Scott Hosts Agency for Persons with Disabilities Town Hall Meeting
July 18, 2013
Wednesday, Governor Rick Scott joined Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) Director, Barbara Palmer, to host an APD Town Hall meeting in Panama City to discuss the state of the agency and highlight $36 million in funding from the 2013-2014 Florida Family First budget.
Governor Rick Scott said, “I want every Floridian, including those with disabilities, to have the opportunity to pursue their dreams of finding a job and live their version of the American dream. With our $36 million investment, we will be making a big impact on many families throughout the state. For the first time in eight years, we are helping more than 750 people move off the APD waiting list where they will receive the services they need to participate in their community and develop skills to find employment. I am pleased that many people in the Northwest Region are being move off of the APD waiting list.”
The Florida Families First budget includes $1.1 billion for APD. $36 million of that funding will allow individuals on the waiting list to enroll in the APD Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid waiver and start receiving services in their local communities. Those with the most critical needs will benefit from this new funding.
APD Director Barbara Palmer said, “We are thrilled that Governor Scott joined us today for our Town Hall meeting in Panama City. Our APD customers and stakeholders were extremely fortunate to hear firsthand from our governor about his commitment to them and to APD, and for him to hear and learn about their concerns.”
The Florida Families First budget also includes a one-time appropriation of $40 million ($17 million in state funding, $23 million federal match) to pay off the waiver deficit from prior fiscal years. With this funding, APD is projecting to be within its appropriation for the first time in many years.
The Florida Families First budget also includes about $500,000 to assist people on the waiver waiting list who have indicated that they want to go to work. The funding will pay for supported employment services to help 200 people with developmental disabilities obtain and maintain jobs and internships.
APD Northwest Regional Operations Manager Lynne Daw said, “We are so excited that Governor Scott chose to attend his first APD Town Hall meeting in Panama City. Families, self-advocates, and stakeholders truly enjoyed this wonderful opportunity to hear directly from our governor and APD Director Barbara Palmer, and to personally thank Governor Scott for his support of our agency.”
Escambia Jail Inmate Dies
July 17, 2013
An Escambia County Jail inmate died Tuesday morning after being found unresponsive in his cell.
Richard Craig Adams Jr. 47, had been incarcerated on charges of grand theft. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said he was found unresponsive at about 4:30 this morning and transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased shortly after 5 a.m.
There were no indications of foul play, the Sheriff’s Office said. The death is under investigation by the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Adams was an inmate worker at the jail.
No Major Damage In Century Mobile Home Fire
July 17, 2013
There was no major damage reported in a reported structure fire Tuesday night at a Century mobile home.
Light smoke was reported when firefighters arrived at the mobile home on in the 300 block of Backwoods Road about 10:10 p.m. The fire was quickly reported to be out. There were no injuries.
The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the incident.
Alleged Mississippi Gang Leader, Former Century Resident, Indicted On Racketeering Charge
July 17, 2013
A man that claimed to live in Century has been indicted on a federal racketeering conspiracy charge accusing him of attempted murder, kidnapping, bank robbery, drug distribution and bribery.
Jason Marshall Bullock, 37, gave a home address at the Century Woods Apartments at 20 West Highway 4 when he was arrested in Escambia County. Also known as “Sir J-Mac”, he allegedly was the head of the Simon City Royals street gang in Mississippi, operating out of the Hattiesburg area. Bullock identified himself as the “Prince of Mississippi”.
According to federal court records, Bullock would sometimes travel to Chicago to meet with leaders of the gang, which was formed in Chicago in the 1960’s and branched out to Mississippi and other locations. The gang has been involved in crimes such as murder for hire, drug trafficking and gambling, court documents state.
In 2006, Bullock was among gang members that conspired to kill Joseph Shelton who was ultimately shot and assaulted but survived. The hit was allegedly ordered by Bullock.
A Forrest County (Miss.) deputy was allegedly bribed by gang members to deliver an unspecified contraband to Bullock in jail, according to the indictment. Bullock previously served just over four years in federal prison for the robbery of the Citizens State Bank in Seminary, Miss., in 1998.
A federal judge has ordered Bullock held without bond pending transfer to Mississippi. He remained in the Escambia County Jail early Wednesday morning.
According to ATF Special Agent Randy Beach, Bullock moved away from the Century Woods Apartments about a year ago. He was taken into custody without incident at a home on Tennessee Drive in Pensacola.
Shoplifting Suspect Throws Infant At Pursuing Deputy
July 17, 2013
An Escambia County woman faces child abuse and other charges after she threw a three month old infant towards an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy who was trying to stop her for suspected shoplifting.
The baby, who was still in her infant carrier, was not injured.
The incident took place Monday around 7 p.m. in a parking lot at the Santa Rosa Mall in Mary Esther. Investigators say 23-year old Ashley Taylor Wright went into a fitting room at Dillards with clothing items. She came out without the merchandise and the items were not in the fitting room. She had hidden the two pairs of Miss Me Jeans and a pink Hurley shirt, valued at $261.00, in a baby stroller, deputies said.
As a deputy approached near her car in the parking lot, she began yelling at her husband to leave. Two small children were also in the car. When the deputy tried to get Wright out of the vehicle, she put the baby carrier in front of her saying “You will have to shoot through the baby to get me.”
Wright ran from the vehicle, then threw the 14-pound infant, still in the carrier, towards the deputy.
Wright fell and began fighting the deputy as he tried to take her into custody. She was transported to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center for treatment of a laceration to her head.
She has been charged with petty theft, child abuse without great bodily harm, and resisting an officer without violence.
Part 3: Inside Century Correctional – Food For The Body, Food For The Soul
July 17, 2013
Today, we continue our look inside the Century Correctional Institution with a look at food for the body and food for the soul. Our series will continue inside the medical unit, the prison’s most secure housing unit and more.
How about fresh summer tomato salad? Or a watermelon bowl with fresh cantaloupe? Or fresh from the field sweet corn or summer squash? Those are just a few of the items on recent menus at Century Correctional Institution.
Those fresh items are served to inmates for one simple reason — cost. The fresh fruits and vegetables are grown by prisoners at CCI, at the Berrydale Forestry Camp and at the University of Florida IFAS facility in Santa Rosa County. And they grow a lot. Already this year, CCI inmates have consumed 12,000 tons of corn.
Fresh inmate-produced produce keeps the cost per inmate down to about $1.45 per day. The food service department works twos shifts per day, providing over 4,000 trays per day. Almost all inmate food is baked or boiled — no frying.
The food service facility is a point of pride at Century Correctional.
The facility serves 1,400 inmates in about an hour and a half, including service for medical special diet prisoners at the beginning or end of a food shift. The noise at a meal is best described as a low murmur — inmates are allowed only to talk to one of the three others at their table. There’s no conversation or food sharing with neighboring tables.
Expectations of a cool, comfortable dining experience are out the window during the summer — there’s no air conditioning.
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The chapel is as nondescript as the other buildings in the compound. Unlike most churches when viewed from the outside, there’s nothing ornate and no religious symbols. Just a simple “Chapel” over the door and the number “10617032″ in one corner — the state’s building number.
The inside of the chapel appears a lot like any small country church — wooden pews, a mural of a river flowing from down from the hills. But still very little in the way of religious symbols — one simple cross on a table, no Star of David, no Menorah. That’s because the State of Florida recognizes over 100 different religions, any one of which can be practiced in the chapel. Christian, Jewish and Islamic services are common in the non-denominational chapel.
There’s a small room for a fellowship hall or meetings with a small kitchen. It’s used by faith based groups that may serve coffee or light food, or for the preparation of foods called for in specific religious practices.
Anywhere from 90 to 250 volunteers may enter the institution to help provide services on a monthly basis. During a one year period ending in April 2013, there were 5,170 total hours accrued by volunteers and a total of 1,390 program offered in the chapel for the inmate population.
Our series “Inside Century Correctional Institution” continues on NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Appeals Court Confirms Sentence Of Man That Shot Deputies, Took Hostage
July 17, 2013
The First District Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction and sentence of Philip Martin Monier for his role in taking a woman hostage and a subsequent gun battle with law enforcement.
In January, Monier was convicted by an Escambia County Jury of four counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault, armed kidnapping and trespassing. Monier was sentenced by Judge John T. Brown to serve four life sentences in state prison.
Monier was convicted of shooting Deputy Jeremy Cassady and deputies Sam Parker and Chad Brown during a home invasion hostage incident October 29, 2011, at his girlfriend’s home near Scenic Highway in Pensacola. Monier was also charged in connection with shooting at a fourth deputy who was not wounded.
Cassady was severely wounded in the incident and spent 20 days in Sacred Heart Hospital. He later received a pancreas and kidney transplant in August 2011.
Monier’s girlfriend, Jackie Rosenbloom, called 911 as Monier forced his way into her home looking a ring that he demanded be returned. He took Rosenbloom hostage and ignored orders to drop his weapon as deputies entered the home. Monier used Rosenbloom as a human shield, but he was struck by at least one round in the hand. He was eventually talked out of the home by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and hostage negotiators.
Man Arrested On Child Porn Charges
July 17, 2013
An Escambia County man was arrested Tuesday on child pornography charges after investigators determined he had downloaded sexually explicit pictures and movies of children from the internet onto his computer hard drives and shared those files with others.
Charles David Turner, 51, was charged with 28 counts of possession of obscene material/child pornography and two counts of video voyeurism. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with no bond, according to Detective Chris Wilkinson.
Agents with the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force initiated a search warrant at Turner’s residence on June 20 after he was identified via the internet as downloading child pornography.
It was later determined that Turner had taken video of a family member while she was getting dressed after taking a shower. The video of the family member was recorded using a web camera without her knowledge or consent. A second video of an adolescent female taking a shower was found on his computer, and the investigation as to her identity is ongoing.
Additional charges are pending, and the investigation is continuing to determine if Turner transmitted files or downloaded additional child pornography, Wilkinson said.
Agencies from the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted the Pensacola Police Department with this investigation. These agencies include Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Walton County Sheriff’s Office
Century To Clean Up After Contents Of Entire House Dumped Curbside
July 17, 2013
The Century Town Council has voted to clean up a large debris pile on East Pond Street after someone piled the entire contents of an unoccupied home onto the street.
The town normally picks up curbside debris as part of its residential trash service — on a much smaller scale. Since the town must pay a vendor to dump the debris, piles are normally limited to a smaller size. And the town won’t pick up the debris pile if it was placed on the curbside by a contractor or someone paid to place it there.
In the case of the East Pond Street property, officials don’t know if a contractor or a private individual cleaned out the house. They say the house has been unoccupied for some period of time after the resident died. The property is currently owned by an estate, which will receive a bill for the clean up.
Pictured: A debris pile on East Pond Street. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
BOE Votes To Prevent Major Drops In School Grades
July 17, 2013
After a debate that raised questions about the validity of Florida’s school grades, a divided state Board of Education on Tuesday approved a plan that will shield schools from steep drops this year in their closely watched grades.
The board, in a 4-3 vote, approved a recommendation by Education Commissioner Tony Bennett that will prevent drops of more than one letter grade. As an example, a school that received a B grade last year could only drop to a C when new grades are released later this month.
Bennett made the recommendation after school superintendents said they were concerned that grades could plummet this year for many schools. Superintendents pointed, at least in part, to repeated changes in the state’s school-accountability system — 13 this year alone — which they say have made it harder to meet standards and have created uncertainty.
Bennett, speaking to reporters before the board meeting, said his recommendation was part of an effort to prepare for a transition to what are known as the “Common Core Standards,” a major undertaking that will fully take effect during the 2014-15 school year. He said the recommendation to prevent steep drops in letter grades was only temporary and did not reflect a lessening of standards.
“I will hold fast that this should not be permanent and cannot be part of the permanent accountability landscape,” Bennett said.
But board member Sally Bradshaw, one of the dissenters, said limiting the drops in grades will disguise what is happening in schools and compromises the “rigor of our system.”
“Why are we going to mislead parents and the public on how their schools are doing?” asked Bradshaw, who served as a chief of staff for former Gov. Jeb Bush.
Other board members, including Chairman Gary Chartrand, who voted for Bennett’s recommendation, questioned whether the grading system remains statistically valid. Bennett said the system has become overly “nuanced” because of changes in calculations through the years.
“I don’t know that it’s a real measurement any more, I’m sorry to say,” said board member Kathleen Shanahan, who also is a former Bush chief of staff.
The A-through-F grading system was a high-profile part of Bush’s efforts to remake the public-school system after he took office in 1999. While critics have often questioned whether the grades give an accurate picture of what happens within schools, the grades have become an annual ritual and are watched by everyone from parents to real-estate salespeople.
Bush remains highly influential in state education policy, and the executive director of an organization Bush leads, the Foundation for Florida’s Future, urged the Board of Education to vote against Bennett’s school-grades recommendation.
In a letter to the board Monday, foundation Executive Director Patricia Levesque wrote that reading and math scores this year on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test “basically were stagnant” compared to last year.
“And when scores are stagnant, students are not making gains, schools will not earn credit for gains and school grades will drop,” Levesque wrote. “When this occurs it is not the fault of the grading scale, it is a result of low performance, not an encouraging sign as we prepare for Common Core. We have to do much better.”
But House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, issued a statement after the meeting that described the board’s vote as a “welcomed move away from the education policy dictates of conservative ideologues.”
“I am pleased that four out of the seven state board members followed the advice of superintendents and public school experts who sought much-needed changes to Florida’s school grading formula,” Thurston said.
Bennett said he expects school grades to be issued by the end of July. Voting in favor of Bennett’s recommendation were Chartrand and board members Ada Armas, John Colon and Barbara Feingold. Joining Bradshaw and Shanahan in dissent was John Padget.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida