Escambia, Santa Rosa Add Three COVID-19 Deaths, 91 New Cases
September 4, 2020
THIS STORY IS OUTDATED. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
There were 91 new COVID-19 positives and three new deaths reported in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties Friday, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The Escambia County deaths were males ages 55 and 83, and the Santa Rosa County death was a 72-year old male.
Escambia County cases increased 58 to 11,418. An additional 33 cases brought the Santa Rosa County total to 4,845.
Of the 839 tests results returned in Escambia County, 6% were positive, and 10% were positive from 348 tests in Santa Rosa County. Over the past week, the overall average positivity rate for Escambia County is 5.5%.
There were 97 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Escambia County as of Thursday, according to data from the three local hospitals.
Of the 192 deaths in Escambia County, 91 have been long-term care facility residents or staff. There have been 58 deaths in Santa Rosa County, at least seven of those at the Blackwater River Correctional Facility and 12 in a long-term care facilities.
Statewide, there were 640,211 cases including 633,060 Florida residents. There have been 39,667 hospitalizations* and 11,750 deaths. The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals.
Escambia County cases:
Total cases — 11,418 (+58)
Non-Florida residents — 1,020
Pensacola —8,354 (+54)
Century — 919
—-including 771 Century prison inmates
Cantonment — 807 (+5)
Molino— 132 (+1)
McDavid — 66 (+1)
Walnut Hill — 16
Bellview — 12
Gonzalez — 7
Perdido Key — 7 (+1)
Current hospitalizations: 97
Deaths — 192 (+2)
Male — 5,035
Female — 5,268
Youngest — 0
Oldest — 105
Median Age — 39
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases — 4,845 (+33)
Non-Florida residents — 43
Milton — 2,602 (+16)
Gulf Breeze — 705 (+6)
Navarre — 600 (+1)
Pace — 382 (+5)
Jay — 135
Bagdad — 9
Cumulative Hospitalizations — 278*
Deaths — 59 (+1)
Male — 2,679
Female — 2,116
Youngest — 2 months
Oldest — 101
Median Age — 40
Florida cases:
Total cases — 640,211
Florida residents — 633,060
Deaths — 11,750
Hospitalizations — 39,667*
*“Hospitalizations” in the statewide and Santa Rosa County totals is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. These people may no longer be hospitalized. This number does not represent the number of COVID-19 positive persons currently hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
Escambia Rent And Mortgage Assistance Program Overwhelmed; Application Period Closing Friday
September 4, 2020
After just four days, Escambia County will stop taking applications for a local CARES Act rent, mortgage and utility assistance program — a week earlier than first announced. The program made $813,451 available on Tuesday to assist eligible applicants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with up to $3,000 for each family. In the first day, over 600 applications were received, and by Thursday that number was around 900. A couple of hundred or so won’t be eligible because they indicated that they had not lost income due to the pandemic. Applications will now close at 5 p.m. Friday to allow staff to review applications and determine if the funds are gone. All applicants will be notified by county staff regarding their eligibility. Applications are available online at myescambia.com/CARES. A larger assistance program is coming from the county, but applications details have not yet been worked out. Eligible applicants for the Escambia CARES Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program must have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible expenses must occur between March 1, 2020, and Dec. 30, 2020. Maximum assistance will be $3,000 per household and will be paid directly to the landlord, mortgage or utility company. General eligibility requirements for the Escambia CARES Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program:
- Escambia County resident (including City of Pensacola and Town of Century)
- Income adversely impacted by COVID-19 (documentation required)
- Total household income cannot exceed 120% Area Median Income
- This program is for past due rent, mortgage and utilities ONLY. Utility assistance can only be provided in conjunction with mortgage or rent assistance.
Income requirements for the Escambia CARES Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program are as follows: 
Applications are available online at myescambia.com/CARES. Paper applications are available for pickup at the following locations for citizens who do not have online access:
- Escambia County Neighborhood Enterprise Division, 221 Palafox Place, Suite 200 ( 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto St. (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Century City Hall, 7995 N Century Blvd. (normal business hours)
- EREC/Walnut Hill Post Office, 4950 Highway 99A, Walnut Hill (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- All West Florida Public Libraries
Completed paper applications with attachments should be emailed to EscambiaCaresRentandMortgage@myescambia.com, faxed to 850-595-0342, or dropped off at the Brownsville Community Center or Neighborhood Enterprise Division by 5 p.m. on Friday. Please make sure all attachments are clear and legible. Applicants needing assistance with completing applications should call 850-595-1642 for further guidance.
FDOT Virtual Update: Nine Mile Road Study From Pine Forest To Mobile Highway
September 4, 2020
The Florida Department of Transportation has released a virtual update on a study about Nine Mile Road from Pine Forest Road to Mobile Highway.
The study considers alternatives for widening and improvements along the 5.8 mile stretch of Nine Mile Road. The projects addresses current and future capacity issues on Nine Mile Road and Pine Forest Road due to the expansion of Navy Federal Credit Union and other development projects.
The virtual project update, interactive map, virtual tour and a comment form are available by clicking or tapping here. The deadline to submit comments is October 15.
Pictured: A virtual rendering of Nine Mile Road at Heritage Oaks Boulevard (above) and Beulah Road (below). Courtesy FDOT for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Attorney General Recovers More Than $1 Million From COVID-19 Scams, Purchases
September 4, 2020
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has announced that her office has recovered more than $1 million in recoveries from COVID-19 related purchases, cancellations and scams.
Florida remains under a state of emergency due to the spread of the novel coronavirus and the state’s Price Gouging Hotline remains active for consumers to file complaints related to price increases on essential commodities needed to help prevent the spread of the virus.
In addition to securing more than $1 million for consumers since activating Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline, the Florida Attorney General’s Office:
- Received approximately 5,100 consumer contacts about the price of essential commodities;
- Made more than 9,500 referrals and contacts to merchants about allegations of price gouging, refunds and scams;
- Issued 92 subpoenas to further price gouging investigations; and
- Worked with online platforms to deactivate 250 posts offering items for outrageous prices.
Violators of the price gouging statute are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation, up to a total of $25,000 for multiple violations committed in a single 24-hour period and additional penalties for violations of other applicable laws.
For a list of the commodities covered under the state’s price gouging laws during the COVID-19 state of emergency, click here.
Price gouging can be reported by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.
“While I am extraordinarily proud of our Rapid Response Team recovering more than $1 million for consumers, our efforts are far from over. We continue to pursue allegations of extreme price increases and other COVID-19 related scams and unfair business practices, and I remain committed to doing everything under the authority of this office to stop those trying to exploit this crisis by taking advantage of Floridians,” Moody said.
Federal Court Ruling Clears The Way For Removal Of Pensacola Confederate Monument
September 4, 2020
A federal court ruling will allow the City of Pensacola to remove the Confederate Monument from what was known as Lee Square on Palafox Street.
A lawsuit was tossed by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers found the lawsuit seeking to stop the removal lacked legal standing. The lawsuit was filed byT he Ladies Memorial Association, the Stephen Mallory Camp 1315 Sons of Confederate Veterans, Veterans Monuments of America and Save Our Southern Heritage Florida Chapter.
The suit was filed after the Pensacola City Council voted in July to remove the 129-year old monument. The council also voted to revert the name Lee Square back to its original name of Florida Square. Old maps show Florida Square was the original name of the parcel on North Palafox Street one block south of East Cervantes.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
97 New Cases, One New COVID-19 Death Reported On Thursday In Area
September 4, 2020
THIS STORY IS OUTDATED. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION AND NUMBERS.
There were 97 new COVID-19 positives and one new death reported in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties Thursday, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The Escambia County death was a 93-year old female.
Escambia County cases increased 48 to 11,360. An additional 49 cases brought the Santa Rosa County total to 4,812.
Of the 984 tests results returned in Escambia County, 4.8% were positive, and 8.8% were positive from 516 tests in Santa Rosa County. Over the past week, the overall average positivity rate for Escambia County is 5.5%.
There were 97 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Escambia County as of Thursday, according to data from the three local hospitals.
Of the 190 deaths in Escambia County, 90 have been long-term care facility residents or staff. There have been 58 deaths in Santa Rosa County, at least seven of those at the Blackwater River Correctional Facility and 12 in a long-term care facilities.
Statewide, there were 637,013 cases including 629,913 Florida residents. There have been 39,428 hospitalizations* and 11,650 deaths. The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals.
Escambia County cases:
Total cases — 11,360 (+48)
Non-Florida residents — 1,009
Pensacola —8,308 (+42)
Century — 919 (+2)
—-including 771 Century prison inmates
Cantonment — 802 (+19)
Molino— 131
McDavid — 65 (+2)
Walnut Hill — 16
Bellview — 12 (+1)
Gonzalez — 7
Perdido Key — 6
Current hospitalizations: 97 (-10)
Deaths — 190 (+1)
Male — 5,014
Female — 5,236
Youngest — 0
Oldest — 105
Median Age — 39
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases — 4,812 (+49)
Non-Florida residents — 43
Milton — 2,586 (+26)
Gulf Breeze — 699 (+9)
Navarre — 599 (+15)
Pace — 377 (+1)
Jay — 135 (+2)
Bagdad — 9
Cumulative Hospitalizations — 277*
Deaths — 58
Male — 2,666
Female — 2,095
Youngest — 2 months
Oldest — 101
Median Age — 40
Florida cases:
Total cases — 637,013
Florida residents — 629,9013
Deaths — 11,650
Hospitalizations — 39,428*
*“Hospitalizations” in the statewide and Santa Rosa County totals is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. These people may no longer be hospitalized. This number does not represent the number of COVID-19 positive persons currently hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
Partly Cloudy Friday Night
September 4, 2020
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 105. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Calm wind.
Labor Day: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
Alabama To Build Three Mega Prisons, One Near Atmore; Will Create 2,800 Local Construction Jobs
September 4, 2020
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has announced plans to build to three new mega-prisons in Alabama, and one of those will be near Atmore.
The Atmore site is proposed near Bell Fork Road — which runs between Highway 21 north of Atmore and Robinsonville Road. But the statement “near Bell Fork Road” does not rule out that it could be located on Highway 21, and local officials have said it will be located off Highway 21 near the RiverCane development. We reached out to the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) in an attempt to pinpoint a more exact location.
“The ADOC intends to enter into confidential negotiations with CoreCivic to build Facility Three with a proposed site near Bell Fork Road in Escambia County,” Samantha Rose, public information specialist for the ADOC, told NorthEscambia.com. “As the procurement process has now entered into a confidential negotiation period to ensure and secure the best possible value for the State, we cannot disclose additional details regarding the proposed site in Escambia County at this time.”
The ADOC anticipates construction to begin in early 2021, and they said that will mean about 2,800 construction jobs in Escambia County. Two other mega-prisons will be built in Alabama in Bibb County and Elmore County.
Some of the current prisons in the state will be closed as inmates are moved to other facilities. That announcement will come at a later date.
The prisons will be built by private companies and leased back to the state, which will operate them.
Pictured: Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Magnitude 3.8 Earthquake Strikes Near The Florida/Alabama Line
September 3, 2020
The U.S. Geological Survey is confirming a magnitude 3.8 earthquake near the Florida/Alabama line Thursday morning. The earthquake was initially reported by USGS as a 4.0, but that was revised after additional data was analyzed.
The earthquake was centered near Pollard, Alabama, shortly after 10 a.m. That’s about three miles north of Jay or six miles east-northeast of Century.
NorthEscambia.com received hundreds of reports of the ground shaking and even motion of walls and other objects inside buildings from across the area. Most of the reports were in the areas of Century, Flomaton and Jay, but extended outward to Pensacola, Cantonment and Brewton. Many people reported a secondary but weaker shaking, but that has not yet been confirmed.
Escambia County Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore said Engine 519 from the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue surveyed the Century area but did not find any damage.
Jay High School reported that students were safe. The quake was felt at the school, but there were no injuries and so far no damage found.
According to the USGS, damage is not expected from a magnitude 4.0 earthquake.
There was a series of earthquakes in vicinity from March 6 to April 17 in 2019 ranging from magnitude 1.8 to magnitude 2.8. In 1997, a magnitude 4.9 earthquake occurred in the area.
This story will be updated with any additional information.
In the graphic below, you can see the earthquake as recorded in real time by a seismic monitoring station in Brewton.
Amid Investigation, Former Gulf Breeze Mayor Retiring From CTA. Here’s Why CTA Matters A Lot To Century.
September 3, 2020
The former mayor of Gulf Breeze is retiring amid a state investigation, but he says it has no connection to the Capital Trust Agency (CTA).
CTA benefits Century financially in a big way.
The Gulf Breeze Police Department received a complaint that was referred to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. In August, FDLE raided the home of Ed Gray, who was employed by the City of Gulf Breeze as executive director of the Capital Trust Agency. Two days later, he placed himself on leave and has now announced his retirement from CTA.
“It’s known I have been the subject of an investigation regarding accusations made which have no connection with affairs of the city of capital trust agency,” Gray said in his retirement letter. “There is no escaping such a matter becomes a distraction to performing my duties.”
Capital Trust Agency has provided the tax-exempt financing about $2 billion worth of projects, including affordable housing projects, airport facilities, hotel and convention developments promoting tourism, health care projects, and K-12 educational buildings across Florida and beyond.
It’s a role that has provided significant income for Century.
Century has received over $1 million dollars in fees since signing on to CTA, and balancing the town’s draft budget for the next fiscal year relies on the anticipation of least $115,000 in fees from CTA. That’s over 10% of the town’s total budget.
On the surface it might seem unlikely that Century, one of the poorest small cities in the state, could play a part in the financing of dozens of multi-million projects including the Community Maritime Park in Pensacola, $439 million in hotel and convention centers for the Seminole Nation, airport cargo terminals, schools and apartment complexes.
The approvals were granted by Century and Gulf Breeze as members of the Capital Trust Agency, an independent public body for the purpose of financing or otherwise accomplishing development programs. Century entered into the Capital Trust Agency with Gulf Breeze in 1999 with Century essentially serving as the “second signature” for CTA, certifying that the projects meet a public purpose under IRS rules and regulations.
The CTA is structured in such a way to indemnify Century from any financial risk, whether it be from a company that defaults on repayment or any other legal liabilities, according to Michael Stebbins, CTA attorney. The funds used for the bonds are from the CTA’s funds, not from Century or Gulf Breeze.
NorthEscambia.com photo.