Police Chase Suspect To Be Charged With Attempted Murder, Also Charged With Battery On Three Officers
February 25, 2021
A 73-year old man is charged with battery on three offices in Florida, and now police say he will be charged attempted murder of an officer in Alabama. The man was involved ina police chase from Atmore ended in Escambia County, Florida, Wednesday afternoon.
Lem Roy Sanders of Atmore was booked into the Escambia County (FL) Jail on three felony counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer. His bond was set at $150,000. Once extradited from Florida, Sanders will be charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of fleeing and attempted to elude in Alabama.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Wednesday afternoon, the Atmore Police Department responded to United Bank on West Nashville Avenue for a report of a man being disorderly and refusing to leave the premises. Officers arrived and attempted to speak to Sanders as he was sitting in his a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.
“When officers approached the suspect vehicle, the driver then fled away nearly striking an officer with the vehicle,” Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks said, and officers gave chase.
Once the vehicle crossed the state line, Sanders turned into the parking lot of the the Piggly Wiggly on Highway 97 in Davisville, about 1,500 feet south of the state line. In the parking lot, he allegedly struck an unmarked pickup truck occupied by three Atmore Police Department officers that were involved in the chase.
“APD officers then forcibly entered the vehicle by breaking out the driver’s side window to remove the driver from the vehicle,” Brooks said.
Sanders was evaluated on scene by Escambia County EMS but not transported to the hospital. He was arrested in the parking lot by the Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office. The pickup truck he was driving was seized by the ECSO.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Water Leak Leads To Outage In Jacks Branch Road Area
February 25, 2021
Numerous Molino Utilities customers in the Jacks Branch Road area were without water part of Thursday as the utility worked to repair a leak.
Repair to the leak on Jacks Branch Road required that water service be turned off on Schifko, Vantage, Lavanda, Old Bridge, Perdido Lake Road, Perdido Lake Lane, Fish Hook, and part of Jacks Branch. At 1:40 p.m., Molino Utilities told NorthEscambia.com that the leak was repaired, and they were in the process of restoring water service.
Construction Begins On McDavid Solar Farm; Second Nearby Solar Site Still In The Works
February 25, 2021
On Wednesday, Gulf Power announced the start of construction on a huge solar farm near McDavid, as plans are still in the works for a second solar facility in the same area.
At 74.2 megawatts, the Cotton Creek Creek Solar Energy Center (graphic above) will generate enough electricity to power 15,000 homes annually, according to Gulf Power. The Escambia County Development Review Committee granted approval for the Cotton Creek solar farm in November 2020.
NorthEscambia.com was first to report in December 2019 that facility was planned for West Bogia Road. Documents show the project to be about 640 acres, only 353.18 acres of which will be disturbed. The development is in an area north of West Bogia Road between South Pine Barren Road and Highway 29, just west of Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Gulf Power is also currently seeking the necessary permits for the First City Solar Energy Center off Holland, Cox and Roach roads in McDavid. It will be 74.5 megawatts, also enough to power another 15,000 homes annually.
The First City Solar Center will encompass about 554 acres with about 458 acres to be disturbed for approximately 300,000 solar panels.
Both projects are expected to create 200-250 jobs during peak construction.
Gulf Power has also announced that construction is beginning on the 74.5 megawatt Blue Springs Solar Energy Center in Jackson County.
“As part of FPL, we’re ushering in a more sustainable future for Northwest Florida by delivering cleaner, lower-cost energy and increasing reliability while keeping costs down for our customers,” said Mike Spoor, Gulf Power vice president. “With each solar farm that we build, we’re reducing our carbon footprint and providing cleaner air for our region, ensuring we keep Northwest Florida beautiful for generations to come, while also benefiting the local economy with the contribution of hundreds of thousands of additional tax dollars.”
Pictured top: Plans for the Cotton Creek Solar Energy Center. Pictured below: Plans for the First City Solar Energy Center. NorthEscambia.com graphics.
Andrade Files ECUA Term Limit Bill, Days After Salzman Withdraws Her ECUA Bill
February 25, 2021
Florida House District 2 Rep. Alex Andrade on Wednesday filed a new bill to impose term limits for the Emerald Coast Utility Authority board, days after another ECUA bill was withdrawn.
Andrade’s bill states that anyone elected to the ECUA board for three consecutive terms would not be eligible to run for the next succeeding term.
District 1 Rep. Michelle Salzman filed an ECUA term limit bill earlier this year, but withdrew the bill last week. She called for an extensive operational audit of ECUA and other water utilities created by special acts to gain “a clear picture of how we will move forward with legislation.” The bill had received the support of the local Legislative Delegation comprised of Salzman, Andrade and Sen. Doug Broxson.
A 2018 grand jury report, which was not made public until September 2020, recommended term limits for ECUA. The grand jury found that a lack of term limits “has created a sense of complacency and has fostered an overreliance on the executive director and attorneys.”
“The only recommendation from the grand jury report that requires legislative action was term limits. After Rep. Salzman and Sen. Broxson decided to kill the bill without my input, I decided to propose a compromise and focus on the one grand jury recommendation that needed legislative action,” Andrade told NorthEscambia.com Wednesday night.
In order for Andrade’s bill to advance in the legislative process, a local bill certification form must be signed by Broxson stating it has been approved by a majority of the three-member delegation.
“I hope he signs the form saying he supports term limits,” Andrade said. “If we are for our constituents, we are going to support term limits. I have no idea why any representative in Northwest Florida would not support term limits.”
“I made a commitment to my constituents to promote good government whenever possible, and term limits are one of the best ways to inject new ideas and transparency into our system,” he said.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
UWF Planning Modified, In-Person Spring 2021 Commencement
February 25, 2021
The University of West Florida is planning to go ahead with a modified spring commencement ceremony.
The Florida Board of Governors has announced that State University System of Florida institutions are permitted to host modified, in-person commencement ceremonies for Spring 2021 graduates. These ceremonies must meet certain criteria and guidelines as established by the Board of Governors.
The University of West Florida is actively developing a plan for in-person ceremonies, while keeping the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and families in mind, according to the university.
Additional details on the UWF Spring 2021 Commencement are expected to become available in the coming weeks.
Pictured: The University of West Florida is planning a modified, in-person commencement this spring that will look much different from this traditional ceremony in December 2018. NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Farm Auction Is Saturday. And It’s Not Just Farm Equipment.
February 25, 2021
The 46th Annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Farm Equipment Auction will be held this Saturday, February 27, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The auction includes not only farm equipment, but also household items like tools and small equipment, lawn and garden items, antiques and more.
The sale will be located at the Walnut Hill Community Center, 7850 Highway 97, just north of Ernest Ward Middle School. The deadline for adding lots is 8 a.m. Saturday.
For more information or consignments, call (850) 327-4479 or (850) 380-9973.
For more photos from the 2020 auction, click here.
Pictured: Hundreds attended the annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club farm equipment auction last year in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Partly Sunny, High In The Middle 70s Today
February 25, 2021
Here is your official north Escambia area forecast:
Thursday Night: Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming northeast in the evening.
Friday: A slight chance of rain before 9am, then a slight chance of showers between 9am and noon, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 73. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 72.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Event For Veterans Saturday In Pensacola
February 25, 2021
The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System will host a mass COVID-19 vaccination event in Pensacola Saturday for qualifying veterans.
The appointment only event will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Joint Ambulatory Care Center at 790 Veterans Way.
Appointments will be available for:
- Veterans 65 and up
- Veterans with a high-risk medical condition
- Veterans who are essential workers
- Eligible high risk veterans: Community living centers and other congregate living settings, homeless veterans, hemodialysis patients, solid organ transplant patients or patients who are listed for transplant, spinal cord injury, and chemotherapy patients (receiving chemotherapy in a clinic/hospital setting)
- Caregivers of a veteran enrolled in the Comprehensive Caregiver Support Program and receiving a monthly allotment from the VA.
Those meeting the vaccine criteria should call (800) 296-8872 (chose Option 2, then Option 1) to schedule an appointment. Veterans that cannot attend Saturday’s event are still encouraged to call for a clinical appointment.
This will not be a drive-thru event, and veterans should limit visitors and pets when possible.
Another 87 COVID-19 Cases, No Additional Deaths Reported In Escambia County
February 25, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
No new COVID-19 deaths and 87 new cases were reported Wednesday in Escambia County by the Florida Department of Health.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 33,391 (+87)
Non-Florida residents: 3,453
Recovered: 30,843*
Total deaths: 618 (-2 FDOH data adjustment)
Long-term care facility deaths: 263 (-2 FDOH data adjustment)
Current hospitalizations: 97 (-1)
Number of tests reported last day: 1,432
Percent positive reported last day: 5.5%
Percent positive reported last week: 6.2%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 24,875 (+63)
Cantonment: 3,014 (+8)
Century: 1,139
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 471 (+11)
McDavid: 198
Bellview: 56
Walnut Hill: 51
Perdido Key: 21
Gonzalez: 12
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 16,915 (+55)
Non-Florida residents: 211
Total deaths: 256 (+4)
Long-term care facility deaths: 77 (+1)
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 775*
Number of tests reported last day: 708
Percent positive reported last day: 7.1%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 8,098 (+24)
Navarre: 3,452 (+12)
Gulf Breeze: 3,157 (+9)
Pace: 1,344 (+7)
Jay: 522 (+2)
Bagdad: 31
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,885,661
Florida residents: 1,851,151
Deaths: 30,340
Hospitalizations: 78,472*
*“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. Most of these people are longer be 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.
**On cases by location, the city is based upon zip code and is not always received as part of the initial notification. There may be a delay in reporting locations, and locations will not total the daily case increase as a result.
***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 is reporting an approximate recovery number defined as the total cases prior to last month, minus deaths. In other words, anyone that tested positive more than a month ago is presumed to have recovered by Escambia County.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
Escambia COVID-19 Hospitalizations Fall Below 100 For The First Time In Months
February 25, 2021
The number of Escambia County COVID-19 daily hospitalizations has fallen to the lowest level since Thanksgiving.
There were 97 people currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Escambia County on Wednesday. That’s coming off a spike of 291 on January 14.
“While this is certainly good progress, it’s important that we continue to work together to bring these numbers down for our community and for our hospitals.,” Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said Wednesday.
The numbers in the graph indicate daily hospitalizations in Escambia County and are provided daily by Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital and West Florida Hospital. The daily numbers are not cumulative.
Data source: Escambia County, City of Pensacola. Graphics: City of Pensacola, Escambia County.