Century Resident Charged With Threatening To Kill Man, Run Over Him
April 23, 2017
A Century man was charged after he allegedly tried to hit another man with his car and threatened to kill him with a knife.
Cortez Rasheen Davison, 23, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and marijuana possession. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Davison allegedly drove to the victim’s home and began calling him racial slurs. The victim told Escambia County deputies that he tried to ignore Davison, but Davison pulled out a pocket knife and began to walk toward him. The victim told deputies that Davison threatened to shoot him, shoot up his home and burn down his shed.
After the victim called the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Davison went back to his car and tried to run over the victim as he was driving away, according to an arrest report. The victim told deputies he was not hit because he jumped behind a tree.
Barrineau Park Cleans Up
April 23, 2017
A community clean up event was held Saturday in Barrineau Park in honor of Earth Day. The annual event is co-sponsored by the Honeysuckle Garden Club and the Barrineau Park Historical Society.
Each of over 20 volunteers selected an area to clean, was given gloves, a vest to wear, trash bags and bottled water, and then sent out to pick up the litter. All the trash was piled up under an oak tree at the community center.
The volunteers were then served a free lunch, funded by Kenneth Gibbs and prepared by Honeysuckle Garden Club.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Earth Day Celebrated In Century
April 23, 2017
An Earth Day celebration was held Saturday in Century.
The event, held around the Ole Mill Pond at the Century Health and Rehabilitation Center, featured several eco-friendly vendors and exhibitors.
Pictured top: Earth Day in Century on Saturday. Pictured: An owl on dislay from the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida. Pictured below: Handmade wood carvings for sale. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
April 23, 2017
Sometimes, apologies take a long time in public life. Other times, they come more quickly. And still other times, despite how the old saying goes, it is too late to say you’re sorry.
Miami Republican Frank Artiles learned about the last variation the hard way this week. After making expletive-laden and racially explosive comments, Artiles offered apologies to his colleagues in the Florida Senate — but that was not enough to prevent his resignation under pressure Friday.
News of Artiles’ controversial comments came as the House was working to atone for far-older sins, approving apologies for one of the state’s most-notorious institutions and a once largely ignored incident of mangled justice.In the background, the machinery of the legislative session continued to turn, as Gov. Rick Scott tried a few late interventions to get more money for the environment and tourism marketing. While lawmakers said publicly they were making progress toward a budget deal that could close out the session, there were few concrete public signs that an agreement was within reach.
There will perhaps need to be an apology if they fail to get their work done on time. But the cause of that act of contrition would pale in response to the mistakes that drew apologies this week — whether because of an unguarded conversation in downtown Tallahassee, or because of workers at a reform school in the Panhandle.
THE MAN FROM HIALEAH
Artiles has never been accused of pulling punches. Indeed, the Marine veteran is known for tough talk. But he went a step — or two or three — too far Monday night at a members-only club near the Capitol.
It was there that Artiles berated Sen. Audrey Gibson, a black Democrat from Jacksonville, calling her “girl” and a “bitch,” among other things. Artiles also used the n-word or a derivative thereof, depending on who was telling the story. For good measure, he threw in a Trumpesque description of Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart.
At first, Artiles sounded determined to hold on to his seat, despite Negron’s decisions to yank him from the chairmanship of the Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee and ask the Senate’s general counsel, Dawn Roberts, to investigate Artiles’ behavior.
In a public apology, Artiles expressed regret for his blow-up, including the use of the n-word.
“With regard to the word which I used toward no one in particular, but is rightfully the most inflammatory, I know my explanation is inadequate but it is sincere,” Artiles said. “I grew up in a diverse community. We share each other’s customs, cultures and vernacular. I realize that my position does not allow me for the looseness of words or slang, regardless of how benign my intentions were.”
Gibson, who kept her back turned to Artiles throughout his nearly four-minute speech, later called Artiles’ apology “meaningless.” She said Artiles unleashed the invectives in reaction to Gibson’s questioning the Republican’s amendments during committee meetings last week.
“It’s just ugly, in any setting, and totally unacceptable. I doubt that he would talk to his wife that way. I don’t guess that he does, or any other woman that he cares about, or any other people that he cares about,” she said.
By the end of the week, the calls for Artiles to step aside had grown too loud to ignore. In a statement Friday that seemed fully in character, Artiles announced his resignation while expressing both regret and defiance.
“This experience has allowed me to see that for too many years I have sacrificed what I hold most dear in my life, my wife and my two young daughters,” he said. “While I take full responsibility for using language that was vulgar and inappropriate, my family has fallen victim to a political process that can distort the truth for the sole purpose of political gain.”
In a hastily arranged press conference at the Capitol, Negron said Artiles made the correct call with the resignation.
“I think he made the right decision,” Negron said. “As he has noted both on the floor and in his letter, all of us are accountable for our actions and comments. So, I think it’s an appropriate resolution.”
Sen. Perry Thurston, who chairs the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, also welcomed the announcement.
“The actions of this Senate, and those of the multitude of Floridians who stood up in objection to the events of this week are to be lauded,” said Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale. “They underscored the critical lesson that words can be painful, they can be hurtful, and they can have consequences.”
In a statement that referenced Artiles’ name only in the headline, Gibson thanked those who had stood with her “for their outpouring of support.”
“This has been an ordeal that no one should have to endure,” she said. “I wish him well in all of his endeavors.”
A day before Artiles asked for forgiveness on the Senate floor, two groups sat in the House gallery Tuesday to witness apologies that they had been waiting decades to hear.
One of the groups included 17 former students of the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a now-closed reform school that became a sort of torture camp for many of the youths sent there.
A House resolution (HR 1335) acknowledged that treatment of boys sent to Dozier and a related facility in Okeechobee was cruel, unjust and “a violation of human decency.”
More than 500 former students have alleged brutal beatings, mental abuse and sexual abuse at the Dozier school, which was shuttered in 2011 after 111 years of operation in Marianna.
“That was a genuine thing that was heartfelt by all of the White House boys,” said Charles Fudge, a 69-year-old Homosassa resident who wiped away tears during the House debate and vote. “It means an awful lot for them to acknowledge the abuse that went on.”
Fudge, who was sent to Dozier with three of his brothers in the early 1960s, is part of the “White House Boys” group, which is named after a facility at the school where boys were beaten and abused.
The House also unanimously passed a bill (HB 7115) that would authorize the creation of monuments in Tallahassee and in Jackson County, which includes Marianna, to commemorate the Dozier and Okeechobee victims.
“It’s time,” said Rep. Cynthia Stafford, a Miami Democrat who helped sponsor the bill. “It’s time for closure. It’s time for accountability. It’s time for justice.”
Also on hand Tuesday were descendants and relatives of the “Groveland Four,” a group of four black men accused of raping a white woman in 1949 in Lake County. Only two of the men survived the manhunts and discredited trials that followed the allegations, with the case becoming the subject of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Devil in the Grove.”
Among those watching the proceedings was Carol Greenlee, the son of Charles Greenlee. She still remembered one time when she visited her father six decades ago.
“I’m the child that went to the prison one Sunday with my mother, and my daddy kissed me on the head and said, ‘Don’t bring her back no more. It’s too hard,’ ” Greenlee recalled. “And I didn’t see him no more until I was 12 years old.”
Now 67, she lived to see the House vote to formally apologize for the prosecution and persecution of her father as well as Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd and Ernest Thomas.
“The memories can’t be erased, the pain they’ve endured can’t be fixed, but today we have an opportunity to provide closure to these families in the form of an apology,” said Rep. Bobby DuBose, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat who sponsored the House measure (HCR 631).
The Senate is expected to approve the apology before the end of the legislative session.
SCOTT INTERVENES
Over the seven regular legislative sessions during his time as governor, Scott has alternately been intensely involved, utterly indifferent, or somewhere in between. This year, after weeks of campaigning for more money for economic development incentives, the governor has decided to push hard in the closing weeks for environmental funding and tourism-marketing dollars.
Scott began the week by throwing his support behind a revised Senate water-storage plan in the Everglades and called for lawmakers to financially help the federal government speed repairs to the dike around Lake Okeechobee.
In a news conference, Scott urged lawmakers to add $200 million to the budget to help the federal government’s ongoing repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike.
He also backed a redrawn water-storage plan south of Lake Okeechobee that has been a priority of Negron.
“If we can start working to fix the dike, we can help solve a lot of the water issues we have seen with Lake O,” said Scott, who met with seven Senate leaders individually prior to his announcement on Monday. “Repairing the dike is key to enhancing the water quality in South Florida. I am going to be very aggressive at doing whatever we can to protect our environment.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers currently anticipates a $1.7 billion project to reinforce the dike could be completed by 2025.
Scott said he’s addressed his desire to complete the dike repairs by 2022 with President Donald Trump’s administration. He also said state money could be freed up for the environmental work because of a federal commitment last week to boost what is known as Low Income Pool health-care funding to $1.5 billion.
The governor also pushed this week for more money for Visit Florida, which touts the state’s beaches and other tourism draws. That’s nothing new, but the size of Scott’s ask — $100 million — was $24 million more than he requested earlier.
“As I travel the state and talk about this, people are just shocked that the House would even think about reducing marketing in the state for tourism,” said Scott, who has feuded for months with House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, about the future of Visit Florida and the economic-development agency Enterprise Florida.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Miami Republican Frank Artiles resigned from the Senate after using vulgar and racially charged language during a conversation Monday evening with colleagues.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I’m from Hialeah.”—Sen. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, explaining his use of the n-word or a close variation of it Monday night, as recounted by Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, to a reporter for the Miami Herald.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Notice Of Minor Party Changes To Registrants
April 23, 2017
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office recently received notice from the Florida Division of Elections that the registration status of the Independence Party of Florida (IDP) has been cancelled.
As a result, they were required to change the party affiliation of any voter registered in the Independence Party of Florida (IDP) to No Party Affiliation (NPA). New voter information cards reflecting the change are being mailed to all impacted voters, along with a list of active political parties and a Florida Voter Registration Application.
Voters whose party affiliation has been impacted may remain registered as No Party Affiliation, or may choose to register with one of the ten political parties currently active and recognized by the Division of Elections, a list of which can be accessed at http://dos.myflorida.com/elections/candidates-committees/political-parties/ or at EscambiaVotes.com. A party change can be made using a Florida Voter Registration Application or by submitting a signed, written notice to a voter registration official.
The Florida Division of Elections also notified the SOE that the application status of the Independent Party of Florida (IND) has been approved and is now an active minor political party in Florida.
UWF Holds Spring Game
April 23, 2017
For the second-consecutive year, the UWF football team gave the sizeable crowd on campus at Pen Air Field nearly 400 yards of offense and numerous big plays on both sides of the ball in the annual Spring Game.
Playing offense against defense throughout due to limited depth at various positions, the offense managed 398 yards of total offense in approximately 90 plays, including 347 through the air. The Argonauts also had eight plays of 10 yards or more.
Redshirt sophomores Grey Jackson and Mike Beaudry saw the majority of time at quarterback with each amassing at least 90 yards of offense. Jackson was 10-for-15 for 82 yards and rushed for eight more including a 5-yard touchdown score. Beaudry was 11-for-17 for 106 yards and one scoring strike.
Sophomore Kevin Grant had five receptions for 53 yards and a 32-yard touchdown catch. Sophomore Caleb Robinson hauled in three balls for 61 yards, while classmates Ka’Ron Ashley and J.J. Lewis each collected more than 20 yards receiving.
The defense collected seven 3-and-out performances and registered a pair of turnovers. Junior Anthony Ryals forced a fumble on the game’s second play and sophomore Jerel Ricketts had a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown. Junior John Williamson had one-and-a-half sacks and was one of five players with three tackles each.
After the game, UWF strength & conditioning coach Kent Morgan recognized a number of Argos for their improvement in the weight room over the spring workout period. He also presented the Iron Argo Award for exceptional improvement to sophomores Chris Schwarz, Martes Wheeler and Stephen Mathews (pictured bottom).
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
A Bit Cooler – Low 50’s Tonight
April 23, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 84. North wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. South wind 10 to 15 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Blue Wahoos Pitcher Throws First Southern League Perfect Game Since 1970
April 23, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starter Tyler Mahle flirted with perfect games in his first two starts. On Saturday against the Mobile BayBears lineup he pitched a perfect nine innings — the first time that has happened in the Southern League since 1970.
Behind Mahle’s perfect game the Blue Wahoos won, 1-0, over Mobile at Hank Aaron Stadium and its eighth game in a row. Pensacola is off to its best start in franchise history and has the best record in the Southern League at 13-3.
Mahle said he was able to mow down the Mobile batters by relying on mixing the speeds and location of his fastball and said his “off-speed stuff was OK.”
“There’s no way to really do it,” the 22-year-old Mahle said. “You got to go out there and it just happens by chance. I feel good. You know it doesn’t happen often. It’s unreal.”
The Blue Wahoos opening day starter, who struck out eight in Saturday’s game, improved to 4-0 with a 0.67 ERA. He is the first Southern League pitcher to reach four wins this season and his ERA is third in the Southern League behind two pitchers with 0.00 earned-run averages.
In his first two starts, Mahle threw 4.1 perfect innings against Tennessee and 5.0 perfect innings against Biloxi. Baseball America ranked him the Cincinnati Reds 12th best prospect to start the 2017 season.
He did throw a no-hitter last season in a game June 13 against Jupiter Hammerheads in High-A with the Daytona Tortugas.
The Reds’ moved him up in June to its Double-A affiliate in Pensacola and he participated in his first Major League spring training camp this year.
Mahle was named the Reds’ Sheldon Chief Bender Award as the club’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2015 when he was with Low-A Dayton Dragons and posted a 13-8 record and 2.43 ERA.
He was 14-6 last year with Daytona and Pensacola but said he felt his performance for the Blue Wahoos was the “worst” in his professional career. He was 1-2 with a 6.90 ERA in his last eight starts and lasted 3.2 innings or less three times.
Mahle thanked his defense for their stingy defense behind him throughout the game. Blue Wahoos shortstop Blake Trahan has made only two errors in 16 games this season. In addition, Gabriel Guerrero caught some fly balls on the run in left field.
“They were in the perfect spots and they ran some balls down,” said the humble Mahle. “They made some amazing plays.”
All Mahle needed was a single to left field by catcher Joe Hudson in the second inning that drove in right fielder Aristides Aquino to put the Blue Wahoos up 1-0. Aquino ripped a double to center field to start the second inning.
They were the only two hits that Mobile starter Tyler Carpenter gave up to Pensacola in his eight inning start
Mahle’s perfect game gave the Blue Wahoos pitching staff a ridiculous team ERA of 2.17, which leads the league. It was also the team’s fourth shutout in its 16 games played this season, the most in the league.
Gulf Power Named Among Nation’s Top Ten Utilities
April 23, 2017
Gulf Power has been ranked among the top ten investor-owned utilities in the nation according to a new ranking which compares capital investment to the benefits customer receive in reliability and overall satisfaction.
Gulf Power garnered the eighth spot from a pool of 100 investor-owned utilities evaluated across the country by the Wired Group, and second place in Florida. The Colorado-based consulting firm used an internet-based Utility Evaluator that calculates customer value rankings based on a variety of metrics, including efficiency of spending on capital investments, operations and maintenance, reliability and satisfaction ratings.
The Utility Evaluator simplifies credible utility performance evaluation and benchmarking, enabling standard and custom comparisons on costs, reliability, capital effectiveness, and more against user-defined peer groups. It compiles and compares performance data from multiple public sources including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, JD Powers and Associates’ annual customer satisfaction surveys and state regulatory filings.
Gulf Power also received multiple accolades in sub categories in the rankings, claiming the 9th spot out of 98 utilities evaluated in customer satisfaction based on overall customer rankings published annually by JD Power and Associates.
Unemployment Rate Drops
April 22, 2017
Governor Rick Scott announced Friday that the Pensacola area added 3,800 new private-sector jobs over the year in March. The area’s unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, down 0.5 percentage point from a year ago. In the last year, Florida businesses created 233,800 new jobs, bringing the total number of new jobs added since December 2010 to 1,353,000.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Pensacola businesses created nearly 4,000 jobs for families in Northwest Florida over the past year. We will continue fighting to support business growth all across our state so every Floridian will have the opportunity they need to find a great job.”
The industries with the largest job gains in Pensacola over the year were leisure and hospitality with 1,700 new jobs and trade, transportation and utilities with 1,100 new jobs. The Pensacola area had 4,733 job openings in March, including 1,437 openings for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations.
Statewide, Florida businesses created 60,600 new jobs in first quarter of 2017 and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.8 percent. For the fifth consecutive year, Florida’s annual job growth rate of 3.2 percent is exceeding the nation’s rate of 1.7 percent. More than 26,844 Floridians were placed in jobs by CareerSource Escarosa and the state’s other 23 regional workforce boards.