Florida Elections Results Certified
November 19, 2014
The results of the state’s November 4 general election, which included the re-election of Gov. Rick Scott and each member of the state Cabinet, were quickly certified Tuesday by a substitute lineup of the Elections Canvassing Commission.
The commission certifying the results consisted of outgoing Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville; Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island; and Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland.
Normally the commission consists of Scott and two members of the Cabinet, but each selected a replacement.
“Some of the principals that were on the ballot decided it might be better, less any kind of conflict, to actually excuse themselves,” Secretary of State Ken Detzner said. “I thought it went very well.”
by The News Service of Florida
Florida House Organizes For Interesting Session
November 19, 2014
A Republican speaker who was not originally supposed to lead the chamber took over a House already down two members Tuesday, while a Democratic leader emerged from months of party infighting to try to maneuver with a diminished minority.
Ahead of the real session opening in March, 118 members of the chamber held a one-day organization session Tuesday to go through the motions of setting up how the House will work for the next two years. They elected a speaker and rejected the credentials of one would-be member.
Rep. Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, was formally named to lead the House after taking an unconventional route to the speaker’s chair. Crisafulli was tapped as speaker-in-waiting after the man who was originally scheduled to get the job, former GOP Rep. Chris Dorworth, lost a bid for re-election in 2012.
“Because of how he’s handled himself while here in Tallahassee, the position came to him,” said Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton.
In remarks to the House, Crisafulli — whose unfamiliarity was the subject of some gentle teasing at last year’s Capitol Press Skits — laid out his leadership style as one that would hear out Democratic complaints as long as they were constructive.
“I am not the Republican speaker; I’m the speaker of the Florida House,” Crisafulli said. “All members will be treated with the same dignity and respect, regardless of their party.”
Leading a party that has a two-thirds supermajority and could easily steamroll the minority Democrats if it so chooses, Crisafulli instead called for the GOP to be “humble” in its use of power.
“I absolutely welcome robust debate on the issues between the majority and the minority parties,” he said. “But I expect honesty and respectful discourse. We can all agree on so many of the issues that come before us in this chamber. So let’s not play games and score political points; let’s get it done for the constituents that elected us to represent them.”
For now, at least, Republicans hold a 80-38 edge, though that number will fluctuate in the coming months. The House on Tuesday voted to reject the results of an election involving Rep. James Grant, R-Tampa. The incumbent easily won this fall, but the election has been the subject of a court battle.
The results have been called into question because of a long-running legal dispute that centers on write-in candidate Daniel John Matthews. The 1st District Court of Appeal last month overturned a lower-court ruling that said Matthews couldn’t run for the seat.
With Tuesday’s vote, a vacancy can be declared and Gov. Rick Scott can call a special election. Crisafulli said the move by the House — which the Florida Constitution recognizes as the sole authority over its own membership — was meant to break the logjam between the courts and Secretary of State Ken Detzner.
“We felt just based on that alone that we would work to try to actually speed the process by having a special election,” he told reporters. “That actually speeds up the process versus going through a court (battle) that could go on for several weeks, months, even longer.”
Two more members of the chamber — Rep. Ronald “Doc” Renuart, R-Ponte Vedra Beach, and Rep. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton — will leave in the spring in an effort to win a Senate seat vacated by new Florida State University President John Thrasher. And former Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, will run against primary and general-election challengers after a paperwork snafu left his name off the November ballot.
Despite their lower numbers, Democrats seemed ready to try to make some headway on what has long been a top priority: an expansion of Medicaid eligibility that has been repeatedly rebuffed by House leadership. In brief remarks for the House, new Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, called for the chamber to reconsider the idea.
“All we want’s a free and open vote,” Pafford said. “I have no doubt that there are great Republicans in this chamber, there are great Democrats in this chamber, that could pass Medicaid. I’d love to see that up for an open vote.”
Like Crisafulli, Pafford was not originally intended to lead Democrats — but took over after the party deposed Rep. Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg after a fundraising dispute with Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant. Pafford recently fought off a challenge to his leadership after the party lost six seats in this month’s elections.
Crisafulli, who has said water issues will be his main priority in the session, didn’t rule out the idea of taking up a Medicaid expansion. But he made it clear that a change of heart wasn’t likely.
“I’ll say it now, and I’ll say it again: All options are on the table,” he said. “Obviously, we in the House Republican caucus still stand firm where we did last year and the year before, but there’s always an opportunity to have a conversation, and we’ll continue to have conversations moving forward.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Escambia Swears In New Commissioner; Barry Named New Chairman
November 18, 2014
A new Escambia County Commissioner was sworn in Tuesday morning.
Doug Underhill now holds the District 2 seat after defeating two-term commissioner Gene Valentino. And District 4 Commissioner Grover Robinson was sworn in for a second term.
Also Tuesday morning, District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry was named the new chairman of the Escambia County Commission.
Pictured top: Doug Underhill is sworn in as District 2 commissioner. Pictured inset: Commissioner Lumon May passes the chairman’s gavel to District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry. Pictured below: District 4 Commissioner Grover Robinson was sworn in for another term. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Arrest Made In $400K Jewelry Store Burglary; Five Arrested For Other Burglaries
November 18, 2014
Pensacola Police have arrested six people in connection with four burglaries in the past week, including a $400,000 jewelry store burglary and a Cantonment man for a vehicle burglary.
On Friday, Lazaro R. Mesa, 24, of Miami was arrested by Detectives Chad Willhite and Lisa Alverson after their investigation into the October 5 burglary of Pensacola Jewelers, 7201 N. Ninth Ave. Willhite and Alverson drove to Miami last week where they interviewed and arrested Mesa. He was charged with burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief.
Mesa and another burglar broke into Pensacola Jewelers after hours and stole more than $400,000 worth of jewelry, gemstones and watches. A warrant has been issued for the second suspect.
The other recent burglary arrests were:
Demontrae Allen, 18, of Cantonment was arrested early Sunday after a Pensacola Police officer saw him burglarizing a vehicle and stealing two wallets, a gold chain and money.
He was charged with burglary, petit theft and falsely identifying himself to a law enforcement officer.
Officer Bryan Lowry was in the 300 block of South Jefferson Street around 2:40 a.m. Sunday when he saw Allen standing beside a vehicle in a parking lot. Lowry saw Allen look around as if checking to see if anyone was watching, open the front passenger door of the vehicle and reach inside. Allen initially gave police a false name when he was taken into custody. The stolen items were recovered.
Markeal Sanders, 16; Steven Gurganious, 20, and Treshawn Crocker, 16, all of Pensacola were arrested Saturday morning. Each was charged with two counts of criminal mischief, two counts of burglary, one count of grand theft, and one count of petit theft after an officer saw them burglarizing a vehicle.
Detective Danny Harnett saw the three burglars grouped around a vehicle in a parking lot in the 200 block of East Intendencia Street around 1:30 a.m. Saturday One of the males had his arm extended inside a broken passenger side window.
The suspects fled and were apprehended at the intersection of Tarragona and Garden streets. An investigation determined another vehicle near the first also had been burglarized. Among the stolen items was a handgun and ammunition. The suspects had BB guns, BBs and the stolen handgun and ammunition in their possession when arrested.
Thomas H. Cobb, 34, of Pensacola was arrested Monday and charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, grand theft of a firearm, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, larceny, and resisting an officer without violence. Cobb was arrested shortly after 8 a.m. Monday after officers were dispatched to a residence in the 200 block of Datura Street on a report of a suspicious person outside the house.
The suspect ran from the house after Officer Thomas Gamache arrived at the home and saw him in the carport. Gamache chased the burglar through the backyard jumping fences and apprehended him at Euclid and Clematis streets. Among items stolen from the home were a handgun, binoculars and three bottles of Bacardi. The stolen items were recovered.
Traffic Stop Near Jay Ends With Chase, Traffic Crash, Arrest
November 18, 2014
What began as a routine traffic stop east of Jay ended with a chase, a crash and multiple felony charges Monday afternoon.
A deputy with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit attempted a traffic stop on a pickup truck about 4 p.m. on Green Rowell Road off Highway 87. The deputy made contact with the driver, later identified as Gregory A. Sweeney of Milton. During the traffic stop. Sweeney became aggressive and physically struck the deputy, the Sheriff’s Office said, before fleeing the scene in the pickup truck with the deputy in pursuit.
During the pursuit, Sweeney’s pickup struck another deputy’s vehicle, causing an unspecified amount of damage to the cruiser. The pursuit ended about 12 miles away when Sweeney’s pickup became stuck in a ditch.
Sweeney was taken into custody without further incident. He was charged with multiple felonies, including fleeing and eluding, battery on an officer, aggravated battery on an officer, possession of a weapon or ammo by a convicted felon, resisting an officer with violence and driving with license suspended third or subsequent offense. He remained in the Santa Rosa County Jail Tuesday morning with bond set at $95,500.
Healthy Start Program Leases Empty Century Building
November 18, 2014
The Escambia County Healthy Start Coalition has leased a county-owned building in Century.
Healthy Start will pay just $1 per year for a three year lease for the property, a former post office, at 511 Church Street, adjacent to the Health and Hope Clinic. The three year lease is followed by two optional two year terms. The building has been empty for a number of years.
“We had this building, an unused resource, just sitting there, and now we’ve found a way to put it to good use for the people,” Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry said.
Healthy Start will use the facility for administrative offices for its program to promote and protect the health and well being of all pregnant women and their infants in Escambia County.
Under the lease, Healthy Start will be responsible for the routine maintenance, grounds keeping expenses and all utilities.
Money Saving Cold Weather Tips
November 18, 2014
Gulf Power Company is offering some cold weather energy savings tips for everyone, including customers of other utilities. Gulf Power offers the following tips to stay warm, safe and conserve energy.
Things you can do right now to save money and energy
- Set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower to conserve energy.
- Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans so they rotate clockwise as you look up at them. This will force warm air down from the ceiling.
- During the middle of the day, open blinds and curtains on the sunny side of the house. Also, where possible, reduce the traffic in and out of the house.
- Don’t use your oven to heat your home — it’s not efficient and most important, it’s not safe.
- A fireplace is not always an efficient heat source. If not used properly it can actually make the rest of the house cooler because airflow up the chimney removes the heated air. When using the fireplace, close all doors and warm air ducts to the room where the fireplace is located. Glass doors on a fireplace will reduce the outflow of warm air. And a fireplace with a blower system is ever better because it actually blows the warm air around the firebox back into the room.
- An electric blanket is more economical than heating the entire house all night long.
- Use a portable electric heater to heat only a small area. Buy models that are thermostatically controlled. Keep it at least three feet from items that could catch fire like curtains or furniture. Make sure you have working smoke detectors on every floor and in every sleeping room of your house.
- Make sure vents and return air registers are not blocked by furniture, draperies, doors or other obstacles.
- Use “draft stoppers” or towels/blankets to block drafts at foot of door.
- If you should lose power, go to your thermostat and turn off your heating system. Please wait 10 to 15 minutes after power has been restored before turning it back on. This prevents a power surge from shutting down electricity again.
- If you should lose power, please do not connect portable generators to your household electrical wiring. This can cause serious injury to you and to Gulf Power employees who are restoring electricity. Instead, plug appliances into the generator. Never use a generator in enclosed or partially-enclosed spaces because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Things you can do to prepare your home for the whole winter season
Temperature settings
- Heating a house makes up about half of your electricity bill so set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower in the winter. Did you know that you can decrease the amount of energy you buy for heating by three percent or more for every degree below 68 degrees you set your thermostat?
- Programmable thermostats are a good investment, or you can take advantage of Gulf Power’s Energy Select. Energy Select is Gulf Power’s advanced energy management program that offers a lower price for electricity 87 percent of the time. Energy Select features a programmable thermostat and a special rate of four price periods based upon time of day, day of week and season. Installation and meter-based surge protection are both free with Energy Select. Only $4.95 per month.
Heating and cooling equipment
- The system heating the home is extremely important. If it’s an older, less efficient unit, upgrading to a geothermal heating and cooling system — or a high efficiency air-source heat pump may be a wise choice. Contact Gulf Power at 1-877-655-4001 for a free Energy Check-Up.
Routine maintenance
- A well-maintained heating system runs more efficiently. A complete tune-up of the home heating system can cost anywhere from $50 to $100 and more, but this is a very worthwhile investment and can reduce your heating bill from 3 to 10 percent. Some companies offer regular service contracts, which are a convenience if you tend to forget system maintenance. Remember to replace the filter every month.
Ductwork
- Duct leakage can account for 20 percent of the heating and cooling cost. Getting ducts sealed up should be at the top of the list for making your home energy efficient.
Insulation
- Adding insulation to your attic is one of the most cost-effective energy saving measures. Different types of insulation material have different R-values. The recommended level is R-38 in the attic.
Weather-stripping and caulking
- Weather-strip door jambs and caulk any cracks around windows to prevent cool air from entering your home.
Window units
- If you have a window air conditioning unit, remove it for the winter months to prevent heat from escaping through and around the unit. If it can’t be moved, put a cover over it to prevent drafts.
Humidifier
- Use a humidifier to keep your home more comfortable. Adding moisture allows you to reduce the thermostat setting without feeling colder.
Gulf Restoration Projects Funded, Including $11 Million To Escambia County
November 18, 2014
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which is managing funds from settlements involving the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, announced Monday that nine environmental restoration projects in Florida will collectively receive $34.3 million. The largest award, $11 million, will go to the restoration of the Bayou Chico Watershed in southern Escambia County, which is a 10.36-square-mile drainage area that empties into Pensacola Bay.
The awards also will provide $3 million to remove invasive species and increase freshwater flows from priority coastal dune lakes across the Panhandle. Another $4.22 million will go to the Boggy Bayou area of northwestern Choctawhatchee Bay. The money comes from a pair of 2013 settlements totaling $2.544 billion with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve certain criminal charges against Transocean and BP as a result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.
Both settlements are being administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Transocean funds will be paid over a two-year period. BP is to pay the money over a five-year period. Funds from both settlements will be used for natural-resource restoration projects in the five gulf states, including Florida. Louisiana will get half, with Florida and the other three states splitting the rest.
by The News Service of Florida
Record Lows Possible With Hard Freeze Warning
November 18, 2014
Record cold is possible across the area Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service, with a hard freeze. The cold will pose a hazard to persons without adequate heat, pets and livestock without shelter, exposed pipes and unprotected plants. Lows will generally be around 20 degrees.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight Clear, with a low around 19. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 55. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
- Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 30. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
- Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind.
- Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
- Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 67.
- Saturday Night Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Sunday Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Sunday Night A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.
- Monday A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73.
County Purchases Property To Improve Drainage On Ponderosa Drive
November 18, 2014
The Escambia County Commission voted Monday night to purchase two pieces of property in the Ensley area to improve stormwater drainage.
The properties are located on Ponderosa Drive, where the county already has a small retention pond that proved to be inadequate during flooding earlier this year. Following Monday night’s vote, the pond will be expanded onto most of three additional acres.
The 1.01 acre property and house at 1861 Ponderosa Drive will be purchased by the county for $85,000, which is above appraised value of $75,000, and the 3.01 acre parcel and house at 1871 Ponderosa Drive from Charles and Anna M. McSwain, for $103,000, which is above the appraised value of $90,000.
Both properties, along with other residences on Ponderosa Drive, flooded during rain event earlier this year.