Johnny James Watson, Sr.
January 9, 2018
Johnny James Watson, Sr. was born into the union of John Lex Watson and Maggie Eddins on August 3, 1935 in Jay, Florida, just two years after the end of the Great Depression. He was born at his family’s farm house in the Pine Level community. The hands who ushered him from his mother’s womb where those of his Grandmother Hawthorne. He was blessed with loving, God fearing parents and a large family. Johnny lived in the Jay area most of his life and he loved “God’s Country” as he sometimes called it. Johnny passed away at the age of 82 at the home of his oldest daughter, Amanda, on January 5, 2018 in MiIton, Florida with his family surrounding him.
He grew up farming in the fields of Jay, Florida and Elba, Alabama with his family for many years and eventually worked a host of jobs before he was hired as an inspector for the State of Florida Department of Agriculture, where he spent 25 years before retiring in 1996. Johnny was an extraordinary musician and singer who played multiple musical instruments. He was the front man and lead singer for a number of bands. One of which was the Good Times Band, his favorite instrument was the bass guitar. He played music and sang at numerous venues throughout the local area as well as in Mobile, Alabama for time spanning over forty years.
Johnny was charismatic and charming, especially when he flashed his million dollar smile while crooning in his sultry, smooth voice. Many were said to have hearts fluttered when he sang. ohnny rarely ever said a harsh word about anyone preferring to not say anything at all even toward those who were the most deserving of harsh criticism. He was a friend to all who would let him. He was a hard worker and one who often chose to fix things himself, whether he had the aptitude for the task or not. He would often say, “I am either going to fix it or tear it up worse”, often in more colorful language.
Johnny left behind a large family and countless friends made over the years wherever he lived or worked.
Johnny was married and divorced several times and his unions brought forth seven children. He was preceded in death by his former wife, and sweetheart Janice Charlene Michael Watson who bore him five of those children.
Johnny is survived by his children, Billy Watson (Dianne), Amanda Watson, Johnny Watson, Jr. (Tammy), Chris Watson (Bonita), Mike Watson, Mark Watson (Louise) and Jonathon Watson. He had 14 grandchildren, Zackary, Canaan, Seth, Adam, Brandy, Kelly, Konner, Sydney, Racheal, Taylor, Taylia, Tylan, Mackenzie, and Landon. He is also survived by 6 great-grandchildren, Felicity, Aubrey, Emelia, Scarlett, Paisley and Jaxon.
Johnny is also survived by his adoring siblings, Annie Merle Rogers (Doug), Dennis Watson,Sr. (Patsy), Jimmy Watson (Linda), Bonnie Dole, Brenda Calhoun (Phil), and Clifton Watson. Johnny’s sister, Jean Marie Warrick and youngest brother, Doyle Dwayne Watson preceded him in death as did his loving parents, John Lex and Maggie Watson.
He leaves behind a large extended family of nephews, nieces and cousins, too numerous to name. His family, even the extended family remained a close and vital part of his life, even unto his last breath. They were all very near and dear to his heart.
A Celebration of Johnny’s life will be held on Wednesday, January 10, 2018. Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. with a service immediately following at True Worship Assembly of God, 13297 Hwy 87, Jay, FL 32565. The pallbearers, who are family so close to him, will be John Watson, Dennis Watson, Jr., Clint Sheffield, Justin Sheffield, Jarrett Watson, and Jason Watson. Graveside service to follow, in God’s Country at Pine Level Cemetery in Jay, Florida.
Local Woman Claims $2 Million Powerball Prize; Will Share With Office Pool
January 9, 2018
A local woman has claimed a $2 million prize Powerball prize.
The Florida Lottery said 30-year old Regina Spence claimed the prize from the January 3 Powerball drawing. The winning ticket matched all five of the white ball numbers, but did not match the Powerball. Spence is formerly from Walnut Hill and now resides in Pensacola.
Spence bought the ticket as part of an office pool with 33 of her coworkers at Navy Federal Credit Union
“We were shocked and thrilled to win this prize! I’m planning to use my portion to make some repairs to my home and buy my parents a new refrigerator,” she said.
Spence purchased the winning ticket from Circle K, located at 7950 Pensacola Boulevard. The store will receive a $5,000 bonus commission for selling the ticket.
Pictured: Regina Spence claimed a $2 million Powerball price. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Council Votes To Make Amends With Town Planner
January 9, 2018
The Century Town Council voted Monday night to attempt to make amends with Debbie Nickles, who resigned as town planner on December 29. Nickles worked with the town for 40 years, until calling it quits over moral and ethical issues, and concerns about the town’s credibility.
Nickles did offer to continue work on several ongoing projects. She gave no reason for her resignation in a memorandum to Mayor Henry Hawkins and town council members. But she told NorthEscambia.com in an email, “I feel that I have been placed in a moral/ethical dilemma and that the Town has lost its focus and credibility”.
“Most of us were very, very sad to see her resignation,” Council President Ann Brooks said Monday night.
Brooks said Nickles was working on numerous projects for the town, including a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), EPA Brownfields, implementing Land Development Code, a five-year schedule of improvements, housing grants and Triumph funding requests.
Brooks said the University of West Florida Haas Center would help the town complete the formation of a CRA for about $10,000, but Nickles was a comparative bargain, charging $40 per hour.
“There’s no way (without Nickles) that we could get the help we need,” she said. “She really has a heart for the town, she has been an asset.”
The council vote to attempt to lure Nickles back was 4-1, with council member Louis Gomez voting against. Nickles was not at the meeting; she will be contacted by phone for her decision.
After a brief chuckle, Gomez said, “The question I got is why did she resign anyway?”
“I don’t see why we are backing up and asking her,” he said. “You can’t let your temper get in the way of business.”
At the town’s last council meeting in December, Nickles expressed grave concerns regarding the town’s decision to bill an apartment developer $180,250 to establish water and sewer service as opposed to $63,500 based upon a 2015 verbal agreement that she and then-mayor Freddie McCall made with the Paces Foundation. The 2015 agreement was based upon then-current published rates. [Read more...]
“I feel like this is a moral, ethical thing to me. I feel like we made a commitment to them and the town should honor that commitment,” she said addressing the town council in December.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Warmer Weather For A Few Days
January 9, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 65. East wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. East wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. South wind around 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 51.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 29.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 47.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28.
M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 50.
Town Council Takes On National Championship Football, Elects President And VP
January 9, 2018
The Century Town Council went head to head with the National Championship Football Game Monday night and elected council leadership for the coming year.
The council normally meets on the first Monday of each month, but that was New Year’s Day. So they rescheduled the meeting for Monday night at 7:00, the same time as the big Alabama-Georgia game. The meeting’s pre-game show was a meet and greet with a few members of the Century Chamber of Commerce with a spread of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
The council re-elected Ann Brooks and president and Ben Boutwell as vice president for the new year.
Pictured: Century Chamber President Freddie McCall addresses the Century Town Council Monday night as Georgia was scoring their first field goal against Alabama in Atlanta. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Florida Gets Legal Win On Satellite TV Taxes
January 9, 2018
Ending years of legal battling about the issue, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up a challenge to the constitutionality of a Florida law that sets different tax rates for satellite and cable-television services.
The U.S. Supreme Court, without explanation, turned down Dish Network’s appeal of a ruling last year by the Florida Supreme Court that upheld the law.
The state’s communications-services tax is 4.92 percent on the sale of cable services and 9.07 percent on the sale of satellite-TV services. Local governments also can impose communications-services taxes on cable, with rates varying.
Dish Network contended the different state tax rates on satellite and cable are a form of protectionism that violates the “dormant” Commerce Clause, which bars states from discriminating against interstate commerce.
“The decision below (at the Florida Supreme Court) is a green light to adopt protectionist measures encumbering the flow of commerce across state lines,” Dish Network argued in a November brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the case. “Even though Commerce Clause doctrine is a morass — indeed, precisely because it is a morass — it is vital for the (U.S. Supreme) Court to step in.”
But Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office, which represented the Florida Department of Revenue, argued in a brief that a federal telecommunications law prevents local governments from taxing satellite services. As a result, the brief said, the state set a higher tax rate for satellite services and shares part of the money with local governments. Meanwhile, local governments can tax cable services.
“If a state taxes communications services at the state and local levels, as Florida does, the only way to ensure that the state receives the same revenue from satellite as other communications services while ensuring that local governments may also receive revenue is to tax satellite at a higher rate and share the revenue with local governments,” the brief said.
The state’s 1st District Court of Appeal in 2015 ruled in favor of the satellite-television industry and raised the possibility that Florida would have to pay refunds to satellite companies. But the Florida Supreme Court in April unanimously overturned that decision, with justices saying in a main opinion that they did not find the law was “enacted with a discriminatory purpose.”
A key part of the case at the Florida Supreme Court focused on arguments by the satellite companies that the different tax rates benefited cable companies that are “in-state interests” at the expense of “out-of-state” satellite operators. But Justice Peggy Quince, writing for the court, rejected such a distinction and noted that the state’s largest cable operators are headquartered outside of Florida.
“Cable is not a local, in-state interest any more than satellite,” Quince wrote. “While it may be true that cable employs more Florida residents and uses more local infrastructure to provide its services, the Supreme Court has never found a company to be an in-state interest because it had a greater presence in a state.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Century Joins Escambia County In Waving Fees For Freeze-Related Pipe Repairs
January 9, 2018
The Century Town Council voted Monday night to join Escambia County is temporarily waiving permit and inspection fees for repairs to plumbing resulting the recent hard freezes in the area.
Fees will be waived until the close of business on Thursday, January 19. The county and town waivers are not retroactive and refunds will not be issued for county fees incurred prior to January 4 or Century fees incurred prior to January 9.
This waiver only applies to permit and inspection fees. Permits are still required as usual.
For more information, contact Escambia County Building Services at 850-595-3550 or buildinginspections@myescambia.com or Century Town Hall at (850) 256-3208.
Century Man Arrested In Connection With Flomaton Subway Burglary
January 9, 2018
A Century man wanted on burglary charges by the Flomaton Police Department has been arrested in Escambia County, FL.
Patrick David Griffis., 26, was booked into the Escambia County Jail Monday afternoon as a fugitive from justice. He is being held without bond awaiting extradition back to Alabama.
In late December, the Flomaton Police Department asked for the public’s help in finding Griffis on outstanding warrants for felony third degree burglary, first degree theft of property and misdemeanor criminal mischief. Griffis allegedly kicked in the back door of a Flomaton Subway restaurant where he worked before stealing cash from the safe.
Cold Weather Focuses Highway 29 Cantonment Work On Drainage, Not Asphalt
January 9, 2018
Weather is an important factor in placing asphalt. With temperatures below 45 degrees in the area, crews have focused on drainage improvements along Highway 29 in Cantonment.
Crews are placing concrete drainage pipe across Tree Street at the International Paper (pictured above). Only closing one side of the roadway at a time, team members cut the asphalt, remove roadway base materials and place the cross drain. Workers then compact soil around the cross drain to maintain the structure’s integrity and hold it in place.
Further south near Tate Road, crew members continue to install new concrete drainage and grade ditches on the east side of the roadway. This work is taking place off of the travel lanes and not impacting traffic.
The $5.25 million Highway 29 resurfacing project from Nine Mile Road to Muscogee Road is slated for completion in the spring.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Trump Touts Rural Broadband Initiative, Farm Agenda
January 9, 2018
President Donald Trump Monday unveiled a major initiative designed to strengthen a rural economy that has lagged urban areas in recovery from the recession of 2007-2008. Trump signed two executive orders that fund and streamline the expansion of rural broadband access after an address to 7,400 farmers and ranchers gathered at American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018 Annual Convention in Nashville.
White House agriculture aide Ray Starling said, “High-speed internet should remain a high priority for the administration.” The report urges faster federal permitting for broadband internet expansion in rural areas and for eased rules for providers to place cell towers on federal lands.
In addition to economic development, Trump touched on issues of particular importance to agriculturists such as regulations, labor and trade. He praised farmers for their enduring values. “We are witnessing a new era of patriotism, prosperity and pride—and at the forefront of this exciting new chapter is the great American farmer.” Farmers, Trump said, “embody the values of hard work, grit, self-reliance and sheer determination.”
“In every decision we make, we are honoring America’s proud farming legacy,” Trump said.
The president spent much of his address decrying the costs of excessive regulation and tallying the rules his administration has moved to eliminate.
“We are also putting an end to the regulatory assault on your way of life. And it was an assault,” he said. Trump singled out the Waters of the United States rule, now being withdrawn following an executive order he signed in the first weeks of his administration. “It sounds so nice, it sounds so innocent, and it was a disaster. People came to me about it and they were crying – men who were tough and strong, women who were tough and strong – because I gave them back their property and I gave them back their farms. We ditched the rule.”
Trump acknowledged controversy over the North American Free Trade Agreement and other trade agreements that account for roughly a quarter of U.S. agriculture revenues. “To level the playing field for all of our farmers and ranchers as well as our manufacturers we are reviewing all of our trade agreements,” he said. “On NAFTA I am working very hard to get a better deal for our farmers and ranchers and manufacturers.”
Trump promised the farm bill would continue to provide a safety net for farmers who are now entering their fifth year of declining incomes. “I look forward to working with Congress to pass the farm bill on time so that it delivers for all of you, and I support a bill that includes crop insurance,” he said.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall said Trump’s visit marked a watershed in D.C. politics.
“Farmers and ranchers have too long faced burdensome regulations,” Duvall said. “This president understands the toll government overreach has taken on ordinary business and is moving swiftly to clear the way for prosperity. We are moving into yet another year of economic difficulty. Relief could not have come at a better time.”
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
