Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: A Tale Of Two Summits
August 31, 2013
There were two summits that Gov. Rick Scott was involved in this week: the one he called and the one he attended.
The one he called — to consider the state’s efforts to hold schools accountable and to make sure students are learning — didn’t feature any policy announcements or dramatic plans. Instead, it was more of a gathering to try to get business leaders, educators and state officials on the same page.
The summit that Scott attended, though, featured the unveiling of a proposal that seemed like the latest plank in the governor’s emerging re-election platform. Speaking Friday to the kind of tea-party activists who propelled him to the Republican nomination three years ago, Scott served up tax relief and a hefty side of Charlie Crist-bashing red meat.
Meanwhile, researchers with the University of South Florida prepared to excavate the site of the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, with the potential for uncovering secrets that the local community would just as soon keep buried. Absence, in that case, is just fine with the local residents.
Scott’s speech Friday to the “Defending the American Dream Summit,” held in Orlando by the tea party-aligned Americans for Prosperity, seemed to be his clearest step yet toward shoring up the conservative base he will need heading into a tough re-election campaign in 2014. His remarks included a pledge to slice $500 million in taxes and fees.
“This year, we are committed to returning even more money to the hard-working Florida families who earn it,” Scott said in his prepared remarks. “I look forward to working with our friends in the Florida Legislature to make these tax cuts a reality.”
Even without any specific details on what the tax cuts would be, Scott seemed to already be well on the way to winning support from “our friends.” House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, and Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, quickly rallied around at least the idea of reducing taxes and fees — never a particularly hard sell in an election year.
“When you announce a tax cut, you can count on a hearty cheer from the Florida House of Representatives. … Although we do not have the concrete numbers that the Legislature will use to write our budget next year, we are committed to funding our state priorities, which will include a significant tax cut for Floridians,” Weatherford said.
Gaetz even had an idea to offer: a $200 million-plus plan to cut motor-vehicle registration fees, an idea the Senate offered in 2013 in exchange for repealing a tax break for insurance companies. The idea didn’t gain much traction in the House during the 2013 session, and Gaetz’s statement Friday omitted any talk of an offset.
“The Senate will be happy to partner with Governor Scott and the Florida House on a tax relief proposal that will keep more money in the pockets of the hardworking Floridians who earn it,” Gaetz said.
As one might expect, some Democrats were less impressed, and pointed out that Scott had delivered the speech in Orlando despite playing hooky at his own education summit earlier in the week.
“Instead of offering new ideas for educating our children, expanding access to health care, advancing women’s rights, and protecting the right to vote, he doubled down on the same failed message of big giveaways to businesses at the expense of the middle class,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesman Joshua Karp.
SUMMIT SCHOOL
As for the education summit, the focus was less on deciding policies for Florida’s public schools and more on gathering input as state officials consider a range of issues related to the state’s accountability system. Among the topics covered were teacher evaluations, school report cards and how far the state should go with the nationwide “common core” standards and an associated group of tests.
Already, there were signs of progress on school grades at least. Interim Education Commissioner Pam Stewart told reporters at the summit Tuesday that the State Board of Education will debate in October whether to extend for another year a plan to keep public schools from dropping by more than a letter grade on state-issued report cards.
The state board has approved the “safety net” on the report cards for two years now, most recently in July, as public schools implement common core, but in both cases the board was asked late in the process of calculating grades to approve the policy.
“I think when the board voted in the summer, I think it was always the intention that they take it up again when it wasn’t such a quick turnaround, but they had time to be thoughtful about it and think about it and do it early. … I think it’s important that our schools and school districts know what the rules are that they’re playing with as early as possible in the year,” Stewart said.
The board voted for the policy by a narrow, 4-to-3 margin this summer, with some members criticizing it as a move to water down the state system.
Meanwhile, in the latest sign of legislative opposition to common core, Rep. Debbie Mayfield filed a bill late Wednesday aimed at shutting down the standards in Florida and pulling the state out of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. That group is developing tests lined up with common core.
“We need to stop common core going through,” said Mayfield, R-Vero Beach. “We don’t need to be giving up state’s rights.”
So far, legislative leaders have called only for the state to pull out of PARCC and create its own test lined up with the standards.
DIGGING UP SECRETS
Researchers with the University of South Florida prepared for Saturday, when they are set to begin excavating long-buried human remains from unmarked graves at the shuttered Arthur G. Dozier School in Marianna. The weekend work outside the Boot Hill section of the closed state-run reform school is expected to be the first in a number of digs over the next year, according to University of South Florida spokeswoman Lara Wade-Martinez.
“USF has one year to complete the work at Dozier, which includes finding the location of any additional burials, the excavation of all human remains, DNA testing and analysis, and the re-internment of remains,” Wade-Martinez wrote in an email.
Scott and the Cabinet approved the work earlier this month. Questions have arisen about whether boys who reportedly died of pneumonia and other natural causes were killed at the school, and some longtime Jackson County residents have expressed concerns about what effect exhuming bodies will have on the local economy and image of the community.
“I don’t know of anybody who approves of it around here,” said Marianna resident Ken Stoutamire, whose family has been farming in the Panhandle since before Florida achieved statehood. “It doesn’t reflect good on Marianna. There is just Marianna and the boy’s school. The association is hurting us. And we need them to get out of here.”
But Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, said that for the families of those who died at Dozier the state must admit what happened, “no matter how dark and how grim it may be.”
“In order to move forward you have to correct some of the past misgiving and missteps that the state has done under previous administrations,” Williams said.
For now, though, the project will remain out of the public eye.
The Legislature set aside $190,000 for the project, and USF researchers also received a $423,528 federal grant to help with the effort to search for reportedly unaccounted-for bodies of boys who died between 1900 and 1952.
“In an effort to be respectful to the families, to maintain safety, and to allow the excavation work to be conducted unhindered, this will be a closed research site,” Wade-Martinez said.
STORY OF THE WEEK: A summit called by Gov. Rick Scott discusses the state of Florida’s school accountability system, as state officials move toward a decision on whether to drop out of a consortium developing tests related to the nationwide “common core” standards.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “My predecessor had made a name for himself by hugging president Obama’s non-stop spending — and even hugging the President.”–Gov. Rick Scott, taking a verbal shot at former GOP Gov. Charlie Crist, who is expected to run against Scott as a Democrat in 2014.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Bonfire Jam 2013 Canceled
August 30, 2013
Bonfire Jam CEO Joe Lewis announced today that this year’s event has been canceled because it became evident that the investment is no longer financially viable.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have to cancel BonfireJam. Although we have put everything we had into this event, it is evident that the investment in the December event is no longer a viable option. We want to both thank and apologize to the fans, the artists, all members of the media, and everyone else who has supported BonfireJam since its inception,” Lewis said.
“We believe in the brand and hope to revitalize BonfireJam down the road,” he said.
The 2013 event in Chumuckla was set to include performances by The Band Perry and Jake Owen, along with professional calf roping and bull riding, on-site activities, fireworks, bonfires and camping.
Last year’s festival highlights included performances by Jana Kramer, Walker and Gretchen Wilson. Other past performers include Little Big Town, Lee Brice, Craig Morgan, Jamey Johnson, Josh Turner, Rodney Atkins, Sunny Sweeney and more.
Fans who have purchased tickets can receive a full refund by going to www.bonfirejam.com.
Organizers say the Chumuckla Athletic Association’s annual Redneck Parade will go on as planned.
Minor Injury: Man Shot In Cantonment
August 30, 2013
A man was shot but received only minor injuries early this morning in Cantonment.
The incident occurred in the 200 block of Sheppard Street when a man called the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and reported that he had just shot someone across the street that was threatening him.
Deputies located the man and an empty shotgun shell in the front yard of the home, and they located the victim inside of a travel trailer at an address across the street from their suspect.
The victim suffered a minor wound to his shin from buckshot. The victim refused medical treatment, and he refused to press charges against the suspect, who was known to him.
Future charges may be pending against the suspect for discharging a firearm in public.
Child Near-Drowning Under Investigation
August 30, 2013
A near downing in Escambia County is under investigation, one day after a 14-month old girl drowned in a decorative fish pond off 10 Mile Road.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was called to a possible drowning in the 1800 block of Sandra Avenue Thursday afternoon. They discovered that a 2-year old child had fallen into a swimming pool.
Immediately upon discovering the child, family members conducted CPR until first responders arrived on scene. The child was transported to a local hospital. No update on the child’s condition was available late Thursday night.
The investigation in ongoing, the Sheriff’s Office said the incident is believed to be accidental.
Late Wednesday afternoon, child drowned on Betmark Road, and the child’s mother was arrested. More details…
Marianna Tight-Lipped As Dozier School Grave Excavations Near
August 30, 2013
As university researchers prepare to dig into an unsavory chapter of Marianna’s past, many in the rural Panhandle community would simply prefer the issue remain buried.
With the name of the city repeatedly associated with news reports about decades of questionable deaths at the former state-run Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, many in downtown Marianna on Thursday preferred to remain tight-lipped about the excavation of unmarked graves that begins Saturday.
At Florida Land Title, an employee noted he served on a number of local boards as a reason not to publicly discuss how the coverage and research is impacting the city. Meanwhile, a worker at ERA Chipola Realty in Marianna declined to comment, saying the firm’s “clientele is the community, and we try not to choose sides on things that could be political.”
Those willing to speak called the work — approved by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet — a waste of taxpayer money, with one saying the effort by University of South Florida researchers is to “make a reputation and make money.”
When asked about the pending excavation, long-time Marianna resident Ken Stoutamire summed up his feelings by saying he had “disgust” with the government for allowing the dig to proceed.
“I don’t know of anybody who approves of it around here,” said Stoutamire, whose family has been farming in the Panhandle since before Florida achieved statehood. “It doesn’t reflect good on Marianna. There is just Marianna and the boy’s school. The association is hurting us. And we need them to get out of here.”
Marianna resident Bill Hopkins said the excavation is “dragging up an old wound.”
“I haven’t heard anybody saying that just because this is happening out here I’m not going to stop here, but it’s just a shadow over our community, that we don’t need,” said Hopkins, a World War II veteran who has lived in the city of just over 6,000 for 43 years.
“This is a good community, a good place to live, a good place to bring up your children,” Hopkins added. “But if I was looking for a place to move, I don’t know, just reading and knowing a little bit about it, I might change my mind.”
USF researchers, who on Wednesday received a $423,528 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to help excavate graves and identify remains at the former reform school, will be at the site Saturday through Tuesday. They will work just outside an area known as Boot Hill on the one-time 1,400-acre campus.
CNN will provide on-site video coverage of the USF work for other media, with the Tampa Bay Times providing still photography. All other media will have to remain outside the fenced-in compound.
The university researchers, led by Erin Kimmerle and Christian Wells, have a one-year window to search the grounds for reportedly unaccounted-for bodies of boys who died between 1900 and 1952. Questions have arisen about whether boys — who reportedly died of pneumonia and other natural causes — were killed at the school.
“The lady (researcher) had the best of intentions, that’s my gut feeling, but she probably didn’t know the lay of the land before she got into it,” said Jesse Smallwood a retiree who moved from Melbourne to Marianna two years ago as a less-expensive place to take care of his wife. “They’ll do a lot of digging but not get much done from it.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: The gates were closed Thursday at the former Dozier School for Boys in Marianna. On Saturday, USF researchers will be on campus digging for graves at the reform school. Photo by Tom Urban, News Service of Florida, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Sex Offender Arrested On Federal Child Porn Charges
August 30, 2013
An Escambia County registered sex offender has been arrested on federal child pornography charges.
Clay Calhoun Keys, 52, was charged with federal distribution of child pornography, the possession of child pornography and the possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Keys made his initial appearance in federal court Thursday morning.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Keys was taken into custody on an arrest warrant issued by United States Magistrate Judge Charles J. Kahn, Jr. The arrest was announced by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, and results from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) , Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pensacola Police Department.
Food Stamp Cuts Coming, Food Banks May Feel Impact
August 30, 2013
The funding reduction comes as a result of the expiration of Recovery Act funding, and food banks are bracing for the impact. Rebecca Brislain, spokeswoman for the Florida Association of Food Banks, said the need for assistance does not end with the expiration of funding and her organizations can’t bridge that gap.
“That’s just the truth of it,” she said. “We simply can’t absorb those kinds of cuts. The people that are receiving assistance will not be able to find the kind of assistance that they’re receiving through those programs.”
Brislain says her 14 member food banks already are struggling to meet increased needs from people that came as a result of the recession. Five years ago they distributed 72 million pounds of food each year. Since then, that number has more than doubled.
Florida food banks have been distributing food at “disaster levels” in the past three years, she said, with increases of 80 percent in some parts of the state.
“It’s what we’ve been here for for years,” she said, “and now we’re finding so many more people. It’s not that little emergency anymore. It’s become a chronic problem.”
About 17 percent of Florida’s population is classified as “food insecure,” but 28 percent of children deal with food insecurity.
No. 1 Ranked Northview Faces Bozeman Tonight
August 30, 2013
The No. 1 ranked Northview Chiefs will host 1A Panama City Bozeman in a non-district game tonight.
For the Chiefs, it’s been a week of not only physical preparation, but mental conditioning as well.
“We are going to be OK. Physically, I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty good,” coach Sid Wheatley said after last Friday night’s draw against 5A Bay High School. But after watching the game video, Wheatley said he was set on seeing strengths and weaknesses and working for mental improvement.
“We are going to correct mistakes while it is fresh on their mind,” he said. “We are going to be mentally prepared.”
And regardless of the opponent this year, whether it be a large 5A team like Bay or a 1A team like this week’s Bozemen, Wheatley knows that the stigma of playing the 1A state champion Chiefs will provide some extra motivation to any Northview opponent this year.
“I know how I am as a coach,” he said. “As a motivator, we always try to find some ammunition against the other guy, so I’m sure they’ve probably heard that a little bit.”
The Chiefs are ranked No. 1 in Class 1A by MaxPreps.com, followed by Trenton at No. 2.
The Northview Chiefs will host Bozeman at 7 p.m. in Bratt in the first regular season game of the year. The Chiefs are coming off their first ever state championship year, while Bozeman finished last year at 8-3. Bozeman is 0-4 all time against the Chiefs, with Northview outscoring the Bucks 154-33.
Pictured top and inset: Action from last Friday night’s preseason Northview game against Bay High. Pictured below: Coach Derek Marshman (front) and most of the Northview coaching staff at last week’s scrimmage. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
ECUA Water, Sewer And Sanitation Rates Increasing
August 30, 2013
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority approved rate increases at their Thursday meeting that amounts to just a few cents for sanitation customers to a couple of bucks per month for customers that also have ECUA water and sewer service.
Beginning with the new fiscal year on October 1, ECUA residential sanitation customers will see a 3.7 percent increase to cover a tipping fee increase at the Perdido Landfill and anticipated increases in costs related to the recycling program. The current rate of $18.66 per month will increase to $19.35 for sanitation service.
ECUA water and sewer resident customers will see a rate increase of 1.93 percent. For an average customer using 8,000 gallons of water per month, that is an increase of 52 cents per month for water and $1.01 for sewer.
More detailed ECUA residential water and sewer rates are as follows:
Water:
- Current residential rate is $10.48 for the base rate; this goes up to $10.68. Volume charge (per 1000 gals. Consumption) goes from $2.14 to $2.18.
- Current Lifeline rate (low income senior): Current base rate is $9.03; goes up to $9.20 (includes 6,000 gals. Consumption).
Wastewater:
- Current residential rate: $11.93 for the base rate (includes 2,000 gals. Consumption); goes up to $12.16; volume charge is currently $6.50, goes to $6.63.
- Current Lifeline Rate: $11.62 base, goes to $11.84 (includes 6,000 gals. Consumption).
The increased water and sewer revenues would go toward infrastructure improvements.
Tonight’s Prep Football Schedule (And Thursday Results)
August 30, 2013
Here is tonight’s high school football schedule from across the North Escambia area.
Headed to a game? Share your photos — email them to news@northescambia.com tonight. Follow live scores from select games on our Facebook page http:www.facebook.com/NorthEscambia.com (make sure you “Like” the page”)
FLORIDA
- Bozeman at Northview, 7 p.m.
- Tate at West Florida, 7 p.m.
- Jay at Cottage Hill Christian (Mobile, AL), 7 p.m.
- Washington at Gulf Breeze, 7 p.m.
- Pine Forest at East Gadsden, 7:30 p.m.
- Crestview at Milton, 7:30 p.m.
- Catholic at Navarre, 7:30 p.m.
- Pace at Choctawhatchee, 7 p.m.
- Crestview at Milton, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday scores:
- Tallahassee Lincoln 27, Pensacola 0
- Escambia 43, Legacy 19
ALABAMA
- Flomaton at Monroe County, 7 p.m.
- Escambia County at T.R. Miller, 7 p.m.
- W.S. Neal at Holtville, 7 p.m.
- Escambia Academy at Fort Dale (Greenville), 7 p.m.
Pictured: The Escambia Gators beat Legacy High School Thursday night at Walnut Disney World in Orlando. Pictured top: A successful two-point conversion by Jake Durant. Pictured below: A 75-yard touchdown run from Escambia’s Gerold Bright. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
