Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Guns And Drugs In The Crosshairs
March 25, 2018
As the nation girds for marches this weekend led by kids demanding stricter gun regulations, the always-heated debate over firearms continued in the state Capitol.
Florida’s been an incubator for some of the country’s most-lenient gun laws, including the first-in-the-nation “stand your ground” statute that allows people to shoot, without having to retreat, if they feel their lives are in danger.
But since the Feb. 14 horrific mass shooting of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, the “Gunshine State” has morphed into what many — including U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio — hope will become a model for gun rules.
Rubio, who earned an “A+” rating from the National Rifle Association during his 2016 re-election campaign, is backing a ban on “bump stocks,” which make semi-automatic weapons mimic automatic firearms, a move that’s opposed by the gun-rights organization and which is part of a new school-safety law passed by the Legislature.
Rubio, a Republican, also supports a provision in Florida’s new law that allows law-enforcement officials to seek court orders to remove guns from people who pose a danger to themselves or others. Rubio’s a sponsor of a congressional proposal that would go even further than the state law by allowing family members to seek “red-flag” protection orders from judges.
The NRA supports allowing law enforcement to seize firearms “from people with mental illness who pose a danger,” Marion Hammer, the organization’s powerful Florida lobbyist and former national president, told The News Service of Florida on Friday.
But, she said, “We do not believe that gratuitous seizures are the answer to the problem.”
It’s too soon to know how Florida’s law will work, Hammer said, “and only time will tell whether or not law enforcement will use it or abuse it.”
Hammer recently took aim at House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who called the new law — which increases the minimum age from 18 to 21 and imposes a three-day waiting period for the purchase of long guns — “one of the greatest Second Amendment victories” in Florida’s history.
The acrimony over guns continued this week, with Corcoran telling the state Constitution Revision Commission to butt out of the issue.
But however ugly the gun debate may be in Florida, Tallahassee provided a reprieve from the contentious climate in the nation’s capital for U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
“It’s great to be here. A little better climate — I’m talking about weather and politics — than Washington, D.C.,” Sessions joked during an appearance before dozens of law enforcement officials Thursday. “It’s a rough bunch up there. I don’t even have a dog. At least you should have a dog in that forsaken place.”
CONSTITUTION PANEL HOLSTERS GUNS
Talk about gun regulations may be all the rage elsewhere, but the Florida Constitution Revision Commission wouldn’t allow debate on firearm-related measures this week.
A majority of the panel, sticking to its rules about deadlines, on Wednesday rejected attempts to introduce three measures that would have imposed stricter gun regulations.
Commissioner Roberto Martinez, a former federal prosecutor who said he owns three guns, tried to introduce a proposal that would put into the Constitution the same gun-related restrictions included in Florida’s new law.
He urged the commission to echo the actions of “the political leadership of this state” this year, saying Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature had “basically been unshackled to address this issue,” despite pressure from powerful special interests. The NRA filed a federal lawsuit shortly after Scott signed the new law and has targeted Republican legislators who supported the measure.
“What is the harm done, if we were to go forward, debate this issue and vote on it? I can’t see any harm,” Martinez, a Republican, said. “What is the benefit? The benefit is unlimited.”
But Attorney General Pam Bondi, a commission member, said the panel was obligated to obey its rules, which set an October deadline for new proposals. She rejected Martinez’s request that the rules be waived because the Valentine’s Day shooting in Parkland occurred months after the filing deadline.
“To say that the shooting came up recently, well, we had Pulse nightclub a year ago. You’ve all known that from day one. No one did anything on that,” Bondi said.
A majority of the 37-member commission agreed with Bondi and voted down Martinez’s motion.
Commissioner Hank Coxe, a Jacksonville lawyer, offered a proposal that included a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and a 10-day waiting period for the purchase of guns. The proposal would have been attached to another measure that met the filing deadline.
But, as with Martinez’s proposal, the commission’s Rules and Administration Chairman Tim Cerio decided Coxe’s proposal wasn’t germane to the underlying measure, which dealt with property rights.
Coxe argued that the commission had signed off on numerous proposals that lawmakers refused to pass — including a potential ban on greyhound racing and a victim’s rights measure known as “Marsy’s Law.”
“The legacy of the CRC is, as we stand here now given the germanity issue, that we worry about victim’s rights in Marsy’s Law, that we worry about the greyhounds, but, because of adherence to this rule, we do not worry about reducing the number of people murdered in the state of Florida,” Coxe said. “Forget germanity. Just waive the rules.”
But, again on a voice vote, a majority of the commission refused to waive the rules, and Coxe’s amendment failed.
WHO YOU GONNA BAN?
The commission, which meets every 20 years and has the authority to place constitutional changes directly on the ballot, moved forward this week with 25 proposals that could go before voters in November.
Voters won’t have a say on guns but could weigh in on schools, hospitals, vaping and offshore oil drilling.
School board members would be limited to eight years in office under a measure (Proposal 43) that moved forward Wednesday.
And Florida’s nearshore waters would be off-limits to future oil and gas drilling under a proposal advanced Tuesday. The measure (Proposal 91) seeks to prohibit oil and gas drilling within about three miles of the East Coast and nine miles of the Gulf of Mexico coast.
“These things (oil rigs) are not what we want along our shorelines,” said Commissioner Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, a former mayor of Sewall’s Point who sponsored the proposal. “We want to protect our natural resources and our scenic beauty.”
The panel also moved forward with a plan (Proposal 65) to add vaping and electronic cigarettes to a ban on smoking in workplaces already included in the state Constitution.
And the commission advanced a proposal (Proposal 54) that would tie new hospital growth in the state to hospital-acquired infection rates at existing facilities, a measure targeting the state’s controversial “certificate of need” laws.
The proposals went to the commission’s Style and Drafting Committee, which is looking at how to group the measures and write ballot summaries. The commission must take final votes by May 10 on which measures will go before voters in November.
JUST SAY NO
Sessions was in Tallahassee to announce the addition of more than 250 Drug Enforcement Administration agents at “opioid hot spots” throughout the country as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to combat the opioid epidemic responsible for 64,000 deaths nationwide in 2016.
Sessions was unapologetic about the Trump administration’s plan to seek the death penalty in drug-related cases, which has sparked pushback from Democrats and others who accuse the president of targeting minorities in a newly resurrected war on drugs.
“We will not hesitate to pursue maximum sentences allowed by law, and if appropriate, the death penalty. Our message should be clear. Business as usual is over,” Sessions said. “Plain and simple, drug traffickers show no respect for human dignity. They put their greed ahead of the safety and even the lives of others, knowing people will be dying as a result of their products.”
Also this week, Scott signed a sweeping package aimed at keeping patients from getting hooked on powerful prescription drugs and then turning to even deadlier street drugs like heroin and fentanyl. The $65 million package, nearly half of which comes from federal funds, includes a controversial provision that places limits on prescriptions that doctors can write for treatment of acute pain.
STORY OF THE WEEK: The Florida Constitution Revision Commission advanced 25 measures for the November ballot, setting up final votes on the proposals before May 10.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “As one of the referee’s law professors might explain, dealing with Sacks was ‘like handling a rattlesnake wrapped in tissue paper.’ Unfortunately, respondent (Gilbert) was not up to the task.” Leonard Hanser, a referee for The Florida Bar, referring to Steven Sacks, who was hired by Hollywood lawyer Randolph Lawrence Gilbert after Sacks was released from federal prison for embezzling $7 million. Sacks later embezzled more than $4 million from Gilbert, who was disbarred Thursday by the Florida Supreme Court for failing to properly oversee his employee.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Fire Chief Selection Begins Monday, Local Applicant Turns To Social Media Push
March 25, 2018
One of the 77 candidates for the Escambia County fire chief job is turning to social media in an attempt to distinguish himself from the pack.
Ferry Pass District Fire Chief Michael Aaron created the “Michael Aaron for Fire Chief” Facebook page where the 24-year veteran of the fire service details his experience, certification and qualifications for the job. He also details his position on various issues such as pay and staffing
“I’m interested in becoming the next Fire Chief of Escambia County Fire Rescue because I believe I have what it takes to lead the department into its next chapter. I’m home grown and literally grown up inside the doors of this organization and I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t work,” he said.
“I knew at a young age that I wanted to earn the position of fire chief. Not for a title, not for the pay, not for the big office with my name on the door but, for the betterment of the organization, for the men and woman of this fire department and most of all for the community in which we serve and protect. Growing up in the community has given me a since of pride in what it do and with that my goal is to better this department in every way possible,” he told NorthEscambia.com.
“My main goal is to let people know who Michael Aaron is. So I asked myself one question ‘what is the best way to get the word out about something or someone’ the answer is easy, Facebook. We live in the 21st century and everyone has Facebook or knows someone that has it,” Aaaron said. “Growing up in Pensacola I have a lot of friends that support me in what I am trying to do, so all I have done is asked for them to follow the page that I have set up and share the ideas I have. I don’t know if I would call it so much as ‘campaigning’ but more of an opportunity for people to learn more about myself and what I plan of doing within the fire services.”
Aaron is one of just a few local candidates for the Escambia County Fire Rescue chief position. Others are Molino District Fire Chief Anthony Manning, current Pensacola Fire Chief David Allen, former Pensacola Fire Chief Matt Schmitt and former Pensacola Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Glover (a current part time ECFR employee), and current ECFR lieutenants Daniel Akerman and Richard Bode.
A selection committee meeting for the Escambia County fire chief position is scheduled for Monday at 8:30 a.m. to review applications submitted for the position. The meeting will take place in the fourth floor training room of the Ernie Lee Magaha Building at 221 Palafox Place. It is open to the public. After reviewing the applications, the committee will shortlist the candidates they wish to interview.
Photos contributed for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Splish Splash Spring Break Bash: Century’s Splash Pad Opens For The Season
March 25, 2018
The Town of Century held a “Splish Splash Spring Break Bash” Saturday morning to celebrate the season opening of the town’s splash pad, just in a time for spring break. In addition to wet (and windy) fun on the splash pad, the event featured free good, music, karaoke and more family fun activities. The splash pad at Showalter Park on Kelly Field Road is now open daily, 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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Weekend Gardening: Hit A Home Run With Knock Out Roses
March 25, 2018
by UF/IFAS Extension
Landscape shrub roses will not make you great cut flowers, but they will give your landscape an abundance of rose flowers for the majority of the year. They practically bloom non-stop during the growing season, from March to November in Northwest Florida. Also, they are much less prone to blackspot disease than the traditional hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora roses.
The Knock Out family of roses was started by rose breeder Bill Radler when he crossed seedlings of ‘Carefree Beauty’ with ‘Razzle Dazzle’ to create the original Knock Out rose. The family now includes varieties that range from blush to vibrant red and even yellow.
In general, Knock Out roses are drought tolerant, self cleaning, and resistant to black spot and powdery mildew. Since they require little maintenance, they are ideal for gardeners who enjoy roses but who aren’t interested in the upkeep required to grow hybrid tea roses. The only drawback of Knock Out roses is that they don’t have a strong fragrance. According to the Conrad Pyle website, the only true fragrant Knock Out is the yellow ‘Sunny’ cultivar.
Like all roses, Knock Out roses need to be planted where they will receive at least six to eight hours of sun each day. It also helps to have a site with good air movement and well-drained soil that falls between pH 6.0 and pH 6.5.
Knock Out roses generally grow three to five feet tall and equally as wide, but some sources say they can reach eight feet tall if not pruned, so be sure to space them appropriately.
After planting, water them regularly until they get established. Apply a three-inch layer of mulch to help retain moisture in the soil, pulling the mulch back from the stem of the plants. Be sure to avoid overhead watering which can increase the chance of fungal leaf spots. They prefer a deep watering every once in a while rather than frequent light waterings.
Knock Out roses are referred to as self-cleaning meaning that the spent blooms will fall off on their own. They will re-bloom every five to six weeks regardless of your deadheading practices. Deadheading is the removal of faded blooms. Most gardeners have found, however, that occasionally deadheading will create and maintain a tidier, more attractive plant.
For more information on rose pests and diseases, refer to the University of Florida/IFAS online publication at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep371 or contact your local Extension Office.
Wrong-Way Driver Arrested For DUI After Molino Highway 29 Crash
March 24, 2018
A Pensacola woman was charged with DUI after a wrong-way crash on Highway 29 in Molino.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 61-year old Linda Brown was southbound in the outer northbound lane of Highway 29 past Highway 95A when she stuck a Ford F150 pickup driven by 47-year old Edward Carnley of Century. Carnley swerved in an attempt to avoid the collision, but his pickup was struck in the side rear. The F150 then traveled off the roadway into the median at an angle, rotated and overturned once during the 11:43 p.m. wreck.
Carnley and his passenger, 16-year old Ashtyn Carnley, were wearing their set belts and were uninjured. Brown was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries before being released and placed under arrest. The FHP also charged Brown with refusing to submit to a DUI test after a license suspension and driving the wrong way.
Brown was being held on a $1,500 bond.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Chiefs Name 2018-2019 Cheerleading Squads
March 24, 2018
The Northview High Chiefs 2018-2019 cheerleading squads were named Friday. They are:
Varsity
Upcoming Seniors- Hannah Ellis, Gabrielle Kline, Madison Nassar, Kherstin Johnson, Jessie McCall, Shelby Bashore
Upcoming Juniors- Karlee Criswell, Ashlan Harigel, Cloe Smith, Briana White, Bailey Van Pelt
Upcoming Sophomores- Sophie Cotita, Hannah Hughes, Maille Kilcrease, Abigail Nelson, Emily Stabler
Junior Varsity
LaDashia Robinson, Franki Daw, Olivia Gibson, Reagan Lassiter, Kayla Otto, Madison Peterson, Kenna Redmond, Khiazhia Jones, Taylor McMinn, Sarah Hetrick, Shelby Cotita
Mascot
Dalton Hamilton
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Dalton Hamilton
Alabama And Florida Firefighters Battle 500 Acre Woods Fire
March 24, 2018
Firefigthers from Alabama and Florida fought a woods fire Friday night that burned though about 500 acres northeast of Flomaton.
The first reported of fire on Chavers Creek Road came about 7:31 p.m, with fire units responding from the Flomaton and Friendship fire departments in Alabama, the Century and McDavid stations of Escambia (FL) Fire Rescue, the Alabama Division of Forestry and the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office. The fire was in the McCall Volunteer Fire Department’s jurisdiction, but they were already busy fighting another woods fire on Whispering Pines Road.
As of 11 p.m., the Florida fire units were released from the scene. Fire units and personnel from the Alabama Division of Forestry were still on scene working and plowing a line around the fire.
There were no injures reported, and no immediate word on how the fire started.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Tops West Florida In Annual Strike Out Cancer Game
March 24, 2018
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The Tate Lady Aggies defeated the West Florida Jaguars Friday night. But cancer research was the big winner as the annual Strike Out Cancer game raised $22,000 and counting.
Tate Aggies pitcher Hannag Brown had six strike outs on the way to the shutout while allowing one hit and committing no errors.
For Tate: Hannah Brown 1-4; Belle Wolfenden 1-4, R, RBI; Shelby Ullrich 2-3, R, RBI; Madisen Nelson 2-3, R: Ryleigh Cawby 2-2, R, RBI: Sydni Solliday R; Amber DeCoux 2-2, 3R; Shelby McLean 1-3, R.
Pictured top: Hanna Brown on the mound for the Tate Lady Aggies Friday night during annual Strike Out Cancer game. Images courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
200 Acre Burn Gets Out Of Control Near Barrineau Park
March 24, 2018
A 200 acres prescribed burn got out of hand Friday afternoon on Jacks Branch Road in the area of Barrineau Park Road.
The call came in just after 2 p.m. About 15 units responded from the Molino, Cantonment, McDavid, Ensley, and Bellview stations of Escambia Fire Rescue. The Florida Division of Forestry also worked to contain the fire.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour click to enlarge. The graphic a the bottom shows the planned area for the permitted fire.
Muscogee Road In Cantonment Reopened To Traffic
March 24, 2018
Muscogee Road in Cantonment has reopened to traffic.
Muscogee Road was closed from Beulah Road to just east of the state ine in late September for the installation of a water main, reconstruction of a portion of the roadway, and construction of 5-foot shoulders. Traffic was detoured via Highway 29 and Barrineau Park Road to Highway 112 in Alabama.
There are still three phases to come in the overall project:
Perdido River to Beulah
- 90% Design under review
- Easements needed from Water Management District; request pending design completion
- Design Completion pending construction funding
Carlisle to 97
- 60% Design
- Letters were mailed to residents requesting participation in property donations for right-of-way
- Staff is following up with residents for participation
97 to Nowak
- 60% Design
- Letters were mailed to residents requesting participation in property donations for right-of-way
- Staff is following up with residents for participation
Pictured: Muscogee Road as seen earlier this week. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.