Tate Grad Garrett Announces Bid For State House Seat
August 30, 2017
Democrat Vikki Garrett has announced her bid for the Florida House of Representatives District 1 open seat.
“I am working hard to earn the trust, support, and votes of the community,” Garrett, a Pensacola native, said.
The graduate of Tate High School earned a softball scholarship to Pensacola Junior College (now Pensacola State College) where she received an Associate of Arts degree. She continued her education at the University of West Florida where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Master of Public Administration degree.
Garrett brings over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Public agencies she has worked for include the Florida Department of Transportation, Escambia County Engineering Department, and the West Florida Regional Planning Council.
She states, “I have a proven track record of bringing resources back to the community.”
One of the many projects Garrett is currently working on is the restoration of passenger rail service to Pensacola. She was appointed by the Federal Railroad Administration to serve on the Gulf Coast Rail Service Working Group. She hopes to continue those efforts as a State Representative in Tallahassee.
Garrett said in a press release Tuesday that her priority is “Putting People First”.
Police Continue Search For Couple’s Killer
August 29, 2017
There have been no arrests in the case of a Flomaton couple shot to death in their home, but a very active investigation is continuing.
About 2:30 p.m. on August 12, the bodies of 50-year old Timothy Adams and 61-year old Susan Adams were found with multiple gunshot wounds inside their mobile home at 1455 College Street in Flomaton. They were last seen alive earlier that morning. Investigators believe they were murdered before noon that day.
“We have several persons of interest at this time,” Flomaton Police Chief Bryan Davis said late Monday afternoon. “We are continuing to issue search warrants and continuing to get new tips.”
Davis is asking any person or business in the College Street and Highway 31 area to review their video footage for the period 9 a.m. until noon on August 12 and call the Flomaton Police Department.
“Someone out there knows something, or has heard someone talk,” Davis said. He encouraged anyone with any tip, no matter how seemingly insignificant, to call (251) 296-5811.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Open House Tonight At Area High Schools
August 29, 2017
All high schools in the Escambia County School District will hold Open House events from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday.
At Tate High School, the schedule will begin with homeroom first. For Tate High homeroom information, see the following links:
Increasing Rain Chances
August 29, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 81. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 72. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 83. East wind 10 to 15 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Labor Day: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86.
Donations Making New Vet Station Possible For Panhandle Equine Rescue
August 29, 2017
Panhandle Equine Rescue is well on their way to a new “Vet Station” at their Cantonment facility, thanks to the generosity of several donors.
Ready Mix USA of Pensacola donated nine yards of concrete that was poured Monday. Lee’s Concrete provided discounted labor. The Escambia County 4-H Horse Club has arranged to have a stock built as a member donation.
The Vet Station will also have a hot/cold wash rack and a scale.
“We are so grateful to our community for their support,” said Pandhandle Equine President Diane Lowery.
The non-profit Panhandle Equine Rescue relies on public donations and volunteers to rescue, rehabilitate and provide adoption services for abused, neglected and abandoned equines in Escambia County.
Pictured: Concrete is poured Monday for a new Vet Station for Panhandle Equine Rescue in Cantonment. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Officers Assisting With Harvey Disaster Response Efforts in Texas
August 29, 2017
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers are actively assisting with disaster response efforts in the Houston area. Governor Rick Scott directed the deployment of FWC officers and resources in response to Texas’ request for emergency assistance.
Currently, 37 FWC officers and 21 boats are in route to Houston to support ongoing response efforts. More than 60 officers and nearly 20 boats were deployed Monday. This weekend, 25 FWC officers, 17 high water vehicles, two Mobile Command Centers, eight shallow draft vessels and four patrol boats arrived in Houston after being deployed Saturday night.
Pictured A Florida FWC officer on patrol in the Houston area on Monday. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flags At Half Staff To Honor Legacy Of Greg Evers
August 29, 2017
Gov. Rick Scott has ordered flags to half staff today as a symbol of respect for the memory of former State Senator Greg Evers and his service to Florida.
Evers was killed in a vehicle crash into a creek near Baker last week. His funeral is today in Milton.
He represented District 2 in the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2016. He also represented District 1, parts of Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa Counties, in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2010. During his 15 years representing North Florida, he advocated for criminal justice reform and higher pay for state employees.
Train Blocks Access To Molino Neighborhood For Hours
August 29, 2017
A stopped CSX train had residents of one Molino neighborhood stuck with no way out late Monday afternoon.
Residents said the Fairground and Daffin Road crossings were blocked for a couple of hours just after 4 p.m. Monday. Until the train moved again about 6:40, residents of Daffin Road, Fairground Road, River Bend Road and Yuhasz Road were unable to get out of the their neighborhood.
Reader submitted photo by Jamie Caston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Chiefs Name Players Of The Week
August 29, 2017
Northview High School has named players of the week from their 14-7 win over the J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs.
Trent Peebles (#25 above) was named Dominator of the Week. He broke six tackles and carried two defenders 14 yards on a game-clinching run.
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Lance McLaughlin (#52 above) was named Defensive Player of the Week with 10 tackles, two tackles for a loss and one sack.
Aunterio Minor (#1 above) was named the Offensive Player of the Week with 17 rushes for 121 yards.
Hunter Spence (above) was named Special Teams Player of the Week with three punts and zero return yards.
Also, Hunter Breedlove was named the Scout Team Player of the Week.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
State Files Complaint Over Pensacola Greyhound Track Card Games
August 29, 2017
State gambling regulators have filed filed complaints alleging that Pensacola Greyhound Racing failed to comply with requirements for “designated player games”.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation filed the administrative complaint.
The games, in which a player acts as the “bank,” were at the center of a legal battle between the state and the Seminole Tribe. The battle focused on whether the wildly popular — and lucrative — games violated the tribal casinos’ “exclusive” rights to offer banked card games such as blackjack.
Scott and the Seminoles reached an agreement this summer after U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled in favor of the tribe.
In the July agreement, the state agreed to drop its appeal of the federal court decision and to take “aggressive enforcement action” against pari-mutuels that might be violating state law in the way they conduct designated-player games. State law requires players to “play against each other,” as opposed to playing against the “house,” which operates as a “bank.”
The agreement with the tribe also freed up $200 million in payments to the state, something lawmakers were eager to tap into, even though the deal took legislative leaders by surprise.
The complaint alleges that the Pensacola cardroom is operating a casino-type game, in which players are playing against a bank instead of each other.
Barry Richard, a lawyer who represents the Seminoles, said he met with Department of Business and Professional Regulation officials last week to discuss the settlement agreement.
“They informed us that they wanted us to know that they’ve already begun to enforce the law as Judge Hinkle interpreted,” Richard said in a telephone interview. “We have a high level of confidence they appear to be conscientiously and in good faith abiding by the settlement agreement and by Judge Hinkle’s decision.”
The settlement agreement focused on a portion of a 20-year gambling deal, called a “compact,” that expired in 2015. That portion of the deal gave exclusive rights to tribal casinos to operate banked card games, such as blackjack.
Under the 2010 deal, the tribe guaranteed $1 billion in payments to the state for the exclusive rights to offer the banked card games for five years.
The tribe sued the state when the agreement expired, accusing state gambling officials of breaching the compact by allowing improper designated-player games at horse and dog tracks and jai alai frontons.
Under Florida law, a “banking game” is defined as one “in which the house is a participant in the game, taking on players, paying winners, and collecting from losers or in which the cardroom establishes a bank against which participants play.”
Lawyers for the state argued that a player acting as the bank does not establish a bank within the meaning of the statute.
But Hinkle rejected that, writing that the second part of the definition describes a game banked by anyone, including a player.
“The essential feature of a ‘banked’ game is this: The bank pays the winners and collects from the losers,” he wrote.
In the November order, Hinkle focused in part on one cardroom’s requirement that potential designated players pass a background check and post a cash bond of $100,000 to act as the bank.
“The assertion that this game was just players competing against one another, without a ‘bank’ established by the facility, should have been a nonstarter. But the department assured the cardroom in writing that the game was compliant with Florida law. The assurance provided a ’safe harbor,’ protecting the facility from prosecution for conducting an illegal banked game,” Hinkle wrote.
The recent complaints did not specifically outline how the Pensacola games were illegal, but indicated that the “designated player” did not change, something referenced in Hinkle’s ruling.
The Pensacola Greyhound Track is owned by the Poarch Creek Indians of Atmore. A similar complaint has been filed against the Sarasota Kennel Club.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida with contributions by NorthEscambia.com