A Perfect Weekend Forecast
October 1, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 87. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Calm wind.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 88. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 67. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 88.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84.
Open House Saturday At Roy Hyatt Environmental Center
October 1, 2016
The annual open house will be held Saturday at the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center in Cantonment.
Visitors will have the opportunity to stroll through the center’s butterfly garden, hike trails into a bog, meet owls from the Wildlife Federation of Northwest Florida, peer through telescopes from with the Escambia Amateur Astronomy Association, meet the resident reptiles, and bid on artwork and other items in a silent auction.
The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center is at 1300 Tobias Road, Cantonment. The events and open house will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (850) 937-2117.
$438 Million: New Budget Year Begins Today For Escambia County And Century
October 1, 2016
It’s the first day of a the new budget year for both Escambia County and Century.
Escambia County
The fiscal year 2016-2017 budget for Escambia County is $434 million — $million higher than last year and up $78 million over 2013.
About one-fourth of the budget will go toward crime — $55.5 million to the Sheriff’s Office and $46.5 million to the county’s corrections department. Public Safety will receive $43 million, $26 million to public works, $25.4 million to human resources, $19.5 million to the landfill and solid waste, $19 million to Neighborhood and Human Services, and $12.7 million to ECAT.
Escambia County’s property tax, or millage rate, is unchanged 6.6165 The county fire tax increases from $100 to $125 to staff additional fire stations south of Nine Mile Road with paid personnel.
Century
Century has a $3.75 million budget for fiscal year 2016-2017 — down from a $5.1 million budget last year that included about $2.2 million in grant income and expenditures.
The ad valorem millage rate increased 0.9005 to 0.9732 for the new fiscal year, a 9.84%.
Tate Tops Washington 31-21
October 1, 2016
The Tate Aggies beat the Washington Wildcats Friday night 31-21 at Washington. With the win, the Aggies improved to 1-0 in the district, 5-1 overall.
After an unsuccessful field goal attempt, Tate took a 7-0 lead by the end of the first quarter when quarterback Jake Henry found senior Corey Moorer for a touchdown. In the second, Washington tied it up at 7-all with 8:00 on the clock.
Then, with 5:59 to go in the half, Tate took a 14-7 lead on a pass from Henry to junior Ladarryl Paige. After a Washington TD, the Aggies went on to add a field goal before the half, 17-14.
A Henry to Raymond Freeman pass with 4:53 in the third put Tate up 24-14. And Henry found Rodriguez Smith to go ahead 31-14 with 1:12 in the third.
The Tate Aggies will host the Pace Patriots next Friday night.
Look for a gallery of more photos by Monday on NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
Scott Renews Push For Economic Incentives Amid House Opposition
October 1, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott plans to ask lawmakers in 2017 to provide $85 million for economic incentives, after the Legislature rejected his request this year for $250 million for the state’s business-recruitment agency.
But he may have to twist arms to win support from the House, where incoming Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, remains openly critical of using public dollars to try to attract businesses.
“The House’s position on this issue has been clear,” Corcoran said in a prepared statement. “The government engaging in social engineering to pick winners and losers that benefit the 1 percent is a bad deal for Florida taxpayers. There will not be any corporate welfare in the House budget.”
Scott announced his proposal at a board meeting of the public-private agency Enterprise Florida. Scott is chairman of the board.
After appearing at the Florida Chamber Foundation’s “Future of Florida Forum” — being held in Orlando alongside the Enterprise Florida board meeting — Scott said the incentive money is needed so Florida can compete for jobs against other states.
“We have to get a good return for taxpayers, but we have to be part of the game,” Scott said. “If we’re not, we’re not going to get the corporate office moves, the regional offices, things like that.”
Asked how he will get reluctant lawmakers to approve the funding request, Scott replied, “I just can’t imagine anybody’s going to vote against it.”
When asked if he had discussed the proposal with Corcoran, Scott added that he talks to state senators and representatives “all the time.”
The Senate is expected to again be more open to considering the proposal.
Incoming Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said he looks forward to learning more about the request and Scott’s other priorities.
“The Senate takes every priority of the governor very seriously,” Negron said in a prepared statement. “In the coming months, our Senate committees will have the chance to review his proposed budget in its entirety.”
During this year’s session, the Senate initially supported Scott’s $250 million request. But with the House opposed, the funding dissolved as the chambers hammered out a budget.
The $250 million request was one of Scott’s priorities for 2016. The rejection of the money resulted in Bill Johnson, who had lobbied lawmakers for the money, stepping down as president of Enterprise Florida and the agency being downsized.
Scott also requested $85 million for incentives in 2015. The final budget for that year included $53 million for Enterprise Florida, of which $43 million was for incentives and $10 million was for marketing.
Scott also plans to request that lawmakers narrow the focus of Enterprise Florida. The focus would be on efforts to attract corporate headquarters, along with businesses in the aviation, aerospace, defense, financial services, information technology and advanced manufacturing industries.
“We need to refocus EFI on one job, the one job is getting more people jobs,” Scott said during the Enterprise Florida Board of Directors meeting.
by The News Service of Florida
One Injured In 90 & 9 Ranch Road Traffic Crash
October 1, 2016
One person was injured in a single vehicle rollover accident Friday at 90 & Ranch Road and Old Chemstrand Road. The driver was transported to an area hospital with injuries that were no considered life threatening. Further information has not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
High School Football Finals
October 1, 2016
Here’s a look at Friday night high school final scores from across the aera
FLORIDA
- Maplesville, AL 21, Northview 0
- Tate 31, Washington 21
- Baker 42, Jay 6
- Escambia 35, Pine Forest 0
- Bay 14, PHS 13
- Catholic 26, Florida HS 7
- Gulf Breeze 35, Milton 3
- Navarre 42, Pace 28
- West Florida – OFF
ALABAMA
- Mobile Christian 29, Flomaton 0
- Satsuma 41, Escambia County (Atmore) 8
- T.R. Miller 41, Excel 8
- W.S. Neal 22 Monroe County 18
- Escambia Academy – OFF
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Several New Laws In Florida
October 1, 2016
County elections supervisors are up for pay raises, while penalties increase for trafficking in the modern version of food stamps and for stealing credit-card information at gas pumps, under new laws that went into effect Saturday.
Those changes to state laws are among 26 that take effect this weekend after being crafted during the 2016 legislative session.
Lawmakers sent 272 bills to Gov. Rick Scott from the regular legislative session, which ended in March. Scott vetoed three and signed the rest.
The majority of the new laws, including the state’s annual budget, went into effect July 1 or immediately upon receiving Scott’s signature.
Here are some of the laws that will take effect Saturday:
HOUSE ARREST
— HB 75, which expands rules regarding electronic monitoring devices. The measure makes it a third-degree felony to ask another person to remove or help circumvent the operation of a monitoring device.
EBT CARDS
— SB 218, which is aimed at reducing trafficking in electronic-benefit transfer cards. The cards, commonly known as EBT cards, are a higher-tech form of food stamps and help provide food assistance to low-income Floridians. The measure, in part, would make it a first-degree misdemeanor to have two or more EBT cards and sell or attempt to sell one of the cards. A second offense would be a third-degree felony.
DISABILITIES PROTECTION
— HB 387, which is named “Carl’s Law” and increases civil and criminal penalties when victims are people with disabilities. Carl Stark, a 36-year-old autistic man from St. Augustine was shot and killed in 2015 after being targeted by teenagers looking to steal a car.
THREATS
— SB 436, which makes it a second-degree felony for making false reports about using firearms in a violent manner. The law also makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to threaten with death or serious harm a law-enforcement officer, state attorney or assistant state attorney, firefighter, judge, elected official or any of their family members.
SUPERVISORS PAY
— SB 514, which adjusts salaries for county supervisors of elections to be calculated the same as for clerks of circuit court, property appraisers and tax collectors. The Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research has indicated the change will result in $1.2 million in salary increases, which averages to an $18,540 increase per county.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
— HB 545, which prohibits people under 18 from being prosecuted for prostitution and makes clear that sexually exploiting a child in prostitution should be viewed as human trafficking. The measure also increases the penalty for people who knowingly rent space used for prostitution.
ELECTRONIC SKIMMERS
— SB 912, which is part of a crackdown on illegal electronic skimmers that have been found on gas pumps and ATM machines. The measure, backed by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, increases the penalties for people who possess counterfeit credit-card information. The proposal also includes requirements for gas-station owners and managers to use security measures on self-service fuel pumps.
SPINY LOBSTERS
— SB 1470, which revises rules dealing with stone-crab traps and spiny-lobster traps. In part, the law makes clear that a person with fewer than 100 undersized spiny lobsters may face a misdemeanor violation for each of the undersized crustaceans. Possessing more than 100 undersized spiny lobsters is a third degree felony offense.
OFFICIAL CORRUPTION
— HB 7071, which is intended to ease the legal threshold to prosecute officials involved in public corruption. Rather than proving an official acted “with corrupt intent,” prosecutors will need to show the person “knowingly and intentionally” engaged in the corrupt act.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Century Health And Rehab Honors First Responders At Cookout
September 30, 2016
The Century Health and Rehabilitation Center hosted a free cookout for first responders Thursday. The cookout honored local area fire, EMT, and law enforcement employees and volunteers.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Much Better Weather: 80 Today, 54 Tonight
September 30, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 54. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. West wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 88. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 88. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 67.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.