Farm Services Agency Moving To Jay To Better Serve Escambia, Santa Rosa Producers
July 24, 2014
The USDA Farm Services Agency in Milton will soon make the move to Jay to better serve agricultural producers in both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The new Jay FSA Office will be located in the former Bank of America Building at 3927 Highway 4. There’s no target date yet for the move, but renovations to the new office are expected to take about 90 days.
In November 2012, the USDA Farm Service Agency in Molino was closed, meaning a 50 to 55 mile trip for some Escambia County producers to the next nearest FSA office in Milton.
“With the majority of the farming in both Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties located in the northern portion of the counties, moving the FSA Office to Jay will reduce the travel time for the producers in both counties by approximately 25 miles as Jay is centrally located between the Escambia and the Santa Rosa farming community,” Florida FSA State Executive Director Tim Manning said during a producer meeting in 2013.
The group met at the time with Congressman Jeff Miller to express their desire to move the FSA Office to Jay as the search was underway for a location.
Pictured: Renovations are now underway at the former Bank of America building in Jay which is set to be the new home of the USDA Farm Services Agency, Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Plane Crash Victims Identified
July 24, 2014
The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victims in a Wednesday plane crash as 67-year old Dean Legidakes and 15-year old Marli Shea McManus. Their small plane took off Wednesday morning from an Escambia County airport and was found mid-afternoon in a swampy area near Lillian, AL.
The small plane departed the Ferguson Airport off Highway 98 about 10 a.m., according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The plane’s emergency transponder and the pilot’s cell phone were pinpointed in Baldwin County.
According to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the wreckage from the plane was spotted by a helicopter in a swampy area.
The two were aboard a Great Lakes 2T1 bi-plane. The exact cause of the crash will be determined by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Redistricting Clash Heats Up As Hearing Approaches
July 24, 2014
Voting-rights advocates and the Legislature squabbled Wednesday about when the state’s congressional elections should be held as both sides prepared for a hearing in front of a Leon County judge.
The scuffle started when a coalition of voting-rights groups filed a brief calling for Circuit Judge Terry Lewis, who earlier this month ruled that the current congressional districts violated the state Constitution, to draw the boundaries himself and schedule an election that could be delayed until December.
Lewis is set to consider what to do about the map during a hearing Thursday.
The coalition, which includes organizations like the League of Women Voters of Florida, asked Lewis to either go ahead with the November elections after drawing a new map or delay the elections until December. If the November elections are held under the existing map, the state should hold a separate, special election as soon as March to choose members of Congress under new lines, the groups said.
They also asked Lewis to draw a new map instead of allowing the Legislature to do it.
“The citizens of Florida have already endured elections under gerrymandered districts after the Legislature blatantly disregarded their will,” the groups’ lawyers said in a filing. “Legislative defendants have expended considerable taxpayer money to resist public scrutiny and defend their unconstitutional conduct. Florida’s voters should not have to wait for two more years for constitutional elections, and they certainly should not have to sit by as legislative defendants risk additional elections under an invalid congressional plan.”
Lewis’ ruling earlier this month found fault with districts represented by Jacksonville Democrat Corrine Brown and Winter Garden Republican Daniel Webster.
The coalition floated an alternative map that would dramatically redraw Brown’s district, which winds from Jacksonville to Orlando. Under the proposal filed Wednesday, the district would run from Jacksonville in the east to Gadsden County in the west. That would require several districts across the state to be redrawn to make sure all districts have roughly equal population.
Three of the five proposed alternative schedules for voting would force the state to apply for a waiver to a federal law requiring that state send military absentee ballots to military service members at least 45 days before the election. House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, and Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, seized on that when responding to the filing.
“We are very concerned about the timetables the plaintiffs have outlined, particularly the fact that they would violate federal laws protecting the voting rights of men and women who risk their lives to serve our country abroad,” Weatherford and Gaetz said in a joint statement. “We were surprised that the League of Women Voters would approve of their attorneys presenting an elections timetable that could abridge the voting rights of men and women serving in our military.”
David King, a lawyer for the voting-rights groups, responded with a statement of his own, pointing out that waivers are allowed under federal law and that lawmakers were simply trying to avoid dealing with the fallout from Lewis’ ruling.
“If the Legislature has its way, all Floridians will be denied the right to vote on constitutional maps,” he said. “Legislative leaders clearly made their accusations without fully reading our proposals. In doing so, they continue to show they will grasp at any excuse to keep the citizens of Florida from having legitimate representation.”
Lawmakers also fought back in court. Attorneys for the state filed a motion late Wednesday ripping the voting-rights organizations’ proposals and saying that the coalition’s filing was too late and should be ignored.
“The immediate, lawless actions that plaintiffs urge are directly opposed to the sensible principles that courts in redistricting cases have followed for more than 50 years,” attorneys wrote. ” … Under the Federal Due Process Clause, defendants are entitled to an opportunity to be heard on adequate notice, and object to plaintiff’s political gamesmanship and improper ambush tactics.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Win Second Straight
July 24, 2014
How can you out do the excitement of having two of the greatest football players in college history at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos baseball game?
You hit a two-out blast over the left field wall that wins the game for the home team, 3-2.
That’s exactly what Travis Mattair, who has the most home runs in Wahoos history with 22 over the past two seasons, did. He jacked a deep homer in the seventh inning that broke a 2-2 tie and ended up the game-winner against the Mobile BayBears at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. It was the Wahoos second straight win over Southern League South Division leader Mobile.
Wednesday’s game began with former Heisman Trophy winners and national champions Charlie Ward, a Florida State Seminoles quarterback, and Danny Wuerffel, a Florida Gators quarterback. Ward won his Heisman in 1993 and Weruerffel in 1996. Although the fans cheered loudly for them, most of the Wahoos were too young to remember the college superstars.
But Mattair out shone the legendary guests, especially since he has struggled with a season-long slump at .225. He went 3-4 Wednesday, though, adding two singles. He now has nine home runs and 44 RBI on the year.
Mattair said he’s following advice given to him by Cincinnati Reds great Ken Griffey Sr. who told him to play the game like he did when he was a boy during a slump in High-A Bakersfield.
“I’ll never forget that,” Mattair said. “I’m just trying to have fun and contribute to the team. It has been kind of a tough year but I can still make this a good year.”
Pensacola manager Delino DeShields said Mattair’s attitude remains positive on the field and off.
“Moose still has a pulse there,” DeShields said. “He’s still battling. His attitude hasn’t changed even through his struggles.”
DeShields also liked having a new middle reliever in Ben Klimesh who got called up from High-A Bakersfield on Wednesday. In his debut, Klimesh got the win by throwing a scoreless seventh inning.
“That was the biggest inning of the night,” DeShields said. “Putting up a zero gives us a chance to win. I thought (Klimesh) was very good out there.”
The BayBears got on the scoreboard first when Nate Samson started the game with a home run. However, the Wahoos came right back in the bottom of the first inning with two runs when Ross Perez singled in Brodie Greene and Kyle Waldrop hit a deep fly ball to left field to score Perez.
After the first inning, starting pitcher Jon Moscot retired 11 in a row after getting a double play to end the first inning. He allowed six hits and one walk and struck out two in six innings of work.
Mobile’s Jake Lamb, hitting .353 with runners in scoring position, hit a deep sacrifice fly to right field to score Samson from third to tie the game at 2 in the sixth inning, setting up Mattair’s heroics.
The fourth game of the five-game series with Arizona Diamondbacks Double-A affiliate Mobile BayBears gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. RHP Robert Stephenson (5-6, 3.84) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the BayBears RHP Bradin Hagens (8-4, 3.95).
Emergency Program Flood Repairs Begin At UWF
July 24, 2014
The University of West Florida did not escape the April 30th flood unscathed, and workers will began to make repairs Thursday in hopes of completion before school starts next month.
Just 15 feet west of the heavily-traveled four-lane Campus Drive that loops through the college campus and across from the intramural fields, the storm gouged out a gully 300-feet long and 20-feet deep. The unstable gully slopes are toppling trees on two sides and threatening to collapse the roadway, the adjacent student parking lot and take out a stormwater outlet that drains runoff from the campus grounds into a 50-acre area. A natural gas main has been exposed and sediment accumulating at the bottom of the gully is discharging into Thompson Bayou and subsequently into Escambia Bay.
The University of West Florida contacted USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service for financial assistance through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program to repair the damages and prevent the road from failing. NRCS will provide 75 percent of the estimated $700,000 to install a structure to convey the stormwater runoff to a safe outlet and stabilize the gully embankments to protect the road and stop the erosion. Officials expect to complete the work by August 26.
The Emergency Watershed Protection Program alleviates hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms and other natural occurrences. Public and private landowners are eligible for assistance, but must be represented by a project sponsor, such as a city, county, conservation district or any Native American tribe or tribal organization.
“The University of West Florida has worked with NRCS in the past. The financial assistance from the Emergency Watershed Program and the expertise of the NRCS engineering staff has allowed us to do quality rehabilitation at these sites that will last for many years,” said Ron Northrup, UWF facility engineer.
Pictured top: Sediment at a bottom of a flood-created gulley on the UWF campus is making its way into Thompson Bayou and eventually Escambia Bay. Pictured below: The side slope of the gully continues to erode. Photos courtesy USDA for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Manna To Resume Feeding Hungry
July 23, 2014
After losing all its food to recent flooding, Manna Food Pantries’ main facility is partially restocked and the grassroots organization will be providing emergency food on a limited basis beginning July 28.
Because of Manna’s limited capacity to store and distribute food, the organization has temporarily set up an appointment-only schedule at the main pantry.
“We’re excited that we’ve gotten to a point where we can resume service to the hungry, although we’re still very limited right now,” said DeDe Flounlacker, executive director. “We continue to be amazed by the generosity of this community and how they’ve come together to help Manna get back on its feet. But the need is still great — we ask that the community continue to give — right now we’ve got a very limited supply of food.”
Manna staff will be helping people with appointments in temporary trailers set up in Manna’s parking lot. However, the staff and board of directors are actively looking for a new permanent home away from the flood-prone area.
“We’re committed to finding a more suitable location to serve the hungry in the community and are evaluating our options with a piece of land under contract with the Escambia School Board,” said Flounlacker. “Together, with the community’s help, we can rebuild Manna to make sure no one is left unfed.”
Limited service to the community
- The Main Pantry will re-open Monday, July 28. Because of Manna’s limited capacity to store good, distribute food and see clients, the organization is now scheduling appointments. To schedule an appointment, call (8500 432-2053 Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- The Cantonment, Milton and Jay pantries have resumed limited service on a first come, first serve basis. Appointment not necessary.
- All clients must present a picture I.D. and social security card for adults in the family, and social security card, birth certificates or shot records for children under 18.
- Manna is no longer providing USDA food, which is what the organization distributed if people did not have a picture I.D. and Social Security card.
Last year, Manna Food Pantries distributed 800,000 pounds of food to the hungry, serving more than 42,000 people. The non-profit has been serving the community since 1983.
Go to mannafoodpantries.org to find out how you can make a donation or volunteer to help.
‘Hurricane Tax’ On Florida Insurance Policies To End 18 Months Early
July 23, 2014
An extra charge on property-insurance and auto-insurance policies to cover claims paid for the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons will end January 1.
The Office of Insurance Regulation formally issued orders Tuesday for insurance companies to move up by 18 months the end of a 1.3 percent “emergency assessment” for the state-run Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, which provides backup coverage to insurers.
The assessment has hit policyholders for $2.9 billion, which has gone to reimburse insurance companies for claims from the eight hurricanes that hit Florida in 2004 and 2005, the last time a hurricane made landfall in Florida.
“It’s been nine years since (Hurricane) Wilma,” said Sam Miller, executive vice president of the Florida Insurance Council. “If anything, the assessment helps us remember how devastating these storms may be.”
Miller said the industry had been waiting for the orders so it could begin preparing for the new end date for the assessment, which previously had been set for July 1, 2016.
The orders make official a decision Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet made last month to end the assessment, Amy Bogner, a spokeswoman for the Office of Insurance Regulation, said in an email.
The assessment, which first appeared at 1 percent in 2007 and was raised to the current rate in 2011, collectively hits policyholders for between $350 million and $500 million a year.
In addition to the state’s near-decade luck at avoiding hurricanes, the early termination is due to claims for Hurricane Wilma coming in $498 million less than what had initially been thought. Wilma hit South Florida in October 2005.
Also, the fund has received more money than expected due to an increase in policies statewide.
The charge is imposed on most property and casualty policies other than medical malpractice and workers compensation.
The catastrophe fund, better known as the Cat Fund, currently has about $13 billion on hand and is expected to be able to raise an additional $4 billion, which is considered solid ground for covering most post-storm claims.
In addition to the Cat Fund assessment, the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. adds an extra 1 percent charge on most policies to cover losses from the 2005 storms. First imposed in 2007, the charge is expected to be paid off in June 2017.
Man Pleads Not Guilty To Shooting Fleeing Son On Riding Lawn Mower
July 23, 2014
A Walnut Hill man has pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing for allegedly shooting his son on a riding lawn mower.
Marshall H. Harmon, 71, was charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon for the June 27 incident on Breastworks Road about a mile west of North Pine Barren Road.
Harmon and his 32-year old son had become involved in a verbal altercation at a nearby home, deputies said. The son then fled on Breastworks Road on a riding lawn mower, the father following in his pickup truck.
When the elder Harmon pulled alongside his son on the riding mower, Harmon fired two shots in the son’s direction, according to Sgt. Andrew Hobbs, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. It did not immediately appear that Harmon intended to shoot his son, but may have instead accidentally hit him.
One of the shots hit the son in the neck, but the officials said the wound was not life threatening. The son was airlifted by Lifeguard helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
Harmon was taken into custody without incident at the scene of the shooting. He was released from the Escambia County Jail June 30 on a $25,000 bond. He is due back in court in for a hearing in mid-October, and his jury trial is set to begin in late October.
Pictured top: Suspect Marshall Harmon stands against his truck (far left background) as an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy (center) checks a weapon Harmon allegedly used to shoot his son June 27 on Breastworks Road. Pictured bottom inset: A deputy explains charges to Harmon. Pictured bottom: The shooting victim was airlifted from a field on Breastworks Road to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
Woman Cited In Accident For Turning In Front Of Deputy
July 23, 2014
A 74-year old Pensacola woman was charged after turning into the path of Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy Tuesday afternoon.
About 4:09 p.m., Bonnie Mack was traveling east on Mobile Highway when she attempted to turn left onto Klondike Road. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Mack turned directly into the path of ECSO Lt. Alan Barton who was westbound on Mobile Highway. Barton was in an unmarked 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe that sustained about $8,500 in damage.
Barton, Mack, and Mack’s 49-year old passenger were all uninjured.
Mack was cited for an improper left turn in front of approaching traffic, according to the FHP.
Escambia Elections Ballots Are In The Mail
July 23, 2014
Tuesday afternoon, the office of Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford mailed more than 25,000 absentee ballots for the August 26 Primary Election. Voters will begin receiving their ballots as early as today.
Voters should receive their ballot within the next week, and can visit EscambiaVotes.com and click on “track my ballot” to monitor the status of their request. The deadline for voters to request a ballot to be delivered by mail is Wednesday, August 20, 2014 at 5 p.m. After that date, voters may pick up a mail ballot at the Supervisor of Elections office.
Voters who have not requested a “vote by mail” ballot can do so in one of the following ways:
- On the web: EscambiaVotes.com
- By email: absentee@escambiavotes.com
- By phone: (850) 595-3900 or fax (850) 595-3914
- In person: 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor, Pensacola, FL 32502
- By mail: PO Box 12601, Pensacola, FL 32591-2601
The deadline for voters to request a ballot to be delivered by mail is Wednesday, August 20, 2014 at 5 p.m. After that date, voters may pick up a mail ballot at the Supervisor of Elections office.
Ballots must be received in the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, August 26, 2014. Ballots can be dropped off at the Elections Office
during regular business hours or mailed back in the official ballot envelope provided. Be sure to include first class postage ($0.49) on your return envelope. Mail ballots cannot be dropped off.
Voters who receive a mail ballot and decide to vote in person during Early Voting or at their assigned precinct on Election Day should bring their marked or unmarked mail ballot to the polls so it can be canceled. Early voting begins Saturday, August 16 and runs through Saturday, August 23. Election Day is August 26. For complete information, visit EscambiaVotes.com.