Smokies Take Series Opener Over Pensacola’s Blue Wahoos 2-1
April 26, 2013
The Tennessee Smokies scored single runs in the second and third innings which proved to be enough as the Blue Wahoos dropped the series opener at Smokies Park 2-1.
The Smokies got on the board in the second inning taking advantage of a two-out walk to Jonathan Mota. A batter later, Rafael Lopez doubled him home to put Tennessee in front 1-0. The next inning, Ronald Torres tripled to open the third off Blue Wahoos starter Ryan Dennick. He scored on a base hit by Jae-Hoon Ha, which would prove to be the winning run.
Pensacola would break though with their only run of the game in the eighth inning. Ryan LaMarre scored from third on a wild pitch from Zac Rosscup. That was all the Blue Wahoos would get. Brian Schlitter (S, 1) retired Pensacola in order in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
LaMarre finished the game 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. It was fifth multi-hit game of the season.
Despite another strong start, Dennick (L, 1-1) took the loss. He was charged with both Smokies runs. The lefty worked six innings with four strikeouts, two walks and five hits allowed.
Dallas Beeler (W, 2-2) allowed seven hits but shut out the Blue Wahoos over his seven innings to earn the win.
The Blue Wahoos look to even the series Friday night at Smokies Park. RHP Daniel Renken (1-1, 3.57) will start for Pensacola against Smokies RHP Alberto Cabrera (2-1, 4.63). First pitch is set for 6:15 p.m. CT.
story by Kevin Burke
District Losses For Northview, Tate
April 26, 2013
Both Northview and Tate came up short Thursday night in their homes for district championships, but both teams are still alive headed into the district semis as runner-ups.
District Finals Class 6A
The Tate Aggies had a taste of playing as the visiting team on their own field as the No. 2 sees as they faced the Pace Patriots in the District 1-6A title game.
The Aggies were first on the scoreboard with a base hit from David Moorhead that sent JT Granat in to score for a 1-0 Aggie lead. The Aggies stole home to make it all tied up 1-1 in the second.
The Patriots took at 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth and held on, as Pace beat Tate 2-1 for the tourney title.
Also Thursday night, Crestview beat Mosley 3-2.
It will be Tate at Crestview and Mosley at Pace when the regional tournament gets underway
District Finals Class 1A
In the Class 1A title games, the Northview Chiefs lost to Holmes County Bonifay 3-0 and Paxton beat Central 3-0. When the 1A regional semifinals get underway on May 7, Northview will travel to Paxton, and Central will travel to Bonifay to face Holmes County.
Citizens Property Insurance Overhaul Survives Senate Vote
April 26, 2013
The Senate’s sweeping overhaul of ens Property Insurance Corp. is on track to make landfall in the House.
The Senate approved by a 24-15 vote on Thursday the wide-ranging measure (SB 1770) that could require new homeowners to pay higher rates when buying a property currently covered by Citizens and would give the governor more say in the management of the state-backed company.
It remains to be seen how much of the bill will survive shearing from the House, which has advanced several bills that lawmakers in areas with large concentrations of Citizens policies such as Southeast Florida and the Tampa Bay area, have considered less threatening.
The 101-page Senate bill creates a clearinghouse so private companies could take over the least risky policies. It also establishes an inspector general to oversee issues within Citizens, caps annual rate increases for existing policy holders at the current 10 percent, and reduces the maximum value of property that could be covered to $500,000 by 2019.
All are measures that have advanced through the House.
But the bill would also require buyers of homes now covered by Citizens to seek private insurers or accept rates that are deemed more actuarially sound from the state-backed agency. And it would lift Citizens’ exemption from bad faith litigation that blocks certain civil actions, and replaces the president with an executive director who is jointly appointed by the governor and Florida’s chief financial officer.
The president is currently appointed by the Citizens Board of Governors.
Gov. Rick Scott continued to voice his displeasure this week with Citizens, which has been in his crosshairs over salaries that Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway awarded a number of top executives last year and degree of punishments handed out after a report by the governor’s office outlined travel spending habits of employees and board members.
The sponsor of the Senate bill, Sen. David Simmons, who called the wind-only policies that are predominately found in coastal areas “welfare for the wealthy,” expressed confidence that the majority of his bill will get picked up by the House.
The overhaul has been supported by the Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies, the Professional Insurance Agents, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
Simmons said the changes are needed to depopulate Citizens and to diminish the threat that the below market policies within Citizens have on other policy holders, both inside and outside the company.
“Citizens, while it has all these policies, has been issuing policies at actuarially unsound rates, thus putting the entire state of Florida and its citizens, the people of Florida, in significant jeopardy,” Simmons said.
Scott has supported the inspector general, clearinghouse, and a provision that caps annual increases to current Citizens policies.
Senators spent two hours Thursday debating the measure that has been delayed twice in the past two weeks as Simmons massaged his proposal to be more palatable for lawmakers.
“My people in my district don’t want to be paying for someone else’s insurance,” said Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee. “They sure don’t want to be paying the insurance for somebody who doesn’t live in the state or the country.”
But not everyone was convinced the changes are needed.
Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz, said past efforts to make Citizens rates actuarially sound have yet to attract the anticipated increase in private firms into Florida and he doesn’t expect that to change with Simmons’ proposal.
“The bill is too much, too quick, too soon and it could have too much of an impact,” Legg said. Raising rates so fast for properties covered by Citizens could hurt the state’s economic recovery.
Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, said the first target should be reducing the state’s risk from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, which provides coverage for insurers in the wake of major disasters.
“Get that right and then we can depopulate Citizens,” Ring said.
Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, said Citizens has been getting healthier and has money to cover claims for two one-in-50 year storms. “It’s working,” Clemens said, echoing a line the governor has been using about job creation efforts.
The bill is expected to drive 217,000 of the state-backed company’s 1.3 million policies into private hands. It keeps a current 10 percent cap on annual rate increases for current policyholders. The measure also lowers the maximum value of a property that could be covered to $500,000 by January 1, 2019. The rate would drop by $100,000 a year, from the current $1 million cap.
Buyers of homes now covered by Citizens would first enter a clearinghouse to determine if a private insurer is available. If no private firm is available, the new policy holder would have to pay for a policy at rates deemed actuarially sound by Citizens.
By The News Service of Florida
Escambia County’s Top Seniors Are Honored
April 26, 2013
The Escambia County Public Schools Foundation honored the top of the Class of 2013 during the Senior Academic Awards Thursday night. Eighty-eight of Escambia County’s high school seniors were selected as recipients of the 2013 Senior Academic Awards and will be honored for their academic achievement during a banquet at New World Landing .
Honorees include the top five students in each graduating class, as well as one student from each of the following disciplines: Career & Technical, English, Foreign Language, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Escambia County’s National Merit Finalists and National Achievement Finalists will also be honored.
Honored Thursday night were:
Northview High School: Top Five – Hannah E. Fiellin, Jazzlyn Franklin, La’Derious Franklin, Justin Lance Halteman, Winston Riley; Subject Areas – Jessica Baldwin, Career & Technical; Tyler Roley, English; Maranda Moye, Foreign Language; Timothy W. Rackard II, Math; Talia Syria, Science; Zach Johnson, Social Studies
Escambia High School: Top Five – Lauren C. Cabrera, Sarah P. Potter, Johnie E. Sublett, Amanda L. Tonnaer, Kelsey M. Wood; Subject Areas – Dominic Eaton, Career & Technical; Elaina M. Keyes, English; Regan M. Juras, Foreign Language; Philip L. Adams, Math; Jaycee G. Palang, Science; Miranda K. Martin, Social Studies
Tate High School: Top Five – Alonna Simone Chastang, Jordan Noelle McGowan, Kelsey Marie Potoczek, Amy Elizabeth Sapp, Travis Lee Walton; Subject Areas – Chase Edward Green, Career & Technical; Hannah Marie Malone, English; Wes Jiang Chu, Foreign Language; Ryan Edward LaVoie, Math; Amanda Margaret Finger, Science; Andrew Seth Belt, Social Studies
Pine Forest High School: Top Five – Serena Bishop, Tawney Moylan, Haley McMillian, Danny Bao Phu, Spencer Simpson; Subject Areas – Leah Shank, Career & Technical; Rachel Moore, English; Harmony Lu Matson, Foreign Language; Rachel Muñoz, Math; Trevor Pulliam, Science; Emily Lockard, Social Studies
West Florida High School: Top Five – Caymen Barlow, Jennifer G. Clements, Alexander K. Dinelli, Lauren Elaine Meadors, Samantha Richardson; Kevin Le, Career & Technical; Natalie Allgyer, English; Jake Breeden, Foreign Language; Jakob Breidenbaugh, Math; Alexandra Organt, Science; Roberta Renee Skinner, Social Studies
Pensacola High School: Top Five - Michelle Bellanova, Madison Berner, Jasmine Bradstreet, Catherine Jorgensen, Jiwon Kim; Subject Areas – Victoria Jasmine Freeman, Career and Technical; Son Kim Truong, English; Nyoka Sarai Hicks, Foreign Language; Hailey Victoria Daigle, Math; Reem Alshaher, Science; Kaleb B. Kelsoe, Social Studies
Pensacola High School IB Program: Top Five – Emily Busse, Nicholas Gupta, Preeyal Gupta, Rhiana C. Simon, Olivia Warren; Subject Areas – Cameron Abney, Career & Technical; Carolyn Elise Hamilton, English; Nolan Danley, Foreign Language; Joal Swindells, Math; Andreas B. Dias, Science; Alexandra Rae Hunt, Social Studies
Washington High School: Top Five – Analeis Bain, Elise Griffin, Brady Kirby, Payton Kotlarz, Robert Turnage; Subject Areas – Michael Huang, Career & Technical; Destiny Williams, English; Nora Fanfalone, Foreign Language; Sarah Eleanor Louise Tucker, Math; Katherine Varnson, Science; Phi-Viet Van Phan, Social Studies
National Merit Finalists: Pensacola High IB Program – Nicholas Gupta; Tate High School – Andrew Belt
National Achievement Finalists: Pensacola High IB Program – Jalen A. Benson, Hannibal A. Brooks, Malcolm E. Brooks
The Academic Awards are sponsored by Bob and Sharon Kerrigan.
Pictured top: Northview seniors (L-R) Hannah Fiellin, Jazzlyn Franklin, La’Derious Franklin, Jessica Baldwin, Tyler Roley, Maranda Moye, Timothy Rackard II, Zach Johnson, Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, and Northview Assistant Principal Gerry Pippins. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lee Etta Lindsey Foss
April 26, 2013
Lee Etta Lindsey Foss, age 69, of Munson, passed away on April 23, 2013. She enjoyed reading and taking pictures. Lee had a great sense of humor, enjoyed helping others, and loved her family. Lee was a member of Springhill Baptist Church. She was a loving and caring mother, sister, aunt, and friend. She will be dearly missed by all that knew and loved her.
She is survived by her daughter, Deitria Bullock; sister, Annette Butler; grandchildren, Randall Bullock, Rebecca Bullock, Chance Butler, and Chase Pittman; eight great-grandchildren and many loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. at Jay Funeral Home.
Burial will follow at Beaver Creek Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Daniel Pittman, Steve Butler Jr., Phil Henington, Terry (Bo) Watts, Jake Watts, and Logan Lindsey.
Honorary pallbearers will be Ben Watts, Michael (BoBo) Lindsey, Munson Volunteer Fire Department, Santa Rosa County 911, and Life Guard Ambulance Service.
The family would like to thank her sister, Annette Butler for all her love and support.
Jay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Michael Blue Watson
April 26, 2013
Mr. Michael Blue Watson, 40, passed away on Monday, March 4, 2013 in Theodore, Alabama.
Mr. Watson was a native of Fort Lauderdale, former resident of Atmore and a resident of Theodore for the past 20 years. Mr. Watson attended the Sardis Baptist Church. He is preceded in death by his father, Mike Montana Watson and grandmother, Virginia Coleman.
Survivors include his mother, Sherry Lucas of Atmore; wife, Tracie Watson of Theodore; one son, Tryton Watson of Theodore; two daughters, Alexus Watson and Mercedes Watson, both of Theodore; half-brother, John Henry Watson of New York, NY; one sister, Michelle (Aubrey Gregg) Lucas of Atmore; half-sister, Angel Cruise of Atmore; one niece, Genesis Lucas of Atmore; step-mother, Betty Watson of Huxford and grandparents, George Sanspree of Cantonment and Betty (Bill) Weisner of Theodore.
Memorial services will be Saturday, May 4, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Steve Walley officiating.
Visitation will be Saturday, May 4, 2013, from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes, LLC in charge of all arrangements.
Santa Rosa County Lands 200 New Jobs With ‘MyHouse’ Manufacturer
April 25, 2013
Santa Rosa County officials announced Thursday morning that Priton, LLC will locate in the Santa Rosa Industrial Park in East Milton.
Priton is the manufacturer of “MyHouse” affordable homes primarily for the international housing market. The company recently purchased the former 84 Lumber location and has committed to hiring 200 employees over three years. The Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioner’s Economic Development Office assisted Priton in the application process for three performance-based incentive programs totaling $3.45 million aimed at increasing high-skilled, high-wage jobs in Florida.
The average wage for the new positions is $35,110 or 115 percent of the average county wage rate of $14.68. Along with the 200 workers hired directly, the new company is estimated to indirectly create an additional 380 new jobs with an impact over six years of approximately $51.5 million. The company is eligible to receive $2.35 million from the Industry Recruitment, Retention & Expansion Fund Grant Program, $600,000 in the state’s Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund, and a $500,000 Brownfield Redevelopment Bonus Refund as it meets predefined job creation and retention benchmarks. This is the first IRREF grant to be awarded in Santa Rosa County.
Priton. LLC is currently establishing an in-factory based manufacturing company that produces excessively strong wall panels that will be used to build “MyHouse.” Based on engineering testing, these houses will have overall strength performances more than three times greater than the minimum performance required by Miami-Dade code approvals. The Priton plant will load containers with the manufactured panels and will also include everything needed to build and occupy the house including doors, windows, appliances, cabinets, roof, floors, plumbing and electrical wiring. Customers will be able to occupy the home in seven days or less. Sales for these houses are currently in Caribbean countries, Central America, Mexico and South America. Priton has employed the management team as well as the first phase of manufacturing personnel and are currently hiring additional select positions through www.employflorida.com.
In late 2012, Priton began looking for a new manufacturing plant location based on its current sales focus geography and close proximity and access to container shipping ports. After exploring several locations, the company selected the Santa Rosa County Industrial Park site as the best location for its manufacturing and shipping operations. The availability of skilled personnel and veterans in the area was also a major consideration in the selection process.
Boys, Girls State Representatives Named
April 25, 2013
American Legion Post 90 and the Ladies Auxiliary Unit 90 have named their representatives to the 2013 session of Alabama’s Girls and Boys State.
Girls State representatives are Mariah Albritton from Northview High, Lacie Flowers from Escambia Academy and Annah Nichols from Escambia County High School.
Boys State representatives are Donald Baity from Northview; Davontae Walker and Desmond Williams from ECHS; and Tucker Boatwright, Brett Helton, Casey Jackson and Cameron Murphy from Escambia Academy.
The representatives will attend a week-long conference in June at the University of Alabama to learn about government from the local to national level.
County Claims Several Dirt Roads Near Century For Maintenance
April 25, 2013
Escambia County is officially taking over the maintenance of several dirt roads that are located east of Century and west of Old Escambia Creek.
The Escambia County Commission has approved maintenance maps , for a portion of Campbell Road (approximately 1,935 feet in length), Flossie Road (approximately 1,000 feet in length), Old Ferry Road (approximately 1,550 feet in length), Hagan Road (approximately 390 feet in length), and Boat Ramp Road (approximately 240 feet in length). The commission also approved continuing to maintain the roads on which the county does not have a deeded right-of-way.
By maintaining the road for more than seven years, the county is able to assert ownership of certain rights-of-way under Florida Law.
None of the roadways are in the Century town limits.
Pictured: Escambia County has adopted a maintenance map for several dirt roads just east of Century.
Three Area Individuals Named As ‘Great Floridians’
April 25, 2013
Governor Rick Scott has announced the 2013 class of Great Floridians, a prestigious group of men and women who have made significant contributions to the progress and prosperity of Florida. The 23 honorees from the 2013 class includes several North Escambia area natives and residents.
Local area honorees include:
Derrick Brooks
Pensacola native Derrick Brooks played for the Florida State Seminoles football team before going on to play 14 years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he helped the team win a Super Bowl. Considered one of the best linebackers in NFL history, Brooks is now dedicated to his charity work and education advocacy.
Emmitt Smith
Considered one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, Emmitt Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American. A first-round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, he played professionally as a running back in the NFL for 15 seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith is the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl championship, the NFL Most Valuable Player award, the NFL rushing crown and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award all in the same season (1993). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Gerry Lester “Bubba” Watson, Jr.
Gerry Lester “Bubba” Watson, Jr., born and raised in Bagdad, Florida (near Pensacola), is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour. Watson won the 2012 Masters Tournament after defeating Louis Oosthuizen on the second sudden death playoff hole. The win elevated Watson to a career-high fourth place in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“It is an honor to present the 2013 class of Great Floridians with this prestigious award. Throughout their lives each of them has proven to be a true humanitarian and a compassionate leader in their respective communities. I look forward to seeing how each of them continues to shape Florida’s future generations and help Florida families,” Scott said.
Only 89 individuals since 1981 have been named Great Floridians.
Other members of the 3013 class of Great Floridians include:
Justice Alto Lee Adams
Florida Supreme Court Justice (1940-1951 and 1967-1968) Alto Lee Adams, Sr. served as Chief Justice from 1949 to 1951. With his son, Alto “Bud” Adams, Jr., he founded the Adams Ranch in 1937. Today the Adams Ranch is one of America’s premier cattle breeding and herding operations, and is world renowned for its stewardship of the land, wildlife and water resources.
Charles H. Bronson
Charles H. Bronson is a fifth-generation Florida cattle rancher who served as Florida’s 10th Agriculture Commissioner, from 2001 to 2010. Under his leadership the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services implemented innovative programs to promote Florida agricultural products, protect the state’s natural resources and safeguard Florida agriculture against pests and diseases.
Dr. James Robert Cade
In 1965, Dr. James Robert Cade led a team of researchers at the University of Florida who developed a drink containing salts and sugars that could be absorbed more quickly by athletes, creating the basis for Gatorade. Among Cade’s many inventions are the first shock-dissipating football helmet and a method for treating autism and schizophrenia through diet modification. The Cade Museum for Creativity + Invention in Gainesville is named after him.
Walter Elias “Walt” Disney
With his brother Roy, Walter Elias “Walt” Disney co-founded Walt Disney Productions, one of the world’s best-known motion-picture production companies. The success in 1955 of their Disneyland theme park in California inspired Walt to lay plans for development of the even larger Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando opened on October 1, 1971, forever changing the state.
Tony Dungy
One of the most respected and popular coaches in the National Football League, Tony Dungy is a former professional football player and retired coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts. During his seven years leading the Colts, he became the first African American coach to win a Super Bowl.
Justice Richard W. Ervin
Elected as Florida’s Attorney General in 1948, Richard W. Ervin remained in that office until his appointment to the Florida Supreme Court in 1964, where he served as Chief Justice from 1969 to 1971 and sat until 1975. Among his many achievements, he helped create the Florida Highway Patrol, and is most recognized for the role he played in implementing Florida’s desegregation process during the 1960s, ensuring Florida’s leadership in the so-called New South.
Dr. Pedro Jose Greer, Jr.
Physician and Chair of the Department of Humanities, Health and Society at the Florida International University School of Medicine Dr. Pedro José Greer, Jr. is founder of the Camillus Health Concern, which delivers health services to thousands of homeless people and the St. John Bosco Clinic, which serves disadvantaged people in Little Havana.
Bill Gunter
William Dawson “Bill” Gunter, Jr. served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 1966 to 1972, where he supported Florida’s “Government in the Sunshine” law, stronger laws for land and water management and advocated solar energy research and development. He was elected to serve in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1975, and from 1976 to 1988 he served as Florida’s insurance commissioner, treasurer and fire marshal.
Wayne Huizenga
Successful businessman and entrepreneur Wayne Huizenga is the founder of three Fortune 500 corporations. With a single garbage truck in Fort Lauderdale in 1968, he began Waste Management, Inc., followed by the development of two more of the country’s most successful companies, Blockbuster Video and AutoNation. As the initial owner of the Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers, Huizenga is notable for introducing both baseball and hockey to the South Florida area.
Juan Ponce de León
Written records about life in Florida began with the arrival of the Spanish explorer and adventurer Juan Ponce de León. After being granted royal permission to explore lands to the northwest of Puerto Rico, Ponce de León waded ashore on the east coast of Florida on or around April 2, 1513. He called the land La Florida, in honor of the lush plant life and in honor of Pascua Florida, the Eastertime Spanish Feast of Flowers taking place at the time of his arrival.
Charlotte McGuire, MD
Recognized today as the “Mother of the FSU Medical School,” Dr. Charlotte McGuire grew up in Orlando and earned her medical degree in 1944 from the University of Arkansas, where she was the only woman in her class. During her groundbreaking career, she also served as a delegate to the 1957 World Health Conference in London in 1957, and as one of the highest ranking women in the federal government under the Nixon Administration.
General Craig McKinley
Jacksonville native, and recently retired four-star general, General Craig McKinley was the first Chief of the National Guard Bureau to hold a position on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he was a military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and was the Department of Defense’s official channel of communication to the Governors and to State Adjutants General on all matters pertaining to the National Guard. McKinley is now president of the Air Force Association.
Lilly Pulitzer
Lillian Pulitzer Rousseau was the founder of Lilly Pulitzer, Inc., a company producing clothing and other wares featuring bright, colorful, floral prints. Her signature design was inspired by attempts to cover juice stains after handling produce from her family’s citrus grove. The popular brand, established in the late 1950s and manufactured in Miami and Key West, was revived in the late 1990s and continues to enjoy success and popularity today.
General Norman Schwarzkopf
Four-star general and commander of the U.S. Central Command, General Norman Schwarzkopf graduated from West Point and fought in the Vietnam War. He became a four-star general and commander of the U.S. Central Command, commanding forces in Grenada and the Persian Gulf War. Gen. Schwarzkopf helped found Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis, a camp for seriously ill kids and their families.
Betty Sembler
One of ten founding members of Straight, Inc. a nonprofit drug treatment program, Betty S. Sembler has dedicated the past three decades to fighting the war on drugs. As the founder and president of Save Our Society From Drugs (S.O.S.) and the Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. she has participated in the White House Conference for a Drug Free America, served as a member of the Governor’s Drug Policy Task Force in Florida and as a board member of DARE Florida (Drug Abuse Resistance Education).
Don Shula
As coach of the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1995, Don Shula led his team to two Super Bowl victories and to the National Football League’s only perfect season. He holds the NFL record for most career wins with 347.
Patrick D. Smith
A Mississippi-born author who moved to Florida in 1966, Patrick D. Smith has written four novels set in Florida. Smith was inducted into the 1999 Florida Artists Hall of Fame and has been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize, in 1973 for Forever Island; in 1978 for Angel City; and in 1984 for his best known and most beloved work, A Land Remembered.
Steve Spurrier
As a player for the University of Florida, Steve Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy in 1966. As a coach, he led the University of Florida Gators football team to six Southeastern Conference championships and a consensus national championship in 1996.
Tim Tebow
As a high school senior quarterback in Ponte Vedre, Tim Tebow was ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation. At the University of Florida, he helped the Florida Gators win the national championship during the 2006 college football season. During the 2007 season, he became the first college sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. In 2008, he led the Florida Gators to their second national championship in three years, and was named the offensive MVP of the national championship game.
Ruth Springer Wedgworth
Ruth Springer Wedgworth came to Palm Beach County in 1930 as the wife of an agricultural scientist. She built a small family farm into one of the state’s most prominent agribusinesses. Known as an innovator, she was a key organizer of the Florida Celery Exchange, and has been named Woman of the Year in Agriculture by Progressive Farmer Magazine, received a Distinguished Service Award from the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association and was named Woman of the Year in Florida Agriculture.