Seminoles Seek To Join Slots Lawsuit
June 18, 2015
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has joined state regulators in their request for a rehearing in a game-changing appellate ruling that opened the door for slot machines at a Gadsden County horse track operated by the Poarch Creek Indians, along with tracks in at least five other counties.
The 1st District Court of Appeal decision ordering state regulators to grant a slots license to Gretna Racing could cripple the tribe’s revenues, Barry Richard, a lawyer for the Seminoles, argued in a brief filed Tuesday. Gretna Racing opposes allowing the tribe to join the case on the side of the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, represented by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office.
“Only a few decades ago, the tribe and its citizens were impoverished. Today, the tribe’s successful casinos fund tribal programs including health care, the environment, education, and law enforcement, as well as other benefits for tribal members,” Richard wrote in a 19-page “amicus,” or friend-of-the court, brief. “The tribe’s self-sufficiency, and indeed its economic survival, depends upon the revenues from the businesses it has built up in reliance on the substantial exclusivity that it bargained for, and that the state agreed to, in the compact.”
In a 2-1 vote, a panel of the appeals court last month decided that the 2009 law at the heart of the case allows pari-mutuels, in counties where voters have given approval, to offer slot machines. But dissenting Judge Scott Makar, state regulators and the Seminoles argue that the historically gambling-averse Legislature has to also give the counties permission for slots.
The law, which went into effect in 2010, accompanied an agreement, called a “compact,” that set the parameters for the Seminoles’ slot machine operations and also gave the tribe exclusive rights to offer banked card games, including blackjack. In exchange, the tribe agreed to pay the state a minimum of $1 billion over five years. Under terms of the compact, the tribe’s payments to the state would decrease if additional pari-mutuels in Broward or Miami-Dade were allowed to add slots. The Seminoles could stop payments altogether if tracks or frontons outside of the two counties began operating the lucrative one-armed bandits.
The Seminoles had tried unsuccessfully for years to get the state to negotiate about slots, but state officials entered the agreement only after voters authorized slots at pari-mutuels in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Federal law permits tribes to conduct any kinds of gaming allowed elsewhere in the state.
Echoing arguments made by Bondi’s lawyers, who called the 2-1 decision issued on May 29 a “jaw-dropping gambling expansion, Richard wrote that the majority failed to take into account what lawmakers intended when they passed the law and approved the compact. The agreement was “intentionally designed to limit the geographical scope of gaming,” Richard wrote.
“It defies logic to conclude that the Legislature would enact a law with the express purpose of limiting the expansion of gaming in Florida and providing for an increase in revenue that is dependent upon Seminole gaming exclusivity and, in the same bill, authorize the spread of gaming to every county in the state and allow any of 65 counties to unilaterally torpedo the compact, thereby causing the loss of billions of dollars in state revenue,” he wrote.
The state’s request asks that the full appeals court rehear the case, which is known as seeking an “en banc” hearing.
The majority in the May 29 ruling also asked the Florida Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue about the Gretna facility, which has a history of controversy. The Gadsden County track, which is in a largely rural area west of Tallahassee, is believed to be the first facility in the country to receive a pari-mutuel license for rodeo-style barrel racing, something a court later decided state regulators had granted in error.
The May ruling could have statewide implications. Voters in five other counties — Brevard, Hamilton, Lee, Palm Beach and Washington — have also given slots a thumbs-up. The Palm Beach Kennel Club is the only other facility that has applied for and been denied a slots license.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
BayBears Beat The Wahoos
June 18, 2015
Marlon Byrd wants to return to the Cincinnati Reds starting lineup. The sooner the better.
Placed on the disabled list June 3 with a fractured wrist, Byrd started off his two-game rehab assignment with a bang Wednesday night for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in front of 4,251 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Byrd crushed a game-tying, three-run home run deep to left field in the eighth inning. With two outs and the bases loaded for him again in the ninth, Byrd missed on a high fastball.
Despite the crowd’s excitement of having Byrd hitting No. 3 in the Blue Wahoos lineup the Mobile BayBears added two runs of its own in the top of the ninth to pull out a 5-3 victory in the opener of the five-game series between the rival teams that play on fields nearly an hour apart.
Byrd said his wrist felt good playing at game speed. He wasn’t sure how it would react but it was good enough to send a slider up in the zone over the left field wall.
“I had some good looks. I had some good swings,” Byrd said. “I wish I had come through on that last one.”
“The wrist felt fine, that was the big thing,” he added. “I wasn’t sure how it was going to feel. I didn’t know if it was going to bother me going full speed. You can practice all day long, but game speed is always different. But it felt good on every swing I took.”
On Wednesday with Pensacola, he struck out in his first at bat, lined out hard to the second baseman, lined out deep to the right fielder who chased his ball down, homered and finally struck out on a high fastball with the bases loaded to end the game.
Before fracturing his wrist, Byrd a 14-year major league veteran had hit 10 home runs and 25 RBIs with a .212 average for Cincinnati. If all goes well, Reds officials have said Byrd could return to the majors by the weekend. The Reds will reassess Byrd’s status after Thursday’s game at Pensacola.
“Marlon’s rehab has gone way better than I had ever anticipated,” said Reds manager Bryan Price to the Cincinnati media earlier in the day. “His broken bone is mending quickly. He put a lot of hard work into being able to come back so quickly.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly joked he would like to keep Byrd in the Blue Wahoos lineup a little longer.
“That was terrific,” Kelly said. “We hadn’t done much at all offensively. Next thing you know he ties the game in one at bat.”
Meanwhile, Pensacola starter Wandy Peralta, who had lost three in a row by giving up 13 earned runs in 13.1 innings, had a solid outing. He allowed two runs, one earned in 6.2 innings on seven hits, two walks and struck out five.
Pensacola also benefited from a 3-5 night by shortstop Zach Vincej, along with multi-hit games by right fielder Jesse Winker (2-4), Kyle Waldrop (2-3) and Beau Amaral (2-4).
Magical Poodles Perform At The Library
June 18, 2015
The Summer Reading Club is continuing at branches of the West Florida Library.
This week, Michelle’s Magical Poodles have performed fun and quirky dog tricks with an educational twist and lots of audience interaction, including a stop Wednesday morning at the Century Branch Library and Thursday at the Molino Branch Library.
Next week, it’s Reno’s Reptiles with a chance to get up close and personal with some amazing animals.
Reno’s Reptiles
- Tuesday, June 23, 10:30 a.m. – Southwest Branch, Big Lagoon State Park
- Tuesday, June 23, 3:30 p.m. – Westside Branch, held at the Main Library
- Wednesday, June 24, 11 a.m. – Century Branch
- Wednesday, June 24, 3:30 p.m. – Main Library, Meeting Room A
- Thursday, June 25, 10:30 a.m. – Molino Branch, Auditorium
- Thursday, June 25, 3:00 p.m. – Tryon Branch, Meeting Room A
Pictured: Michelle’s Magical Poodles perform at the Century Branch Library Wednesday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Splits Road Games With Central
June 18, 2015
Summer ball continued Wednesday for the Northview Chiefs as they split wins on the road with Central. Photo by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FCAT Science, EOC Exam Scores Released
June 18, 2015
The Florida Department of Education has released results for FCAT science for grades five and eight and end-of-course exams in biology, U.S. history and civics.
Results for Escambia County Schools are below, ranked by the highest scores. The listed number represents the percentage of students at the school which scored a proficient level three or above.
Spring 2015 FCAT Grade 5 Science
- Pensacola Beach Charter School — 92
- A. K. Suter Elementary School — 82
- Molino Park Elementary — 81
- N. B. Cook Elementary School — 81
- Cordova Park Elementary School — 80
- Blue Angels Elementary School — 72
- Hellen Caro Elementary School — 68
- Jim Allen Elementary School — 68
- Scenic Heights Elementary School — 65
- Beulah Elementary School — 65
- R. C. Lipscomb Elementary School — 63
- Ferry Pass Elementary School — 61
- Pine Meadow Elementary School — 59
- Pleasant Grove Elementary School — 59
- Bellview Elementary School — 58
- Global Learning Academy — 58
- Bratt Elementary School — 57
- L. D. Mcarthur Elementary School — 57
- West Pensacola Elementary School — 54
- Longleaf Elementary School — 54
- Byrneville Elementary School Inc. — 48
- Warrington Elementary School — 45
- Myrtle Grove Elementary School — 44
- Sherwood Elementary School — 43
- Holm Elementary School — 43
- Brentwood Elementary School — 42
- Navy Point Elementary School — 39
- Oakcrest Elementary School — 35
- Ensley Elementary School — 32
- Montclair Elementary School — 30
- Five Flags Academy — 29
- O. J. Semmes Elementary School — 24
- C. A. Weis Elementary School — 23
- Jackie Harris Preparatory Academy — 13
Spring 2015 FCAT Grade 8 Science
- Brown Barge Middle School – 71
- Ernest Ward Middle School – 63
- Ransom Middle School – 57
- Jim C. Bailey Middle School – 51
- Ferry Pass Middle School – 43
- Workman Middle School – 43
- Beulah Academy of Science – 42
- Bellview Middle School – 37
- Newpoint Academy – 31
- Escambia Virtual Academy Franchise – 30
- Woodham Middle School – 28
- Warrington Middle School – 27
- Camelot Academy of Escambia County – 12
Spring 2015 U.S. History EOC
- West Florida High School –82
- Tate High School — 74
- Northview High School — 73
- Escambia High School — 63
- Washington High School — 55
- Pine Forest High School — 53
- Pensacola High School — 39
Spring 2015 Biology EOC
- West Florida High School — 76
- Tate High School — 63
- Washington High School — 61
- Pensacola High School — 54
- Escambia High School — 50
- Pine Forest High School — 50
- Northview High School — 43
Spring 2015 Civics EOC
- Brown Barge Middle School — 79
- Beulah Academy of Science — 76
- Ransom Middle School — 65
- Bailey Middle School — 60
- Ferry Pass Middle School — 58
- Ernest Ward Middle School — 57
- Workman Middle School — 47
- Bellview Middle School — 41
- Woodham Middle School — 37
- Warrington Middle School — 29
Financial Assistance Available For Florida Agriculture Producers — june 19
June 17, 2015
Farmers and ranchers in the Escambia River, Blackwater River and Middle Suwannee River watersheds can apply for financial assistance until June 19 to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Gulf of Mexico Initiative for fiscal year 2015. And this year the initiative has included new focus areas in those watersheds where agricultural producers can apply for assistance.
Parts of Suwannee, Madison and Lafayette counties are included in the Middle Suwannee River watershed, and five new focus areas have been added to where landowners can apply for financial assistance. Parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are included in the Escambia and Blackwater river watersheds, where eight new focus areas have been added to where producers can apply for assistance.
Landowners can view maps to see if their property lies within one of the designated areas. Financial assistance is available through Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
New Middle School In Beulah; New Elementary For Cantonment, West Florida High To Move
June 17, 2015
The Escambia County School Board voted Tuesday evening to purchase 32 acres of land for a new middle school in Beulah, part of a plan that includes the construction of a new elementary school next to Ransom Middle School in Cantonment.
The Nine Mile Road land will cost just under $2 million for property in the 6000 block of West Nine Mile Road, at the current Coastal Airport. Plans call for the construction of a middle school for $45 to $48 million that will have a capacity of 1,100 to 1300 students. Students will be relocated to the new school from Woodham Midde, while hundreds will be rezoned from the overcrowded Ransom Middle.
A new $25 million, 800 student elementary school will be constructed adjacent to Ransom Middle School on property already owned by the district. It will help alleviate overcrowding at Beulah and Pine Meadow elementary schools. The Ransom property currently being used by Tate High School for agriculture and by the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center will not be affected.
Both schools will be funded with Local Option Sales Tax dollars and should be ready for classed by the 2018-2019 school year.
The current Woodham Middle facility will be renovated for $3 to $5 million to house West Florida High School, providing the school with improved athletic facilities including a stadium and field house. Brown Barge Middle School and PATS Center students will be relocated to the current West Florida High campus adjacent to Pine Forest High School.
The schools are planned in response to population growth in area, much of it spurred by Navy Federal Credit Union.
Escambia Man Sentenced For Aggravated Assault With Firearm
June 17, 2015
Gajuan Keangelo Turner was sentenced by Circuit Judge Terry Terrell to 20 years in state prison for aggravated assault with a firearm that was discharged and 33 months state prison for two counts of shooting into a building, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
The sentence for aggravated assault with a firearm that was discharged during the offense, was imposed under Florida’s 10-20-Life Statute, which means the Turner will serve the entire 20 years day for day with no parole. Turner had previously pled no contest to the offenses on April 21.
The charges stemmed from a shooting that occurred on March 31, 2014, at Oakwood Terrace Apartments, formerly known as Truman Arms Apartments. Turner and two other men confronted a male resident that they believed had a romantic involvement with the girlfriend of one of the other men who was with Turner. Turner and one of the men were armed with concealed handguns.
When one of the shooters grabbed for his gun, the victim turned and ran to an upstairs apartment. Turner and the other shooter fired multiple shots at the male victim as he ran upstairs to his apartment. The bullets struck the windows of the downstairs and upstairs apartments and entered the apartments, where there were other adult victims and children present. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office found 9mm and .380 shell casings at the scene. Their investigation led to the arrest of the defendant and the other two men.
One of the other men involved, Quamain Williams, who was unarmed during the offenses, was previously found guilty by an Escambia County Jury of principal to aggravated assault and two counts of principal to shooting into a building. Circuit Judge Terry Terrell sentenced him to five years in state prison for aiding and abetting the other men who actually did the shooting.
New Administrators Named For Several Escambia Schools
June 17, 2015
A dozen new school administrators were appointed Tuesday evening by the Escambia County School Board, including new principals for West Florida and Pine Forest high schools and new assistant principals for Bratt and Molino Park elementary schools.
Appointments included:
- Jessica Canales from literacy coach Escambia High to high school assistant principal at Pensacola High
- Laura Carroll from instructional coach district itinerants elementary school assistant principal at Bratt Elementary
- Nathan Espy from teacher at Washington High to assistant high school principal at Washington High
- S. Quinn Evans from curriculum coordinator at Molino Park Elementary to Elementary School assistant principal at Molino Park Elementary
- Angela Harris from teacher in charge at Brentwood Elementary to assistant principal at Warrington Elementary
- Crystal Marr from consulting teacher at START Professional Learning to middle school assistant principal at Bailey Middle
- Melanie McElhaney from teacher at Washington High to high school assistant principal at Escambia High
- Shenna Payne from high school assistant principal at West Florida High at high school principal at West Florida High
- Janet Penrose from middle school assistant principal at Bellview Middle to middle school principal at Bailey Middle
- Dr. Kimberly Thomas from TSA Instructional Training START Professional Learning to elementary assistant principal at Suter Elementary
- Jeremy Tompkins from high school assistant principal at Washington High to Court Liaison – Superintendent – General
- Laura Touchstone from high school assistant principal at Pensacola High to high school principal at Pine Forest High
Pictured top: Quinn Evans was named the new assistant principal at Molino Park Elementary Tuesday evening by the Escambia County School Board. Pictured below: Shenna Payne was named the new principal at West Florida High School. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Budget Clock Set For 5:37 P.M. Friday Vote
June 17, 2015
After months of sparring and a nearly three-week special session, lawmakers will be able to vote early Friday evening on a $78.7 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget was sent to lawmakers and other state officials at 5:37 p.m. Tuesday, starting a 72-hour review period before the House and Senate can vote on it.
Negotiators finished working out details of the 438-page spending plan late Monday night, but it still needed to be compiled Tuesday.
A vote Friday would come one day before the scheduled end of a special session that started June 1. The budget then will go to Gov. Rick Scott, who can use his line-item veto power to delete spending proposals.
The state fiscal year starts July 1.
by The News Service of Florida