Fire Marshal Investigating Midday Fire In Molino
April 28, 2015
A suspicious midday fire Tuesday in Molino is under investigation.
A passerby reported the fire in a mobile home in the 5000 block of Highway 95A, south of Cedartown Road. The first firefighters on scene reported smoke showing from the trailer. The fire was quickly extinguished.
The Florida State Fire Marshal’s office was called to investigate the cause of the fire. There were no injuries reported.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida House Calls It Quits And Heads Home Early
April 28, 2015
In a surprising twist in the Legislature’s budget impasse, the House abruptly adjourned and went home Tuesday, killing scores of bills and deepening a crisis surrounding the spending plan for the year that begins July 1.
While the Capitol had buzzed with rumors that the House might adjourn “sine die” — from the Latin phrase for “without day” — before Friday’s scheduled end of the annual session, the chamber’s leadership had shown few signs of the impending move. House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, said he only knew what was happening moments before House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, began addressing the chamber.
In his remarks to the House, Crisafulli blamed the shutdown on the Senate’s unwillingness to drop its insistence on discussing a Medicaid expansion alternative before agreeing to a budget. The House has repeatedly refused to consider any plan that would use Medicaid expansion dollars, including a Senate proposal to tap those funds to help lower-income Floridians purchase private health insurance.
“I made a promise to you when you elected me to be your speaker that I’d never ask you to vote for something that I wouldn’t vote for myself,” Crisafulli said. “Accordingly, I will not force anyone to expand Medicaid. And so for now, we stand at an impasse with the Senate. … I do not see a need to keep you here waiting around, away from your families, away from your businesses, until the Senate decides they are ready to negotiate with us.”
It was not immediately clear if the Senate would follow suit and end its session Tuesday, or if it would continue to meet through the week. It continued hearing bills Tuesday afternoon.
Either way, the Legislature will have to return for a special session before June 30 to approve a budget.
After a brief flurry of offers late last week, budget negotiations again ground to a halt over the weekend. The state is still waiting to hear back from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on whether the agency will approve a plan to extend the $2.2 billion Low Income Pool, or LIP, program past June 30. LIP is largely used to cover the expenses of uninsured, low-income Floridians who show up at hospitals needing treatment.
The Senate and the federal government have said the fate of LIP is tied to whether the Legislature approves the Senate expansion plan. The House and Gov. Rick Scott reject that idea, and Scott has threatened to sue the Obama administration over attempts to connect the two issues.
Pafford said after the session that the House should have continued its work through Friday. But he said he did support the House closing out the regular session instead of extending it into the coming week s — and said the adjournment could help the Senate Medicaid proposal, which House Democrats support.
“Now, we can clearly come back and talk about the only item that apparently was so massive enough that it’s brought down business in the Florida House, which is health-care expansion,” Pafford said. “In a way, it might be the best thing, largely because now we’re going to talk about health-care expansion.”
by The News Service of Florida
Today’s Tate and Jay Softball Playoffs Game Rescheduled
April 28, 2015
Today’s Tate and Jay softball playoff games have been rescheduled for tomorrow.
The Tate Lady Aggies will host Niceville at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The Jay Lady Royals will host Franklin County at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Century Double Shooting Suspect Now Behind Bars In Florida
April 28, 2015
The suspect wanted in connection with a double shooting March 26 in Century is now in the Escambia County (FL) Jail after being captured in Alabama.
Brian Keith Sanders, 28, was taken into custody without incident in the parking lot of the Wind Creek Casino in Atmore. Authorities said the Poarch Creek Tribal Police Department responded to a reported suspicious person in the casino’s parking lot and found that Sanders had outstanding warrants in Florida. He was transferred to the custody of the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office.
He was extradited to Floriday Tuesday, where he was charged with aggravated battery, deadly missiles, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and criminal mischief. He was being held in the Escambia County (FL) Jail with bond set at $141,000.
The Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Jay Hospital emergency room the night of the shooting alerting them that two gunshot victims had arrived in a private vehicle seeking treatment. The gunshot victims advised that they were shot on Jefferson Avenue in Century. Both victims were shot in the shoulder or upper-arm area, and they were treated and released .
They were apparently shot while in a vehicle that was discovered on Mayes Street at Jefferson Avenue. It appeared that the driver’s window of the Chevrolet Impala had been shot out.
NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Rain Chance Continues Tonight
April 28, 2015
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday Night
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 7pm, then scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 7pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Northwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 52. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 74. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 54. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 78.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 57.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 80.
Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 59.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
House Approves Controversial ‘Fracking’ Bill
April 28, 2015
The House on Monday approved a measure that would require oil and gas companies to inform the state of chemicals being injected into the ground as part of a controversial drilling process known as “fracking.”
The bill (HB 1205) also would prohibit permits from being issued until a study is completed on the potential impacts of fracking.
However, a number of Democrats contend the measure that now awaits Senate approval simply creates the appearance of government scrutiny at the expense of the state’s groundwater at a time when lawmakers are looking to implement new water policies.
“We have a very unique state, with a unique hydropology, and we absolutely should not be doing anything with fracking,” said Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, a Tallahassee Democrat who said the state should ban fracking. “Our aquifer is so sensitive and our lands are so sensitive that this is not the right answer for Florida to move forward with new industry or with energy independence. This puts everything at risk that we cherish”
Fracking involves injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to create fractures in rock formations, which allows the release of natural gas and oil. Florida has long had oil drilling in parts of Southwest Florida and the Panhandle. The techniques are formally known as chemical hydraulic and acid fracturing.
The Florida Petroleum Council-backed bill, approved 82-34, would set up a state permitting process for fracking, require companies to register the chemicals being used on a national website and prohibit local governments from imposing their own regulations.
Lawmakers in support of the bill contend the drilling process helps the nation establish energy independence.
Rep. Neil Combee, R-Polk City, argued there is always risk in producing energy and that the bill gives needed authority to the state Department of Environmental Protection to regulate fracking proposals.
“I like the outdoors. I like hunting and fishing. But let me tell you another thing, I like electricity,” Combee said. “I like lights and air conditioning and television. I like gasoline to put in my truck to come up here to visit with all my friends.”
In opposing the proposal, Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach, said the state needs to be more cautious about the impacts to its water supply.
“On Friday we heard a little about how it’s all new technology and everyone is going to be perfectly safe,” Jenne said. “The odd thing is, the last time I heard that very specific debate point being made on this floor was literally one week before Deepwater Horizon blew sky high.”
The April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon oil spill flooded the Gulf of Mexico with 4.9 million barrels of oil and nearly 2 million gallons of chemical dispersants, but wreaked most of its havoc on the open Gulf itself and the coastal areas of Louisiana, and to some degree Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
The Senate version of the fracking bill (SB 1468), which is similar to the House proposal, is scheduled to make its first appearance on the Senate floor Tuesday.
House sponsor Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, has been pursuing the registry in recent years, with the House approving a similar proposal in 2013 only to have the bill never make an appearance on the Senate floor.
Not all Democrats opposed the bill.
Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, said she could support the bill because the study required on the potential impacts of fracking will create a moratorium on the drilling process that could last two years.
“The choice for me isn’t to be able to vote against fracking,” Edwards said, “but to at least put something in place that taps the brakes, to have a thoughtful study and have a rulemaking process in place that reflects the safe needs and the environmental concerns that I share with the members here in the back row.”
The state study would look at the impact of the geology under the counties where fracking may occur, the impact on ground water and surface water, what would become of chemical-filled water, and whether reclaimed water, also known as recycled or irrigation quality water, could be used rather than water directly from the aquifers that produce drinking water.
The permitting process, to require a company to declare upfront the kind of drilling that will occur, was added at the request of the state Department of Environmental Protection, which currently has no authority to issue or prohibit permits related to fracking.
The request followed the discovery that unauthorized acid fracking had been conducted in Collier County in December 2013 and January 2014.
The bill would increase the daily fine to $25,000, up from the current $10,000 a day fine, for companies that begin fracking without permits.
Rodrigues wasn’t able to get a second fracking-related measures advanced Monday.
The House postponed a vote on a separate measure (HB 1209) that would alter the process for gas and oil companies to shield the chemicals they use from the public.
Rodrigues said his public-records measure would have put more of an onus on oil and gas companies to maintain their trade secrets when someone files a public-records request.
“Currently if you want to challenge a trade secret, you have to hire an attorney, as an individual, you have to file a court case and pay for the fees to do that,” Rodrigues said after the floor session Monday. “Under my bill, an individual would file a public records (request). DEP would then say this has been requested, tell the corporation you have 10 days — and that was an amendment we put on at the request of the First Amendment Foundation — to challenge this.”
A two-thirds vote of the House is needed to pass new public-records exemptions, and with several Republican lawmakers absent it is unknown if the measure would have survived Monday.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
$45 Million Insurance Claim On Escambia Jail Denied
April 28, 2015
Part of Escambia County’s insurance claim on the Central Booking and Detention Center at the Escambia County Jail has been denied.
The county’s insurance provider has agreed to pay a $25 million flood claim on jail, but denied a $45 million “all-peril” claim related to the late April 2014 flooding and natural gas explosion that destroyed Central Booking and Detention Center. Two people were killed at nearly 200 were injured in the explosion.
The county plans to appeal the insurance denial.
Escambia County is also looking to FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for assistance to pay for a new jail. The price tag for a new facility has been estimated at $120 to $180 million.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Alimony Bill Awaits Senate Action
April 28, 2015
After the House overwhelmingly approved a plan to revamp the state’s alimony laws, the debate will go across the Capitol to the Senate. House members voted 93-22 on Friday to approve a bill (HB 943), filed by Rep. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, and Rules Chairman Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, that would make wide-ranging changes in the alimony system.
Those changes involve issues such as how long alimony should last and how it should be calculated.
Almost all House Republicans voted for the bill, with only Rep. George Moraitis, R-Fort Lauderdale, joining 21 Democrats in opposition. A similar Senate bill (SB 1248) has cleared the committee process but has not been heard on the Senate floor. Lawmakers in 2013 passed an alimony overhaul, but it was vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott.
Sponsors have tried to address Scott’s concerns in writing this year’s bills.
by The News Service of Florida
Northview Grad’s Team Wins Regional Robotics Competition
April 28, 2015
Northview High School graduate Colton Sims was a member of a team that won the recent 2015 SoutheastCon Hardware Competition in Fort Lauderdale. Sims is currently a senior at the University of South Alabama and will graduate in May with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.
Over 50 engineering colleges across the Southeastern U.S. participated in this year’s competition.
Sims and his fellow students began work on their robot – lovingly named “Betsy” – when competition rules were announced in October 2014. Their autonomous robot had to run through a maze and complete four retro-themed tasks: play Simon Says for 15-seconds, rotate a Rubik’s Cube section 180 degrees, write “IEEE” on an Etch a Sketch, and remove the top card of the deck. The robot had to drive itself up to each game, physically manipulate the game correctly, and complete all four in five minutes.
Each team had three attempts at the maze and points were awarded for each task and for the time of each run. The University of South Alabama was the only team to achieve three perfect runs – successfully completing all four tasks each time.
”I knew the students were up to something good when they showed me the working Etch-a-Sketch in February,” said faculty advisor Dr. Russ. “So I was hoping they would be competitive. But first place? That is superb! I wish I could take more credit, but they did all the work themselves – very impressive!”
The team left Mobile the Friday of the conference driving 12 hours straight to the competition location. They faced a few glitches with their robot upon arrival and worked through the night getting “Betsy” ready for the next day. Sims and the four other USA students did not sleep until the competition was over Saturday afternoon.
One of the most impressive things about this win was the meager $1,500 budget the team had to work with to build the robot itself – compared to the several thousand dollars some of the other leading teams had. Team Captain Andrew Braun gives high praise to the College of Engineering.
Pictured top: University of South Alabama students accepting their trophy at the 2015 IEEE SoutheastCon Awards Banquet. From left, Northview graduate Colton Sims and fellow students Jan Hellmich, Andrew Braun, SoutheastCon Representative, Nicholas Carroll, and Kenneth Leggett. Pictured inset: The team’s robot “Betsy”. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Video Visitation System Online At Santa Rosa County Jail
April 28, 2015
A new video visitation system is now in place at the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Immediate family, relatives and friends will be able to visit with inmates from the comfort of their homes witha computer with a webcam and internet access. The service is also available on Android and iPhones. The new visitation system will expand available visitation hours, and provide visitation to those unable to visit the facility in person.
The visit works just like a phone call — no jail personnel are involved in connecting the visit. And, unlike other visitation systems, there is no need to involve jail personnel to schedule visits in advance.
There is no cost to the jail or to taxpayers for the equipment or installation. Maintenance is covered, at no charge, for the life of the contract. The system will eliminate movement of inmates from housing areas for visitations.
The new visitation system gives the jail complete control of visits at all times with live monitoring, recording of all calls, and database access to visitation records.
The system charges $0.50 per minute for calls made using the video visitation system and all calls are billed in one minute increments, with a required minimum call length for one minute. The system will only process prepaid calls and messages. Calls charged to a third party or credit cards are not permitted.
Free video visitation is available in the jail lobby from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday- Friday. From 5:01 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., payable visitation is available seven days a week in the jail lobby.
For more information, click here. Visitors must register in advance.
Pictured top: Two detention officers were posted in the lobby to the Santa Rosa County Jail Monday morning to assist with a new video visitation system that went live at 8 a.m. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
