Report Details Ethics Allegations Against Gillum
January 31, 2019
The Florida Commission on Ethics released documents Wednesday supporting the panel’s unanimous finding of probable cause that Andrew Gillum, last year’s Democratic nominee for governor and a former Tallahassee mayor, violated ethics laws with trips to Costa Rica and New York and tickets to the Broadway hit musical, “Hamilton.”
In a 41-page report, the commission’s advocate, lawyer Elizabeth A. Miller, rebuked the former mayor for allegedly accepting gifts from Tallahassee entrepreneur Adam Corey and undercover FBI agents posing as developers. Corey had been a close friend of Gillum and lobbied the city commission.
Failing to report the gifts “is an obvious attempt to either conceal the gifts from the public or hide the fact that he accepted gifts from a lobbyist and principals of a lobbyist — both prohibited donors,” Miller said.
In a closed-door meeting Friday, the commission found probable cause that Gillum “accepted things of value based on an understanding his official action would be influenced and when he knew or should have known they were given to influence action in which he was expected to participate,” according to a news release distributed Wednesday.
The panel also found probable cause to believe the former mayor “misused his position to accept things of value for himself and others in return for access and influence.” And the commission found probable cause to believe Gillum accepted gifts with a value of more than $100 from a lobbyist or vendor of the city and failed to report the gifts. No probable cause, however, was found that Gillum solicited gifts.
The five charges carry potential sanctions of a public censure and reprimand and fines of up to $10,000 each.
Gillum, who will request a hearing in the case, has steadfastly maintained that he hasn’t broken any laws or committed any wrongdoing.
“I am confident that as we move through this and as a judge looks at the facts, they will determine that I have acted in complete compliance with the law,” Gillum told CNN host Chris Cuomo Tuesday night.
Most of the communiqués revealed in Miller’s report had already been made public by Corey’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, in the days leading up to the November gubernatorial election, in which Republican Ron DeSantis narrowly defeated Gillum.
An FBI investigation into city corruption dogged Gillum throughout the final months of the campaign despite his insistence that he was not a subject of the probe.
The race against DeSantis placed Gillum, who had hoped to make history as the state’s first black governor, on the national stage, where the Democrat remains in the spotlight. The day before the ethics commission released the report about finding probable cause, Gillum joined CNN as a political commentator.
When asked about the probable cause findings Wednesday, DeSantis said he’s “moved on.”
“The fact of the matter is, if you’re doing that, you’re going to run afoul and there’s going to be a problem. But I’m not, like, rooting for him to fail. Look, the process will work, but I mean, I don’t have any ill will. I think he’s a talented guy. What I said in the campaign I think was accurate. But I’ve moved on,” he said.
The ethics commission investigation was sparked by a complaint filed by Tallahassee businessman Erwin Jackson and focused on New York and Costa Rica journeys, both made in 2016 while Gillum was still the city’s mayor and as he was pondering a gubernatorial bid.
Gillum and his wife, R. Jai, “accepted a ‘thing of value’ (i.e., gifts) when they received transportation, accommodation, services of a chef, and meals in regard to the Costa Rican trip with a value of $941.94,” Miller wrote in the advocate’s report.
Gilllum claimed he paid Corey — who made the arrangements for a luxury villa — $480 in cash, or $120 per night, to cover his and his wife’s share of the trip. But Corey, who submitted an affidavit to the ethics commission but refused to appear before the panel because he had been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in the city corruption probe, swore that he never received any money from his onetime pal.
Gillum also received a “thing of value” when he received a ticket to “Hamilton” and a private Statue of Liberty boat cruise, Miller found. The events totaled a minimum of $750, she wrote.
The report shows that Corey told Gillum the Hamilton tickets were provided by “Mike Miller,” an undercover FBI agent who also arranged the boat cruise for Corey, Gillum, and the mayor’s brother, Marcus.
In a sworn declaration to the commission, Gillum acknowledged he had received a text from Corey saying, “Mike Miller and the crew” had obtained tickets to “Hamilton” — which averaged around $750 each at the time.
“He did not say that Miller was treating anyone to the show and, in keeping with our consistent practice, I assumed we would each pay for our tickets,” Gillum said.
Gillum said his brother handed him the ticket, that the only information he had about Mike Miller paying for the tickets “is in the report of investigation filed in this matter,” which relies on information from Corey.
The New York trip was “a social excursion and no business was discussed at any time,” the former mayor said.
Gillum also said he not only paid Corey in cash for the Costa Rica lodging, but “left an additional $150 in cash on a table to cover my share of tips for the cooks and cleaning staff.”
But the advocate Miller wrote that Corey and the undercover FBI agent courted Gillum with the hope that he would support their city-related endeavors.
The two men “had the requisite intent to gain access, familiarity, influence, and possible indebtedness with respondent when they provided gifts to him, his wife, and his brother,” she wrote.
“Respondent or his relatives were the recipients of those gifts while respondent simultaneously participated as a voting member on an entity that was approving issues that could benefit or harm the donors. Thus, the respondent either knew or should have known that the gifts were being provided to garner favor because respondent was in an official position to make decisions in matters directly involving Corey’s clients, Miller and Sweets,” she wrote, referring to another undercover FBI agent who went by the name of Mike Sweets.
Gillum was legally required to publicly disclose certain gifts, Elizabeth Miller wrote, noting that he disclosed free tickets to a “Jazz and Blues Festival” as gifts worth more than $100 in September 2016.
“Interestingly, respondent disclosed these tickets but chose not to report free transportation, services of a chef, meals, accommodations in a ‘beautiful mansion,’ Broadway tickets and a private boat cruise he accepted a month earlier and disclosable on the same form as the ‘Jazz and Blues Festival’ tickets. This omission is an obvious attempt to either conceal the gifts from the public or hide the fact that he accepted gifts from a lobbyist and principals of a lobbyist — both prohibited donors,” the advocate wrote.
Accepting the gifts, concealing their acceptance or “alleging without substantiation” that he or his brother reimbursed their hosts “demonstrates a wrongful intent and actions inconsistent with the proper performance of his public duties,” Miller found.
But, in a response to the advocate’s recommendation, Gillum’s lawyer Barry Richard wrote that the Gillums “did not, in fact, receive any gifts from Mr. Corey or any other lobbyist during the Costa Rican trip.”
Richard said the allegations against Gillum “hang on a very slender thread,” backed up only by Corey.
Gillum personally paid for airline tickets to and from Costa Rica and for expenses at restaurants and bars, and equipment rental while in the country, Richard wrote.
Gillum’s lawyer disputed other allegations made by Corey regarding expenses the former lobbyist claimed to have covered during the trip.
Richard accused Corey of a “false claim that the entire trip was a business expense of his corporation,” saying his accounting of the trip “is completely fictional.”
The trip to Costa Rica “was strictly a social gathering of a disparate group of Mr. Corey’s friends” in which no business was discussed, Richard wrote.
Gillum will have a public evidentiary hearing before an administrative law judge, Richard told The News Service of Florida on Wednesday.
“I have a high level of confidence that ultimately he’ll be exonerated. I don’t believe he did anything wrong, and I don’t believe there is any evidence to support any wrongdoing,” Richard said. “There’s no evidence he ever did anything for anybody in return for a gift. … This is all, frankly, trivial stuff.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Andrew Gillum during a Pensacola campaign appearance last October. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Standard Furniture Cutting 185 Jobs In Bay Minette
January 30, 2019
Standard Furniture in Bay Minette is cutting about 185 jobs in Bay Minette, according to Furniture Today.
The company will end the manufacture of laminated case goods in Bay Minette on or about March 31. Home accessories and warehousing operations in Frisco City, AL, will be moved to Bay Minette. Drivers, warehouse, and distribution center operations will continue to operate and will not be affected.
Bay Minette will remain Standard Furniture’s corporate headquarters with 1 million square feet of warehouse space.
Fire Simultaneously Rips Through Two Atmore Homes Miles Apart
January 30, 2019
Firefighters battled two simultaneous structures fires about 2.5 miles apart before sunrise Wednesday morning.
A fire about 6:10 a.m. left four people without a home in the 100 block of Martin Luther King Avenue, near the Houston Avery Park.
Fire was rolling from the attic and windows of the brick home when firefighters arrived on scene. Atmore Fire Chief Ronald Peebles said it appeared the fire started with a space heater in a bedroom. The home was heavily damaged.
A fire about 5:45 a.m. gutted a mobile home on South Road at Cross Road, just south of Highway 31 and Industrial Drive.
The single-wide trailer had no electricity and was “packed with junk,” Peebles said, greatly hampering the firefighting effort. No one was known to be living in the trailer.
“There was so much junk we could not access a back bedroom and had to cut through an outside wall to get to it,” the fire chief said. He expected it would take hours to remove the junk from the trailer to fully extinguish the smoldering fire and being their investigation into the cause.
Peebles said it was highly unusual to have two involved structure fires in Atmore at the same time.
“It was kind of odd for that to happen,” he said. “I’m lucky I’ve got mutual aid with Walnut Hill and Poarch. We probably had 20-25 firefighters at the two fires because of their help.”
The Atmore Fire Department, Poarch Fire Department, Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Atmore Police Department were among the responding agencies.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
State And County Leaders Discuss Cantonment Train Delay Solutions
January 30, 2019
Florida Sen. Doug Broxson and Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry met with CSX and International Paper Tuesday to discuss trains blocking local roads for extended periods of time.
“I’m very pleased with the outcome, and very optimistic that there will be a better outcome in the Cantonment and Cottage Hill areas,” Barry said, a sentiment echoed by Broxson.
“CSX will work out how they can be more of a good neighbor, and hopefully do that before we meet again in 60 days,” Broxson said.
The first step will include real time communication between Escambia County and the railroad. County officials and emergency dispatchers “will have the ability to have real time contact with a knowledgeable person (at CSX) and not wait for three days,” the senator said.
The real time communication and an increased operational awareness by CSX is also expected to lead to improvements for residents of Cantonment and Cottage Hill neighborhoods that have been blocked for hours by trains with no way in or out. Barry said CSX will work to open at least one crossing that will allow access into the neighborhoods.
One Cantonment neighborhood, east of Highway 95A from Countri Lane to McKenzie Road, has been completely blocked for hours by a stopped train. There are documented incidents where fire trucks and EMS units were unable to respond to medical emergencies in the neighborhood due to stopped trains.
“Highway 29 should also change,” Broxson said. “I’m convinced there shouldn’t be any reason it would be closed for an inordinate amount of time; we should see a reduction in that soon.”
Currently, trains in and out of International Paper often block Highway 29 just south of Muscogee Road for long time periods, backing up traffic for miles.
There are four parallel tracks beds on the IP property just west of the crossing that merge into a single track across Highway 29. For the first time, Broxson and Barry learned Tuesday that the tracks are not managed by CSX; they are operated by the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway (AGR), and they are expected to become involved in ultimate solutions.
AGR is a mid-sized railway owned by Genessee & Wyoming that operates 348 miles of track from Pensacola to Columbus, MS, and uses other tracks into Mississippi and south to Mobile. AGR makes a connection to CSX in Cantonment.
“IP is kind of a victim in all this,” Broxson said, referring to trains blocking Highway 29. “They have no control over the rail system other than making sure their product is ready to roll.”
“We want to thank both Senator Broxson and Commissioner Barry for working to rectify this situation,” Whitney Fike, communications manager for International Paper in Cantonment, said. “This is a significant inconvenience for local residents and our employees at the mill. We look forward to a swift resolution to the problem.”
“Being able to come over today and speak with the commissioner and the senator and listening to their specific concerns, on behalf of their constituents, will help us work with the county to put together a plan,” CSX Regional Vice President for State Government Affairs Craig Camuso said.
Trains blocking local roadways is quality of life issue, Barry has said, because people can spend 30 minutes or more each day waiting for a train blocking Highway 29 near Muscogee Road. And Barry said it’s an obviously a public safety issue when first responders are blocked from reaching citizens in need.
Broxson said that while he expects significant improvements, there will never be a complete end to crossings blocked by trains in Escambia County.
“We will never be able to always guarantee every roadway will not be blocked because train traffic in this country is vital,” he explained.
Pictured: Escambia County Fire and EMS vehicles blocked from responding to emergency calls by a train on Highway 29 in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Back Below Freezing Again Tonight
January 30, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 62. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. East wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. East wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. East wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73.
Molino Park Students Dress As 100-Year Olds To Celebrate 100th Day Of School
January 30, 2019
Molino Park Elementary School students celebrated the 100th day of the school year Tuesday by dressing up like 100-year olds.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County, Navy Complete OLF 8 Land Swap
January 30, 2019
A land swap between Escambia County and the U.S. Navy is now complete.
Navy Outlying Field 8 (OLF 
on Nine Mile Road now officially belongs to Escambia County, which traded a property now known as OLF X south of Jay for helicopter training. An ribbon cutting for OLF X will be held Wednesday.
The land exchange provides Escambia County with property that can accommodate a wide variety of residential and light industrial development options, that will benefit the citizens and improve the county tax base. In return, the Navy gains a new, fully functional helicopter OLF, that meets current helicopter flight training requirements and is closer to NAS Whiting Field.
Navy Federal has offered to purchase 100 acres of OLF 8 for $4.2 million to expand their campus, and the county has received one unsolicited offer of $18 million for about 530 acres. [Read more ...] The county would legally required to declare the 530 acres as surplus and sell to the highest bidder.
“Although we (Escambia County) paid a lot for this property — recent appraisals peg the value of our soon-to-be acquired property in Beulah at between $46K and $51K per acre,” Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh wrote on his blog Tuesday. “This means this huge field could be worth as much as $32 Million in the current red-hot real estate market in this booming community. This means Escambia County taxpayers will be taking possession of an asset that is valued as much as $14.5 Million over the cost of acquisition—on day one.”
“Yes, this is a big deal for Escambia County. It is also a huge win for the U.S. Navy and Naval Aviation. This is what you call a ‘win-win’,” Bergosh said.
“This land exchange project was extraordinarily challenging considering there was little prior experience or formal guidance available,” said NAVFAC Southeast Project Manager Ferdinand Salomon. “Without the outstanding contributions of a small, but talented and motivated group of team members from NAVFAC, Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field and the Escambia County staff, this project would have been absolutely impossible.”
A land exchange project of this nature is without recent precedent in the Navy. Many of the real estate procedures and processes required to execute this type of transaction are not formalized in Navy real estate directives and have not been successfully accomplished on this scale.
“This transaction is of keen interest to the highest levels of the Navy, and will serve as the model for leveraging our underutilized facilities and real property assets to obtain new facilities, optimize our resources and more effectively support the Warfighter,” said Salomon.
The project was made possible by special legislation authorizing the land exchange in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed by President Obama on November 25, 2015. The legislation authorized, but did not require, the Secretary of the Navy to convey NAS Whiting Field’s NOLF Site 8 to Escambia County, in exchange for land and improvements from the county, which are acceptable to the Navy and suitable for use as an OLF to replace Site 8.
A land exchange agreement signed June 2016 between the Navy and Escambia County, was amended September 2017 to reduce certain construction requirements that Escambia County was responsible to build. Site X construction was completed December 2018, and was deemed acceptable by the Navy for use as an OLF.
“Once the construction was complete, we finalized the necessary documents to complete the deed exchange with the county,” explained Salomon. “The timing had to be precise to ensure the paperwork was ready, so that the base could conduct it’s official closing of Site 8 and opening of Site X.”
Pictured above: The lowering of the American flag for the last time at OLF 8, and the final flight in and out on Tuesday. Pictured below: The land swap signing between Escambia County and the Navy. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Former Jay Baseball Coach Sentenced To Probation On Battery Charge
January 30, 2019
A former Jay High School baseball coach charged with lewd and lascivious molestation an 2017 has been sentenced to probation.
Brian Joseph Moye was facing two felony counts of lewd and lascivious molestation and one count of sexual battery. He pleaded no contest to two lesser counts of battery and was sentenced to 12 months probation. He will also be required to complete mental health counseling and is ineligible for Florida educator certification or employment as a teacher or administrator.
Moye is barred from having contact with victims.
Two female students, age 16 and age 14, alleged Moye touched them inappropriately in his classroom. Moye denied all of the allegations against him, calling one allegation a “bold face lie,” according to his arrest report.
Ransom Middle School Names January Students Of The Month
January 30, 2019
Ransom Middle School has named their Students of the Month for January. They are Tom Fleming, sixth grade, and Erica Langton, eight grade. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Atmore Man Charged With Attempted Murder
January 30, 2019
An Atmore man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting into a vehicle.
Marcus Flowers, 24, was booked into the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton Tuesday.
On January 22, the Atmore Police Department responded to the 200 block of Jack Springs Road, near Swift Street, where a female reported the shooting.
She told police she was at the location to pick up clothing when an argument with her child’s father when a verbal altercation started. As she was driving away, Flowers fired at her vehicle, Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks said.