Scott Signs Bills On Carrying Guns, Bolstering Child Protection
May 22, 2015
.Gov. Rick Scott signed 44 bills into law Thursday, including a measure that will allow Floridians without concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns during mandatory emergency evacuations.
He also signed bills aimed at improving the state’s child-protection and juvenile-justice systems, banning job discrimination based on pregnancy and creating tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities.
The new gun law (SB 290) went into effect as soon as Scott signed it. Backers say the measure will allow people to bring their weapons when forced to leave home because of hurricanes and other disasters.
“It’s really a no-brainer,” National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer said. “When people are forced to leave their homes, they have a right to carry their possessions with them — including their firearms to protect their property.”
A similar measure died in the Senate last year amid concerns by the Florida Sheriffs Association and senators on both sides of the aisle. Some were apprehensive about increasing the number of armed people on the streets without concealed-weapons licenses during emergencies.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, addressed those concerns this year by limiting the amount of time people can carry guns without concealed-weapons licenses to 48 hours, which can be extended by the governor.
Meanwhile, the child-protection law (SB 7078) began as what’s known as a glitch bill, expanding aspects of a sweeping reform measure that passed last year. The new law will increase reporting of medical neglect and will expand the role of the state’s Critical Incident Rapid Response Team, which the secretary of the Department of Children and Families can dispatch to investigate child deaths.
It will also require services to be “evidence-based and trauma-informed” — a recommendation of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, which was created as part of last year’s law. Children’s services must be based on the idea that abused kids can recover from trauma by addressing the painful experiences they’ve endured, such as violent or addicted parents.
Additionally, an amendment to the bill caused battles in the House and Senate. That provision, which passed, will require employees and volunteers of certain membership organizations — such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts — to meet background screening requirements through the Department of Children and Families.
“Florida’s children now have greater protection against the evildoers in our society,” said Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Chairwoman Eleanor Sobel, a Hollywood Democrat who sponsored the bill and the controversial amendment.
The governor also signed a bill (SB 378) that will increase the number of times law-enforcement officers may issue civil citations to non-violent juvenile offenders.
Sponsored by Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, the measure will eliminate part of state law that limits juvenile-diversion programs to first-time misdemeanor offenders. That would allow civil-citation and other diversion programs to be used in second or subsequent offenses.
The bill will allow officers the choice of issuing simple warnings or informing children’s parents or guardians about misdemeanor offenses. Under the measure, juveniles could be assigned up to 50 hours of community service or required to participate in intervention programs, such as family counseling and substance-abuse and mental-health treatment.
Rep. Gwyn Clarke-Reed, a Deerfield Beach Democrat who sponsored the House version of the bill, said she was “delighted” Scott signed the measure into law.
“This new law gives important discretion to officers on the streets, critical opportunity to youthful offenders and more productive use of taxpayers’ money,” Clarke-Reed said in a prepared statement. “We should, when we can, offer kids who find themselves in trouble a path to productivity rather than a pipeline to jail.”
Over the past four years, the use of civil citations in Florida has increased from seven to 59 of the state’s 67 counties.
Both the child-protection and civil-citation laws go into effect on Oct .1.
Among the other bills Scott signed Thursday was a measure (SB 642) that will create the Florida ABLE program so that people with disabilities can save money in tax-free savings accounts for future services without losing their eligibility for state and federal benefits. Also, he signed a bill (SB 982) that bans discrimination based on pregnancy in employment, public lodging and food service establishments.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Kendal Cobb Named Miss Northview High
May 22, 2015
Senior Kendal Cobb has been named Miss Northview High School 2015.
She is the daughter of Jamie and Becky Cobb. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Northview on May 20, she plans to attend a local community college and major in nursing.
Rather than a traditional pageant, Miss Northview High School was selected this year by a portfolio, poster, resume, an interview with judges, teacher recommendations and a vote of the student body.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lower LIP Funding Sets Stage For Session Debate
May 22, 2015
Florida can anticipate about $1 billion in funding for a health-care program at the center of a state budget standoff, a high-ranking federal official wrote in a letter Thursday, giving lawmakers a better idea of what to expect when they begin a special session next month.
The estimate provided in the letter from Vikki Wachino, director of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, would mark a reduction of about $1.2 billion in the program, which is known as the Low Income Pool, during the budget year that begins July 1. Funding for LIP would then likely fall to about $600 million in later years, Wachino wrote.
The letter also provides a list of options Florida could use to offset the drop in LIP, which sends money to hospitals and other medical providers that care for large numbers of low-income patients. Wachino suggested that the state boost the rates it pays hospitals for treating Medicaid patients.
“We note that this ($1 billion) level of funding for the LIP, coupled with the options the state may elect at its discretion described in this letter, would enable Florida to retain Medicaid investment in the state at or above the current $2.16 billion level of LIP funding,” she wrote.
The federal decision on LIP would extend the program past its current June 30 expiration date and could provide the Legislature with a way out of the budget impasse. Lawmakers are expected to begin a special session June 1 to resolve the spending plan.
But cutting funding for the program could also harden some divisions at the Capitol. Senate leaders have pushed for the state to offset the loss of LIP funds by using federal Medicaid expansion money to help lower-income Floridians purchase private insurance — an idea adamantly opposed by House Republican leaders and Gov. Rick Scott.
If the state has to instead offset the loss by backfilling the hole with tax revenues, that could eat into funding for other priorities, like public education and tax cuts.
“I think it confirms the magnitude of the potential backfill number to make the system whole, and I think it sends a very strong message about the expiration of LIP over time,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, said of the federal letter.
Lee and Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, argued that the size of the cut in LIP backs the chamber’s insistence on expanding health-care coverage.
“While the letter from CMS outlines a number of policy alternatives, none of these options will allow Florida to maximize both state and federal taxpayer dollars in a more effective manner than by reducing the number of uninsured Floridians seeking basic health care in hospital emergency rooms,” Gardiner wrote in a memo to senators. “Clearly, a conservative free-market expansion of health care coverage is the most fiscally responsible approach.”
But Scott and the House have opposed expanding Medicaid in any form. The disagreement between the House and Senate on the issue in part caused the impasse that saw lawmakers adjourn the regular annual session without a budget in place.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, told his members in a memo that the House was still reviewing Wachino’s letter and would provide a more thorough response later.
“Until then, I believe the clear indication before the special session is Florida will receive a significant level of LIP funds, which will help us in our efforts to finish the budget by the July 1 deadline,” he wrote.
House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, indicated late Thursday he favored a plan that would use state money to make the hospitals whole. The House had pitched a similar idea near the end of the regular session, when lawmakers were unsure what the final size of the LIP program might be.
“Now, the great news is that we’re able to do that with finality,” Corcoran said.
Speaking to reporters at Taylor County’s Perry Primary School, where he was visiting, Scott seemed to once again rule out the idea of a state Medicaid expansion plan.
“The Senate’s plan would cost our taxpayers $5 billion over the first 10 years,” Scott said. “If you look at history, health-care programs in almost every case cost way more than what people thought in the beginning.”
Scott also said he hadn’t decided whether to drop a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to bar the agency from considering whether the state has expanded Medicaid while weighing a decision on LIP.
Attorneys for the two sides agreed Thursday to extend until June 1 a deadline for federal officials to respond to Scott’s request for an injunction in the lawsuit.
In her letter, Wachino tried to emphasize that while LIP and a coverage expansion are related, whether Florida expanded Medicaid wasn’t a factor in the federal government’s decision.
“Regardless of whether a state expands, uncompensated care pool funding should not pay for costs that would be covered in a Medicaid expansion,” she wrote. “Therefore, the state’s expansion decision does not affect the size of the LIP itself.”
House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, applauded the agency for its decision in the face of the lawsuit.
“Despite Gov. Scott’s lack of planning, hostile public relations campaign and frivolous litigation, CMS has acted in the best interests of taxpayers and the people of Florida,” Pafford said.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
West Florida’s Hicks Signs With Huntingdon College
May 22, 2015
Former Cantonment Cowboy and now West Florida High School senior Brandon Hicks has signed with Huntingdon College in Montgomery. Pictured: Brandon Hicks (in tie), his mother and father David and Kelli Hicks, sister Cheyenne Hicks and (standing) Coach Harry Lees and and West Florida Principal Eric Smith. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weather Cancels Subway All Star Baseball And Softball Games
May 22, 2015
The Subway High School All-Star 2014-15 Series baseball and softball games at the University of West Florida were called Thursday evening due to threatening weather.
The East baseball team and West softball team were each up 1-0 as the games ended.
The games will not be rescheduled due to it being at the end of the school.
Team members were:
WEST SOFTBALL
Catholic – Keaton Covan – LF/SS
Escambia – Rebecca Rudd – OF
Escambia – Sara Spears – OF/1B
Northview – Addy Lee – 2B
Northview – Mallory Ryan – Pitcher/ 1B
Northview – Angel Lathan – Catcher/ CF
Pensacola – Tanogela Brown – RF
Pensacola – N’Dya Tolbert – CF
Pine Forest – Brooke Lauter – P/ 1B
Pine Forest – Tiana Alevedo – SS/ 2B
Tate – Izzy Werdann – C/3B
Tate – Tori Perkins – P/1B/3B
Tate – Sam Burks – OF
Tate – Casey McCrackin – SS
Tate – Rachel Wright – 2B/OF
Tate – Lauren Brennan – OF
Washington – Callan Burkett – 3B
Washington – Lauren Douber – CF
West Florida – Kayla Miller – 2B/SS/OF
West Florida – Kristin Gunter – SS/3B/1B
EAST SOFTBALL
Baker – Tori Foster – CF/IF/C
Baker – Alexis Mitchem – P/IF
Central – Makayla Simmons – 1B/OF
Central – Courtney Arnaud – C
Central – Brittney Amey – SS
Choctaw – Macie Gray – C
Choctaw – Sydney Oliver – CF
Crestview – Taylor Henderson – 2B/ SS/ RF
Fort Walton – Braya Enriquez – OF/C
Gulf Breeze – Gena Ramos – RF
Gulf Breeze – Sydney Ezelle – SS
Gulf Breeze – Paige VanTassel – 3B
Jay – Dana Blackmon – P/1B
Jay – Emily Dobson – 1B
Laurel Hill – Ashley Hatfield – C/ OF
Milton – Hannah Wakeman – 3B/P
Milton – Whitney Dowell – C/SS/3B/Athlete
Navarre – Shana Pearl – CF
Niceville – Haley Baker – Catcher
Niceville – Jaci Hodskins – OF/ IF
Niceville – Graysen Gladden – CF
Pace – Tristen Pearson – SS/OF
Pace – Payton Carpenter – P/DH
WEST BASEBALL
Catholic – David Rosen – P
Catholic – Brandon Lockridge – SS
Catholic – Jawan Purifoy – OF
Catholic – Evans Bozeman – IB- P
Catholic – Harrison Carroll – RF
East Hill – Joshua Farina – P/SS/3B
Escambia – Anthony Stoeter – CF
Escambia – Jessie Gunter – P
Northview – Chase Freeman – SS
Northview – Aaron McDonald – OF
PCA – Spencer Wass – P/SS/C/CF
PCA – Brennan Roberts – Catcher
PHS – Chris Welt – P
Pine Forest – Chris Byrd – 2B/P
Pine Forest – Brent Bodree – Catcher
Pine Forest – Nick Williams – P/1B/3B
Tate – Hunter Worley – 3B/C
Tate – Jacob Saulnier – 1B/OF
Tate – Mark Miller – 1B/LHP
Washington – Dylan Morgan – LH Pitcher
Washington – Thomas Strange – Pitcher/ OF
Washington – Rylan Hendricks – OF
Washington – Branch Robinson – OF
West Florida – Mikey Jones – P/INF
West Florida – RJ Lewis – SS/P
West Florida – Kyle Harrison – Catcher
EAST BASEBALL
Baker – Austin Hicks – P/SS/C
Central – Reid Grant – OF/IF
Central – Justin Abel – P/OF/1B
Choctaw – Zach Jowers – SS
Choctaw – Hayden Bludworth – P
Choctaw – Nate Gilmore – C
Crestview – Nathan Gerard – Catcher
FWB – Jake Smith – P
FWB – Joe Guidry – C
FWB – Darren Hasch – 3B
Gulf Breeze – Jacob Kubik – SS
Jay – Taylor Kelley – P/LF
Laurel Hill – Max Smith – OF
Milton – Taylor Ford – Catcher
Milton – Micah McGaha – Pitcher
Milton – Bryton Melvin – 3B/ Pitcher
Milton – Brenden Blevins – Outfield
Navarre – Billy Unterbrink – 2B
Niceville – Drew Frederic – SS
Niceville – Chance Riley – P
Niceville – Tyler Head – C/IF
Niceville – Trevor Eubanks – P
Pace – Chase Lambert – P
Pace – Tyler Sharp – SS
Rocky Bayou – Zackary Payne – Catcher/ OF
Pictured top: Subway All-Stars from Northview High (L-R) Addy Lee, Chasen Freeman, Angel Lathan, Aaron McDonald and Mallory Ryan. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
64 Arrested In Warrant Sweep
May 22, 2015
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office warrant sweep resulted in 64 arrests and 136 warrants being served. The sweep targeted those who had outstanding warrants for sex crimes, fraud and stolen property.
For a list of those arrested, charges and mugshots, click here (pdf file).
Wahoos Beat Jackson
May 22, 2015
Zach Vincej came into Thursday’s game hitting .200 with only one run-batted in for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
However, the shortstop went 2-4 on the night, launching a three-run line drive over the left field wall that gave him his first homer of the year and raised his average to .220.
Vincej’s homer also lifted Pensacola to a six-run sixth inning and a victory, 8-5, in the opening of the five-game series with the Jackson Generals in front of 4,227 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Vincej, who was coming off of seven days on the disabled list with a left wrist contusion, said it felt good to get all of the hanging curveball from Jackson reliever Jordan Shippers, who was pounding him inside with fastballs.
“I’ve had a couple frustrating months myself personally,” Vincej said. “I had to remind myself it’s a long season and you just have to be resilient at the end of the day. I knew I got a good piece of it. It was a nice feeling. I’m glad everything worked out.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said a home run is a home run.
“It was great,” said Kelly, whose team is now on a 10-4 winning streak since May 7. “Fortunately, they give you the same number of points whether it goes over by an inch or 100-feet. Zach has had a tough time. But since he’s spent time on the DL, he’s been swinging the bat well since he has come back.”
Six of the Blue Wahoos eight runs – the most they’ve scored in a game this season – came from the bottom four batters in the order: third baseman Juan Perez, Vincej, DH Cam Maron and left fielder Juan Silva.
“We had six RBIs and six runs scored from the bottom of the lineup,” Kelly said. “That’s huge. Now, everybody is kind of on a roll.”
Jackson went ahead, 3-2, in the top of the sixth inning on five walks, four by Pensacola reliever Layne Somsen who lasted 0.1 innings and was charged with the runs.
That’s when the Blue Wahoos came right back with six straight runners on base, who all scored to put Pensacola back on top, 8-3.
“We’re believing in each other,” Vincej said of Pensacola, which improved to 18-23 on the season. “If they put three, we can put up three, as well. We have to keep our confidence going.”
Former Police Officer Still Missing; Vehicle Found In McDavid
May 21, 2015
The search in continuing for a missing Flomaton man, a former police officer, whose vehicle was found abandoned near McDavid.
John Douglas Oswalt, 35, last communicated with family members on Sunday, May 3, according to Flomaton Police Chief Bryan Davis. He was last seen in the Pensacola area that morning.
His silver in color Chrysler Crossfire was found abandoned on Pine Barren Road near McDavid about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5 by the Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office. At that time, an Escambia County K-9 unit searched the area around the vehicle with no results. The Flomaton Police Department also attempted unsuccessfully to locate Oswalt at his home on Jackson Street in Flomaton. Search warrants have been executed for his vehicle and home.
Davis said Wednesday that his office had only received two possible tips about Oswalt, with one of those reported sightings extremely unlikely.
Oswalt is former Memphis (TN) police officer, according to friends and family. He is described as a white male, about six feet tall with hazel eyes and bald head. No clothing description was known. Oswalt previously listed a home address in Cantonment.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Oswalt should contact the Flomaton Police Department at (251) 296-5811 or their local law enforcement agency.
Century Business Challenge Idea Becomes Reality: New Daycare To Open Soon
May 21, 2015
An idea in the running for the $25,000 Century Business Challenge is already set to become a reality, regardless of the contest outcome to be announced next month.
The Abundant Life Assembly of God Church will open a daycare on June 1. Director Heather Smith said she felt led to open a daycare about five years ago, but she put the idea aside.
“But back in the fall, the idea just started to kind of resurfaced again,” she said.
In December, the Century Business Challenge was announced by Quint and Rishy Studer, with $25,000 and a possible location in the Century Business Center. The church has applied for the challenge, but decided to go ahead and open the Abundant Life Children of Hope Center on June 1. The daycare will begin with space for 29 children from 6 week old to Pre-K…allowing their mothers, or fathers, the chance to go to work or school.
“I saw the need for Century, Smith said. “We see the need. We want to be a blessing to the community.”
Open enrollment is underway now. Applications can be picked up from the church on North Century Boulevard Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Daycare hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, call (850) 256-5227.
A recent economic development plan created by the University of West Florida Haas Center identified the need for a daycare in Century.
Scott: Lawmakers ‘Know My Priorities’ For Special Session
May 21, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott resumed his push Wednesday for a massive tax-cut package and a “historic” increase in school funding, downplaying a call for agency heads to prepare for a bare-bones budget.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll have a good special session,” Scott said when asked about the state having to scale down to its critical needs if lawmakers fail to hammer out a budget before July 1.
Though the House and Senate continue to have a sizable divide over health-care funding as they head into next month’s special session, at least some lawmakers appear to want to please the governor when it comes to tax cuts. Scott proposed a $673 million tax-cut package early this year, and the House later offered a $690 million plan.
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, said tax cuts will be “a priority” for the upcoming session.
“The Finance and Tax Committee will be tasked to come up with a bill to reflect the Legislature’s new joint budget number, which has not yet been determined,” Crisafulli said in an email Wednesday.
The Senate remains a little more guarded as Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, continues to work with his chamber to draft a schedule for the session that begins June 1. Senate leaders did not offer a full tax-cut package during this spring’s regular session, though Senate committees advanced individual tax-cut bills.
“The question has been how to balance a desire to reduce taxes against other priorities, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding health care funding,” Katie Betta, Gardiner’s spokeswoman, said in an email Wednesday.
The Senate has proposed spending $2.8 billion in federal Medicaid money to help hundreds of thousands of lower-income Floridians purchase private insurance.
Senate leaders argue that could help in negotiations with the federal officials over the future of the $2.2 billion Low Income Pool, or LIP, program. LIP mostly sends money to hospitals and other health providers that care for large numbers of low-income residents. The LIP program is scheduled to expire June 30, unless federal official approve an extension.
Scott has joined the House in fiercely opposing any health-care expansion funded through the federal Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.
Scott deflected questions Wednesday when asked if he’d threatened to veto a budget that fails to include his top session priorities. When pressed, Scott repeated that the House and Senate are aware of his priorities, which include higher per-student funding for public schools. His tax-cut plan is dominated by a proposed reduction in the communications-services tax on cell-phone and pay-TV bills.
“I want to continue what I’ve done every session, which is to work with the House and Senate to work on the problems of our state,” Scott told reporters in Tallahassee. “They know my priorities.”
Scott’s statement is less pessimistic than the outlook he offered when interviewed May 10 on FOX News. During that interview, he said the tax-cut package and proposed increase in education funding could be in jeopardy if the health-care battle kept the Legislature from completing a budget by June 30.
“We won’t put more money into schools, which I wanted to do,” Scott said during the FOX News interview. “We won’t cut taxes, which I wanted to do. We’ll just leave the money there and deal with it in our next session, which starts in January.”
Since then, budget leaders from the House and Senate started meeting to discuss the special session. On Friday, House and Senate leaders formally called the session, which could last from June 1 to June 20.
During this spring’s regular session, the House voted 112-3 to approve its tax-cut package. The package included Scott’s call for a 3.6 percentage-point reduction in the communications-services tax, totaling about $470 million in cuts.
The House proposal would have also eliminated sales taxes on college textbooks and made a series of other tax cuts, including reducing a tax on commercial-real estate leases from 6 percent to 5.8 percent and providing a three-day sales-tax holiday for back-to-school shoppers.
Along with his focus on tax cuts, Scott has requested increasing per-student school funding to $7,176, a roughly $261 per-student increase from the current year. Scott’s per-student funding would be $50 higher than the previous high in the 2007-08 budget year.
The State Board of Education on Wednesday sought to build support for that idea, voting unanimously to once again call on the Legislature to provide record funding.
“I’d like to also remind everyone here and the legislators that we actually have a surplus this year, and let’s not forget that,” said outgoing Board of Education Chairman Gary Chartrand. “I know there’s some issues with the health care, and the Legislature’s coming together to work that out.”
But Chartrand also indicated that schools should come before Scott’s other signature proposal.
“There’s also tax cuts that have been proposed, and I would hope that we would fund education first before we moved in any other direction,” he said.
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart highlighted the state’s recent gains in areas like high-school graduation and said that funding was “absolutely critical” to continuing the momentum.
Stewart also said school districts had been forced by tight budgets in recent years to be more careful in figuring out which funding initiatives should take priority.
“I think the time is the right one,” she said. “Everything is set in place for this Legislature to do the right thing by education in the state of Florida and really invest in the economic development of our state through the education system.”
by Jim Turner and Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida