Century Agrees To Sell Industrial Building And 40 Acres For ‘Project Fusion’, Again Rejects Local Cotton Gin
September 2, 2020
The Century Town Council Tuesday night approved selling a building and 40 acres in the town’s industrial park to a company described as using an agricultural product to manufacture plastic alternatives. They council also rejected a new proposal from West Florida Gin to purchase the building and just five acres for about 10 percent less money.
Council members expressed more interested in the company known by the codename “Project Fusion” because their offer came with the promise of more jobs.
In May 2019, West Florida Gin made a lease-to-own offer on the town-owned building that has been empty for 12 years. They offered $4,000 per month for five years, an $8,000 deposit and to pay for any upgrades with an option to purchase it at $100 at the end of the lease. The council rejected the proposal.
The town advertised the building for lease this year and received just one offer — $6,000 per month for five years with an option to renew the contract for an additional five years from West Florida Gin. As the town council was set to vote on the cotton proposal that promised six jobs, they received a last minute offer through Pensacola real estate company Beck Partners for Project Fusion at $879,000 for the building and 30 acres. They came with a promise of employing 30 or more people within a couple of years.
The council tabled a vote on the lease proposal from West Florida Gin in Walnut Hill in order to negotiate with the Project Fusion company.
During the next week, the Project Fusion offer decreased by $119,000 as their project increased by 10 acres, and West Florida Gin made a cash offer to purchase the 40,390 square foot “Helicopter Technology” building.
West Florida Gin’s Rejected Offer
West Florida Gin offered $700,000 for the building and lot, a total of about five acres and has already made a $50,000 earnest deposit. It would have been a cash sale at closing with no actions required from the town. The town would have paid title insurance at closing and no broker compensation.
Project Fusion’s Accepted Offer
Project Fusion offered $760,000 for the building and the lot upon which it sits, plus seven other lots in the industrial park for a total of about 41 acres. The sale will be contingent upon a clear Phase I environmental assessment at the town’s expense (estimated at $2,500 to $6,000) and a determination at the town’s expense (cost unknown) that none of the property is wetlands.
Project Fusion has offered $50,000 in earnest money (not yet received), and the town will be required to offer owner-financing of 80% of the purchase price ($680,000) at a 4.5% interest rate on a 20-year amortization with a seven-year balloon payment. That equates to monthly payments of $3,847 with a lump sum balloon at seven years for $453,667.
The town will also be required to provide fiber optic connectivity and phone access to the lot with the building at the additional lots with 60 days, pay closing costs that include half of the title insurance (estimated $1,900), doc stamps (about $5,320), and a 3% broker fee ($22,800) to Beck Partners.
The company also requested security at the Century Industrial Park with a daily document log by a patrol officer and a waiver of all future impact fees. Both were sticking points for the council and their attorney. The town will instead request daily patrols and logs from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. And they won’t waive water and sewer impact fees because that will violate provisions of grant agreements that encumber water and sewer revenues.
The council approved the Project Fusion Offer on a 3-2 vote, with council President Ann Brooks and member Brenda Spencer voting against.
NorthEscambia.com will continue to follow this developing story.
NorthEscambia.com photos.
Escambia School Board Votes To Hire Dr. Timothy Smith As Next Superintendent
September 2, 2020
The Escambia County School Board voted 3-2 Tuesday evening to hire Dr. Timothy Smith as the next school superintendent.
Smith is an executive area director of high schools in Orange County, Florida, which has 212,000 students. His direct responsibility is for 10 high schools with a combined student population of 30,000 students. There are about 40,000 students in the entire Escambia County district.
Smith has served as a teacher and a principal at the middle and high school levels.
Board members Bill Slayton, Paul Fetsko and Patty Hightower voted in favor of Smith on a motion made by Slayton. The vote came after failed motion by board member Kevin Adams to hire Keith Leonard, who is currently assistant superintendent of human resources in Escambia County. Only Adams and Fetsko voted for Leonard.
If the district successfully negotiates an employment contact with Smith, it will be set for a board vote on September 15.
In November 2018, Escambia County citizens voted to move from an elected to an appointed superintendent. Malcolm Thomas, the current elected superintendent, will retire in November.
Man Arrested At Pensacola Airport Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Smuggle Equipment To Iran
September 2, 2020
Colin Fisher, a citizen of the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) and attempted smuggling in relation to exporting power generating equipment to Iran.
Fisher was arrested by federal agents when he arrived in Pensacola from the United Arab Emirates earlier this month to consummate the illegal transaction and get equipment for a buyer in Iran.
Fisher, 45, admitted in United States District Court in Pensacola that from October 1, 2017, to August 7, 2020, he worked to violate the Iranian embargo by attempting to export a Solar Mars 90 S turbine core engine and parts from the United States for delivery to an end user in Iran. This included participating in fraudulent invoicing and using coded language with conspirators to communicate about the illegal transactions.
Despite these efforts, law enforcement authorities discovered the plan and were able to seize the turbine before its transatlantic journey to the end user in Iran, a conspirator in Iran who is linked to an Iranian energy company. The intercepted turbine, which was valued at half a million dollars, could be used to provide needed energy to the oil fields of Iran.
“Exporting technology to Iran is prohibited for a very good reason, yet this defendant chose to put his own self-interest above global and national security,” U.S. Attorney Keefe said. “This case should send a clear signal that the United States cannot and will not look the other way when persons endanger the safety of our nation and its people. We will enforce these laws, which are vital to our national security, against those both within the United States and abroad.”
James Meharg, CEO and president of Turbine Resources International, LLC, in Pensacola, was previously convicted of conspiring with Fisher to export a large turbine and parts from the United States to an Iranian recipient in violation of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations. Meharg is currently serving a 40-month sentence in federal prison.
“The commitment of the Bureau of Industry and Security to protect our nation’s security against terrorist procurement networks in State Sponsors of Terrorism countries such as Iran remains unwavering,” said P. Lee Smith, Performing the Non-exclusive Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement in the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security. “These continued efforts to bring all conspirators to justice are demonstrated in this most recent guilty plea.”
Animal Control: Cantonment Woman Gave Injections To Kitten That Died; Collected Dead Animals
September 2, 2020
A Cantonment woman has been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly performing injections on cats and collecting dead animals.
Selena Dunlap, 21, was charged with felony unlicensed practice of veterinary medicine and cruelty to animals.
Escambia County Animal Control responded to a home in the 1300 block of Tate Road after receiving a reported that Dunlap was “injecting cats with food”.
An animal control officer reported that she could see a couple of cats and dogs inside the home. When she asked about a kitten, Dunlap and her roommates said it was inside the trailer. Eddins asked Dunlap to show her what they were injecting the cat with when Dunlap brought out a bottle of sodium chloride.
When the officer was invited inside to see a kitten, she noted that the home was filled with old food, trash, cigarette butts and a dog kennel covered in blankets. Dunlap was holding the kitten, according to an arrest report, and said she had been giving it sugar water, watered down milk and antibotics.
Dunlap showed the animal control officer a needle she said she bought online, and the officer observed a magazine on a table with the title “Secrets To Being a Vet Tech”.
The officer said the kitten was not able to hold its head up. It was taken to the Escambia County Animal Shelter for care. It later died.
The report adds back in October 2019, Dunlap’s dad contacted animal control stating she was living in a tent in the woods and collected dead animals and had live animals as well. When animal control responded to Dunlap’s tent, she stated she had seven dogs and eight cats. Puppies were found covered in fleas.
Animal control removed 12 animals from Dunlap and ordered her to bury the dead animals.
Dunlap remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $6,000.
Drier Air, Slim Rain Chances Into The Weekend
September 2, 2020
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday Night: Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind.
Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Labor Day: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Florida Lifting Ban On Nursing Home Visits, But There Will Still Be Restrictions
September 2, 2020
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has issued an emergency order that lifts restrictions for visitation to nursing homes, assisted living facilities (ALFs), adult family-care homes, adult group homes and other long-term care facilities.
The emergency order requires all visitors to wear PPE following to the most recent CDC guidelines, and those not making physical contact still must wear a mask. To accept general visitors the facility must meet the following:
- No new facility-onset of resident COVID-19 cases within 14 days other than in a dedicated wing or unit that accepts COVID-19 cases from the community;
- If a staff member tests positive for COVID-19, the facility must immediately cease all indoor and outdoor visitation in the event that staff person was in the facility in the 10 days prior to the positive test;
- Sufficient staff to support management of visitors;
- Adequate PPE for facility staff;
- Adequate cleaning and disinfecting supplies; and
- Adequate capacity at referral hospitals for the facility.
Every facility must continue to prohibit the entry of any individual to the facility except in the following circumstances:
- Family members, friends and individuals visiting residents in end-of-life situations;
- Hospice or palliative care workers caring for residents in end-of-life situations;
- Any individual or providers giving necessary health care to a resident, provided that such individuals or providers comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for PPE, are screened for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 prior to entry and comply with all infection control requirements of the CDC and the facility;
- Facility staff and residents;
- Attorneys of Record for a resident in an Adult Mental Health and Treatment Facility or forensic facility for court related matters if virtual or telephonic means are unavailable;
- Public Guardians, Professional Guardians and their professional staff as defined in Florida Statue 744;
- Representatives of the federal or state government seeking entry as part of their official duties;
- Essential caregivers and compassionate care visitors; and
- General visitors under specific criteria set forth under the Emergency Order.
The order directs all facilities to ensure visitors are not quarantining, positive for COVID-19 or symptomatic. It also requires facilities to screen visitors, establish limits on the number of visitors allowed, schedule visitation ahead of time, clean and disinfect visiting areas between visitors and other protective measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
General visitors will need to be 18 years of age or older, wear a face mask, sign a consent form indicating they understand the facility’s visitation policies, comply with facility-provided COVID-19 testing if offered and maintain social distance of at least six feet with staff and residents.
This order will be implemented in the upcoming days as long-term care facilities begin to put new procedures in place to comply with the Emergency Order.
Escambia Issues New Info On Housing Grants Application Process, New Locations
September 2, 2020
As applications opened Tuesday for rent, mortgage and utility assistance for local residents, Escambia County released more guidance on the program and added additional application locations.
Approximately $813,451 was being made available Tuesday by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation to assist eligible applicants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the current application period eligible expenses must occur between March 1 and December 30, 2020. Maximum assistance will be $3,000 per household and will be paid directly to the landlord, mortgage, or utility company.
Applications will be accepted though Monday, September 14 or until funds have been committed. Applications are available online at myescambia.com/CARES. For further information, contact Meredith Reeves at (850) 595-1642 or EscambiaCaresRentandMortgage@myescambia.com.
Paper applications are available for pickup at the following locations starting Tuesday, Sept. 1 for citizens who do not have online access:
- Escambia County Extension Services, 3740 Stefani Road. (Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Escambia County Neighborhood Enterprise Division, 221 Palafox Place, Suite 200 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto St. (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Carver Park Resource Center, 208 Webb St. (Tuesday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Century City Hall, 7995 N Century Blvd. (starting Thursday during normal business hours)
- Ebonwood Community Center, 3511 West Scott St. (Tuesday and Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Marie K. Young-Wedgewood Community Center, 6405 Wagner Road. (Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
- EREC/Walnut Hill Post Office, 4950 Highway 99A, Walnut Hill (Monday through Friday 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. Please make sure all attachments are clear and legible. Applicants needing assistance with completing applications should call 850-595-1642 for further guidance.
New information and guidance for applicants is below the income requirements in the following image.
Please provide the public the eligibility requirements as required by the State of Florida:
A.1. Is your combined annual household income below the 120% area median income level? (see chart below)
A.2. Are you delinquent on your rent, mortgage and/or utility payments? (utilities include electric, natural gas, propane, water, sewer, and trash). Please note – Documented evidence required.
A.3. Are you a resident living in Escambia County?
A.4. Do you have proof of loss of employment income or reduction of employment income due to COVID-19 impacts on or after March 1, 2020?
IF YOU ANSWERED “NO” TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR ESCAMBIA COUNTY CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND RENT, MORTGAGE, AND UTILITY ASSISTANCE.
Rent and Mortgage Assistance Grant Program Frequently Asked Questions including:
Q: I need assistance with utilities only. Can you provide assistance?
A: The funding is intended for foreclosure and eviction prevention. Utility assistance can only be provided in conjunction with mortgage or rent assistance. Utility assistance can be provided if your lease specifically requires maintenance of utilities and could be a cause for eviction. If you need utility assistance ONLY, please call 2-1-1 for referrals for utility assistance.
Q: How will I know the county has successfully received my application?
A: You will receive a confirmation number on your screen once you have completely submitted your successful application online. You will not receive an e-mail with this confirmation. Please make a note of your confirmation number for future reference.
Tuesday Report: 73 Additional COVID-19 Cases, Two Deaths In Escambia County
September 1, 2020
THIS STORY IS OUTDATED. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST.
There were 73 new COVID-19 positives and two new deaths reported in Escambia County on Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Health. The state also announced some 75,000 test results dating back for months had been returned in one batch by Quest Diagnostics, and the state moved to sever all ties with Quest. [Read more...]
Escambia County cases increased to 11,256. An additional 43 cases brought the Santa Rosa County total to 4,714.
Of the 223 tests results returned in Escambia County, 9.4% were positive on Monday, and 19.5% were positive from 62 tests in Santa Rosa County. Over the past week, the overall average positivity rate for Escambia County is 5.5%.
There were 117 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Escambia County as of Monday, according to data from the three local hospitals.
Of the 188 deaths in Escambia County, 89 have been long-term care facility residents or staff. There have been 55 deaths in Santa Rosa County, at least seven of those at the Blackwater River Correctional Facility and 10 in a long-term care facilities.
Statewide, there were 631,040 cases including 624,116 Florida residents. There have been 38,859 hospitalizations* and 11,374 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.
The Quest data dump led to a delay in numbers from the Florida Department of Health on Tuesday. The individual location numbers below are from Monday as a result.
Escambia County cases:
Total cases — 11,256 (+73)
Non-Florida residents — 1,009
Pensacola —8,175 (+24)
Century — 915 (+5)
—-including 768 Century prison inmates
Cantonment — 783 (+1)
Molino— 129 (+1)
McDavid — 63
Walnut Hill — 16
Bellview — 11
Gonzalez — 7
Perdido Key — 6
Current hospitalizations: 117 (-15)
Deaths — 188 (+2)
Male — 4,959
Female — 5,187
Youngest — 0
Oldest — 105
Median Age — 39
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases — 4,714 (+43)
Non-Florida residents — 43
Milton — 2,534 (+1)
Gulf Breeze — 674
Navarre — 577 (+6)
Pace — 359 (+2)
Jay — 131 (+1)
Bagdad — 9
Cumulative Hospitalizations — 266*
Deaths — 57 (+2)
Male — 2,616
Female — 2,044
Youngest — 2 months
Oldest — 101
Median Age — 40
Florida cases:
Total cases — 631,040
Florida residents — 624,116
Deaths — 11,374
Hospitalizations — 38,859*
*“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.
Tropical Storm Nana Forms
September 1, 2020
Tropical Storm Nana has formed south of Jamaica. It is expected to move toward the Yucatan Peninsula and not be any threat to the Gulf Coast.
The latest information on the storm is in the graphics on this page.
Florida Dumps Quest Diagnostics As Testing Company After Quest Dumps Months Old COVID-19 Test Data
September 1, 2020
Tuesday, at the direction of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) will be severing all ties with Quest Diagnostics after Quest’s failure to follow Florida law and report all COVID-19 results in a timely manner. Quest’s failure to report nearly 75,000 results dating back to April means most of the data in today’s upload – while it will have historical significance – will have little impact on the status of the pandemic today.
Per Quest, all individuals that tested positive were notified of their results. Therefore, while significant, this unacceptable dump of test results is a data issue and does not impact the health of individuals or the spread of COVID-19 in Florida. Quest Diagnostics is a large, nationwide lab that provides testing at private sites, as well as performing limited testing through the state.
Upon announcing this action, Governor DeSantis said, “The law requires all COVID-19 results to be reported to DOH in a timely manner. To drop this much unusable and stale data is irresponsible. I believe that Quest has abdicated their ability to perform a testing function in Florida that the people can be confident in. As such I am directing all executive agencies to sever their COVID-19 testing relationships with Quest effective immediately.”
Monday night, August 31, the Governor’s office was informed that nearly 75,000 tests, dating as far back as April, were to be entered into the DOH COVID-19 monitoring system. While the data, for the most part were over two weeks old – with some being almost five months old – the state incorporated information that would be useful and included the rest in the interest of transparency.
Without the backlog of Quest results, the positivity rate for new cases on August 31, 2020 is 5.9%. With the Quest data dump, Tuesday’s number reflected 7,643 total new cases with a 6.8% positivity rate.