Fire Marshal Investigating Possible Arson
May 13, 2014
A morning fire at a Cantonment mobile home is under investigation as a possible arson by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fire was reported about 5:54 a.m. on the northern end of Robinson Street in Cantonment by a 911 caller that indicated the fire was the work of an arsonist. Firefighters reported light smoke coming from the structure when they arrived on scene.
There were no injuries reported.
Man Enters Diversion Program In Animal Cruelty Case
May 13, 2014
An Escambia County man has entered a pretrial intervention program in an 2013 horse starvation case.
Marcus James McCreary, 41, pleaded no contest to two animal cruelty charges. He was ordered by Judge E.P. Nickinson to complete community service work, own no horses for at a least a year and pay $567.25 in restitution to Panhandle Equine Rescue.
In the fall of 2013, PER received a report that a very thin horse was down in McCreary’s yard on Bowman Avenue, just off Nine Mile Road. PER and Escambia County Animal Control responded and found two Tennessee Walking Horses in poor condition — one unable to get up on her own. McCreary voluntarily signed ownership of the horses, mares name Capona and Sweet Mary, over to PER.
Until the pretrial intervention program, charges will be dismissed in one year against McCreary if he successfully completes the steps ordered by the judge.
Pictured: Capona, one of two horses seized from Marcus James McCreary, in September 2013 (above) and after recovery and being trained to ride in May 2014. Courtesy photos from Panhandle Equine Rescue for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sewage Release Health Alert Rescinded For Escambia River
May 13, 2014
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County has rescinded the health alert issued May 2 for the Escambia River south of Becks Lake Road.
“The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County feels that the water quality in these areas has improved considerably due to the reduction in bacteria levels,” the department said in a news released.
The health alert was issued after excessive rain placed an increased load on the ECUA Central Waste Water Facility resulting in the release of partially-treated sewage into the wetlands that lead to Escambia River.
For more information, call (850) 595-6700.
Today: Possible Traffic Delays On Highway 97, Hanks Road, Bratt Road
May 13, 2014
Today, drivers can expect temporary delays on Highway 97, Hanks Road and Bratt Road in the Walnut Hill and Bratt areas.
Crews will perform pavement core sampling and surveying on Highway 97 over the Sandy Hollow Creek Bridge, Hanks Road over the Breastworks Creek Bridge and Bratt Road over Canoe Creek Bridge. Lane restrictions will be in effect from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
Construction work could be delayed or rescheduled due to inclement weather. The Florida Department of Transportation is urging drivers to obey posted signs and use caution when traveling through the areas.
Escambia Extension Services Temporarily Relocated (With Phone Numbers)
May 13, 2014
The Escambia County Extension Services office, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment, has been temporarily relocated due to flood damage.
Extension staff have been relocated to the following locations:
County Extension Director and Administrative Supervisor: (850) 595-3118
CED Pam Allen and Administrative Supervisor Susan Hendrix will move between the Extension Office and the Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place. Hendrix can also be reach via email at shendrix@ufl.edu.
Agriculture: (850) 587-2404 ext. 3
Agriculture Agent Libbie Johnson will be housed at the Molino Farm Bureau Office, 153 Highway 97, Molino.
Coastal Sustainability and Marine Science:
Agents Carrie Stevenson, (850) 595-1882, and Rick O’Connor, (850) 595-0012, will be housed at the Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place.
Family and Consumer Sciences, Expanded Food and Nutrition and 4-H: (850) 941-6002
Agents Dorothy Lee, Angela Hinkle and the 4-H Office Assistant will be staged at the Langley Bell 4-H Center, 4810 West Nine Mile Road.
Horticulture: bbolles@ufl.edu
Agent Beth Bolles will move between the Extension Office on Stefani Road and the Central Office Complex. Contact Bolles by email.
Lawn and Garden help: (850) 595-2405
Horticulture Technician Carol Lord will be available at the Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place, to help with gardening questions, plant diagnosis issues and other horticulture recommendations. She can also be reach via email at cml@ufl.edu.
County Promises Clear Inmate Access For Attorneys Following ‘Secret’ Memo
May 13, 2014
Attorneys will have clear access to inmates being held in county facilities now used as part of the Escambia County Jail, according to memo issued Monday by the county attorney.
Attorneys complained they were denied access to inmates at the Escambia County Road Prison over the weekend due to a “secret” memo that ordered shift supervisors to only allow listed attorneys of record and those from the public defender’s or State Attorney’s office to see inmates, Ricksblog.biz reported Monday morning. The memo was written by Escambia Road Prison Commander C.S. Snow.
The memo instructed road prison employees to search the Clerk of Court’s website to determine if an attorney was assigned to a case prior to allowing them to visit with an inmate. “Let’s make sure they are, who they say the are,” the memo stated.
“It should be noted that any inmate can request a legal counsel visit with a specific attorney of his choosing and the visit should be granted according to each inmates specific request,” Snow also wrote.
“This memorandum will shall not be copied or distributed to anyone without a properly signed and requested public records request through proper legal channels,” Snow instructed staff.
Escambia County responded with a statement Monday afternoon that County Attorney’s Office is working directly with Corrections officials and attorneys who believe they may have encountered unreasonable obstacles trying to visit or communicate with an inmate.
“A memorandum issued to Road Camp personnel concerning attorney visits with inmates was a result of increased requests from attorneys for client visitation. The Road Camp Prison and Work Release facility were not set up to facilitate attorney/client visits at the level that they were being requested,” the news release stated.
The release encouraged any attorney with concerns regarding their ability to communicate with inmates in the Escambia County Corrections Department to contact the County Attorney’s Office at (850) 595-4970.
Some attorneys claimed the county was attempting to block inmate access to attorneys for legal advice about any possible civil case following the jail explosion that killed two inmates and injured 184 people, including both corrections employees and inmates.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Respond To Construction Related Gas Fire At Ernest Ward Middle
May 13, 2014
There were no injuries Monday afternoon during a construction-related fire on the Ernest Ward Middle School campus.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to an acetylene tank fire inside the fenced-in construction zone at the school at 3:40 p.m., just minutes before afternoon dismissal time. The fire was quickly controlled with no damage to structures and no injuries.
Acetylene gas is often used in welding or metal cutting applications.
Summer Dance Workshop Offered At Byrneville Community Center
May 13, 2014
A Summer Dance Workshop will be offered at the Byrneville Community Center June 9-13.
Classes will be offered as follows:
- 8:30 – 9 am — Pre-ballet (ages 3-4)
- 9:15 – 10:15 am — Ballet I (ages 5-7)
- 10:30 – noon — Ballet II and Jazz (ages 8-10) 0-3 years dance experience
- 12:30 – 2 p.m. — Ballet III and Jazz (ages 9-teen) 4 or more years dance experience
Proper dancewear and dance shoes are required. An optional Summer Dance Workship t-shirt will be available for $15 at registration time. The registration deadline is June 2. Contact Heather Leonard’s Danceworks by email at hldanceworks@gmail.com or on Facebook.
A registration will also be held Thursday at the Byrneville Community Center from 6-7:30 p.m.
Pictured: Last year’s Heather Leonard’s Danceworks recital at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
AAA Wants Scott Meeting, Veto On Higher Speed Limits
May 13, 2014
The nation’s premiere auto club is increasing pressure on Gov. Rick Scott for a face-to-face meeting in the hopes of persuading the governor to veto a proposal that could result in higher speed limits on Florida highways.
AAA asked Scott more than a week ago for a sit-down to talk about the narrowly-approved measure that could see maximum speed limits hiked by 5 mph. Auto club officials say they have yet to hear back from Scott’s office regarding the request.
A spokesman for Scott said Friday that the governor hasn’t made a decision on the bill and that his aides would be willing to discuss the bill.
“Our office would be happy to meet with AAA to hear any concerns they have with this legislation,” said Scott spokesman John Tupps.
But Karen Morgan, AAA manager of public policy, said Friday the governor’s office had not responded to AAA Senior Vice President Kevin Bakewell’s May 1 request for a meeting.
“Increasing speed limits on Florida roadways would result in more speed-related crashes, injuries and deaths and hinder the state’s effort of moving toward zero traffic fatalities,” Bakewell wrote.
The proposal was not among the 58 bills forwarded to Scott on Thursday to be signed, vetoed or allowed to become law without gubernatorial action by May 23.
The bill (SB 392) would change state law to hike the maximum allowable speed limit on limited access highways from 70 mph to 75 mph, and on four-lane divided highways outside urban areas from 65 mph to 70 mph. The Department of Transportation would be responsible for decisions about the speed limits, and would also have the authority to set minimum speeds on certain highways.
Bakewell in his letter contends the bill is “a green light for higher speeds” that will enable motorists to travel up to 80 mph without fear of being fined, resulting in more accidents, deaths and higher costs to the state. Under current law, the penalty for driving up to six miles above the posted speed limit is a warning.
“Throughout the legislative session, no compelling argument was offered as to why the speed limits should be raised,” Bakewell wrote.
AAA points to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study showing that one-third of the nation’s motor vehicle fatalities in 2012 were speed-related. But proponents of the bill contend that many motorists are already driving at the higher speed and that the measure takes the issue out the hands of politicians, giving the transportation agency the ability to decide the safest speeds for state roads.
Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad told lawmakers during committee appearances that his agency, which didn’t request the bill, would only conduct the speed studies in select areas where conditions may warrant an increase.
Lake Worth Democratic Sen. Jeff Clemens, one of the sponsors of the bill, argued during session that a 5 mph increase is unlikely to impact road safety.
Still, the proposal faced opposition from lawmakers at every stop in the committee process before being passed by a narrow 58-56 vote in the House and a more comfortable 27-11 Senate vote.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
4,700 Escambia Residents Register For FEMA Help (With Registration Info)
May 13, 2014
As of Monday, 4,700 residents of Escambia County have registered for FEMA assistance.
FEMA opened Escambia County Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) Sunday at the Brownsville Community Center, 3100 West Desoto Street, Pensacola, where applicants may go with questions or for information about FEMA or other disaster assistance.
The hours of operations for the DRC are:
- Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Project Outreach Site Changes
Project Outreach field teams are stationed at tents throughout Escambia County to provide information and to connect citizens with the appropriate agencies. The following sites remain open and will be operational Tuesday, May 13, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Crescent Lake, 6105 Fairview Drive
- Damascus Road Mission Baptist Church, 8198 Untreiner Avenue
- Lake Charlene*, Corner of 6815 Kitty Hawk Circle – A FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Team (DSAT) will be on site in Lake Charlene from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Legion Field, 1301 West Gregory Street
Additionally, FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams will be going door-to-door in the following impacted neighborhoods tomorrow between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.:
- Downtown area
- Innerarity Point and Grand Lagoon areas
- Tonbridge Circle area
- Man o War Circle, Ashland Avenue and Ponderosa Drive
- Lake Charlene Outreach Tent – Corner of 6815 Kitty Hawk Circle
Help for Renters
FEMA’s “Individual Assistance” is also available to renters and anyone who has lost personal belongings in the recent flood is encouraged to file a claim with FEMA.
Applicants may register at a Project Outreach Site, FEMA’s main “Disaster Recovery Center” at the Brownsville Community Center, 3100 West Desoto Street, or they can register by calling FEMA at (800) 621-3362 or TTY (800) 462-7585. If you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call (800) 621-3362. Operators are multilingual and calls are answered seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT. You can register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by smartphone or tablet at m.femagov.
An American Red Cross shelter is located at the Fricker Community Center, 900 North “F” Street, Pensacola, and is currently housing 59 people. FEMA will be onsite from 6 to 9 p.m. today to register citizens for assistance.
Debris Removal
Escambia County will continue debris removal efforts and information on locations for pickup tomorrow will be provided as soon as it becomes available.
For more information on debris removal, please contact the Escambia County Solid Waste Management at (850) 937-2160 and for more information on obtaining FEMA or other assistance; call the Escambia County Citizens Information Line at (850) 471-6600.
Pictured: A Project Outreach tent on Bristol Park Road Saturday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.