Good Friday Holiday Closures
April 3, 2015
Escambia County offices and departments closed for the Good Friday holiday are below. Normal operations resume on Monday, April 6.
- Escambia County Board of County Commissioners
- West Florida Public Library System, also closed on Sunday, April 5
- Escambia County Property Appraiser
- Escambia County Tax Collector
- Escambia County Supervisor of Elections
- Escambia County Clerk of the Court & Comptroller
Escambia County Exceptions:
- 911 Dispatch, EMS and Fire Services will all be open
- Perdido Landfill, excluding the administrative offices, will be open
- Oak Grove Convenience Center, excluding the administrative offices, will be open
- Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT):
- Administrative offices closed
- ECAT Buses will run regular service
- No service will be available on Sunday, April 5
- UWF Trolleys will run regular weekday service
- For more information visit, goecat.com
Town of Century — all offices and departments will be closed on Friday.
Santa Rosa County -
The following offices and departments are closed Friday, April 3 in observance of Good Friday. Regular hours of operation resume Monday, April 6.
- Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners, with the following exceptions:
- The animal shelter is closed Friday, April 3 and open Saturday, April 4
- The library system is closed Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4
- The Central Landfill is open Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4
- Santa Rosa County Clerk of the Court
- Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser
- Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections
- Santa Rosa County Tax Collector
Poor Man’s Truck: Greg Evers And The Daily Show With Jon Stewart?
April 3, 2015
by The News Service of Florida
The conversation may not attract national attention, but Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, can imagine his Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee once again being late-night fodder.
On March 25, “The Daily Show,” hosted by Jon Stewart, featured a piece on Gov. Rick Scott’s reported prohibition against the word “climate change.” The piece included an exchange from the previous week in which Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, tried to get state Division of Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon to utter the phrase “climate change.”
The piece was punctuated by Latvala onscreen turning off his microphone as he laughed at the end of the Koon-Clemens exchange.
“Wait, wait. Don’t laugh,” Stewart told his audience with the frame frozen on Latvala as he laughed. “That one guy needs the Heimlich. He’s our first climate-change casualty. ‘Why did I eat shrimp while listening to the speech.’ ”
But the latest potential fodder doesn’t have anything to do with climate change. This time, the topic Thursday was a proposal by Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, to reduce an annual registration fee on trucks modified to haul melons directly from the field to market.
“We haven’t been on the Stewart show yet this week, so I think this is the next one coming,” Latvala said before the subcommittee he chairs voted to advance the proposal.
Evers, who hails from the northwest corner of the state and has one of the deepest Southern drawls in the Legislature, wants to reduce the fee on school buses that have their tops cut off so farmers can load them quickly with watermelons.
“This is virtually a poor man’s truck,” Evers said.
As other senators asked if the bill would discriminate against other types of modified vehicles, or farmers hauling different crops, Evers said he’d welcome amendments at future stops that even specified “grapes” or “cannabis” as long as he gets his bill approved.
“You can put them in the back of a pick ‘em up truck,” Evers said.
One Airlifted To Hospital Following Molino ATV Crash
April 3, 2015
One person was airlifted to a local hospital following an ATV accident Thursday afternoon on Molino Road.
The male victim was transported from the scene by LifeGuard helicopter after the 4:12 p.m. crash in the 900 block of Molino Road near Nicholson Drive. The ATV apparently flipped over in a ditch. The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Further details, including the name of the victim, have not been released.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
House Passes Budget As Lip Squabble Continues
April 3, 2015
The House on Thursday approved a $76.2 billion budget plan, clearing the way for negotiations with the Senate as federal and state officials continued a feud over whether they are discussing $2.2 billion in health-care funding that plays a major role in budget deliberations.
A handful of Democrats joined Republicans to approve the House version of the spending plan in an 86-29 vote. The measure would cover the fiscal year that begins July 1.
The budget is significantly smaller than the Senate version, which would spend $80.4 billion. The Senate wants to spend $5 billion for a critical hospital-funding program, known as the Low Income Pool, and for an alternative to Medicaid expansion. The House has ruled out the Senate’s expansion plan and says it will only include the $2.2 billion in Low Income Pool, or LIP, funding once the federal government agrees to extend the program.
The LIP program, which is currently set to expire June 30, funnels additional money to hospitals and other health providers that serve large numbers of poor and uninsured patients. A large chunk of the money for the program comes from Washington.
The future of that funding has been thrown into question after state officials announced late Wednesday that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services suspended negotiations for at least two weeks. On Thursday, CMS flatly denied that.
“CMS remains in contact with state officials and continues to share information,” said Aaron Albright, a spokesman for the agency, in a statement sent to reporters. “Senior officials from CMS will continue conversations with state officials about our shared goal of securing access to high quality health care coverage for low income Floridians.”
Questions swirled about whether the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration knew that the lead federal negotiator, Eliot Fishman, was due to take what is reportedly a long-planned trip to Israel in connection with Passover. But AHCA Secretary Liz Dudek issued a statement late Thursday standing by the state’s version of events.
“After months of discussions we found out that negotiators would not be available to continue to further discuss the LIP program. At this time, no date has been set for a future meeting,” she said.
The back-and-forth could make it difficult for lawmakers to finish the budget by the May 1 deadline for ending the legislative session on time. The last time legislators were forced into overtime to handle the state budget was in 2009, when the economic collapse sparked by a financial crisis forced the state to accept billions of dollars in temporary funding from the federal government.
Meanwhile, the House debate over the budget Thursday focused largely on the unwillingness of Republicans to accept a $2.8 billion Senate proposal to use Medicaid expansion money from the federal Affordable Health Care Act, better known as Obamacare, to help an estimated 800,000 lower-income Floridians purchase private insurance.
Democrats argued that Republicans were letting their partisan hatred of President Obama prevent them from doing the right thing.
“The refusal is solely based on whose idea it was. … We’re walking hand-in-hand with 800,000 souls to the altar of fringe politics,” said Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach.
Republicans responded by highlighting budget priorities like a record amount of funding for public education on a per-student level and other politically popular aspects.
“At some point, you’ve got to vote for what’s in the budget and not what’s not in the budget,” said Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples.
House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, used militant language to criticize the Senate proposal.
“The great enemy is the power of the status quo,” he said.
Corcoran said the powers-that-be in the Capitol want Medicaid expansion, and the Senate can’t force the House to take up the issue.
“It takes two to tango,” Corcoran said, adding that his message to the Senate is “we’re not dancing.”
News Service of Florida executive editor Jim Saunders contributed to this report by Brandon Larrabee.
Easter Bunny Visits Molino
April 3, 2015
The Easter Bunny paid a special visit Thursday evening to the Molino Branch Library. Children enjoyed a pajama story time and had a chance to pose for photos with the Easter Bunny during the event. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Campus Gun Bill Headed Toward House Floor Showdown
April 3, 2015
A House bill that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on the campuses of Florida colleges and universities passed its final committee Thursday and is headed to the House floor.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 12-3 to approve the measure (HB 4005) by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota. In the Senate, an identical bill (SB 176), by Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, has passed two committees and faces two more.
Lawmakers are moving forward with the proposal despite opposition from officials in the higher-education system. The debate follows a shooting incident in November at Florida State University that left three people wounded.
Much of the discussion during Thursday’s meeting focused on whether the measure would make campuses more or less safe.
National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer, for instance, contended that potential victims of rape and other crimes can’t wait for law enforcement to arrive.
“The plain truth is, campuses are not safe,” Hammer said. “They are gun-free zones where murderers and rapists may commit their crimes without fear of being harmed by the victims. Police do the best job they can, but the reality is they are not there when the attack occurs.”
Other supporters, like gun-rights proponent Eric Friday, said people with concealed-weapons licenses are not to be feared — but criminals are.
“Nobody will tell you that rules or laws keep guns off campus,” Friday said. “A person who is willing to murder another human being does not care about any rule or any law. They do what they want to do.”
“It’s not us you need to worry about,” added Rebekah Hargrove, another supporter. “Criminals are going to be criminals.”
But Kaitlyn Hamby, a sophomore at Florida State University, pointed out that the police chiefs of the state’s 12 public universities oppose the bill.
“If they are the people who dedicate their lives to protecting us, why are we trying to go against them?” Hamby asked. “You may be arming the victims, but you’ll also be arming the perpetrators.”
Marshall Ogletree, interim executive director of the United Faculty of Florida, disagreed with a staff analysis that indicated the bill was cost-neutral. He said it would cost “$45 million out the gate … $1.6 million per institution in our system to ramp up training, personnel and equipment needs.”
Ogletree also said that “the vast majority of women on campus are under 21″ and thus ineligible for concealed-weapons permits. “If we want to protect women, why not allow the use of tasers?” he asked.
“As families, we understand why schools would decide that guns have no place in a college or university classroom, or anywhere on campus,” said Steve Downey of the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. “We picture our own children surrounded by guns on campus, and we know what the dangers are.”
In a closing statement, Steube argued that in order to qualify for a concealed-weapons license, Floridians must have clean records and meet a host of qualifications.
“We’re not handing out guns to every college student,” he said. “Gun-free zones didn’t stop the shooter at Virginia Tech. … It didn’t stop the shooter at Sandy Hook. It only stops law-abiding citizens’ ability to defend themselves.”
The committee also passed another Steube-sponsored bill (HB 19) which would give school superintendents the ability to appoint employees or volunteers to carry weapons at schools. But the bill’s Senate companion (SB 180) is stalled in an education committee.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Tate Beats SC Team; Tate JV Over Northview; Jay Softball Over Baker In Six
April 3, 2015
Tate 5, Fort Mill (SC) 3
Tate 2, Northview 0 (JV)
On a long spring break road trip, the Tate Aggies beat Fort Mill (SC) 5-2 Thursday. Mark Miller pitched the win for the Aggies striking out four. Miller was 2-3 with an RBI for the Aggies. Branden Fryman was 2-4 with a run, Cole Halfacre was 2-4 with a RBI, Hunter Worley 2-3, Josh Kean 1-3 with a run, and Jacob Saulnier 1-4 wit ha RBI.
SOFTBALL
Jay 13, Baker 2 (6 innings)
The Jay Royals beat the Baker Gators 13-2 in district softball Thursday night. Dana Blackmon pitched six, striking out five, and going 4-4 at the plate. Michaela Stewart 2-4, 2R, RBI; Harley Tagert 2-3, 2R, RBI; Samantha Steadham 1-3, 3R, 2B, RBI; Destiny Herring 1-4, 2R, 2B, RBI. The Lady Royals will host Laurel Hill on Tuesday.
Pictured top: Samantha Steadham at bat for the Lady Royals Thursday at Baker High School. Pictured inset: Dana Blackmon pitched the win in six and went 4-4 at the plate. Photos by Diann Tagert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In Kingsfield Crash
April 3, 2015
Two people were injured in a two vehicle accident Thursday afternoon in Cantonment.
The accident was reported just after 6 p.m. on East Kingsfield Road near Tate Road. At least one victim had to be extricated from their vehicle (pictured left) using the Jaws Of Life. Both victims were transported to area hospitals with injuries that were not considered life threatening. The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not been released.
Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Grant Presented To Youth Ag Group; Portion Of New 4-H Facility Ready
April 2, 2015
Monsanto presented a $2,500 America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education grant to the Gulf Coast Agriculture and Natural Resources Youth Organization Wednesday.
The grant was won by Walnut Hill farmer Brett Ward who in turned asked that it be donated to the group to be used for prizes and premiums at their Annual Livestock Show, and for other youth agriculture educational programs.
“The grant enables farmers to put money back into their communities,” Rod Higdon, Monsanto representative, said.
The presentation was held at the new county-owned 4-H property on South Highway 99 in Molino. The site includes two parcels — a 79.5 acre lot that already includes a covered barn and will be home to most 4-H activities and a 28.7 parcel that will be used for livestock activities.
The first phase of the project, on the 28.7 acres, is mostly complete, with a half dozen barns and a covered arena for livestock.
For more photos of the facility and presentation, click here.
Construction should be complete within the next couple of years on facilities set to include restrooms, a small classroom, nature trails, campsites for tent camping, fire pit for outdoor cooking and group events, bird blind, archery area, a low ropes course and more on the larger parcel.
In 2012, the children and teens on the 4-H County Council voted to sell their 240 acre Langley Bell 4-H Center to Navy Federal Credit Union.
The GCA and NRA Livestock show will bee held Saturday April 18 beginning at 8 a.m. at the Molino Facility on South Highway 99 just north of Chalker Road. FFA and 4-H youth ages 8-18 will exhibit rabbits, poultry, swine and cattle followed by a live auction.
Pictured: Monsanto presented a $2,500 America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education grant to the Gulf Coast Agriculture and Natural Resources Youth Organization Wednesday. Pictured top are (L-R) 4-H member Allison Woodfin, GCA and NRYO President Jack Livingston, Monsanto’s Rod Higdon, Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry, Walnut Hill farmer and grant applicant Brett Ward, and Northview FFA member Mitchell Singleton. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ingram Introduces $11.6 Billion Transportation, Economic Development Budget
April 2, 2015
Wednesday, House Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations Chairman Clay Ingram, R-Pensacola, introduced the $11.6 billion budget for transportation infrastructure and economic development.
The budget includes $12 million for armory renovations, maintains funding at $19.5 million for Space Florida and $74 million for Visit Florida, provides $22.3 million in state aid to libraries, $14.8 million for cultural and museum grants, and $121.5 million for affordable housing programs. The fiscal package also includes $9 billion for the state’s transportation work program.