IP Awards $50K In Foundation Grants; Recipients Include Tate High, Jim Allen Elementary
June 2, 2014
International Paper (IP) Pensacola Mill has awarded $50,000 in foundation grants to local community organizations, including projects at Jim Allen Elementary and Tate High School.
“We feel privileged to be able to assist our local non-profits and community organizations in their continued efforts to serve, educate and help the residents and children of Northwest Florida,” said Janice Holmes, communications manager.
Local community organizations and their projects that were awarded IP grants for 2014 are:
- Jim Allen Elementary School, “Eggstraordinary Readers”
- The goal of the Jim Allen Reading Eggs program is to support each child’s learning by offering individual, one-on-one lessons that allow children to progress at their own rate. This program fosters a love of reading at a young age so students will continue to read and to be successful throughout life. The Reading Eggs program is a powerful educational program that is based on the most up-to-date research on how children learn to read. The program is interactive and it includes activities and reward games to keep children motivated and interested in learning to read.
- J.M. Tate High School “Focus on Biology”
- The Tate High School grant helps to fund lab microscopes that run on rechargeable batteries. Students will be able to visualize micro and macroscopic organisms and objects, demonstrate proper use and procedures and learn how to properly label and illustrate organisms.
- Autism Pensacola “Kids for Camp Summer Learning Lab”
- Ballet Pensacola, ”Discover Dance”
- Community Action Program, “Leap for Literacy”
- Council on Aging of NWFL, “Little Readers”
- Escambia County Board of Education, “Smart Links Recycling Program”
- Escambia County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence, “Literacy Classroom Partnership with IP”
- Every Child a Reader in Escambia, “Project Ready 2014”
- Greater First Baptist Church, “Community Literacy Mentoring and Tutoring Program”
- Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center “Conservation Center”
- Partnership for Community Programs “Bay Day 2014” and “Stormwater Education and Inlet Marking Program
- Pathways for Change; “Pathways to Success”
- Pensacola Habitat for Humanity “Improving Access to Books”
- Pensacola Opera “From Words to Music”
- Pensacola State College Foundation, Inc., “PSC Summer Environment Camp”
- Perdido Bay Tribe, Southeastern Lower Muscogee Creek Indians, “Longleaf Pine Repopulation”
- Perdido Bay United Methodist Church, “Global Learning Academy Reading Volunteer” and “Nature Trail”
- S.S. Dixon “Read and Succeed in Science and Social Studies”
- United Cerebral Palsy of Northwest Florida “Journey to Literacy”
- UWF Foundation, “Best Robotics Hub” and “Explore Summer Camps”
Grants are awarded by the IP Foundation in Memphis, Tenn., which focuses on environmental education, literacy, employee involvement and critical community needs. A portion of those funds were used to purchase National Geographic Explorer magazine subscriptions for classes in Escambia and Santa Rosa Schools.
Mrs. Rhoda Greenwell, teacher at Jim Allen Elementary School for more than 40 years, reads Charlie the Caterpillar to the students before releasing butterflies. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Local Robot Sets Speed Record For Running Robots
June 2, 2014
A new land-speed record for legged robots was achieved recently by a robot that calls Escambia County home.
The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition HexRunner robot reached an estimated 30-33 mph on an open course, without any support tethers.
The record-setting run was filmed by the Discovery Channel, which is expected to broadcast it later this summer.
“More significant than the top speed is showing that you can make a running robot that doesn’t need a lot of feedback from sensors, and you don’t need a lot of actuation,” said IHMC Senior Research Scientist Jerry Pratt, team leader of the HexRunner project.
HexRunner is a running robot with six spring-loaded legs revolving around a central hub, with three legs on each side of the hub. At the tip of the top leg it stands six feet high. Dr. Pratt said the speed was measured with a chase car and through analysis of high-speed motion video shot from the side.
“The speedometer on the chase car hit 33 while the robot was still running away from it,” he said. The 30 mph documented speed is a conservative figure based on motion analysis from video taken during the test. “We might be able to hit 45 mph with small modifications if we have a good run on a long enough course.”
The HexRunner is the “parent” of the OutRunner robot, a two-foot version based on technology licensed from IHMC to Robotics Unlimited, headed by Research Scientist Sebastien Cotton, who worked on the HexRunner team.
The ultimate goal, Dr. Pratt said, is to figure out how animals run in nature, an understanding that could produce breakthroughs in robotics.
“The high-level question is how can animals run with stability at high speeds?” he said. “And how can we make a robot to achieve the same feats?”
IHMC Research Scientist Chris Schmidt-Wetekam said one of the next goals of the FastRunner project is to develop a fully segmented leg that more closely mimics biology.
“We’re working toward more complicated robots,” Dr. Schmidt-Wetekam said. “Things look really promising in simulation, but it’s a lot more complicated in actuality, so we went back to basics. HexRunner checks off an important box on our checklist, and validates our simulation. OK, we can do this.”
Wahoos Lose To Jacksonville
June 2, 2014
It’s hard to stay positive when your team puts up a big fat zero on the scoreboard for the third time in four games.
But Pensacola Blue Wahoos left fielder Steve Selsky did Sunday, following a shutout loss, 4-0, to the Jacksonville Suns at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. Selsky blasted two singles in four at bats, extended his hitting streak to six games and raised his season batting average above .300 to .302.
He said he and his teammates just need to simplify their approach at the plate.
“Guys are trying to do way too much,” said Selsky, who has gotten a hit in 10 of his last 11 games. “It’s hard to carry a whole team by yourself. You can’t go up to the plate saying, ‘I need a hit. I need a hit. I need a hit.’ You need a quality at bat. A good at bat leads to success.”
It’s that mindset that helped Selsky get the first hit in the fourth inning for the Wahoo’s off of Jacksonville Suns lefty starting pitcher Chipper Smith. Smith improved his record to 2-0, allowing just three hits in six scoreless innings. In his Southern League debut May 16, Smith blanked the Wahoos for four innings, giving up two runs in 5.2 innings of work.
“We haven’t handled lefties well,” Wahoos Manager Delino DeShields said. “(Smith) has baffled us.”
The game turned on an error by Wahoos third baseman Juan Silverio on a shot by Miguel Tejada that bounced off his glove and through his legs into short center field. The possible double-play grounder would have kept the score, 1-0. Instead the Suns added three runs, including a score by Tejada, to go up, 4-0, after three innings.
Unfortunately, Pensacola leads the Southern League in allowing unearned runs with 42 entering Sunday’s game.
Another not-so-good stat? The Blue Wahoos are now 0-8 in Robert Stephenson’s last eight starts and last won, 17-1, against Jacksonville on April 21. Despite Pensacola’s record, Stephenson, who’s considered the Cincinnati Reds top prospect, has pitched well with hitters batting just .200 against him.
However, Sunday was not his day, as he battled a stiff neck. He lacked his usual velocity and lasted just three innings, giving up four runs with two of them earned. Stephenson, who came into the game leading the league with 66 strikeouts in 58 innings, fanned just one batter Sunday.
by Tommy Thrall
Pictured: The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost to the Suns 4-0 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium on Sunday. Photos by Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview High School Class Of 2014 Graduates (With Photo Gallery)
June 1, 2014
The 113 members of the Northview High School Class of 2014 graduated Saturday.
“I’ve learned that things can change in an instant. I’ve learned that how you react to those changes can really determine the caliber of person that you are,” Co-valedictorian Kasie Braun told her classmates. “I’ve learned that the things you earn are worth more than the things you’re given.”
“Always do the right thing, because you will, at some point in your life, reap what you sow,” Braun concluded to a standing ovation.
School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas praised the Class of 2014 for their numerous academic and athletic accomplishments, and for earning a record setting $1.7 million dollars in scholarship money.
For a photo gallery, click here. (More individual photos will be published this week.)
A complete list of graduates is below the bottom photo, scroll down.
Pictured top. Co-valedictorian Kasie Braun was the first of 113 members of the Northview High School Class of 2014 to receive her diploma Saturday. Pictured inset: An empty chair with the class flower, a white rose with red tips, honored the memory of Wade Jernigan, a class member who was killed in an traffic accident in 2011. Pictured below: The Northview Class of 2014 celebrates. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Summa Cum Luade (4.0 and above)
Kasie Lee Braun – Co-valedictorian
Victoria Anne Wright – Co-valedictorian
Courtney Yvonne Solari
Anna Elizabeth Donald
Jessica Nicole Lowery
Courtney Alexandra Weaver
Dale Wayne Brown
Talana Michelle Heathcock
Tamara Maria Green
Karissa Lea Strickland
Marina Nikol Gray
Danielle Nichole Steadham
Rachel Ann Presley
Audrey Leigh Byrd
Anna Elizabeth Fischer
Lana Leigh Clayton
Zacarra Kelline Davis
Magna Cum Laude (3.85 and above)
Jeremy Logan Stacey
Samantha Suzanne Barrow
Hilery Danielle Scott
Madison Brooke Arrington
Morgan Nicole Digmon
Katelynne Nicole Calloway
Mashama Ashaki-Kai Codrington
Cum Laude (3.5 and above)
Justin Elliot King
Chelsea Brooke Ward
Chloe Vanessa Leonard
Mariah Laine Albritton
Tony Anthony McAroy, Jr.
Tiffani Nichole Pritchett
Lily Ann Townson
Alexandria Nicole Martin
Lauryn Elizabeth Walker
Kira Nerys Cartwright
Other Graduating Members, Class of 2013
Ryan Wayne Ashcraft
Donald Hamilton Baity
Kevin Matthew Barrow
Jody Wayne Bonner
Timothy Michael Born
Trey Brian Boutwell
Taylor Marie Brook
Colton Lane Brown
Jessica Ann Brown
Skye Lynn Brown
Ryan James Carter
Matthew Phillip Cayson
Daniel Ray Coggins
Curtis Michael Coker
Madalyn Yvonne Coon
Dakota Lee Craft
Tristen Lee Creamer
Dalton Ray Daniel
Hunter Nicholas Dettling
David Andrew Edwards
Kendrell Dashawn Elliott
Britney Hope Fischer
Makayla Danielle Flowers
Lindsey Denise Francis
Brannon Charles Freeman
Hunter Paul Gafford
Shaina Eleece Gibson
Tyler Austin Gifford
Brandon Kyle Godwin
Casey Hunter Godwin
Marcus Hunter Godwin
Steven Christophe Gregory
Keyth Briandrya Grice
Rebecca Lynn Grim
Michael Anthony Hall, Jr.
Marvin Anthony Haynie, Jr.
Cory Davis Hester
Kelsie Michelle Hudson
Courtney Lynn Jones
Tori Amber Jordan
Benjamin Adam Kaderly
Ashley Leann Kimbel
Jasmine Diane Maher
Audra Elizabeth Martin
Brittany Nicole Martin
Luke Alexander McDaniel
Holden Eugene Moore
Christopher Jay Moye
Olivia Kate Neal
Emily Christine Nicholson
Shelby Lee Nielsen
Willie Ray Owens, III
Malik Tyrell Peacock
Mary Jane Peck
Natasha Nicole Peebles
Autumn Lashay Pierce
Ronald Ray Pritchett, Jr.
Johnathan Baccari Ramer
Michael Kweisi Rieves
Caitlyn Christine Rigby
Neino Axavary Robinson
Mikaela Lynn Santos
Rebekah Mary Sepulveda
Nathan Ernest Shipps
Danny Hunter Slay
Kent Richard Smith
Mason Alexandra Solchenberger
Crystal Sky Stalvey
Jeffery Lee Taylor, II
Laquan Maurice Thomas
Daulton Blade Tullis
Garrett Mason Turner
Brandy Marie Walker
Kendrick Kendal Walker
Shauna Marie Walker
Karmen Leeanna Watson
Mallory Amanda Wiggins
Isaiah Joseph Williams
Kody Austin Wood
NOAA Predicts A Near Or Below Normal Hurricane Season
June 1, 2014
In its 2014 Atlantic hurricane season outlook, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a near-normal or below-normal season.
The main driver of this year’s outlook is the anticipated development of El Niño this summer. El Niño causes stronger wind shear, which reduces the number and intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes. El Niño can also strengthen the trade winds and increase the atmospheric stability across the tropical Atlantic, making it more difficult for cloud systems coming off of Africa to intensify into tropical storms.
The outlook calls for a 50 percent chance of a below-normal season, a 40 percent chance of a near-normal season, and only a 10 percent chance of an above-normal season. For the six-month hurricane season, which begins June 1, NOAA predicts a 70 percent likelihood of 8 to 13 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 3 to 6 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 1 to 2 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).
These numbers are near or below the seasonal averages of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes, based on the average from 1981 to 2010. The Atlantic hurricane region includes the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
“It only takes one hurricane or tropical storm making landfall to have disastrous impacts on our communities,” said Joe Nimmich, FEMA associate administrator for Response and Recovery. “Just last month, Pensacola, Florida, saw five inches of rain in 45 minutes – without a tropical storm or hurricane. We need you to be ready. Know your risk for hurricanes and severe weather, take action now to be prepared and be an example for others in your office, school or community. Learn more about how to prepare for hurricanes at www.ready.gov/hurricanes.”
FWC Law Enforcement Report
June 1, 2014
Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekend ending May 29.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Over a five-day period, FWC officers aboard the 31-foot offshore patrol vessel, FinCat, patrolled the state and federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico anticipating early red snapper activity and for the opening of the red snapper season. On the first day through midnight, the crew conducted 11 vessel boardings, of which three vessels were found to be in violation. Violations included possession of red snapper fillets, red snapper and gag grouper during a closed season. Other violations included over the bag limit of vermillion snapper and interference with a Federal Officer. Over the next several days, more than 14 boardings were conducted with citations and warnings issued for over the bag limit of red snapper, undersized vermillion snapper, undersized greater amberjack and no saltwater fishing license.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Jones responded to a report of a sinking vessel in Santa Rosa Sound between Tiger Point and Gulf Breeze. Lieutenant Lambert and Officer Manning, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the Gulf Breeze Fire Department also responded. When the responders arrived, they found that the distressed boat had sunk. The four occupants of this vessel were rescued from the water and taken aboard by a passing vessel. All were unharmed and were transported to their residences by the officers. After interviewing the captain of the vessel, it was determined that the 18‑foot vessel took on water and sank.
Officer Hutchinson and Lieutenant Hahr were working on the Blackwater River when they noticed a drug pipe next to a subject during a boating safety inspection. A subsequent search revealed that the man was in possession of cannabis and 18 hydrocodone pills without a prescription. The man was arrested and booked for possession of controlled substances without a prescription and possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis.
Officer Hutchinson and Lieutenant Hahr were patrolling on the Blackwater River when an approaching vessel turned abruptly in front of them. The man operating the boat immediately stated that he was not driving and that his 14‑year‑old daughter was. He exhibited several signs of impairment. It was clear that the young lady was not in command of the vessel and was unable to operate it by herself. The man performed poorly on field sobriety tasks and was arrested for BUI. Due to difficulty dealing with the other passengers on the vessel, the man did not provide a breath sample until 2.5 hours later, but was still over the legal limit at .087%. During the investigation, he admitted that he had not transferred the title after purchasing the vessel and that he never had transferred a title on any of his vessels. He was also charged with failure to transfer a vessel title.
Officers Lewis and Hutchinson and Lieutenant Hahr were patrolling in the Blackwater State Forest when they encountered a group of people in a primitive campsite. When they saw Officer Lewis walk by, a male subject immediately tried to hide something in a bag. Officer Hutchinson asked him what he hid in the bag and located a drug pipe, cannabis, and some suspected hydrocodone pills. The man admitted that they were his. He was issued a notice to appear for possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia. Further charges are pending analysis of the pills by FDLE.
Later, the officers located a group of underage subjects with a case of beer. One of the subjects admitted that he brought it and was the only one that had begun drinking. He was issued a notice to appear for the violation. Later, the officers located a group of 15 to 17 year-olds who were sleeping on a sandbar. Several beer cans were sitting in the sand around them. After the officers questioned the subjects, one of them admitted that when they saw the officers’ trucks, they hid their cooler full of beer in the woods. The officers located the beer and called the juveniles’ parents to pick them up from the area.
Officer Lewis, Lieutenant Hahr, K9 Officer Pineda and K9 Kane were patrolling in the Blackwater State Forest when they approached a primitive camp. They smelled a slight odor of cannabis and spoke to the people in the camp. One of the campers tried to hide a marijuana grinder when he stood up and another hid a pipe under some baby wipes. A small amount of cannabis was found on each of the subjects and both were issued notices to appear for possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Lieutenant Hahr was on patrol in the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when he observed an ATV travelling towards him on the highway. He attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the young man fled into some private property and then into the WMA. Lieutenant Hahr located the abandoned ATV and contacted the Escambia County Road Prison and Investigator Goley for assistance. They tracked the subject back to the highway. In the meantime, a car full of young men and women approached the officers and said they were looking for their cousin. They gave the name of a subject who lived nearby. Lieutenant Hahr went to the residence and while questioning the occupants, the suspect walked inside the house. He was the same one that told the other officers that it was his cousin. After recognizing the subject, Lieutenant Hahr obtained a confession. He was issued notices to appear for resisting arrest and driving on a suspended driver license. The 17-year-old was also cited for operating an ATV on the highway and in the WMA. He had been cited four days earlier by Lieutenant Lambert after attempting to elude him while operating the same ATV in the WMA. The ATV was seized and the suspect’s parents were called to pick him up.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week;however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
Naval Hospital ER Closed, Now Open As Urgent Care
June 1, 2014
The emergency room at Naval Hospital Pensacola is now an urgent care center Center that will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Emergency services at Naval Hospital Pensacola are no longer available.
The UCC will be available to all TRICARE beneficiaries to include TRICARE Prime enrolled at the hospital, TRICARE Prime Network, TRICARE Standard and TRICARE For Life. Veterans enrolled in the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System have not been authorized by the VA to use NHP’s UCC and should contact their VA healthcare team for their urgent care needs.
TRICARE beneficiaries will be able to visit the new UCC for acute care symptoms such as minor lacerations and injuries, fevers, sore throats and cough. For those beneficiaries enrolled with a Medical Home Port Team at NHP or one of the local branch clinics, it is highly recommended for them to contact their Medical Home Port Team during normal hours before visiting the UCC.
The decision to convert the ER into a UCC was based on Navy Medicine’s efforts to align resources to best meet the operational needs of the Navy, reduce healthcare costs and streamline its resources to provide the best care possible to beneficiaries.
Tricare beneficiaries in need of emergency services should visit one of the local Emergency Rooms or call 911. Beneficiaries also have the option of calling the Nurse Advise Line 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-TRICARE, option 1. The Nurse Advice Line offers professional healthcare advice and can assist beneficiaries with deciding if they should visit an ER, the UCC or schedule an appointment with their Medical Home.
Photos by Petty Officer 1st Class James Stenberg for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sunshine Math Students Shine In Annual Competition
June 1, 2014
The Escambia County Council of Teachers of Mathematics recently held its annual Sunshine Mathematics Competition (Super Stars III) with 600 third, fourth and fifth grade students competing.
Individual competition winners were:
Third grade: First place, Tori Vinson, A. K. Suter Elementary; second place, Kendra Gwaltney, Longleaf Elementary; third place, Nina Burt, Brentwood Elementary.
Fourth grade: First place, Wassim Khabou, Cordova Park Elementary; second place, Mallory Lawrence, Cordova Park Elementary; third place, Isabel Green, A. K. Suter Elementary.
Fifth grade: First place, Kendall Frazee, N. B. Cook Elementary; second place, Louis DiRusso, R. C. Lipscomb Elementary; third place, Amara Schoppmann, Lipscomb.
Team competition winners were:
Third grade: First place, Jim Allen Elementary Team 2, (teacher, Mary J. Holley-Lewis and students Stephen Byrd, Alyssa Leger, Ty Smith, Anna Whetzel); second place, A.K. Suter Team 1, (teacher, Caroline Carithers and students Roman Bassett, Madison Brown, Otis Evans, Tori Vinson); third place, N.B. Cook Team 1, (teacher, Julie Ferrara and students, Grayson Reamsma; Carson Younger; Jamie Turner; Drake Salter).
Fourth grade: First place, Jim Allen Team 1, (teacher, Mary J. Holley-Lewis and students Christian Meadows, Alyssa Daniels, Megan Winterberry, Kaleb Rudd); second place, Cordova Park Team 1, (teacher Jessica Fell and students John Deane, Wassim Khabou, Mallory Lawrence, Abigail Price); third place, Molino Park Elementary Team 1, (teachers Angie Bodiford/Marnie Lowery and students Jaden Lewis, Aden Fennell, Sarah Sconiers, MacKenzie Sims).
Fifth grade: First place, Longleaf Elementary Team 1, (teacher Shannon Cross and students Michael Dixon, Emanuel McDuffie, Madelyn Scott, Kevin Davis); second place, Pine Meadow Elementary Team 1 (teacher Casey McGee and students Emily Stabler, Josiah Keene, Brennen Graham, Jonathon Woodel; third place, A.K. Suter Team 2 (teacher Caroline Carithers and students Anabelle Arnett, Trevor Shaffer, Ameenah Clark, Aiden Tylavsky.
Pictured top: The Bratt Elementary Sunshine Math team. Submitted photo by Joey Hetrick for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Seeking Unity, Florida GOP Elects New Leader
June 1, 2014
Florida Republicans on Saturday elected a new leader in a split vote that underscored the challenges Gov. Rick Scott faces from within his own party in his re-election effort.
With a 106-69 vote, GOP activists elected Clay County Realtor Leslie Dougher as chairwoman of the Republican Party of Florida to fill the remainder of the term of outgoing state party chief Lenny Curry.
The quarterly meeting of the state executive committee also provided an opportunity for Republicans to fire up their base and engage in a little Charlie Crist-bashing less than six months before the final ballots are cast in the governor’s race.
Dougher, 50, quickly became the heir-apparent to the leadership post after Curry announced his intention to step down early this month. The Coldwell Banker Realtor from Middleburg readily won the backing of leading Republicans, including state Sen. John Thrasher, a onetime RPOF chairman from St. Augustine who serves as Scott’s campaign chairman and who nominated Dougher Saturday morning.
“We are on the precipice, my friends in the Republican Party, of really making this state, as Gov. Scott loves to say, the best place to live, the best place to work and the best place to raise a family and do business,” Thrasher said. “But we can’t get there … if we let extraordinary issues … get in the way of that objective.”
But in a large white tent outside the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, Republicans appeared divided on which direction the party should go, with 40 percent of the 173 committee members throwing their support behind Eric Miller, a 47-year-old military veteran who also once challenged disgraced RPOF former chairman Jim Greer.
Lake County state committeewoman Patricia Sullivan of Mt. Dora nominated Miller, saying later that the choice “would have re-energized a lot of grass-roots activists disillusioned with some of the decisions the party has made,” pointing to controversial Common Core educational standards as an example.
Speaking with reporters after her election, Dougher discounted her margin of victory.
“It just means people have a differing view. Right now it’s all about party unity and bringing it together and supporting our governor and getting him re-elected,” said Dougher, who also holds the position of “chair of chairs,” and is chairwoman of the RPOF “county caucus.”
Scott also downplayed the dissent.
“Oh gosh. People are excited. They’re excited that Leslie Dougher will do a great job. They’re excited that we cut taxes $500 million. We’ve cut taxes 40 times. Excited about all the job openings, the dramatic change in our economy,” Scott told reporters after the meeting. “This is going to be a great election year for Republicans because we’re doing exactly what we talked about in 2010.”
Others were less enthusiastic about Scott’s evolution since taking office.
Scott campaigned on a tea party platform in his first bid for governor four years ago, pledging to bring an “Arizona-style” immigration law to the state and, in his first year in office, vetoing a record $615 million from the budget, which included $305 million of land-buying authority.
But, in an effort to reach out to Hispanic voters who could play a deciding role in November’s election, Scott this legislative session endorsed a measure that will allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at state colleges and universities.
Republican Liberty Caucus Chairman Bob White of Melbourne said he and his group were among Scott’s earliest supporters and “worked very hard” four years ago but are disappointed in his handling of Common Core and in the sheer size of the state budget.
“It’s not like we’re extremely disappointed. We’re just not satisfied,” said White, who is not a member of the executive committee.
But earlier in the morning, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam warned the party faithful that a Scott loss would allow “Hillary Clinton to have a beachhead in the governor’s mansion in Florida” and enable “John Morgan to control the Supreme Court.” Crist, a former Republican governor running this year as a Democrat, works for Orlando trial lawyer Morgan.
“Raise your hand if you attended a Lincoln Day dinner where Charlie Crist has claimed to be either a Ronald Reagan, Connie Mack or Jeb Bush Republican,” Putnam said. “Even respectable Democrats have to laugh at this guy. But he’s dangerous.”
by Dara Kim, The News Service of Florida
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Having Their Day In Court
June 1, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott is off campaigning. Lawmakers are back home.
But don’t let the calm in the Capitol fool you. The real action this week took place in the legal system, from a courtroom in downtown Tallahassee to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Republican operatives spent time in Leon County circuit court trying to downplay their roles in drawing new congressional districts in 2012. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a key part of Florida’s system of determining whether Death Row inmates should be shielded from execution became of intellectual disabilities.
And just for good measure, Scott called for the Agency for Health Care Administration to launch a legal fight with the federal Department of Veterans Affairs about state inspectors’ failed attempts to check out VA hospitals.
MYSTERY MAPS
Republican legislative leaders have been fond of describing the 2012 redistricting process as the most open and transparent in state history. Maybe that’s true, but you couldn’t tell it from testimony that continued this week before Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis.
GOP operatives and former House Speaker Dean Cannon took the stand in a lawsuit alleging that the Legislature did not follow constitutional anti-gerrymandering requirements when drawing new congressional districts. Spilling out of the testimony were accounts of behind-the-scenes discussions between Republican Party strategists and legislative aides and puzzling questions about how maps were submitted to the Legislature.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs, including voting-rights groups and seven voters, are trying to show that Republican insiders crafted the congressional districts to help elect GOP candidates. If proven, that could violate the 2010 “Fair Districts” constitutional amendments, which were supposed to rein in the redistricting process that has been used in the past to protect incumbents and the party in power.
During testimony Wednesday, Cannon acknowledged being angry when he learned that top aide Kirk Pepper, at one point in the process, gave copies of the Legislature’s maps to GOP consultant Marc Reichelderfer.
“I yelled at him and told him that was stupid,” Cannon told David King, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs. “I said that was really dumb. And he apologized, and he agreed that it was.”
But maybe the most-puzzling issue of the week focused on a map that was purportedly submitted to the Legislature by former Florida State University student Alex Posada. The map included several districts identical to those drawn by Republican Party staff member Frank Terraferma. Lawmakers have publicly praised the “Posada” map as a footprint for their congressional plan.
One problem: Posada said under oath in a deposition that he did not draw the map and did not submit it to the Legislature, according to an attorney for the plaintiffs in the case.
The email address on an account used to submit the map was one Posada “had never seen, never used, never authorized anybody to use to submit those maps under his name,” said attorney Vince Falcone, who took the deposition.
DEATH PENALTY DEFEAT
For more than 35 years, Freddie Lee Hall has faced the possibility of execution for his role in the 1978 murder of a pregnant woman abducted outside a Leesburg grocery store. But questions have long focused on whether Hall is intellectually disabled — or in old-school terms, mentally retarded — and whether that should prevent him from being put to death.
The U.S. Supreme Court this week gave Hall at least a temporary reprieve. Justices, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that Florida’s use of a “rigid” IQ score of 70 in determining whether inmates should be shielded from execution “creates an unacceptable risk that persons with intellectual disability will be executed, and thus is unconstitutional.”
Hall’s attorneys submitted evidence in state courts that he had an IQ of 71, though that number has been disputed by prosecutors.
Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said using the 70 IQ score as a cutoff prevents courts from considering other types of potentially important evidence in determining whether a person is intellectually disabled. That evidence can include such issues as social adaptation, medical history, behavioral records, school reports and family circumstances.
“Intellectual disability is a condition, not a number,” wrote Kennedy, who was joined in the majority by justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. “Courts must recognize, as does the medical community, that the IQ test is imprecise. This is not to say that an IQ test score is unhelpful. It is of considerable significance, as the medical community recognizes. But in using these scores to assess a defendant’s eligibility for the death penalty, a state must afford these test scores the same studied skepticism that those who design and use the tests do, and understand that an IQ test score represents a range rather than a fixed number. A state that ignores the inherent imprecision of these tests risks executing a person who suffers from intellectual disability.”
But Justice Samuel Alito, writing in dissent, referred to a 2002 ruling in which the Supreme Court said that executing people with intellectual disabilities was unconstitutional. He said that case, known as Atkins v. Virginia, relied on states to determine how best to identify defendants with intellectual disabilities. Alito also took issue with parts of the majority opinion about looking at a person’s adaptive behavior in making such determinations.
“No consensus exists among states or medical practitioners about what facts are most critical in analyzing that factor, and its measurement relies largely on subjective judgments,” wrote Alito, who was joined in the minority by Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. “Florida’s approach avoids the disparities that reliance on such a factor tends to produce. It thus promotes consistency in the application of the death penalty and confidence that it is not being administered haphazardly.”
The decision sends Hall’s case back to Florida courts for further consideration. Hall, now 68, is being held at Union Correctional Institution for the murder of Karol Hurst, who was 21 years old and pregnant when she was abducted by Hall and another man. Hurst, whose body was found in a wooded area of Sumter County, was beaten, shot and sexually assaulted, according to court records.
SCOTT TAKES AIM AT VA
With Florida home to a huge population of veterans and active-duty military, Scott has jumped on the well-documented problems at Veterans Administration hospitals.
And this week, he took another step when he called on the state Agency for Health Care Administration to sue the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The goal is for AHCA inspectors to gain access to VA hospitals so they can determine if the health needs of veterans are being met.
State inspectors have tried for more than a month to get into the hospitals to review allegations of problems such as inappropriate scheduling and treatment. The VA has turned them away, basically saying the state has no authority to inspect federal facilities.
While it’s unclear whether the state will have any success legally, the issue, at a minimum, has added to the political squabbling between Scott and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist.
“It’s unfortunate that Rick Scott may be attempting to inject politics (through calling for a lawsuit against the VA) into a tragic situation,” Crist spokesman Kevin Cate said Wednesday
The Republican Party of Florida, meanwhile, has argued that Crist is the one “exploiting” the VA issue, noting that the former governor included a link to his political campaign and a fundraising page when tweeting a message that Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki should resign.
Shinseki, in fact, did resign Friday, though there was no indication the move had anything to do with Crist or Scott.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis continued hearing testimony in a legal battle about whether Republican legislative leaders violated constitutional requirements when drawing congressional districts in 2012.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The First District has, by preventing consideration of these documents during trial, jeopardized the stability and integrity of our governmental structure and authorized those who interact with the Florida Legislature on a critical matter such as redistricting to operate under a veil of secrecy. This outcome should be most disconcerting to any supporter of our democratic form of government.” — Florida Supreme Court Justice R. Fred Lewis, as the court overturned a 1st District Court of Appeal decision that would have prevented the use of a Republican consultant’s records in the congressional redistricting case.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida