Escambia Volunteer Firefighters Obtain New Certifications During Volunteer Weekend
September 23, 2019
Escambia Fire Rescue volunteers were among those that attended the 14th annual Northwest Florida Volunteer Firefighter Weekend at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.
The Escambia volunteer obtained new certifications in various fields.
Scheduled classes were from four and 16 hours and covered a multitude of subjects, including new classes in solar farm safety, ATV safety and natural gas emergencies.
The program was funded and supported by the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Foundation, the Florida State Fire Marshal, Florida State Fire College and the Florida Forestry Service.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia BOCC Weekly Meeting Schedule
September 23, 2019
Here is a schedule of Escambia County public meetings this week:
Monday, September 23
EMS – Medical Billing Senior Office Support Assistant Interviews – 9 a.m., 6575 N. W St.
Library Board of Governance – 4 p.m., 6450 Highway 95A, Molino
Board of County Commissioners 2nd Budget Public Hearing – 5:31 p.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place, Board Chambers
Tuesday, September 24
Environmental Enforcement Special Magistrate – 1:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Extension Council Meeting – 5:30 p.m., Escambia County Extension Service, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment
Wednesday, September 25
September Coffee with the Commissioner – Jeff Bergosh, District 1 - 6:30 a.m., Hardee’s, 2500 Wilde Lake Blvd.
Development Review Committee – 1 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Visit Pensacola Board of Directors – 3 p.m., 12 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach
Santa Rosa Island Authority Committee Meeting – 5 p.m., 1 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach
Thursday, September 26
Scope of Work Review for PD 17-18.105 OLF8 Master Plan – 8:30 a.m., Matt Langley Bell III Building, 213 Palafox Place
NorthEscambia.com photo.
All Clear: Health Advisory Lifted For Pensacola Beach
September 23, 2019
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County has rescinded a health advisory for Casino Beach near the Pensacola Beach Pier.
The warning was issued last week after testing showed a high level of enterococci bacteria.
“Enterococci bacteria are naturally present in the intestines of people and animals,” says Escambia CHD Director Dr. John Lanza. “Water samples gathered at these sites had a levels of enterococci bacteria which exceeds the recommended threshold. We advise against engaging in water-related activities at these sites until further notice.”3
The bacteriological sampling occurred during water quality monitoring activities, and the level of bacteria has exceeded the level established by state guidelines.
Additional testing now shows the water to be safe.
In Depth: New Century City Manager Job Description Has Conflicts With Town Charter
September 22, 2019
The Town of Century is now advertising to find a city manager. But an in-depth comparison by NorthEscambia.com between the duties of the Century mayor and the advertised duties of the new city manager revealed several potential conflicts, and perhaps even the wrongful removal of power from the mayor.
The job ad.
The town describes the ideal candidate as “qualified and highly motivated”, and requires a bachelor’s degree in public administration or a related field, plus five years of experience in local government administration of a senior management position. The salary is listed as negotiable based upon experience.
The city manager will serve as the chief executive officer of the town, be responsible for the management of day-to-day operations, attend all town council meetings and supervise all departments, according to the job description.
Earlier this month, the town council approved the creation of the ad by town staff, but did not require their approval before the ad disseminated for publication. The town council never approved the wording of the city manager’s job duties.
Psst. It’s a town. Not a city.
Before diving into the conflicts, it’s worth noting semantics on city manager versus town manager. There is no legal distinction between the terms city, town or village under Florida law. The job description refers only to a city manager. Century is a town, according to its charter, and the word “city” does not appear in the charter while the word town appears some 75 times. “The Town of Century, Florida, is hereby created…” is the first line of the charter.
Job may conflict with town charter.
Some of the duties of the city manager, according to the job descriptions, seem to directly conflict with the duties of the mayor as specified by the town charter. The town charter is the legal document that established the town.
For instance, both the mayor and city manager are set to be the chief executive officer of the town. Arguably, there can only be one chief executive officer. Webster’s defines a chief executive officer as “the person has the most authority in an organization or business”.
The charter directs the mayor to submit the annual budget to the town council, while the job description gives that duty to the city manager. There is only one annual budget.
There are other potential conflicts between the charter and city manager’s job, but presumably the city manager would perform those duties as directed by the mayor.
Comparisons are below between the mayor’s job per the charter and the city manager job per the job description.
The application period for the city manager job ends November 1.
Fire Damages Nine Mile Road Paint And Body Shop; Dog Rescued From ‘Allie Kats’
September 22, 2019
Fire heavily damaged a pant and body shop and several vehicles inside of it late Saturday night.
The fire at Alley Kats Paint and Body in the 1800 block of West Nine Mile Road, just west of Stefani Road, was reported just before midnight.
There were no injuries reported. Firefighters were able to rescue a dog inside the business and reunite it with family.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the blaze.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Win The Chance To Be The First To Flip The Lights On The New Pensacola Beach Sign
September 22, 2019
CLICK HERE FOR AN UPDATE AND THE NAME OF THE WINNER.
Escambia County will pick one lucky resident to flip the switch and turn on the lights for the first time on the new Pensacola Beach sailfish sign.
The new sign was installed last week, and the switch will flipped during a ceremony on Tuesday.
Enter your name here for a chance to flip the switch. The contest closes at 11:59 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23 and a winner will be randomly selected from the drawing and notified Monday afternoon. Contestants may only enter the contest once, must be an Escambia County resident and must be able to attend the sign lighting ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 10 a.m., at the base of the new sign in Gulf Breeze.
The new sign was designed to look exactly like the old sign, and it features energy efficient LED lights. While in Santa Rosa County, the sign is owned by Escambia County.
ECAT Plans To Eliminate Or Cut Back Underperforming Routes
September 22, 2019
Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) is planning to eliminate or cut back on several underperforming routes.
None of the route changes are in the North Escambia area.
The route changes proposed are:
41 – East Pensacola Heights
- Keep route, except Hyde Park Rd to Firestone Blvd. portion
- Add service to Pensacola International Airport (Route 59A portion)
57 – NAS/Corry/Downtown
- Keep Saturday service
- No service beyond Corry Station Main Entrance Gate
- Add service to Peachtree Commons (Twin Oaks) Apartments
59A – NAS/Corry/Airport
- Portions of Route 59A are added to Routes 41 and 59X
59X – NAS/Corry/Downtown/Cordova
- Add service at 10:00 AM and last trip at 8:35 PM (weekday)
- Sunday – Thursday service starts at 10:00 AM, ends at 7:50 PM
- Friday – Saturday service starts at 10:00 AM, ends at 1:10 AM
- Add service on New Warrington Road (Route 59A portion)
61 – Pensacola Beach
- Keep Saturday service
- Begin route at ECAT Transfer Center
- Terminating south end service at Casino Beach
- Increase from 3 to 5 trips daily
64- Beach Jumper- NAS /Downtown/Pensacola Beach
- Keep Friday service
- Run service from Memorial Day – Labor Day
Pleasant, Dry Weather
September 22, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 89. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 65. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 67. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Calm wind.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 70.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.
Pensacola Opera To Present The Enchanted Forest At The Library
September 22, 2019
The Pensacola Opera will present The Enchanted Forest at West Florida Libraries branches.
The Enchanted Forest is a choose your own adventure opera. There are plenty of dramatic twists and turns, along with music from iconic composers including Mozart and Bizet.
Each performance depends on audience participation to find the right path and make the best choice.
The free performances will be held as follows:
- Tryon Branch Library – Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 4 p.m.
- Molino Branch Library – Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 10:30 a.m.
- Southwest Branch Library – Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 10:30 a.m.
- Pensacola Library (downtown) – Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 10:30 a.m.
- Century Branch Library – Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Three Vehicle Accident On Highway 29
September 22, 2019
Four people involved in a three vehicle crash Saturday afternoon were not injured.
The wreck occurred about 12:15 p.m. on Highway 29 at West Roberts Road. Everyone involved in the accident refused transport to the hospital by Escambia County EMS.
The Florida Highway Patrol investigated.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
