UWF Police Search For Campus Assault Suspect
September 21, 2015
University of West Florida Police are searching for an aggravated assault suspect that was armed with a knife.
The attack on a female student happened near Pace Hall on the main campus early Monday morning. Police described the suspect as a black male, about 5-foot 8-inches tall, a slim build with a small Afro hairstyle. He was wearing a black and red jacket or hoodie, blue jeans, tennis shoes and had a white bandanna around his neck.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call UWF Police at (850) 474-2415.
Century To Consider Budget, Tax Increase Tonight
September 21, 2015
This evening, the Town of Century will hold a final public hearing on their proposed 2015-2016 budget.
The budget public hearing begins at 6:55 p.m., just before a regular council meeting at 7 p.m. The town’s budget year begins October 1.
The council will consider a $4.25 million budget, and a property tax rate increase from a current year 0.8707 mills to 0.9006 mills, an increase of 6.35 percent.
For a summary of Century’s proposed budget, click here (pdf).
Slight Rain Chance Continues Into Tuesday
September 21, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. North wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Voter Registration Event Today In Century
September 21, 2015
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office will hold a voter registration drive this afternoon in Century.
The event will be held from 2:30 until 3:30 p.m. at the Century Town Hall. Florida residents can register to vote or, if already registered, make sure the elections office has their most current information on file.
Florida residents attending the event should bring their Florida driver’s license, Florida ID card or the last four digits of their social security number.
For more information, call (850) 595-3900.
He Sent You: Local Principal’s Facebook Post About Homeless Man Goes Viral
September 21, 2015
An Atmore elementary school principal, John Brantley, watched as the man, down on his knees, checked fast food bags in the garbage can outsid the Mobile Best Buy store. The man found a few fries here, a few bites of a an old leftover burger there. The man never solicited those passing by him for money and cleaned up the area when he was done.
Brantley shared his experience on Facebook, in a post that has now been shared over 1.2 million times in less than a week.
“My heart literally hurt for him. I am not someone who just hands out money or even helps homeless people because so many are not truly homeless. I don’t guess I’ve ever seen someone actually go through a garbage can to try to find food to eat,” Brantley wrote in his now viral Facebook post.
Brantley approached the homeless man and told him to follow him on his bike to a nearby restaurant. He bought the homeless man the biggest meal on the menu and fulfilled his one other request…a big glass of sweet tea to go with the meal.
“When I brought him his food, he was so thankful. He told me his name was Steve and he’d been homeless ever since his sister died last September. He was trying to get off the streets, but it was so hard. I told him God loved him and I would pray for him. He told me again how much he appreciated the meal,” Brantley said.
Brantley drove off, but he felt compelled to return. He went back and talked to the man, and bought him a McDonald’s gift card for future meals.
“He broke down crying. He told me that he prayed for me today! I wasn’t sure what he meant (I was assuming he was praying for me for what I did for him) so I thanked him. He said, “No, you don’t understand. I prayed that God would send someone to buy me a hot meal today,” Steve told Brantley.
Then Steve would say three powerful words.
“He sent you.”
“I didn’t know what to say…I was speechless! Praying for a hot meal wasn’t a prayer I had prayed today! Come to think of it, that’s not a prayer I’ve ever prayed! I always pray over my food, but I’ve never prayed for a meal…it’s expected! I’ve never doubted that I wouldn’t be able to eat…Tears began to fill my eyes! Oh my…how blessed am I… Maybe God used me to answer this man’s prayer…to let him know that He cares for Him and knows what goes going through! But, maybe God used this man to show me just how blessed I am and what I take for granted,” Brantley wrote.
Then Steve pulled up his shirt, showing Brantley a huge mass sticking out of his stomach. He explained that he was dying from cancer, and he knew it would not be much longer.
“I asked him if knew Jesus. He told me that he did. I asked if I could pray for him and he said that I could. We prayed right there on the sidewalk of McDonalds. Tears just poured from his eyes,” Brantley said. “I stayed and encouraged him for a few minutes trying to fight back my tears. My prayer is that I showed him the love of Jesus today…that something I said gave him a hope.”
Since that Facebook post, offers to help Steve have came in….including an offer from a doctor in North Carolina that has volunteered to treat Steve’s cancer for free. And there are plans for an online fundraiser, perhaps through his home church, Cross Point Church in Atmore.
So far, no one has been able to find Steve again. The Best Buy store and many others are on the lookout.
To read and share Brantley’s original Facebook post, click here.
More Policies Targeted For Shift Out Of Citizens Insurance
September 21, 2015
The state continues to squeeze policies out of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced Thursday that up to 184,500 Citizens policies will be made available in November to six private insurance carriers through what is known as the “takeout” process.
A total of 181,909 personal-residential policies and 2,591 commercial-residential policies will be offered to Anchor Property & Casualty, Heritage Property & Casualty, Safepoint Insurance, United Property & Casualty Insurance, Weston Insurance and Southern Oak Insurance.
Not counting “takeouts” set for late October and November, the state had made 713,336 Citizens policies available through the process this year. Policies that are not moved into the private market in any “takeout” period are often offered again.
So far, 141,647 policies have been removed. Of those, at least 34,000 policies are in areas considered coastal, said Citizens spokesman Michael Peltier. A reason for the overall low turnover is that private insurers typically select the least-risky policies to remove from the state-backed Citizens.
Also, policyholders are allowed to reject takeout offers.
Citizens had 598,456 policies as of July 31. The overall Citizens policy count is a considerable drop from a high of 1.5 million policies in 2012, when Gov. Rick Scott pushed to scale back the agency by putting more homeowners into private coverage.
September Proclaimed Library Card Month In Escambia County
September 21, 2015
September was proclaimed “Library Card Sign-Up Month” in Escambia County, urging all residents to obtain a library card and use the services of the West Florida Public Libaries. Clifford the Big Red Dog stopped by the Escambia County Commission Meeting as the proclamation was approved and presented. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Man Charged After Drug Raid Run
September 21, 2015
A Molino man was charged with multiple drug offense after allegedly running from a drug raid in Woodridge Park.
Marcus Bonner was one of several people at a home on Hope Drive when the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and narcotics unit executed a search warrant on Hope Drive.
Bonner allegedly ran from the scene throwing down a box of sandwich bags. When deputies recovered the box, they reported finding powder cocaine, crack cocaine and a black digital scale.
Bonner was charged with trafficking in cocaine, possession of marijuana over 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $116,000 bond.
Florida Leaders Expected To Have $600 Million Surplus
September 21, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott and lawmakers will have more than $600 million in extra money as they craft budget proposals for next year, according to a draft report issued by economic forecasters.
The projection included in the Long-Range Financial Outlook, which will be considered by a legislative committee next week, marks the first official estimate of the state’s surplus after accounting for continuing expenses and other spending decisions lawmakers generally make each year.
For the 2016-2017 budget year that begins July 1, there will be an estimated $635.4 million left, after normal spending and $1 billion in reserves — meant to help cushion the state against unexpected expenses — are taken care of. However, about $426.8 million of that surplus would come from one-time money.
The surplus is expected to decline after the 2016-2017 budget year, with the state having $583.7 million the next year and $222.2 million the year after that, with all of the leftovers being one-time money. Part of that is due to the continuing cost of recent tax cuts supported by Scott and Republican lawmakers.
Because the state’s economists issue new forecasts on a regular basis, it is likely that the numbers for outlying years will be adjusted up or down.
The numbers will provide a framework for Scott’s budget request, expected before the end of the year. Lawmakers will return to Tallahassee in January for an earlier-than-usual annual session and will negotiate a final spending plan.
Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said in a memo to senators that the new outlook “demonstrates the feasibility of increasing per student funding to the highest level in state history” — a goal of Scott’s that lawmakers missed reaching last year. The State Board of Education has said it will make a similar request for the coming year.
Gardiner said he would ask the Senate’s budget writers to aim for $250 million in tax cuts, in part because of the projections about outlying years.
“This level of tax relief would further our ongoing commitment to reducing the burden of taxes and fees on Florida’s families and businesses, while also taking into account the impact on future budget years. … We have a responsibility to make spending decisions that maintain structural balance within our budget while being mindful of the impact current spending decisions will have in future years,” he said.
That would be less than the $372.4 million that the Legislature slashed for the current budget year, which was in turn less than Scott proposed in his budget to help fulfill a campaign promise of $1 billion in cuts over two years.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, was less specific in a statement issued by his office about the financial outlook.
“This is further evidence that our conservative fiscal principles are working,” he said. “The House will remain focused on keeping Florida the best state in the nation to create jobs, cutting taxes for hard-working Floridians, and balancing our state’s budget.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Military Members Getting Fast Tracked Concealed Weapons Licenses
September 21, 2015
The state has fast-tracked 7,549 concealed-weapons licenses for active-duty members of the military and honorably discharged veterans since Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam announced July 27 that those people would be moved to the front of the line when seeking licenses.
“If we get a complete application and a clean background, we’re turning it over roughly in six days,” Grea Bevis, director of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Licensing, told members of the House Military and Veteran Affairs Subcommittee this week.
Another 900 applications are pending, Bevis said.
The goal when the fast-track program started was to get the licenses application completed within 30 days, Bevis added.
“So we’ve made great strides to meet that mark,” he said.
The fast-tracking was part of Florida’s reaction to a shooting rampage at a military-recruiting center and a Navy Reserve facility in Chattanooga, Tenn., that left four Marines and a sailor dead in July. Gov. Rick Scott called for the state to expedite processing of new concealed-weapons licenses for members of the National Guard. Putnam expanded that to all active-duty military members and honorably discharged veterans.
by The News Service of Florida