replacing
July 10, 2012
Think the days of wooden bridges are long gone? Think again. Odds are if you travel an Escambia County road, you will travel over a bridge that has wooden supports under the concrete or asphalt that you see.
Many of Escambia County’s 128 bridges have wooden structures and/or wooden supports, and many are 50 to 70 years old. Eleven are classified as “structurally deficient” and seven are classified as “functionally obsolete”, according to a 2010 report.
The 2010 report says it would take $96.6 million to replace 103 of those bridges — including 50 bridges in North Escambia — within the next 10 years.
The number one bridge on the county’s 2010 wooden substructure bridge priority list is on Fannie Road at Dead Lake, just outside Century. Built in 1960, the 121 foot bridge has a 10 ton weight limit. The bridge is slated to be replaced in 2014.
Bridges like the one on Fannie Road are not dangerous, according to county officials, but they are aging and in need of replacement before they become dangerous or even deadly. While drivers see asphalt on the surface of the bridge, what they don’t see is the wood structure underneath.
Most of Escambia County’s bridges — all but 13 — are inspected at least every two years by the Florida Department of Transportation. The other 13, all bridges less than 20 feet wide, are inspected by a contractor hired by the county. Monday morning, the Highway 4 bridge over Canoe Creek was the latest bridge to be inspected (pictured top).
Other North Escambia wooden substructure bridges that are considered structurally deficient, with date of construction and replacement cost, are:
- Beck’s Lake Road across an unnamed branch, 1968, $640,000
- Pineville Road at Long Hollow Creek, 1968, $610,000
- Tungoil Road at McDavid Creek 1969, $860,000
- Lambert Bridge Road at Pine Barren Creek, 1967, $2.24 million
- Brickyard Road at an unnamed branch, 1960, $640,000
- Bet Raines Road at Jack’s Branch, 1967, $610,000
- Occie Phillips Road at Brushy Creek, 1968, $1 million
The county needs a total of $11.8 million to replace the bridges classified as structurally deficient and an additional $7.3 million to replace the ones that are classified as being functionally obsolete.
Other North Escambia wooden substructure bridges on the county’s priority replacement wish list, with date of construction and replacement cost, are:
- Highway 99A at Boggy Creek, 1969, $770,000
- Highway 97A at Boggy Creek, 1968, $1.48 million
- Highway 164 at Pine Barren Creek, 1958, $2.01 million
- Highway 99A at Little Pine Barren Creek, 1970, $1 million
- Highway 168 at an unnamed branch, 1968, $610,000
- Highway 168 at Reedy Creek, 1968,$730,000
- Highway 168 at Hobbs Branch, 1965, $1 million
- Nokomis Road at Brushy Creek, 1967, $1.33 million
- Molino Road at Alligator Creek, 1959, $860,000
- Schagg Road at Jack’s Branch, 1965, $890,000
- Molino Road at Penasula Creek, 1958, $610,000
- Gibson Road at Alligator Creek, 1959, $1.02 million
- Rigby Road at Beaver Creek Road, 1965, $1 million
- Chestnut Road at unnamed branch, 1967, $740,0000
- Pineville Road at Reedy Branch, 1964, $620,000
- Pine Barren Road at unnamed branch, 1964, $730,000
- McKenzie Road, 1961, $620,000
- Hanks Road at Breastworks Creek, 1968, $730,000
- Highway 99A at Freeman Springs Branch, 1968, $610,000
- Schagg Road at branch of Jack’s Branch, 1965, $620,000
- Sandy Hollow Road at Sandy Hollow Creek, 1959, $730,000
- Sunshine Hill Road at unnamed branch, unknown age, $470,000
- Stacy Road at unnamed branch, unknown age, $490,000
- Pine Top Lane at unnamed branch, unknown age, $480,000
- Chestnut Road at unnamed branch, unknown age, $480,000
- Breastworks Road at Hall’s Branch, unknown age, $490,000
Fourteen of 16 concrete or steel bridges and culverts classified as “priority two” for replacement, are in North Escambia:
- Highway 4 at Alligator Creek, 1949, $1.6 million
- Highway 196 at Jack’s Branch, 1949, $1.35 million
- Highway 4 at Canoe Creek, 1942, $2.59 million
- Highway 99 at Pine Barren Creek, 1955, $2.34 million
- Highway 196 at Penasula Creek, 1949, $1.5 million
- Highway 4 at Reedy Creek, 1942, $1.38 million
- Highway 99 at McDavid Creek, 1951, $2.1 million
- Highway 99 at Little Pine Barren Creek, 1955, $2.1 million
- County Road 4 at Beaver Creek Dam, 1940, $840,000
- Quintette Road at unnamed ditch, 1956, $580,000
- Greenland Road at Pine Barren Creek, 1955, $620,000
- Molino Road at Dry Creek, 1959, $780,000
- Highway 196 at unnamed branch, 1959, $550,000
- Highway 4 at Little Pine Creek, 1942, $640,000
There are additional concrete or steel bridges and culverts in North Escambia on a “priority three” replacement list, including:
- County Road 97 at Jack’s Branch, 1960, $1.96 million
- Highway 196 at Cowdevil Creek, 1961, $680,000
- Highway 168 at unnamed branch, 1967, $980,000
Pictured top and inset: The Highway 4 bridge at Canoe Creek, constructed in 1942 was inspect Monday morning. Replacing the bridge would cost the county an estimated $2.59 million. Pictured below: The wood structure of the bridge on Lambert Bridge Road near Walnut Hill. Replacing the bridge would cost an estimated $2.24 million. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
