Deputies: Walnut Hill Man Caught With Cocaine In Molino Parking Lot
June 26, 2014
A Walnut Hill man was arrested on felony charges after deputies say he was caught with drugs in the parking lot of the Tom Thumb in Molino.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy reported he spotted 50-year old Curtis Tucker driving a box truck on Highway 97, towing a trailer with no tag attached. The deputy watched Tucker pull up to gas pumps at the Tom Thumb located at Highway 29 and Highway 97 and exit the vehicle. He then, according to an arrest report, returned to the front of the truck, retrieved a plastic bag with a white substance, ran to the front of the truck and tossed the bag into a trash can despite warnings from the deputy to stand still.
The deputy was able to detain Tucker after a short foot pursuit in the gas station parking lot. The bag was retrieved from the trash can and contained multiple smaller bags of marijuana and cocaine, according to an arrest report. Deputies also seized $295 in cash from Tucker.
Tucker was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to sell or distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to sell or distribute, tampering with evidence, resisting arrest without violence and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also issued traffic citations.
Tucker was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $16,000 bond.
According to court and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office records, Tucker has an outstanding case from September 2013 pending against him with charges of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, possession of a controlled substance (Xanax and Roxicodone) with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of a controlled substance (bath salts).
The 2013 charges stemmed from a search warrant served at Tucker’s residence by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and Narcotics Unit. During a search of the brick home, investigators reported finding about $3,197 in cash, crack cocaine, 89 Xanax in an unlabeled pill bottle, a quantity of crack cocaine, over 20 grams of marijuana, one roxicodone pill in a plastic container, a baggie containing methylenedioxypyrovalerone (commonly known as a type of bath salts), and numerous items of drug paraphernalia.
Pictured inset and below: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and Narcotics Unit serve execute a search warrant at the home of Curtis Tucker on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill during September 2013. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Head Start Program Moves From Cantonment To Molino
June 26, 2014
The Sid Nelson Head Start has moved to the Molino Community Center and is now taking applications for the 2014-2015 school year.
Apply at 296 Muscogee Road in Cantonment, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. For more information call (850) 679-4817.
Scott Use Veto Just Once In 2014, Braking Speed Limit Increase
June 26, 2014
Gov. Scott signed the last bill left over from the spring legislative session on Wednesday, leaving unscathed an almost historically high amount of the legislation approved this year.
In addition to the line-item vetoes he issued to strike items from the nearly $77 billion budget, Scott vetoed precisely one bill of the 255 approved by the Legislature, or 0.4 percent of the measures that passed. That is the lowest since at least 1986, according to state records.
It’s also a low-water mark for Scott, who nixed 10-12 bills in each of his first three years.
The lone bill to fall victim to Scott’s pen this year was a measure (SB 392) that would have allowed the Florida Department of Transportation to raise highway speed limits by 5 mph, including going from 70 mph to 75 mph on some roads.
Scott axed that legislation after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper gave an impassioned speech against the proposal during the funeral service for a fellow trooper, with the governor in attendance.
“I strongly respect the opinion of state and local law enforcement officers who have contacted me to warn about the possible serious negative consequences should this bill become law,” Scott wrote in the veto message for that measure.
As in other years, much of the legislation that passed this spring was relatively uncontroversial. The bill Scott signed Wednesday (HB 561), which deals with appointing attorneys for children with disabilities, passed both the House and the Senate unanimously.
But governors generally have problems with a handful of bills, some of which are minor and escape public notice, at least until a veto.
Republicans, who dominate both the House and Senate, interpreted the lack of vetoes from Scott as a seal of approval for their efforts this spring.
“We took on a great number of bold ideas, but we did so in a way that involved others,” said House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel. “I think the cooperation between the House, Senate and Governor Scott, more bipartisan votes and very few vetoes are indicative that the approach worked.”
Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, used the apparent lack of disagreement between the Legislature and Scott to take a shot at former Gov. Charlie Crist, a onetime Republican now running to reclaim his old office as a Democrat. Even when Crist shared their party, GOP lawmakers would sometimes fume about Crist vetoing bills that they believed he would sign.
“Unlike Charlie Crist who would say one thing and then flip flop his positions when it came to legislative issues, Governor Scott is honest, clear and consistent in working with legislators on bills,” Gaetz said in an e-mail. “That prevented what happened too often during the Crist administration — false starts, mixed messages, politically-motivated vetoes and broken faith.”
Others see political factors at play. Some of the more contentious issues that could have been taken on in 2014 were either delayed, such as a possible expansion of gambling, or imploded during the election-year session, like attempts to overhaul the pension system for public workers.
With Scott’s approval numbers already low, critics say, Republicans tried to avoid issues that might cause infighting and instead project unity.
“It has just been incredible theater,” said incoming House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach. “It’s been a wonderful production this year.”
The idea, Pafford said, was to repair whatever damage Scott might have done to his standing before he faces voters in November.
“They’re gambling that the people of Florida will forget three years of the most hideous, dangerous, reckless governance this state has probably seen since Reconstruction,” he said.
by Brandon Larrabee
he News Service of Florida
Showers, Thunderstorms Likely
June 26, 2014
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Thursday Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Thursday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
- Friday A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Friday Night A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
- Saturday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 93. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Saturday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Sunday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Monday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.
- Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
- Tuesday A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.
- Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
- Wednesday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.
Open House, Community Event Saturday At Molino Fire Department
June 26, 2014
The Molino Volunteer Fire Department will host their annual Open House event on Saturday from noon until 5 p.m.
The event will include food, music, tours and more. The event is free but donations are welcome, all proceeds will go towards sponsoring a ball team at Don Sutton Ball Park.
The fire department is also looking for volunteers. Volunteers must be 16 to train and 18 or older with high school diploma to run calls on a firetruck. More information will be available at the open house, or call (850) 503-6754.
Citizens Insurance Delays Expansion Of Clearinghouse
June 26, 2014
Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which moved forward Wednesday in reducing rates for most customers, has delayed putting existing policies into a clearinghouse designed to shift property owners into the hands of private companies.
Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway announced Wednesday that policies up for renewal with the state-backed company won’t start to be run through the electronic clearinghouse until around Nov. 1, rather than in August or September, as most recently planned.
“There were a few areas we felt needed to be improved,” Gilway told the company’s Board of Governors during a meeting in Winter Park. “But very clearly we’ll be ready by the end of the year.”
The delay comes at the request of contractor Bolt Solutions, Inc., which received a five-year contract last year to design the software for the clearinghouse. Bolt’s contract includes an option for an additional five years, which could bring the payment total to $44.9 million over the decade.
Through the clearinghouse, when coverage by a private firm is found within 15 percent of Citizens’ premium for a new single-family policy, the policy goes to the private carrier.
Citizens spokesman Michael Peltier said the New York-based Bolt requested the extra time to ensure the functions of the clearinghouse work with the participating private carriers.
“Should not be a big issue in that renewals in that period are relatively light because we are in the middle of hurricane season,” Peltier responded in an email.
Reducing the number of polices, and thus the potential exposure to the state, has been a focus of government officials for several years.
Since the clearinghouse went live in January, nearly 3,300 first-time policies that had been submitted to Citizens have been placed with private vendors, Gilway said.
In the same time period, the number of vendors eligible to have rates compared to Citizens has grown from four to 11. Gilway expects there will be 20 when renewal policies enter the system.
The clearinghouse is expected to have a bigger impact once the renewals are put into the system.
Gilway has projected that Citizens would have around 925,000 policies when the 2014 hurricane season started June 1 and 725,000 policies by the end of 2015.
As of May 31, Citizens had 928,546 policies. Most are located in six counties: Miami-Dade, Pinellas, Broward, Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Pasco.
The overall number of policies is down from 1.26 million on May 31, 2013. A year earlier, the state-backed insurer topped 1.43 million policies.
For existing Citizens customers, renewals will have to go to the private market if comparable coverage is found at or below the state-backed insurer’s rates. Peltier said policyholders should expect a notice in September regarding the clearinghouse.
The announcement comes as the Citizens board approved a plan that is expected to reduce base rates for about 70 percent of policyholders, with the other 30 percent having their base rates go up.
The 2015 rates must still be approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation.
As part of the proposed rate changes, homeowner policies are projected to decrease on average 3.2 percent, while mobile-home rates will go down 3.9 percent on average.
Overall, personal and commercial rates will decrease by 1 percent.
There is no change projected in sinkhole rates outside Hernando County, where the rates are projected to go up 10 percent.
Citizens pointed to a number of factors for the changes, from “increasingly reasonable rates” for reinsurance to a reduction in the number of policies under Citizens that has decreased the overall exposure for the agency.
The reduced rates vary across the state. And a drop in rates doesn’t preclude the overall cost of a customer’s premium — the total amount that a policyholder pays for coverage — from going up.
by The News Service of Florida
Carl Albert (Bert) Weis, III
June 26, 2014
Carl Albert (Bert) Weis III, 83, passed away Monday, June 23, 2014. He was born November 24, 1931, in Pensacola to Dorothy Wing and Henry Mahlon Weis. He attended Pensacola High School and Baylor Military Academy before joining the Navy. He served on the USS ANTIETAM (VC-35) in the Korean Conflict. He was married to Elisabeth Kirchmaier Weis December 28, 1952, and together they raised four boys. He married Frances (Misty) Poyser Weis in 1976. She brought two sons and a daughter to Bert’s family.
Bert loved the outdoors, spending time with family, music and traveling the tropics with the family business, Weis Fricker Mahogany Company. With most of his life spent in the lumber and timber, export and import business he became an expert in heavy machinery, dealings in South American business and sawmills. He sold the business to Dant and Russell in 1976.
Dad’s passion was revealed in 1990, when he answered the Lord’s calling and attended the United Methodist Course of Study, finishing in 1993. Licensed as a local pastor he was appointed to Byrneville UMC, St. Paul UMC Bay Minette, and then to Pollard UMC, where he served until his recent retirement.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Evelyn Scott.
He is survived by his wife, Misty Weis; sons, Carl (Naomi), Michael (Terry), Joseph Mahlon, and Bill (Lorrie); eight grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; his step-children, Colin (Mae), Angie, and Michael (Angela) Feeser; nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; sisters, Bobby Anne Land and Dorothy McCoy.
A graveside service will be held at Barrancas National Cemetery at 10:15 a.m. Friday, June 27, 2014. A celebration of life service will be held at First United Methodist Church in Atmore at 12:30 p.m. with visitation immediately following in the Fellowship Hall.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations to First United Methodist Church, 311 South Pensacola Avenue, Atmore, AL.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Florida Increases Age Requirement For Car Seats
June 25, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Tuesday raising the car seat age requirement in Florida
The car seat law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, requires children up to 5 years old to be placed in car seats or booster seats when riding in a vehicle. Currently, only children 3 years old and younger are required to ride in the restraining devices.
“With this initiative, we are working to ensure our children travel safely and remain protected on the road,” Scott said. “We will continue to do all we can to keep every Floridian safe, so they can enjoy everything our great state has to offer with their loved ones.”
Kevin Bakewell, vice president of AAA Auto Club South, issued a statement with measured praise for the bill, though his organization recommends children use at least a booster seat until they are 4-foot-9 — a height they usually reached when they are 8 to 12 years old.
“While this law does not cover all children who need to be safely restrained, it is a step in the right direction,” Bakewell said. “On matters of public safety, Florida’s parents look to state law for solid guidance. That’s why this law is so important.”
by The News Service of Florida
County Considers $3.6 Million Radio System Upgrade, Including North Escambia Enhancements
June 25, 2014
The Escambia County Commission is set to consider about $3.6 million in improvements to the county’s radio system, including upgrades specifically designed to improve coverage in portions of the North Escambia area.
In late 2011, Escambia County switched the county’s radio system for agencies such as the sheriff, fire and EMS to a digital “P25″ system from Motorola at a cost of $12.5 million. The switch was necessitated due to a FCC mandate under which the system in place at the time was considered outdated.
Since that time, three areas of the county were identified where the new radio system provides poor or spotty coverage making the use of a handheld radios difficult if not impossible, according to Mike Weaver, Escambia County Public Safety Bureau Chief.
The problem reception areas were identified as being north of Century where mutual aid assistance is provided by Escambia County (FL) agencies into Escambia County, AL., an area in the center of the county north of Molino, and Scenic Highway from north of I-10 to south of the airport. Improvements will be made to existing radio equipment on water tower in Century, at an existing 300 foot tower at Don Sutton Ballpark in Molino and on an existing 300 foot tower in the Scenic Heights area.
“Right now, there are instances in these areas where poor coverage could result in a delayed or missed response (from first responders),” Weaver said. “These upgrades will solve that.”
Another major aspect of the $3.6 million upgrade will include replacement of the county’s microwave loop — the radio backbone that connects each tower site to other towers. The existing microwave system was installed in 1997 (not part of the 2011 $12.5 million upgrade). Replacement and repair parts have not been manufactured since 2009.
“Due to the critical nature of this equipment, it is imperative to replace this system before parts become unavailable and a possible catastrophic failure occurs that cripples Public Safety communications,” according to the county.
The radio upgrades will be funded with previously budgeted LOST (local options sales tax) funds. All or part of the system is currently used by public safety, the sheriff’s office, fire, EMS, emergency management, code enforcement, animal control, school board, ECAT and the road prison.
Fizz, Boom, Read: Summer Reading Thursday At Century, Molino Libraries
June 25, 2014
The Fizz, Boom, Read: Summer Reading Program continues Thursday at library branches in Molino and Century.
Children and teens 6-12 are invited to participate in the West Florida Public Library’s 2014 Fizz, Boom, Read program, which focuses on experimenting with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
The interactive program is a fun way for students to keep their minds sharp throughout the summer months. Join the library for the summer reading game and interactive enrichment programs where there will be prizes for reading books, a chance to take part in science experiments and meet new people.
The program will be held Thursday afternoon at the Century Branch Library from 2:30 until 3:30 p.m. and at the Molino Branch Library from 6-7 p.m.