Slight Chance Of Evening Showers
July 1, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. West wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.
Independence Day: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
125 New Laws Take Effect Today In Florida
July 1, 2017
Rideshare services, such as Lyft and Uber, will have to comply with statewide rules, and students and teachers will be allowed to express their religious beliefs at public schools, under new laws that will go into effect Saturday.
The changes — including two bills from the special session — are among 125 revisions to Florida statutes that hit the books on July 1.
The new laws include Florida’s $82 billion budget, along with a package offering $91.6 million in tax breaks during the upcoming year and new rules regarding public notification of toxic spills. A controversial law regarding charter schools will also go into effect.
Lawmakers sent 241 bills to Scott during the regular legislative session that ended in May, along with four proposals passed during a three-day special session earlier this month.
The governor has signed 234 measures and vetoed 11.
A number of the bills still require approval from voters before becoming law, including a statewide proposal (HB 7107, HJR 7105) that would expand the homestead exemption by $25,000, if approved by voters in November 2018.
Seventy-eight bills became law upon Scott’s signature, including rules for medical marijuana (SB 8A) and a plan (SB 10) that will allow the state to bond money for a controversial reservoir intended to help clean South Florida waterways.
Another 27 laws will go into effect on Oct. 1, including a measure (HB 477) that will impose tougher sentencing for fentanyl possession and distribution.
Here are some of the laws that will hit the books July 1:
BUDGET:
SB 2500, the state’s $80 billion spending plan for 2017-2018, dubbed by the governor’s office as the “Fighting for Florida’s Future” budget. The package outlines funding for state agencies as well as numerous individual local projects.
HB 1A, creates an $85 million “job growth” trust fund for regional economic development projects and workforce training, and provides $75 million for the public-private Visit Florida. The new law also steers $50 million toward repairs on the Herbert Hoover Dike.
HB 3A, adds $215 million for the Florida Education Finance Program, or FEFP, which should boost per-student funding by $100. Scott vetoed spending on the program — which included a $24.49 per-student increase in the main funding formula for public schools — during the regular session.
HB 7022, provides across-the-board pay raises to state employees for the first time since 2013. State law enforcement officers will get a 5 percent hike, while most correctional officers will get an extra $2,500 a year. Judges, state attorneys and public defenders will see 10 percent raises. The legislation also includes changes to health insurance and retirement plans for state employees.
TAX CUTS:
HB 7109, a business-friendly package, has a variety of start dates. The measure provides a three-day back-to-school discount on certain clothes worth up to $60 each, school staples up to $15 each, and personal computers that cost less than $750. Two other key portions of the package — an elimination of sales taxes on feminine hygiene products and a reduction in a commercial lease tax — go into effect on Jan. 1.
LAW ENFORCEMENT:
HB 111, establishes a public-records exemption for identifying information about murder witnesses. Supporters of the bill said many witnesses fear retaliation for cooperating with police.
HB 151, allows the use of “therapy” and “facility” dogs in courts to help provide support for children who testify in cases involving child abuse, abandonment or neglect.
HB 305, allows law-enforcement officers to review footage from their body cameras before filling out reports.
COMMUNICATIONS:
SB 90, carries out a constitutional amendment approved last August aimed at boosting the use of solar energy in the state. The amendment called for extending a renewable-energy tax break for commercial and industrial properties and making renewable-energy equipment exempt from state tangible personal property taxes.
HB 687, limits the ability of local governments to regulate types of equipment known as “small wireless facilities” in public rights of ways. The equipment is for emerging 5G technology.
EDUCATION
SB 396, requires colleges and universities each year to provide students with financial information regarding their student loans.
SB 436, deals with religious expression in schools. The measure is intended to prevent school districts from discriminating against students, parents or school employees on the basis of religious viewpoints or expression.
HB 989, overhauls the state’s policy on instructional materials to allow any county resident — not just parents — to challenge materials, such as books, used at schools.
HB 7069, a wide-ranging education bill that encompasses everything from school testing to recess. The $419 million bill sets aside $140 to encourage charter schools to locate near struggling traditional public schools, and includes funding for extra services for students at struggling schools, teacher bonuses and assistance for parents to help pay for education services for children with disabilities.
HEALTH CARE:
SB 2514, sets up a process for the state Agency for Health Care Administration to ask legislative leaders to release $1.5 billion for the Low Income Pool program after a final agreement is reached with the federal government. The program provides extra money to hospitals that serve large numbers of poor and uninsured patients. The wide-ranging bill also revamps the way nursing homes will be paid in the future in the Medicaid program.
BIRTH CERTIFICATES:
HB 101, allows families to request certificates of “nonviable birth” after miscarriages. Called the “Grieving Families Act,” the measure gives parents the option of seeking certificates of nonviable birth for fetuses lost between the ninth and 20th weeks of gestation.
TRANSPORTATION:
HB 221, creates long-debated statewide regulations for “transportation network companies,” such as Uber and Lyft. The measure, backed by the ridesharing industry, includes insurance and background-check requirements that are less stringent than those sought by local governments.
HB 299, expands the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) to include Brevard County.
SB 368, designates 50 roads and bridges across the state. The measure names sections of Orange County roads after slain Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton and the late golf legend Arnold Palmer. In addition, a part of U.S. 441 in Miami-Dade County will be “Muhammad Ali Boulevard,” and a portion of U.S. 90 in Santa Rosa County will honor Wendell Hall, who retired last year after 16 years as the county’s sheriff.
HB 865, increases the allowed weight of natural gas-fueled vehicles from 80,000 pounds to 82,000 pounds, the maximum amount under federal law. The new law also directs the state Department of Transportation to study the economic feasibility of acquiring the Garcon Point Bridge from the Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority, and orders a study of the boundaries of the transportation department’s seven districts to determine the cost of creating an additional district around Fort Myers.
HB 1169, designates part of a road in Pinellas County as “Officer Charles `Charlie K’ Kondek, Jr., Memorial Highway,” after a longtime Tarpon Springs police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2014.
ENVIRONMENT:
SB 1018, requires stepped-up public notification of pollution incidents. The law was spurred by controversies last year in response to the handling of a sinkhole at a Mosaic phosphate plant in Polk County and sewage discharges into Tampa Bay. Owners or operators of facilities responsible for pollution will have to submit reports within 24 hours to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The department, in turn, will be required to post the information online within 24 hours.
BOATING:
HB 711, expands a registration-fee discount for boaters to purchase certain locator beacons. The discount was created last year in reaction to the disappearance of Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, two 14-year-olds from Tequesta, who went missing in July 2015 after steering a 19-foot boat out of the Jupiter Inlet into the Atlantic Ocean.
HB 7043, allows the owners of private submerged lands adjacent to Outstanding Florida Waters or an aquatic preserve to ask the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish boating-restricted areas solely to protect any seagrass and contiguous seagrass habitat within their private property.
STATE PARKS:
HB 185, creates a 50 percent entry-fee discount to state parks for families operating a licensed family foster home, and a one-time, annual entrance pass for families that adopt a special needs child.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Corcoran Names Don Gaetz To Triumph Gulf Coast Board
July 1, 2017
Former Florida Senate President Don Gaetz, who pushed for the creation of a non-profit board to oversee BP oil spill money, was appointed to the seven-member Triumph Gulf Coast board of directors by House Speaker Richard Corcoran on Friday.
“I can think of no one better suited to ensure fair and equitable distribution of the settlement funds,” Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, said in a release.
While in the Legislature, Gaetz, who served as Senate president during the 2013 and 2014 legislative sessions, was instrumental in establishing the Oil Spill Economic Recovery Act. The act steers three-fourths of the $2 billion the state is to receive over the next 13 years from BP — in a settlement over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico — to the eight Panhandle counties heavily impacted by the disaster, which dumped millions of gallons of oil less than 100 miles off the Florida coast.
Also on Friday, Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, appointed Jason Shaof, vice president of the St. Joe Natural Gas Company, to the Triumph Gulf Coast board.
by The News Service of Florida
Measures signed into law this year (HB 7077, HB 7079) will release the first $300 million of $400 million already received by the state to Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla and Walton counties through the non-profit Triumph organization. The law set minimums for how much each county will receive and expanded the Triumph board from five to seven members, with the goal of providing more representation for less-populated counties. Other members of the board include former House Speaker Allan Bense, who serves as the chairman; Stan Connally Jr.; Pam Dana; Stephen Riggs IV; and Bob Bonezzi.
City To Appeal Federal Court Order To Remove Giant Cross
July 1, 2017
The mayor and City of Pensacola will ask a federal court to protect a cross memorial that has stood in a city park for over 75 years.
Last week, the ordered the cross at the city’s Bayview Park to be removed by July 19 because it is a religious symbol. The case presents important questions of the relationship between church and state, and the city has retained Becket, a nationally recognized non-profit religious liberty law firm, to handle the appeal for the city free of charge.
A wooden cross was first placed in Pensacola’s Bayview Park in 1941 by the local chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees)—a private, civic, nonprofit organization—as the United States prepared to enter World War II. Since then, the cross has served as a gathering place for both religious and nonreligious groups within the Pensacola community. The original wooden cross was replaced with the current cross by the Jaycees in 1969. For decades, the Jaycees and other groups have hosted community events at the memorial, including Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day remembrances. Today it remains a significant part of the city’s history.
“The Bayview Cross has played an important role in the history of Pensacola for over 75 years,” said Ashton Hayward, mayor of Pensacola. “We have a rich and diverse history that is worth celebrating. The Constitution doesn’t require us to erase our history just because part of that history is religious.”
Bayview Park consists of 28 acres overlooking the scenic Bayou Texar. In addition to a cross in the northeast corner of the park, there is a senior center, amphitheater, two dog parks, tennis courts, a bocce ball court, playground, multiple boat ramps and docks, and a memorial to a local citizen who died in a waterskiing accident.
In May of 2016, four plaintiffs sued the city saying that the cross was offensive. Two of the plaintiffs live in Canada. One has used the cross himself for his own self-described “satanic purposes.” The fourth plaintiff lives outside Pensacola over seven miles from the cross but still says that seeing the cross would be offensive. Although a federal court recognized that the cross “is part of the rich history of Pensacola,” and that the cross “might well pass constitutional muster,” it ruled that the cross has a “religious purpose” and must be removed.
“The Supreme Court has repeatedly said that the government can recognize the religious aspects of our history and culture without violating the Constitution,” said Luke Goodrich, deputy general counsel at Becket, which is defending the City of Pensacola. “We expect the city will win this case.”
Becket, which is representing the city free of charge, also successfully defended a statue of Jesus in Montana memorializing soldiers who died during World War II. Today the city is filing a motion asking the court to allow the cross to remain in place while the City appeals. The city is represented in the trial court by J. Nixon Daniel, III, and Terrie L. Didier of Beggs & Lane. A ruling on the motion is expected before July 19.
Santa Rosa Man Gets 20 Years Federal Prison On Child Porn Charges
July 1, 2017
A Santa Rosa County man is headed to federal prison on child pornography charges.
Thomas E. Matassa, 24, was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release as a sex offender for receipt of child pornography.
In February 2016, a detective interviewed Matassa, who admitted to downloading child pornography online. A forensic examination of Matassa’s laptop revealed approximately 200 images of child pornography and more than 30,000 chat messages with underage males to exchange videos and images of child sexual acts. Matassa pled guilty on April 10, 2017.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney Canova said: “Protecting our children from exploitation is a top priority of my office and the Department of Justice. I commend the hard work of our prosecutors and law enforcement professionals who protect our communities and bring child predators to justice.”
“The FBI is committed to protecting children, who are among the most vulnerable in our society,” said Charles P. Spencer, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “We appreciate the efforts of our many law enforcement partners in this case, and remain committed to working tirelessly with them to identify these predators, and find justice for their victims.”
“Matassa is a dangerous predator who was aggressively targeting young boys online in an
attempt to establish relationships with them,” said FDLE Pensacola Special Agent in Charge
U. S. Department of Justice
Christopher P. Canova
United States Attorney
Northern District of Florida
Jack Massey. “I thank our FDLE agents and law enforcement partners for their dedication and
hard work to take this suspect off the street.”
FHP Seeks Pickup Truck Driver Involved In Highway 29 Hit And Run
July 1, 2017
The Florida Highway Patrol is searching for a hit and run driver following a crash on Highway 29 Friday afternoon.
The driver of a white extended cab pickup truck (pictured above) collided with a Dodge Ram 1500 on Highway 29 near North Tate School Road. The female driver of the white pickup stopped long enough to speak to the elderly driver of the black pickup, according to bystanders . Then a man help her put the hood back on the truck before he jumped in the driver’s seat and she got into the front passenger seat before fleeing the scene, witness said.
The elderly male driver of the Dodge pickup suffered minor injuries and was not immediately transported to the hospital.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked call the Florida Highway Patrol at (850) 484-5000, or *FHP from a cellphone, or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 436-STOP.
Pictured top: The white extended cab pickup truck involved in a hit and run crash Friday afternoon on Highway 29 at North Tate School Board. Pictured below: The driver of his pickup truck suffered minor injuries. Reader submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Renner Tapped As Gop Choice For Future Speaker
July 1, 2017
Rep. Paul Renner emerged Friday as the Republican choice for House speaker following the 2022 elections, giving Northeast Florida a much-desired spot for the first time in two decades.
Renner, R-Palm Coast, was supported by fellow members of his “class” — lawmakers elected to their first full term this past November — with 16 votes, two more than he needed for the win, according to the Florida Times-Union.
He defeated Rep. James Grant, R-Tampa; Rep. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach; and Rep. Byron Donald, R-Naples. Grant, who like Renner was elected to a partial term in a special election before last year’s general election, was seen as Renner’s main competitor.
If Republicans hold onto control of the House through the 2022 election and Renner maintains his seat, he is almost certain to become speaker. Renner would follow current Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes; Rep. Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes; and Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor.
The election was the first one following new rules aimed at getting rid of the front-loaded process in the House, which often involved candidates campaigning for the position before they had officially won their House seats. The new rules, backed by Corcoran, barred lawmakers from trying to round up support until after a class had gone through its first session together.
After the vote, Corcoran tweeted his congratulations to his eventual successor.
“Congratulations to @Paul_Renner. & 2 @JamesGrantFL , @ByronDonalds & @ErinGrall respect for entering the arena. U r all a credit 2 the House,” the speaker wrote.
Renner’s opponents in the race also quickly closed ranks behind their new leader.
“I am confident he will do an outstanding job in the role, and I look forward to working with him. … Now that this election is behind us, let’s look forward to working together to put conservative policies in place that will create jobs and a brighter future for all Floridians,” Donalds said in a statement issued after the vote.
Grant also tweeted his congratulations. “I look forward to working with the class for the people of Florida!” he wrote.
Renner also fulfills a longtime ambition for Northeast Florida, where local leaders have long hoped to have a presiding officer from their area. The last House speaker to come from the Jacksonville area was John Thrasher, who served after the 1998 elections.
The last regional leader of either legislative chamber was the late Jim King, who was Senate president after the 2002 elections.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Burn Biscuits
July 1, 2017
The first half champions Pensacola Blue Wahoos scored more than two runs just once in its first six games and were shutout twice after the All-Star break. But the team broke out with 14 runs against the Montgomery Biscuits Friday at Blue Wahoos Stadium to win its fourth straight game.
Thanks to a game-winning single by catcher Chad Tromp in his Double-A debut in the first game and home run blasts by left fielder Tyler Goeddel and DH Josh VanMeter in the second game, Pensacola swept a doubleheader, 5-4, and, 9-4, from Montgomery in front of 4,897.
In the fifth inning, VanMeter yanked a three-run homerun to right field to give Pensacola a commanding, 7-1, lead. It was VanMeter’s second homer of the year, plus it helped him tie a career-high with four RBIs, which he did one other time in 2014 with the Low-A Fort Wayne TinCaps in the San Diego Padres organization. He now has 33 for the season, which is second on the team behind right fielder Aristides Aquino, who has 35.
VanMeter said his homer was a confidence booster after hitting 14 last year between High-A and Double-A in the Padres farm system.
“I’m coming off a year last year where I had quite a few homeruns,” VanMeter said. “The Southern League has been quite an adjustment. You saw our bats come to life. It’s really the first time this half that our bats have come to life.”
Kelly said VanMeter has played second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield because of his bat.
“He has the Tony Renda role,” said Kelly, referring to last year’s spark plug who played nearly every position for Pensacola and hit .326 before making his debut with the Cincinnati Reds later that season. “From day one, he has been one of our best hitters. I’ll find a position for him in our lineup every day.”
Hitting has been a sore spot for the Blue Wahoos all season, who entered Friday with the 9th best average in the Southern League at .226, ninth in runs scored at 259 and eighth in home runs with 39.
Domingo Tapia, who started the second game Friday, made his fourth start this season for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and earned loud cheers as he left after throwing 5.1 innings, allowing one run, scattering seven hits and striking out four.
The 25-year-old started 87 games at the start of his professional career before moving to the bullpen after the 2014 season. Tapia earned his first win as a starter with the Blue Wahoos, improving to 1-2, with a 4.24 ERA.
Kelly has had to rely on relievers to make spot starts as it plays without a proven fifth starter in its rotation.
“Tapia has done a nice job as a starter but I think he likes the bullpen better,” Kelly said. “We had to use him out of necessity. We’ve really, really pushed our bullpen.”
Pensacola took a, 4-1, lead in the third inning when it batted around, getting five hits. The big hit came when Goeddel blasted a two-run homer to left field — the leadoff hitter’s third of the season.
Blue Wahoos second baseman Shed Long almost hit a third homer for the Blue Wahoos. Instead, he was the final out of the fifth inning when Montgomery right fielder Justin Williams leaped and scooped the ball off the top of the fence, robbing Long of his first Double-A home run that would have added three more Pensacola runs.
Montgomery had scored first when left fielder Joe McCarthy hit a double on a short blooper to left field that Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan sprinted to catch and at the last minute reached out with his bare hand but couldn’t haul it in. The Biscuits’ Williams then lined a single to center to score McCarthy, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Pensacola scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Friday to come from behind to down Montgomery, 5-4. The seven-inning game was the first game of Friday’s doubleheader. It resumed after being suspended Thursday in the sixth inning after a 77-minute rain delay
The game-winning hit came from catcher Chad Tromp in his Double-A debut. Called up Wednesday from High-A Daytona Tortugas where he was hitting .311, Tromp stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and smacked a line drive single that got past a diving left fielder and scored both pinch-hitter Nick Senzel and right fielder Aristides Aquino for a 5-4 lead.
“I’m excited,” Kelly said about the hitting of Tromp, Long, Gavin LaValley and Senzel, who all were promoted from High A to start the second half. “I like the at-bats I’m seeing. Tromp hit real well with Daytona, which is one of the reasons he is here.”
Blue Wahoos reliever Robert Stock earned the victory and improved to 3-1 in nine appearances and boasts a 4.15 ERA.
Stock came in after Geoff Broussard blew a 2-0 Pensacola lead by giving up four runs on six hits over the fifth and sixth innings to give Montgomery a 4-2 lead.
Meanwhile, Pensacola righty Alex Powers made his first start in 174 professional and college appearances. The 25-year-old Powers tossed a career-high four innings, tied a career-high with six strikeouts and didn’t give up any runs to the Biscuits on two hits.
UPDATE: Missing Century Teen Has Been Located
June 30, 2017
UPDATE 6/30/2017: Missing teen Laurel McCann has been located, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing habitual runaway from Century.
Laurel Aurora McCann, 16, was last seen on June 24th, fleeing from her house, located in Century, into the woods after having an argument with a family member. Laurel, 16, was last seen wearing blue skinny jeans, a blue T-shirt with a black tank top underneath, and white and blue water shoes.
If you have any information on Laurel’s whereabouts contact the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
Convicted Sex Offender Enters Plea In Naomi Jones Murder
June 30, 2017
The convicted sex offender charged with killing a 12-year old girl has entered a not guilty plea, despite an earlier admission to investigators.
The written plea and waiver of appearance were filed in court by the public defender for 38-year old Robert Letroy Howard. With the entry, Howard will not appear in court Friday for a scheduled arraignment hearing.
Prosecutors say Howard kidnapped, murdered and dumped the body of 12-year old Naomi Jones. He remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond charged with first degree premeditated murder. He is also charged with failure to register as a sex offender in the State of Florida.
Authorities say Howard was living with his girlfriend in the same apartment complex in which Jones lived in the 1400 block of East Johnson Avenue. He lived in a nearly adjacent apartment to Jones. She was last seen May 31 in that apartment complex.
Jones likely died within 24 to 36 hours after her May 31 disappearance, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said. Her body was then later dumped into Eight Mile Creek, some 4-5 miles away, where it was found days later by two men looking for a fishing location.
According to court documents, Howard admitted to being at the apartment complex the day Jones went missing and having contact with her at his apartment. He became extremely angry and committed “a violent act” against Jones causing her death. He then placed her body in the backseat of his Nissan Altima and traveled to multiple locations, including Brewton, AL, before returning to Pensacola and throwing Jones’ body into the creek.