Escambia Shuts Down Rolling Hills Landfill
May 16, 2015
Escambia County is enforcing a special magistrate special order stopping the flow of trucks and the disposal of debris at the Rolling Hills Construction and Demolition Debris Landfill on Rolling Hills Road.
The company “has addressed at least some of the concerns outlined in the Magistrate’s order, Escambia County finds that Rolling Hills is not in full compliance with the Special Magistrate’s March 13, 2015 Final Order. Based on that finding, the County has asked for the Sheriff’s assistance in enforcing the Magistrate’s order,” according to a county statement.
Work will still be allowed to occur at the facility in order to mitigate odor issues, reduce the mound and to complete screening to shield the landfill from the neighborhood.
The special magistrate’s order found that Rolling Hills violated numerous county code provisions during the past year, including:
- Discharging a nuisance odor beyond its property
- Failing to properly cover landfill to deprive debris of oxygen to prevent emission of offensive odors and reduce the threat of fire inside the landfill
- Exceeding the height restriction of the facility’s permit
- Allowing the landfill mound to become visible from beyond the property line
- Accepting land-clearing debris in unpermitted areas
In the ruling, the special magistrate gave Rolling Hills specific instructions to address and correct the violations, including an order to immediately stop certain violations, instructions to address other violations and a timeline in which the corrective actions must be completed.
On Thursday, May 14, inspection of the site and the surrounding area by code enforcement officers and Community and Environment Department scientists observed nuisance odors above acceptable levels. The nuisance odor was not only observed by members of County staff, it was detected with the of hydrogen sulfide meter – which registered a maximum level of 35 parts per billion.
Also during Thursday’s inspection, Rolling Hills’ staff confirmed that the height of the mound was still above the permitted height of 130 feet.
Additionally, Code Enforcement and Community and Environment staff noted three areas where the mound was still visible from beyond the property line.
Escambia County Code Enforcement and the County’s Department of Community and Environment will continue to monitor the situation at Rolling Hills and initiate any action it deems necessary to ensure compliance with the Special Magistrate’s ruling, the county said.
Scott Signs Online Voter Registration Law ‘With Some Hesitation’
May 16, 2015
In a couple of years, Floridians will be able to register online to vote, as residents can already do in 20 other states.
Gov. Rick Scott expressed concerns Friday as he signed into law a measure (SB 228) that requires the state Division of Elections to develop an online voter-registration application by Oct. 1, 2017.
The governor’s office released a signing letter Scott sent to Secretary of State Ken Detzner, who opposed the proposal as it moved through the Legislature.
Scott wrote that he signed the bill “with some hesitation,” expressing apprehension about implementing the new system while modernizing the Florida Voter Registration System. Scott, who has signaled possible interest in running for the U.S. Senate in 2018, also repeated the need to ensure cybersecurity, an issue that Detzner raised with lawmakers.
“Cyberattacks are on the front pages almost every day, and fraud and identification-theft issues arise whenever a new avenue for information transmittal is created,” Scott wrote.
But Rep. Alan Williams, a Tallahassee Democrat who helped sponsor the House version of the bill, said he was proud lawmakers and Scott approved the measure “that makes voter registration more accessible to Floridians and moves the state from the equivalent of the typewriter age into the iPad age. Anytime we increase voter access, it is a positive step toward greater civic engagement.”
Ron Labasky, general counsel of the State Association of Supervisors of Elections, said Florida should be ahead of the cyber-technology curve as voter-registration data is already electronically transmitted between the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and county supervisors.
“I think there are procedures that are directed in the bill that will be employed to ensure there are satisfactory security measures in place before the online system goes into implementation,” Labasky said.
The House tacked on a measure before the final vote that requires a risk-assessment study before the system goes live and additional studies every two years.
The bill was approved 109-9 in the House and 37-3 in the Senate.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 20 states offer online voter registration, three others offer a limited form of online registration, and four have passed legislation to create online-registration systems.
Florida lawmakers also included in the bill a $1.8 million allocation, which must still be approved as part of the budget, to pay for setting up the system. Lawmakers noted the amount is higher than what other states have spent to implement similar systems.
Labasky estimated the system will require about $200,000 to $300,000 to set up, with the money already in a state trust from a federal government program.
Meredith Beatrice, Detzner’s spokeswoman, said in an email Friday that the secretary respects Scott’s decision.
“Per the secretary’s earlier statements, the Department of State will commit 110 percent of its effort to ensure it is implemented correctly and safeguarded against security risks,” Beatrice wrote in the email.
Detzner told legislators during committee appearances that his agency will be busy next year overseeing what is expected to be the largest election in state history and is already undertaking a two-year rewrite of the statewide voter-registration system. Detzner added that his office would also be under deadline pressure to coordinate the required online-registration changes with 67 county election supervisors and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
More important, Detzner warned, the system would have to be built to ward off cyberattacks from “forces of evil.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
FWC Law Enforcement Report
May 16, 2015
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending May 14 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Officer Jones was conducting fishery inspections near Fort Pickens at the Pensacola Pass. He contacted three fishermen on a vessel who were in possession of a cobia that measured 31 inches in length. The minimum length by Florida law is 33 inches measured to the fork of the tail. The fishermen said that they were sure it was long enough, but they had no measuring device. Officer Jones issued a notice to appear to the operator of the boat who accepted responsibility for the illegal catch.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Hutchinson and Investigator Hughes were patrolling the Escambia River Wildlife Management Area when they observed a vessel with two occupants pull up to a bush hook tied to a tree limb on the edge of the river. They observed the passenger in the front of the vessel pull the bush hook out of the water and hand it to the vessel operator. The operator then baited the line and placed it back into the water. The officers made contact with the occupants and discovered that the operator did not have a valid freshwater fishing license. After further investigation, they discovered the bush hook was not properly tagged and it was baited with parts of a game fish. The subjects were issued citations for using game fish for bait on a bush hook and fishing without a license.
The Fincat crew was on patrol over the weekend in both state and federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A state citation was issued to a fisherman returning from an overnight fishing trip early in the morning. When asked if he had any fish, he stated he had one “big eye.” He quickly offered to show the officers the fish from afar. A closer inspection revealed a 33‑inch red snapper. Later that day, while waiting near a dive boat, a diver surfaced unaware of the officers’ presence. The officers overheard the diver stating he had two amberjack, one of which he thought was too small. The fish was five inches too short. The diver was issued a citation for undersized greater amberjack. While initiating another vessel inspection in federal waters, one of the fishermen stated to the officers that they had a king mackerel and a few other fish. During the inspection, Officer Land located a bag of 14 gray triggerfish fillets, four red snapper fillets, two gag grouper fillets and two pompano fillets. Federal citations were issued to all four subjects for multiple violations.
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.
Court Says Trailer Hitch Reason To Stop Motorist
May 16, 2015
A state appeals court ruled Friday that police officers can pull over motorists if trailer hitches obscure portions of vehicles’ license plates.
A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal refused to toss out evidence against , who was stopped by an Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy because of an unreadable license plate. The car Baker was driving was stolen, and a search uncovered drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to Friday’s ruling. Baker, who was charged with a number of offenses, challenged the validity of the traffic stop because it was based on a trailer hitch obscuring the license plate.
But the appeals court, in a 14-page ruling, pointed to a state law that says license plates must be legible from 100 feet away.
“Appellant (Baker) asserts that the notion that a license tag obscured by a trailer hitch could violate the statute is absurd, as the Legislature could not have intended that every vehicle with a trailer hitch attached to it would be subject to a stop by law enforcement officers,” said the ruling, written by Judge Brad Thomas and joined by Chief Judge Joseph Lewis and Judge Robert Benton. “We disagree, and hold that this plain reading is reasonable, as the Legislature has a legitimate public-safety interest in ensuring that license tags remain unobstructed. The Legislature has an interest in ensuring that law enforcement officers can readily identify license tag numbers. In addition, the Legislature could have intended that the general public has the ability to identify license tags, if necessary, to report criminal activity or other important information. As such, we do not think such a plain reading of the statute leads to an absurd conclusion.”
The ruling, however, also suggested the Florida Supreme Court take up the issue.
Missing Special Needs Woman Located
May 16, 2015
UPDATE: A missing special needs woman that police may have been in the North Escambia area was located Friday night in Panama City. The person she was with, Manaleto Fitzgerald Truett, was arrested for interference of custody.
EARLIER STORY:
Authorities are looking for a missing special needs woman that they believe may be in the Atmore to Pensacola area.
According to the Dothan (AL) Police Department, Robbie Nicole Wilson was last seen on April 29 in the company of black male Manaleto Fitzgerald Truett. They were encountered by law enforcement in Chipley and indicated they were possibly headed to Panama City. They have no transportation and were last seen walking.
Police said Wilson is a 25-year old special needs person who has been diagnosed with several mental disorders and has the mind of a young juvenile. She has not had her medication since she left and is not capable of making rational decisions on her own.
Dothan Police said she may be in the area of Skipperville, AL; Atmore, AL, Pensacola or Panama City. Truett is known to do small odd jobs and also known to stay in low budget motels.
“It is very important for her health and safety that she be located and returned to her family,” according to a statement from Dothan Police.
Anyone with information about Robbie Nicole Wilson is asked to call their local law enforcement agency or contact the Dothan Police Department at (334) 615-3000.
May Lawn, Gardening Tips
May 16, 2015
The Escambia County Master Gardeners offer the following May lawn and garden tips:
- Continue planting summer annuals. Try one or two that you’ve never grown and/or one that is not available in stores as transplants.
- Plant heat-resistant summer flowering annuals such as begonias, impatiens, coleus, salvia, marigolds, torenia, verbena, ornamental peppers and gaillardia.
- Bulbs: Caladium, gladiolus.
- Vegetables: Continue planting warm weather seeds and transplants (Shade those transplants!). Use transplants for cherry tomatoes, eggplant and sweet potatoes. Plant seeds of lima beans, okra, southern peas: purple hull, crowder, etc.
- Prune and shape spring flowering shrubs and trees now. Later pruning may destroy next year’s blooms.
- Good cultural practices help maintain a healthy lawn and discourage insects and disease. Mow with a sharp blade. Centipedegrass should be cut to a height of 1½ to 2 inches. St. Augustinegrass normal growth habit cultivars should be cut to a height of 3 to 4 inches.
- Climbing roses are pruned after they finish blooming. Blooms form on one-year-old canes, so any older ones may be removed to make them more tidy. Cut each flowering stem back to the first five leaflet stem to encourage them to bloom again.Spray with horticultural oil or malathion for mites, scale and white flies, if insects are present, before it gets too hot (85 degrees).
- Yellow leaves on azaleas may mean they need iron. Apply iron sulphate or chelated iron.
- Feed citrus plants using special citrus fertilizer. Broadcast under the tree canopy and water in.
- Begin planting palms while the weather is warm and rainy.
- Make cuttings of azaleas, hollies, camellias, and other choice shrubs as new growth becomes halfhardened.
- Take soft wood cuttings to root: alyssum, begonia, chrysanthemum, shrimp plant, dianthus, geranium, hibiscus, hydrangea, etc.
- Dig bulbs after foliage turns brown if they need to be divided or the space is needed for other plants. If the space isn’t needed, braid the foliage.
- Cut back the vines of Irish potatoes when they begin to die but leave the tubers in the ground for about two weeks longer to toughen the skin. Handle the potatoes carefully during digging, as skinned or bruised potatoes decay quickly when stored.
- Divide crowded and vigorously growing perennials.
- Promote continued flowering of bedding plants by removing faded blooms.
- Encourage coleus to branch and produce more colorful leaves by pinching off the flower stalks as they form.
- Prune poinsettias when new growth is 10-12 inches high (back to the last four leaves). Prune new growth at the base throughout the summer.
- Stop pruning after Labor Day.
- Keep roses watered, cut out weak spots, feed every six to eight weeks or at every new flush of growth, dust.
- For insect or disease problems in your garden, use the least toxic control possible.
Home Off Nine Mile Burns
May 16, 2015
A home just off Nine Mile Road was completely destroyed by fire Friday night.
The first callert reported a brush fire about 9:30 p.m. on Ashland Avenue, but additional callers reported a house fire. The home, which was believed to be abandoned, was a total loss. There were no injuries reported.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshals Office.
Four In A Row: Pensacola Blue Wahoos Beat Jacksonsville
May 16, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Jacksonville Suns for the fourth straight game and now have won seven of its last eight games—the club’s best streak in two seasons since Aug. 18-24, 2013.
You could call it the Barry Larkin Effect.
The Blue Wahoos have won its last two series since the Hall of Fame shortstop and new minor league roving infield instructor for the Cincinnati Reds coached the team during its last series May 5-9 against the Tennessee Smokies.
The, 3-1, Pensacola victory at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville also lifted the Blue Wahoos out of last place into fourth in the Southern League South Division. Pensacola is 15-20, while Jacksonville dropped to last at 14-20.
Blue Wahoos Manager Pat Kelly and many of the Blue Wahoos credited Larkin for getting them out of their early season slump, when they fell 11 games below .500.
Right fielder Kyle Waldrop, who spoke to Larkin about hitting mechanics, extended his hitting streak to eight games in the eighth inning with an RBI single that drove in left fielder Jesse Winker to put Pensacola out front, 1-0. Third baseman, Seth Mejias-Brean then doubled to clear the bases, plating both first baseman Marquez Smith and Waldrop.
Waldrop is on fire. In the Jacksonville series, he had two homers and 10 RBIs, along with two triples and a double. During his hitting streak, he is batting .419 with 13 hits in 31 at-bats. He leads the team with a .298 batting average, five home runs and 24 RBIs this season.
Both starting pitchers matched each other inning for inning. Blue Wahoos starter Wandy Peralta threw six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks, and striking out six. He threw 90 pitches, including 59 for strikes.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s Kendry Flores went seven scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 2.06.
More Rain Likely Today
May 16, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph.
Sunday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph
Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph.
Monday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Monday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight.
Tuesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. West wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Wednesday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Thursday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.
Thursday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Friday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Temporary Jail In Cantonment Under Consideration
May 15, 2015
Escambia County may construct a temporary jail in Cantonment to save inmate housing costs.
The Escambia County Commission decided Thursday to begin looking for contractors and definitive cost to build a temporary 400 bed detention facility near the Escambia County Road Prison on Highway 297A in Cantonment. It’s estimated that the project could save the county $4 million over three years versus paying to house inmates in other counties.
When the Escambia County Central Booking and Detention Facility exploded in April 2014, the county began housing inmates in other counties. It’s estimated that the county will spend $11.5 million housing those inmates through 2018. A temporary facility is estimated to cost $5.8 million to build plus $2 million to continue out 0f county inmate housing during construction. That translates to an estimated savings of about $4 million through 2018 to construct the Cantonment detention facility.
The county could see other costs savings as well. Commissioners believe many inmates in the facilities to be put to work like road prison inmates — working on roads, drainage, maintenance and more. It is estimated that 400 current inmates would qualify for work crews, in addition to those currently at the road prison.
It is projected the temporary facility would have a life span of about 15 years. Commissioners have not decided how the facility might be used after a permanent jail is completed.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.