Bill Would Boost Power Of Nurse Practitioners
March 26, 2015
Wading into a fierce debate in the health-care industry, a House panel Wednesday approved a bill that would increase the authority of advanced registered nurse practitioners to care for patients.
The House Health Innovation Subcommittee voted 9-4 to approve the measure (HB 547), sponsored by Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park. The bill, in part, would allow nurse practitioners to prescribe controlled substances. Also, it would allow nurse practitioners who meet certain requirements to be designated as “independent advanced practice registered nurses,” which would allow them to provide many services without physician supervision.
“This is about trying to establish some economies and efficiencies and competition in health care,” said Pigman, a physician. “This is predicated on a notion that we cannot continue to increase spending on health care doing what we’re doing now.” Though Pigman is a physician, he differs from doctors’ groups that have long fought efforts to expand the powers of nurse practitioners. Those critics argue, in part, that nurse practitioners don’t have the same training as physicians.
“This is not what I believe is best for Florida patients, and as legislators we should be careful not to award titles and privileges through legislation but rather leave it to education,” said Rep. Ronald “Doc” Renuart, a Ponte Vedra Beach Republican who is a physician.
by The News Service of Florida
Sheriff’s Office Seeks Trailer Thief Caught On Camera
March 26, 2015
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information about a stolen utility trailer after the thief was caught on camera.
The ECSO said Wednesday that the trailer was stolen from a residence on Hummingbird Drive on March 22. The trailer had a diamond toolbox in the front and had Florida tag 1599LS at the time of the theft.
Anyone that recognized the SUV pulling the trailer or that has any information on the crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP. Callers do not have to provide their name and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Photo courtesy Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Regional City Clerks Meet In Century
March 26, 2015
The Town of Century was host to a recent meeting of the Northwest District of the Florida Association of City Clerks. Municipal clerks from Escambia to Jefferson county were invited to a Best Business Practices Workshop.
“The clerk’s office is the hub of local government and it is vitally important for clerks to come together and share their knowledge. Clerks are a tight-knit group, constantly learning from each other. As always, our time together was time well spent,” said NW District Director Leslie Gonzalez, Century town clerk.
Pictured: (L-R) L-R: Leslie Gonzalez, CMC, district director, Century; Audry Sikes, MMC, president, Lake City; Kim Godwin, Century; Dana Williams, CMC, Mary Esther; Linda Carden, MMC, Jay; Betsy Roy, Crestview; Dewitt Nobles, Milton; Kristina Wood, Century; and Tammy Bowers, Westville.
Counties Seek Agreement With State Over Juvenile Detention Costs
March 26, 2015
County commissioners from around Florida urged lawmakers Wednesday to approve a proposal that could end a long-running battle about how to split juvenile detention costs.
Commissioners told the House Appropriations Committee they are looking for a “50-50 split” on the disputed costs. But the House budget proposal calls for counties to pick up 57 percent of the costs, while the state would pay 43 percent.
But Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson, who is president of the Florida Association of Counties, said the local governments think 50 percent is fair. Also, a question remains about county requests to be reimbursed for overcharges in the past. Robinson said counties are open to negotiating with the state on the back payments.
Commissioners told the House Appropriations Committee they are looking for a “50-50 split” on the disputed costs. But the House budget proposal calls for counties to pick up 57 percent of the costs, while the state would pay 43 percent. The dispute centers on a 2004 law that requires counties to pay “pre-disposition” costs associated with juveniles waiting for cases to be resolved in court.
The state Department of Juvenile Justice pays the cost of detaining youths whose cases have been decided — known as “post-disposition.”
But the two sides have been embroiled in a series of legal battles about how to carry out the law, with the counties arguing they have been overcharged. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled last year in the counties’ favor. House Justice Appropriations Chairman Larry Metz, R-Yalaha, said Wednesday the proposal for counties to pay 57 percent of the disputed costs is “data driven.”
by The News Service of Florida
Roy Lee Stoker
March 26, 2015
Roy Lee Stoker, 87 of Poarch, passed away March 24, 2015, at his residence. He was born on January 4, 1928, to the late Joseph and James Willie Stoker in Long Grove, OK. He was a retired chief electrician with the United States Navy and retired electrician from the Army Corps of Engineers.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Marie Gates Stoker; sons, William George Sims and Gary Douglas Stoker.
Survivors include her daughter, Patricia Murph of Poarch; three grandchildren, Theresa (Chris) Rutherford, Tracy Jackson, and Larry Jackson, all of Poarch; 14 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be Friday, March 27, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. from the Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home Chapel with Sis. Helen Stewart officiating.
Interment will follow in McCullough Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Ian Smedley, Chris Rutherford, Calvin Kendrick, Dezmond Nguyey, George Rogers and Chris Rogers.
Honorary pallbearers will be Donnie Cox, Kaylee Cox, Randy Fretwell and Mikey Griffey.
Family will receive friends, Friday, March 27, 2015, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 2:30 p.m. until service time.
Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.
Averett Lamar Lett, Sr.
March 26, 2015
Averett Lamar Lett, Sr. was born on February 11, 1969, in Pensacola to Charlie E. and Elmira Phillips Lett. Averett was a 1987 graduate of Washington High School. He proudly served in the US Navy in San Diego, California on the USS Salt Lake City. Averett was employed for nine years with CEREX Advanced Fabrics. At the time of his passing he had been employed with GE Generators of Pensacola since 2008.
Averett was an avid gamer and fan of the Miami Dolphins and FSU. Averett’s intellectual conversations will be truly missed.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Elmira Phillips Lett; and grandmother, Ella Phillips.
Averett is survived by his daughter, Shawniquia Michele Lett; son, Averett Lamar Lett, Jr.; father, Charlie Ernest Lett; sisters, Cherie (Thomas) Thinn of Orlando, Mira Lett Rodriguez of Mableton, GA and Cathy Lett of Smyrna, GA; three nephews; four nieces; three great-nieces and nephews; special friends since childhood “The Avenue Boys”; and a special friend and companion, Wanda Lett.
Family will receive friends from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, March 27, 2015, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2015, at Pentecostal Temple with Bishop John D. Young officiating.
Burial will follow in Resthaven Gardens Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Curtis Davis, Marco Evans, Tony Lewis, Everett Parker, Tony Parker, and Joe Williams.
Honorary pallbearers will be Holland Puckett and Dimitri Tollden.
Favorite Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6 — Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.
Work Begins To Replace Highway 97 Bridge In Walnut Hill
March 25, 2015
Construction activities began Tuesday to replace a 75-year old Highway 97 bridge over Little Pine Barren Creek in Walnut Hill.
The work is part of a $2.5 million contract which consist of replacing the existing structurally deficient bridge, including roadway reconstruction, milling and resurfacing, guardrail, drainage, new signs and pavement markings. Drivers will utilize a temporary roadway and bridge during construction of the new bridge.
The contractor started clearing trees and shrubs and utility relocation operations this week. Construction of the temporary roadway and bridge is scheduled to follow in about two to three weeks. Work is anticipated to be completed in the spring of 2016. No overweight loads will be permitted onto the temporary bridge (loads weighing over 88-thousand pounds).
The bridge is located at the intersection of Wiggins Lake Road, about one mile north of Ernest Ward Middle School. The bridge was constructed in 1940.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
I-10 Crash Claims One Life
March 25, 2015
A Gulf Breeze man was killed in single vehicle crash on I-10 Tuesday.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 30-year old Geoffrey M. Edge was eastbound on I-10 approaching Davis Highway about 1:37 p.m. when his 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix left the roadway, traveled onto the shoulder and struck a tree. Edge, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Pictured top: Traffic backs up on I-10 following a fatal crash Tuesday afternoon. Photo courtesy FDOT for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mock Plane Crash Drill Prepares Fire Responders
March 25, 2015
Dozens were injured and two people were killed when a commercial plane crashed into Pensacola Bay Tuesday — all part of a emergency drill scenario that involved a long list of emergency response agencies.
Boats responded to the mock plane crash location in the bay just north of the I-10 bridge, “rescuing” survivors that were portrayed by actors. Those survivors were transported back to a command post at Smith’s Fish Camp off Highway 90 for triage and transport to area hospitals.
Participating agencies included Escambia County Emergency Management, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Escambia County Fire and EMS, Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife, United States Coast Guard, Escambia County Search and Rescue, Santa Rosa County Emergency Management, Midway Fire Department, Gulf Breeze Fire Department, and Santa Rosa County Fire.
Pictured top: Marine resources were used to transport “victims” from a mock plane crash to shore Tuesday. Pictured inset and below: Victims were triaged and prepared for transport to area hospitals. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
House Pitches $690 Million Tax Cut Package
March 25, 2015
House members backed Gov. Rick Scott’s push to reduce taxes on cell-phone bills and pay TV on Tuesday.
And they bettered the governor, by $17 million, in rolling out a $690 million tax-reduction package that offers a slew of sales-tax holidays and eliminating taxes on gun-club memberships, college textbooks, materials purchased at book fairs and vehicles purchased overseas and brought to Florida by military members.
House Finance & Tax Chairman Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said in pushing for the cuts that the state’s existing tax rates have helped build an economic surplus for lawmakers and is responsible for Florida’s job creation.
“The average Floridian pays about $1,800 bucks a year in state taxes. That is the lowest in the country, but we can do even better and we will,” Gaetz said.
The House proposal is slightly larger than a $673 million tax-cut package that Scott proposed. It remains to be seen if the Senate will go along with such large cuts. Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said the Senate agrees taxes should be cut but is not close to deciding the amount or which taxes would be targeted.
The House plan was announced as Scott’s office set up a display table in the first floor of the Capitol so people could calculate how much they would save if his requested 3.6 percentage-point cut to the communications-services tax is enacted.
Scott also spent time at the display table, joined by the University of Florida President Kent Fuchs. The governor, who has made tax cuts one of his top priorities of the session, intends to be back at the table briefly Wednesday with Florida State University President John Thrasher and FSU football coach Jimbo Fisher.
The communications-services tax cut is projected to create about $54 a year in savings on a cell-phone bill of $125 a month. A cable or satellite TV bill of $100 a month would be reduced by about $43 a year.
The House proposal matches Scott’s communications-services tax cut. Senate committees also have advanced legislation (SB 110) sponsored by Finance and Tax Chairwoman Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, that would go along with the cut.
The communications-services cut would account for $470.9 million of Scott’s proposed $673 million in tax cuts. The House projects the annual savings to become $470.5 million.
Lawmakers last year approved $500 million in tax and fee cuts that touched on a wide-range of issues. The election-year package, dubbed in the House as a “patchwork of awesomeness,” was highlighted by a reduction in vehicle-registration fees. But the patchwork also featured sales-tax holidays, a reduction in the insurance premium tax on bail-bond premiums, and the permanent elimination of sales taxes on college meal plans, therapeutic pet foods, child car seats and bicycle helmets for kids.
This time, the House is approaching the package with the catchphrase “no tax is safe.”
Along with seeking to cut the communications-services tax, the House plan matches Scott’s call for eliminating the sales tax on college textbooks, which would provide an overall $43.7 million savings. The cut is the third largest among 17 proposals in the House package.
The House is also projecting a $44 million reduction in state revenue through a three-day back-to-school tax holiday and a $40.3 million reduction from a sales-tax holiday on Nov. 28, two days after Thanksgiving, for small businesses.
House members also propose cutting a tax on commercial-real estate leases. The proposal would trim the tax from 6 percent to 5.8 percent, reducing state revenue by $22.1 million the first year, with the savings to businesses growing to $53.1 million annually.
A Senate committee this week approved a bill by Hukill (SB 140) that would make a deeper cut in the real-estate tax. That measure would reduce the tax from 6 percent to 5 percent.
Other proposed House cuts include reductions in revenue of $2.8 million by eliminating taxes on books and other reading materials sold at book fairs; $1.2 million by exempting gun club memberships from sales taxes; and $800,000 by allowing service members to avoid sales taxes on vehicles purchased overseas and brought back to Florida.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida