Negron Targets Sexual Harassment As Session Opens
January 10, 2018
Senate President Joe Negron reiterated his chamber will have “zero tolerance” for sexual harassment or misconduct against employees and visitors, as he gave an opening address Tuesday for the 2018 legislative session.
Negron also talked of the need to address impacts from Hurricane Irma and to further build up the state university system.
And Negron said the Senate will work with Gov. Rick Scott on his request for additional pay raises for law-enforcement officers and with House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, on expanding school choice.
“One thing I know is, it doesn’t matter at all to the Floridians we represent where these ideas originate,” Negron said. “They’re worried about taking care of their families. Taking their students to ballet practice, to Little League practice. … Families are busy trying to survive and prosper and they don’t care about this home-and-away football game mentality that some people have. I am happy to do school choice. I am happy to help our medical profession. I’m happy to protect consumers, patients, to improve our colleges. Improve our K-12 system.”
Negron’s opened his address by acknowledging the national topic of sexual harassment, which has hit home in the Senate.
Clearwater Republican Jack Latvala resigned following the release last month of a report by Special Master Ronald Swanson, a former judge. Swanson was hired after a Senate staff member alleged sexual harassment by Latvala. The report concluded that Latvala broke rules about sexual harassment, and it recommended a criminal probe into other allegations that the longtime lawmaker had promised legislative favors for sex.
“State government should lead by example in instituting policies that ensures employees feel safe when they come to work and comfortable to confidentially report inappropriate behavior by any person,” Negron said.
Negron did not address a disclosure — just moments before the session began — of an affair between Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, and Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami.
“We have sought the forgiveness of our families, and also seek the forgiveness of our constituents and God,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “We ask everyone else to respect and provide our families the privacy that they deserve as we move past this to focus on the important work ahead.”
The joint statement was issued after an anonymous website alleged the affair.
Negron, in his comments, said Senate Rules Chairwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, is leading the Senate’s effort “to update its administrative policy on sexual and workplace harassment.”
Negron added that the Senate continues to address the impacts of Hurricane Irma, looking at issues such as fuel supplies, abandoned vessels, bulking up the electric grid, assisting the agricultural industry and making nursing-home reforms.
Residents of a Broward County nursing home died after Irma knocked out the facility’s air-conditioning system. Negron said he wanted to ensure the safety of Florida’s seniors who reside in nursing facilities. He said it is critical that seniors are “cared for with the highest level of safety and dignity. And that will be one of our priorities this session”
He also said the Senate would work with Scott on “policy and budget” to welcome displaced Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria.
Negron also said he wanted to take a multidisciplinary approach to helping solve Florida’s opioid crisis. Drug-related deaths in Florida jumped by 35 percent in 2016, but experts say the situation is even more dire than the statistic demonstrates.
Negron said the multidisciplinary approach should include medication-assisted treatment and increased criminal penalties for selling and trafficking drugs.
The Senate will hold its first full floor session Thursday and is expected to take up a Negron priority (SB 4) that would make permanent an expansion in Bright Futures scholarships. It also includes other higher-education proposals, such as holding universities to a four-year graduation standard in performance funding.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida. News Service staff writer Christine Sexton contributed to this report.
HS Basketball: Northview Tops Jay, Tate Beats Niceville
January 10, 2018
Tuesday high school basketball results:
BOYS
Northview 41, Jay 38
Northview 26, Jay 24 (JV)
Tate 67, Niceville 58
Tate 54, Niceville 41 (JV)
GIRLS
Pine Forest 37, Tate 20
Pictured: Northview at Jay. Photos by Ellen Helton for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle School Announces Science Fair Winners
January 10, 2018
About 100 students took part in the recent Ernest Ward Middle School Science Fair. Winners were:
6th GRADE
1st Place — “Got Gas” Emilie Funck
2nd Place — Got Water Maggie Godwin
3rd Place — “Water Type and Plant Growth ” Meredith Johnston
7th GRADE
1st Place — “Shout It Out” Luke Bridges
2nd Place — “How Color Affects Photosynthesis” Madison Rowinsky
3rd Place (tied)
“Effect of Different Liquids on a Plant’s Health” Blake Yoder
“No Small Cakes Here ” Emma Gilmore
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tougher Texting While Driving Ban Moves In Florida House
January 10, 2018
With support from the House speaker, a proposal to make texting while driving a “primary” offense in Florida received unanimous support Tuesday from a House panel as the 2018 legislative session opened.
The House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee approved the measure (HB 33), which would allow law-enforcement officers to stop vehicles when they see motorists texting behind the wheel.
“This will prevent the actual behavior of texting behind the wheel,” said Rep. Emily Slosberg, a Boca Raton Democrat who is co-sponsoring the bill with Rep. Jackie Toledo, R-Tampa. “Because right now, it’s completely unenforceable as a secondary offense.”
Currently, motorists can only be charged with texting and driving if they are stopped for other offenses, such as speeding.
The bill, which must still go before two more panels, advanced despite concern by St. Petersburg Democrat Wengay Newton — a committee member who voted for the bill — who said the change from a secondary to primary offense could be used to racially profile African-Americans.
“I know the inference of having the safety.” Newton, who is black, said. “I get it. But at the same time, when you talk about how it affects everybody in the state … there are a lot that look like me that I want to ensure get a fair shake.”
Also, some supporters of the texting-while-driving ban would prefer lawmakers require motorists to be “hands free” from electronic devices. They also contend the House proposal could prevent law enforcement from inspecting electronic devices if drivers simply claim they were using allowed GPS rather than typing messages.
“There’s just too many loopholes in it,” said Demetrius Branca, whose 19-year-old son Anthony Branca was killed by a distracted driver just over three years ago in Tallahassee. “In my mind, distracted driving, the core of it, is no different than drunk driving. You are doing something that you know to be dangerous, and you are endangering everyone around you.”
The House bill would allow motorists to text while in stationary vehicles and would require law-enforcement officers to inform drivers they have a right to decline a search of the wireless devices. The measure also would prohibit officers from confiscating handheld devices without warrants.
The civil liberty protections were important for many lawmakers. Bills in the past to toughen texting-while-driving laws have failed to advance in the Republican-dominated Legislature.
Slosberg said after the meeting she’d prefer a “hands free” requirement and for charges to be criminal, but she said the bill had been negotiated and needs to be viewed as “a step in the right direction.”
“We’re moving the needle,” added Toledo, who noted her stepson bragged that he knew he couldn’t be pulled over for texting while driving unless he was committing a separate offense.
“That’s when I’m thinking we need harsher legislation,” Toledo said. “We need to be clear with our children that you cannot text and drive.”
The proposal got a major boost in December when House Speaker Richard Corcoran announced his support.
The Land O’ Lakes Republican said that as the father of six children, including two teens who have driver licenses, he has become convinced by statistics showing the dangers of texting while driving, particularly for younger drivers.
The state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported nearly 50,000 distracted-driving crashes in 2016 in Florida, including 233 deaths.
Slosberg sought a texting-while-driving ban in the 2017 session and has spent the past several months urging support from local governments. More than 20 counties and nearly 30 cities approved resolutions in support of making texting while driving a primary offense.
For Slosberg, efforts to increase traffic safety are also personal.
On Feb. 23, 1996, Slosberg and her twin sister, Dori, got into a car with friends. The driver, 19, was speeding 90 mph in a 50 mph zone when the car struck a median and crashed into a car heading east. Emily Slosberg survived the crash with a punctured lung and several broken bones. Dori was killed along with four other teenagers.
The bill does not alter existing fines — $30 plus court costs for a first non-moving violation and $60, court costs and three points on a driver’s license on a second offense within five years of the first.
By not changing the fines, the House measure is closer in line with a Senate bill (SB 90) by Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, that will go before the Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
UWF’s Shinnick Named National Coach Of The Year
January 10, 2018
UWF head football coach Pete Shinnick was named the Division II National Coach of the Year, as announced by the American Football Coaches Association during the live broadcast of the American Football Coaches Awards®, presented by Amway, at the Charlotte Convention Center Tuesday.
Shinnick led the Argonauts to an 11-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game in their second season of competition. UWF went 5-3 in the ultra-competitive Gulf South Conference to finish tied for second. The Argonauts won a school record six-consecutive games which included five against nationally ranked teams en route to the title game appearance.
UWF was ranked second in the final AFCA Top 25, marking its first-ever ranking after receiving votes twice during the 2017 season.
The Argos had the nation’s 20th-ranked defense and were among the top 20 in sacks, turnovers gained, interceptions, fumbles recovered, fourth down defense and defensive touchdowns.
UWF had a number of exciting events transpire in 2017. Among the highlights in the regular-season were: A goal line turnover in the final seconds to secure a win at Missouri S&T in the season opener; The team tied a school-record with 51 points in a win over Chowan; Austin Williams kicked a field goal as time expired in a wild road win over Florida Tech to claim the Coastal Classic for the second-consecutive year, Marvin Conley had a 98-yard pick-6 in the last minute to preserve a 28-14 win over Mississippi College; the Argos defeated North Alabama 30-7 on Senior Day; UWF erased a 16-0 deficit to defeat WestGeorgia 34-29 and earn a berth into the postseason, becoming the fastest startup to reach the playoffs in Division II.
The postseason run proved to be just as exciting, captivating the nation as the team knocked off one top-25 opponent after another, beginning with a dominating 31-0 win at No. 16 Wingate. A 17-14 win at No. 25 West Georgia followed before winning the Super Regional 2 championship at No. 17 West Alabama. The national semifinals saw another dominating defensive performance as the Argonauts outlasted top-ranked and undefeated Indiana (Pa.), 27-17 to advance to the title game.
The award is the first for Shinnick, who is 16-10 in two years at UWF and 129-56 in 16 seasons as a head coach.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Myles Rusty
January 10, 2018
Our firstborn, Myles Rusty, was born to us, Rusty and Stacia, on the cold wintry morning of December 31, 2017, at the Baptist Medical Center, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Miles from home, in a strange and unfamiliar place, our beloved infant son, came into this world to two excited but terrified parents. We are thankful we had a short time to hold and love him. We were so looking forward to him being in our lives, but Jesus had a different plan and took baby Myles to heaven to be a beautiful angel.
Although we are left with broken hearts, we want to trust all to Him who knows best. We are comforted in knowing that we have the hope of seeing him again someday.
Sharing in this loss are his parents, Rusty and Stacia Kaufmann, Walnut Hill, Florida; paternal grandparents, Hank and Diane Kaufmann, Walnut Hill, Florida; maternal grandparents, Galen and Rosalie Schmidt, Walnut Hill, Florida; great grandparents, Verle and Vesta Peters, Walnut Hill, Florida; Sam and Lavaunda Schmidt, Scotia, Nebraska; Dolly Eicher, Brooksville, Mississippi.
A memorial service was held on January 5, 2018, at the Southern Harbor Mennonite Church, Davisville, Florida, with Min. Verle Peters officiating.
Stephany Marie Kizer Peterson
January 10, 2018
Stephany Marie Kizer Peterson , 51, died Sunday January 7, 2018 at her home in Perdido Key, Florida. Stephany was born at U.S Marine Corps Air Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on September 29, 1966 to the late LTCOL. James P. and Marie Kizer. After about a year, the family traveled from Hawaii to California. Over the next twelve years, as LTCOL Kizer moved to assignments in the U.S. and Vietnam, the family travelled back and forth between California, North Carolina, and Virginia. Stephany and her family often spent much of their summers in Atmore Alabama enjoying the warm days with her grandparents, extended family, and with friends. Stephany, like all Marine brats, attended several elementary and middle schools. In the summer of 1978, following LTCOL Kizer’s retirement from the Marine Corps, the family moved from U.S. Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California to Atmore, Alabama.
Stephany attended Escambia County Middle School in Atmore and spent three years at Escambia County High School. She transferred to Ernest Ward High School in her senior year and graduated in 1984; after graduation she attended Auburn University. Stephany later determined that her destiny was not Auburn and instead traveled to Grapevine, Texas and began Flight Attendant Training with American Airlines. She spent nearly 5 years as a flight attendant with American Airlines living in New York and Grapevine, Texas where she married her children’s father. She and her husband moved to LaFayette, Louisiana and were blessed with the birth of her first son, Patrick Casey Byers, on December 8, 1993. The family later moved to Jupiter, Florida where she was again blessed with the birth of her second son, Bradley Joseph Byers, on December 2, 1997. In 2000, Stephany and her husband divorced, and she moved to Tequesta, Florida.
To be closer to her family, Stephany and her two boys moved to Orange Beach, Alabama in 2007. In 2011 Stephany embarked on a new chapter in her life when she and a partner opened Ya Ya’s Restaurant. Stephany, supported by her associates, served as not only the owner, but also as the cook, waitress, and chief bottle washer! In 2012, Stephany met David E. Peterson and the two dated for the next 5 years. On April 8, 2017, Stephany and David were married and moved to Perdido Key, Florida.
Stephany Peterson’s survivors include two sons, Patrick Casey Byers and Bradley Joseph Byers, her husband David Peterson, and his children John Thomas Peterson, Michael Peterson, and Ashley Peterson; her brother James P. Kizer Jr. and wife, Beth, of Navarre, Florida, her brother Steven J. Kizer and wife, Michelle, of Gulf Shores, and two nephews James Garrett Kizer and Spencer Joseph Kizer. Rite of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. January 12, 2018 from Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home with Father Milsted officiating. Interment will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home.
Alan Blake Clark, Sr.
January 10, 2018
Mr. Alan Blake Clark, Sr., age 70, passed away Monday, January 8, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama.
Mr. Clark was a native of Penscola, FL, spent most of his life in Gulf Breeze, FL and Pensacola, FL and has resided in Booneville, AL for the past 13 years. He was of the Methodist Faith. He is preceded in death by his wife, Debbie Clark, one step-daughter, Kimberly Dawn Suggs McClain and parents, Albert & Lillian Clark.
Survivors include his son, Alan Blake (Rikki English Clark) Clark, Jr. of Booneville, AL; daughter, Angelique B. Clark of Booneville, AL and seven grandchildren, Marie Clark, Lilee Clark, Destiny Clark, Drake Ryan, Blake Ryan, Shelby McClain and Amanda McClain.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Mary Flannigan Helton
January 10, 2018
Mary Flannigan Helton, age 90, passed away Sunday, Januray 7, 2018 at home surrounded by her loving family. She enjoyed a long career with Bell South, later AT&T as a Chief Operator.
She is preceded in death by her husband Loyd”Pappy” Helton, son Patrick Carroll, brothers Edward Flannigan and Loyd Flannigan.
Survivors include her daughter Cindy (Warren) Tyon, brother Jerry (Charlotte) Flannigan, grandson sPatrick, William and Hunter, great grand children Deva, Jason, Tommy, Amber, David, Estella and Hanna.
Graveside services will be held Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 11:00am at Pine Crest Cemetery, 1939 Dauphin Island Parkway, Mobile,AL.
State of The State: Scott Pitches Proposal To Prevent Tax Hikes
January 9, 2018
In his last State of the State speech, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday asked lawmakers to make it harder to pass future tax increases by requiring a “supermajority” vote by the Legislature.
“This is my last session to cut taxes,” Scott told House and Senate members on the opening day of the 2018 legislative session. “And we must acknowledge that, unfortunately, at some point, there will be politicians sitting in this chamber who are not as fiscally responsible as we are today.”
Scott wants lawmakers to back a constitutional amendment, which if approved by voters in the fall, would require two-thirds votes by the Legislature to pass tax increases. The Republican-led Legislature can now pass a tax increase by a majority vote, with the last increase being a $1 hike in 2009 on the tax on packs of cigarettes.
In his 35-minute speech to lawmakers, Scott discounted arguments that adopting a higher voting requirement on tax increases would hamper future state leaders in dealing with financial challenges.
“It is during times of economic downturn where this proposal is needed the most,” Scott said. “It will force leaders to contemplate living within their means rather than taking the easy way out and just sticking it to the public by raising taxes on families and job creators.”
The House is already advancing a constitutional amendment (HJR 7001) to require two-thirds votes before raising taxes or fees. The Florida Constitution Revision Commission, which has the power to place issues on the 2018 ballot, is also considering a similar measure (Proposal 72).
Facing term limits as he approaches eight years in office, Scott said more than $7 billion in cumulative tax cuts have occurred since he became governor in January 2011.
But in his final legislative agenda, Scott is backing a modest tax-cutting plan in addition to the constitutional proposal. Scott wants to expand sales-tax holidays for Floridians when they buy school and hurricane supplies, and he wants to cut some motor-vehicle fees, including reducing the renewal fee for drivers’ licenses from $48 to $20.
Coming to Tallahassee as a political novice and facing a state budget undermined by the recession, the former health-care executive called his two-term governorship his “most rewarding job.”
“There were the naysayers who told us there was no way that a businessman with no experience in politics or government could possibly be successful at helping turn Florida’s economy around,” Scott said. “Fortunately for all of us, the naysayers were wrong.”
In addition to the tax cuts, Scott used his final State of the State address to mark progress in recovering from the recession. That includes a state unemployment rate of 3.6 percent, which is below the national average.
“The results speak for themselves,” Scott said. “Working together, we’ve created an environment where our private sector has added nearly 1.5 million jobs.”
Scott acknowledged the challenge last year of Hurricane Irma, a “mammoth storm” that engulfed nearly the entire state.
“It was like a scene from a bad movie,” he said.
But Scott also said the “response and solidarity” of Floridians in dealing with the storm provided “one of the proudest moments I have had as governor.”
Scott also highlighted the state’s efforts to help residents who have fled Puerto Rico after it was hit by Hurricane Maria, saying he wanted Florida to be “the most welcoming place for people displaced by the storm.”
Lawmakers will have to deal with the financial impacts from both hurricanes as they shape the next state budget, taking into account emergency spending related to Irma and the influx of Puerto Ricans, including more than 11,000 students who have enrolled in Florida public schools.
Scott said little in his speech about his previously announced effort to increase public school funding by $200 per student in the new budget. The $770 million increase is funded largely by an increase in property tax values. But House leaders oppose such an idea, characterizing it as a tax increase.
On other high-profile issues, Scott pointed to his $53 million initiative to address the opioid crisis and his proposal to increase pay for state law enforcement officers by $30 million.
Also, with sexual harassment scandals rocking the nation and Tallahassee, including the resignation of prominent state Sen. Jack Latvala, Scott outlined steps his office has taken to help victims.
He called on lawmakers to pass legislation to protect state employees who may have witnessed harassment, encouraging them to participate in investigations.
“Things have got to change, and it starts right here in this building,” Scott said. “We all must join together and send a very strong message: Florida stands with victims.”
Scott also used his speech to provide some clues to his future, taking time to highlight Florida’s global role and to condemn the authoritarian regime of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro.
“Make no mistake, Maduro and his gang of thugs pose a problem for the entire world, especially for us here in Florida,” Scott said.
Foreign affairs could play a role if Scott, a Republican, decides to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat, later this year.