Walkin’ Lawton Remembered by Locals; Chiles Started 1,000 Mile Journey In Century
March 22, 2020
by Sandra Averhart
Fifty years ago last week, a little-known state senator, Lawton Chiles, started a 1,000-mile walk across Florida. The trip – that earned him the nickname “Walkin’ Lawton” – would take him to the U.S. Capitol and later the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee. This famous journey on Mar. 17, 1970 began north of Pensacola, in the small Town of Century.
Today, a sign reminds residents and visitors of the campaign trek that propelled Chiles into the U.S. Senate.
A historic marker denoting “The Lawton Chiles Trail” is located on State Road 4, just east of U.S. Highway 29 in Century.
Dedicated to “Walkin’ Lawton,” it includes an image of a pair of his worn-out boots.
“My name is Bubba Hammac. I’m a lifelong Century resident. I’ve been working at Bondurant Lumber and Hardware for 27 years,” said Hammac on a busy afternoon at the store. He is one of several people in the community who were around back in 1970 and recall the buzz surrounding the political event.
“My mother was Mamie Hammac. She ran Mamie’s Restaurant, from 1966-1976, right down the road here, just a block or two away,” Hammac remembered. “And, the year that Mr. Chiles started his walk, he had breakfast in my Mom’s restaurant that morning.”
Hammac was just 12 years old at the time. He’s not for sure, but points out that Chiles and company likely would have enjoyed a plate of eggs and bacon to start the day. He did recall the crowd that gathered at the restaurant and that his mother was honored to host them.
“I think it helped put our business on the map as far as people all over the state saw Mamie’s Restaurant, and I thought that was really neat,” Hammac said. “You know, as I grew older and I’ve looked back on it from time to time, I even brought it up on the internet and looked at it. And, it was; it was great for our business, my Mom’s business and the town.”
“I’m Jerry Fischer, F-i-s-C-h-e-r,” said Fischer, emphasizing the “C” in the spelling of his name.
Retired from careers in photography and insurance, Fischer is president of the Alger Sullivan Historical Society, a post he’s held for more than 20 years.
“(I’ve) been here most all my life. I went to school in Hawaii, but my heart was always in dear old Century. I’ve never wanted to be anywhere else except here,” he declared.
Fischer was in Century and serving on the Town Council at the time of the walk in March 1970. He was at the kick-off event with some of his council colleagues.
“It was great,” Fischer recalled. “I know Marie McMurray, who was one of our black city councilmen [sic]. He really hit it off with her because I think she want for a walk with him some.”
In recounting the story, Fischer recalls teasing McMurry, “I told her then, I said, ‘Marie, you’re too “dad-gum” old to be walking with that young man.”
“Oh, shut your mouth Jerry Fischer,” he says was her lively response. “But, it was fun; it was good.”
A special detail for Fischer is that his wife is from Chiles’ hometown of Lakeland and, amid the “hoopla” over the walk, the candidate took time out to look her up, and meet and greet voters, at the nearby ballpark.
“He was really down to earth. He knew how to communicate with country people like me and Bubba,” Fischer explained. “I thought he did a great job and he was a lot like Bob Sykes. If you needed him, you could call him and he would return your call. He would talk to you.”
On that day back at Mamie’s Restaurant, when it was time to leave, Chiles walked out the front door of the diner, crossed Hwy 29, known locally as North Century Boulevard, and headed out Highway 4 toward Jay.
At the time, there was a sizeable group of media, but Fischer said Chiles seemed more interested in talking to the people who were there.
“They lined the streets. People followed him out of town,” he said of the event. Fischer. “It was a real big event and the people were tickled to death to get that much publicity from Lawton Chiles, “Walkin’ Lawton.”
Lawton walked east across the Panhandle and then south toward the Florida Keys.
An archive report from Miami-Dade College’s Wolfson Archives, features a 1970 interview with reporter Fred Francis of Miami’s Channel 4 News.
“Sen. Chiles, what’s the basic issue you’ve found, the one overriding issue from Pensacola to Miami that seems to be troubling the people,” Francis asked the candidate.
“The overriding issue is that people are frustrated and fed up with the fact they don’t think their vote counts or what they say or think counts anymore and they never see an elected official,” Chiles began. “They just see them on television, when they talk to them, and their taxes go up and up, but they can’t find anything in those taxes that they think affects them. Traffic is terrible on our roads. Pollution is continuing in our lakes, nothing is being done about that. Schools are in a state of havoc, yet money is being spent everywhere and they don’t think any of it applies to them.”
The news clip continues with Chiles talking to some voters what they thought he should do as a U.S. Senator, “I’m walking and listening.”
“That’s what he learned, I think on the walk, was to listen to people; which most politicians don’t listen to people, and Lawton did,” satid Chris Broxson, widow of former state Senator John Broxson, who died just months ago, in December of last year.
Broxson and Chiles were long-time friends, dating back to the 1960’s when they began serving together in the Florida Legislature.
“They didn’t become good friends until in 1966, when there was a wave of House members that were elected to the Senate and Lawton and John were in that class. So, that became a close group.”
Shuffling through some old photos, Broxson said her husband John’s initial response to the walk was that it seemed a little crazy and he thought, “How’s he going to do that?”
“Of course, he did not walk every step of the way,” recalled Mrs. Broxson. “He did have vehicles to pick him up when the only thing there was pine trees and you know there’re lots of miles of pine trees in Florida, still there are. That was the way he got to rest.”
Nevertheless, Chris Broxson says their support for Chiles was there from the beginning and throughout his 91-day, thousand-mile journey.
“He would call John,” she said of Chiles while he was on the walk. “They stayed in touch. He would be somewhere and he’d call and say, ‘I saw so-and-so, and what do you think about this.’”
With very little name recognition beforehand, Lawton Chiles’ walk across Florida was wildly successful, generating much-needed media coverage and the opportunity to meet voters in the state.
He went on to win the Democratic primary and defeated his Republican opponent William Cramer by a margin of 54% to 46%.
Courtesy WUWF for NorthEscambia.com.
Cantonment Man Charged With Domestic Battery By Strangulation
March 22, 2020
A Cantonment man is facing charges after allegedly attacking a young man during a domestic disturbance.
Kristopher Karl Jernigan, 43, was charged with felony domestic battery by strangulation and violation of a domestic violence injunction after the incident earlier this month.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a family disturbance on Handy Road.
Jernigan allegedly put his hands around the throat of the 18-year old male relative after pushing him against a wall. Deputies reported the victim had a red mark around this throat but was otherwise uninjured.
Jernigan remained in the Escambia County Jail Sunday morning with bond set at $34,500.
Scattered Sunday And Monday Showers
March 22, 2020
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Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 87.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86.
Florida COVID-19 Case Count Climbs; Still One Confirmed Case In Escambia
March 22, 2020
THIS IS AN OUTDATED STORY. See the frontpage of NorthEscambia.com for the latest update.
As of Sunday morning, there were 830 total COVID-19 cases in Florida. Of those, 768 were confirmed in Florida residents and 62 among non-Florida residents in the state. There death toll increased by one to 13.
The confirmed case count in Escambia County remained at one, and at three in Santa Rosa County. Okaloosa County now has 12 total cases.
The Escambia County case is a 53-year old male that traveled to France. The Santa Rosa County cases area 71-year old man traveled to Egypt, Israel and Jordan that later died at Baptist Hospital In Pensacola; a 48-year old male with a travel history to the United Kingdom, and a 17-year old male that did not have contact with a previously known case with no travel history.
Doing It Again At Carver Park: Donate Food On Monday For Distribution To School Kids Tuesday
March 22, 2020
The Cantonment Improvement Committee is once again asking the community to step up to help school-age children that need a meal during the school closures.
Dozens and dozens of people and businesses responded a week ago, and they are going it again.
The CIC will be accepting food donations and bagging them on Monday beginning at 3 p.m. at Carver Park, 208 Webb Street in Cantonment. Those volunteering to bag food should be prepared to have a temperature check, practice social distancing and other CDC guidelines.
“I am humbled by your charity and giving heart. May God bless each of you,” CIC’s Mary Holley-Lewis said. “So many children are not going hungry because of your big hearts.”
The food distribution will begin at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24 at Carver Park Park. To receive food, remain in your vehicle, line up facing north on Webb Street and the food will be delivered to your vehicle. Children must be present.
For more information, call Holley-Lewis at (850) 346-2797.
Over 200 kids received about a week’s worth of food during the event last week.
FWC, Northwest Florida Water Management District Closing Campgrounds And Recreational Facilities
March 22, 2020
The Northwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are closing recreational facilities and campgrounds on Monday, March 23.
The Northwest Florida Water Management District
The Northwest Florida Water Management District is closing each of its reservation campsites and developed recreation areas beginning Monday, March 23, 2020, for the next 60 days. This includes picnic areas, swimming areas, and other developed recreation sites.
Hiking trails, bike trails, equestrian trails, and boat ramps will remain open for individual use, but users may not congregate at or use associated shared facilities (e.g. picnic tables, pavilions, restrooms, etc.) Individuals must maintain appropriate distances from other users while using trails and launching and retrieving boats and paddle craft.
Until further notice, hunting and other disbursed recreation activities are allowed on all District-owned Wildlife Management Areas in accordance with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rules for these areas.
Individuals on District lands are expected to abide by current health guidelines implemented by the federal and/or state government for prevention of COVID-19 transmission, and in accordance with FWC regulations.
Wildlife Management Areas where disbursed (backcountry) camping is allowed include: Escambia River WMA, Choctawhatchee River/Holmes Creek WMA, and the District-owned portions of the Yellow River WMA, Apalachicola WMA, and Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area (WEA).
FWC Campgrounds
The FWC is closing all designated campgrounds on the Wildlife Management Area (WMA) system for a minimum of 30 days beginning Monday, March 23 at 10 a.m. Also, permits for camping after Monday, March 23 will be canceled. On areas where it is currently allowed, dispersed wilderness camping (camping outside of designated campgrounds or where no permit is required) will continue to be allowed, but only for groups of less than 10 people.
Pictured: The Northwest Florida Water Management District’s Pipes Landing on the Perdido River off Jacks Branch Road. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Motorcyclist Seriously Injured In Cantonment Crash
March 22, 2020
A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash in Cantonment.
Curtis Evangelista, 36, was traveling south on Highway 297A when he lost control of his Harley Davidson motorcycle while turning onto Bentley Oaks Drive about 6 p.m. Friday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The side of the motorcycle collided with a curb in the median divider of Bentley Oaks.
Evangelista was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition.
File photo.
Escambia Clerk of the Circuit Court And Comptroller Announces Changes Due To COVID-19
March 22, 2020
Escambia County Clerk of the Court Pam Childers released the following information:
In an effort to balance the safety of our personnel and the community while providing critical functions and court services, the following information regarding changes to the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller services are below.
Per court order, the MC Blanchard and Theodore Bruno Juvenile Justice Building remain open, at this time, but have limited public access. The Clerk’s office will continue to process emergency court services:
- Petitions for Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Repeat Violence, Sexual Violence or Stalking Injunctions
- Baker Act petitions
- Marchman Act petitions
- Vulnerable Adult petitions
- Adult Protective Services petitions
- Emergency guardianship appointment
- Family Law and Dependency cases in which the imminent safety of children is at issue
To make payments and access other services, please visit our website at escambiaclerk.com.
The following Clerk’s offices will be closed effective March 23 until at least March 30:
- Traffic Office, MC Blanchard Judicial Building, 190 W. Government St.
- Marriage Office, MC Blanchard Judicial Building, 190 W. Government St.
- Clerk’s Official Records, Finance and Clerk to the Board Offices located at 221 Palafox Place
- Century Courthouse office
- The Public Records Center, 120 E. Blount St.
The following services will be suspended until at least March 30:
- Marriage licenses
- Passports
Traffic Crash Claims Life Of Escambia County Woman
March 21, 2020
A crash Friday claimed the life of an Escambia County woman.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 60-year old Wanda Lou Celli pulled her Toyota Matrix from a stop sign on Webb Lane into the path of a Jeep Wrangler traveling on Mobile Highway. Cellie was transported to Baptist Hospital where she was later pronounced deceased.
The driver of the Jeep, 82-year old Ray McCulley of Pensacola, was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
No charges were immediately filed as the investigation continues.
Pedestrian Critical After Being Hit Friday Night Along Highway 29
March 21, 2020
A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and critically injured Friday night.
It happened about 8 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 29 and Tate School Road.
The victim was transported to a local hospital as a “trauma alert.” Their name and update on their condition was not available.
The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing their investigation.
File photo.