Free Bird Watching Bingo Activity Kits Back At Century Branch Library
May 28, 2021
Earlier this month, we told you about “Bird Watch Bingo” take home activity kits available for free at the Century Branch Library. Due to popular demand from NorthEscambia.com readers, the kits quickly flew out the door.
But good news…the kits are back in stock. With the bird watching kit, look into the world around you for local birds and check them off your bingo card as you identify different species.
Chance Of Rain Friday Night
May 28, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 60. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Memorial Day: Sunny, with a high near 90. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.
Wahoos Six-Game Win Streak Ends After Loss To Shuckers
May 28, 2021
It looked like it might be a long night for Pensacola starter Brandon Leibrandt (L, 0-2), who had given up two runs to the first three batters of the game. Jamie Westbrook hit a two-run double with nobody out to put Biloxi up 2-0, and it appeared it might be a huge inning against the Wahoos.
However, Leibrandt responded immediately by forcing a couple of groundouts, including an inning-ending double play to escape the first inning with no further damage done.
Pensacola had a response immediately for the Shuckers as they scored in the top of the second against Leo Crawford (W, 1-1). After a leadoff walk by Tristan Pompey, Riley Mahan doubled before Pompey scored on an RBI groundout from Bubba Hollins, which was his first RBI of the season.
Unfortunately for the Blue Wahoos, the offense would end there. Despite finishing the night with seven hits, Pensacola was 0-for-9 as a team with runners in scoring position. The win for Biloxi was their first since Sunday, when they took the series finale against the Smokies 7-3.
Pensacola will try to take control of the series tomorrow when the Wahoos send RHP Jeff Lindgren (2-1, 2.50) to the mound against RHP Luis Contreras (0-1, 5.19).
by Chris Garagiola, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
File photo.
Ready To Stock Up? Florida Disaster Sales Tax Holiday Begins Today
May 28, 2021
The 10-day Florida 2021 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday begins today. Consumers can purchase qualifying disaster preparedness supplies tax free through Sunday, June 6.
Many items to prepare for hurricane season and other disasters are exempt from sales tax in the state.
“The approach of hurricane season is an excellent reminder to prepare not just for storms, but for all potential disasters,” said Jim Zingale, executive director of the Florida Department of Revenue. “The 2021 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is an excellent opportunity for Floridians to save money while gathering the supplies they need to be safe.”
Qualifying items include:
- $20 or less
- Reusable ice
- $40 or less
- Portable self-powered light source
- $50 or less
- Certain portable radios
- A gas or diesel fuel tank
- Packages of certain battery types
- $60 of less
- A nonelectric food storage cooler
- Portable power banks
- $100 or less
- Tarps
- Ground anchor systems or tie-down kits
- $1,000 or less
- Portable generators for use in a power outage
More details are in the graphic above.
FDOH Reports 18 New COVID-19 Cases In Escambia County
May 28, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
There were 18 new COVID-19 cases reported Thursday in Escambia County by the Florida Department of Health.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 36,575 (+18)
Non-Florida residents: 3,699
Recovered: 34,125*
Total deaths: 700
Long-term care facility deaths: 287
Current hospitalizations: 29
Number of tests reported last day: 415
Percent positive reported last day: 3.7%
Percent positive reported last week: 4.0%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 27,429 (+15)
Cantonment: 3,291 (+1)
Century: 1,185
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 497
McDavid: 216)
Bellview: 59
Walnut Hill: 58
Perdido Key: 21
Gonzalez: 13
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 18,504 (+11)
Non-Florida residents: 260
Total deaths: 291
Long-term care facility deaths: 82
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 916*
Number of tests reported last day: 605
Percent positive reported last day: 3.8%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 8,839 (+7)
Navarre: 3,806 (+2)
Gulf Breeze: 3,392 (+1)
Pace: 1,520 (+1)
Jay: 561
Bagdad: 32
Florida cases:
Total cases: 2,318,480
Florida residents: 2,275,177
Deaths: 36,733
Hospitalizations: 94,767
*“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.
Two Injured In Highway 97 Rollover Wreck
May 28, 2021
Two people were injured in a rollover crash Thursday evening near Walnut Hill.
The wreck happened about 7:15 p.m. on Highway 97 at Pelt Road. The driver of a Chevrolet HHR lost control, ran off the roadway and overturned. The SUV came to rest upright in the ditch.
The driver and a passenger were transported by Escambia County EMS to West Florida Hospital with injuries not considered life threatening.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. The Walnut Hill and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Nine Mile Road House Fire Under Investigation
May 27, 2021
The cause of a house fire Thursday morning on Nine Mile Road is under investigation.
Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the home in the 1300 block of West Nine Mile Road, near Ashland Avenue, to find heavy fire. The home was deemed a total loss.
There were no injuries reported.
The Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations is working to determine the cause.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com Investigates: Escambia Employee Makes Anonymous Records Request To Identify Anonymous Citizen (And Why It Won’t Work)
May 27, 2021
An anonymous Escambia County employee has made an anonymous public records request in an apparent effort to potentially reveal the identity of the person that made an anonymous email record requests for documents on retirement plans. And the whole thing may go to the Florida Attorney General to settle a disagreement between the county administrator and the county attorney.
As confusing as all that sounds, NorthEscambia.com obtained the information a county department head won’t release, and we found it won’t work to identify the anonymous citizen.
Here’s What Happened, And What We Found
The county received an email request in late April from an email address with no name — an email that on the surface appears to not identify the sender. The person made an anonymous request for details on a county retirement plan, board minutes regarding the plan and who in county government might qualify for money under a settlement (more on that later).
The anonymous email was received from a VFEmail.net, a company that provides email services. It was sent using a free account, according to the email taglines, but the company promises paid services “to keep your email out of the NSA’s hands.”
Escambia County IT Director Bart Siders was asked by an anonymous county employee to provide the IP address of the citizen who made the public records request, according to a May 19 email from County Administrator Janice Gilley to Attorney General Ashley Moody. Florida’s public records laws allow for anonymous public records requests, including verbal and written or email requests. The actual email or written anonymous public records requests themselves become public records.
An internet IP address can often be used to locate the device that sent an email and possibly reveal the identity of the person using the device, thus potentially unmasking the person behind the anonymous public records request. Every email includes a large section of “headers,” typically hidden by email readers, that detail the path a message took across the internet and may include an identifying IP address of the original sender.
“Chilling Effect” — Is Anonymous Really Anonymous
“The IT Director (Siders) believed it would be unethical, and a violation of the anonymity provisions in Chapter 119 (Florida public records law) as a public entity, to effectively identify that person making the request through providing their IP address. I agreed with his decision,” Gilley wrote.
“This has placed the IT Director, and me as his supervisor, in a precarious position that requires your opinion,” Gilley continued her email to the attorney general. “Do we violate the trust of the citizen who reasonably expected anonymity as provided by Chapter 119? Or do we violate Chapter 119 by not providing this IP address?”
“I fear that allowing this to occur could have a chilling effect on persons making anonymous requests as their anonymity would be compromised,” Gilley wrote.
Escambia County Attorney Alison Rogers disagrees, saying the header containing IP addresses is part of the email and thus public record.
“Under Florida law, a public record must be disclosed unless there is a specific exemption,” Rogers told NorthEscambia.com. “We consulted with the Attorney General’s Office. They found no exemption and advised that it was a public record that must be disclosed.”
Gilley asked the attorney general to render an official opinion, but she was advised that the AG’s office would only issue an opinion on the matter if requested by a majority of the county commission.
In an email to commissioners on Wednesday, Gilley said she will not be present at the June 3 BOCC meeting, but she plans to bring it up for discussion at a later board meeting.
NorthEscambia.com Investigation Obtains IP Addresses, Traces Original Email
Thursday afternoon, NorthEscambia.com obtained the anonymous public records request email, including the headers containing IP addresses that the county’s IT director would not release to the anonymous county employee.
Our staff conducted a technical review of the headers and investigated each and every IP address that appears. We found nothing that could be used to identify the original device that sent the email, or the originating location. We also consulted with an certified international cybersecurity expert who also carefully analyzed the email headers. His analysis echoed our findings.
The headers reveal the anonymous email from the VFEmail user traveled through a VFEmail server in the Netherlands. It was then relayed through a VFEmail.net server in France. The message then went through a server operated by enterprise security company Proofpoint in Kansas before heading out of the Midwest on Level 3 Communications, an internet network provider, before arriving at Escambia County’s server.
In simpler English, the email traveled in a series of hops across Europe and the United States that cannot be traced back to the sender’s device or their identity. The headers and IP addresses appear as if the email originated from VFEmail’s servers, not the original sender.
The email was truly anonymous.
What Exactly Did The Anonymous Email Request?
The original anonymous email public records request is above (click to enlarge).
The VFEmail user asked for a copy of the contract or agreement for management of the county’s 401(a) retirement plan, the board minutes where it was approved, and a list of employees and commissioners that would qualify for a “settlement” presented to the Florida Commission on Ethics along with the amount they might receive.
In March, Commissioner Steven Barry and County Attorney Alison Rogers went before the ethics commission concerning retirement plans. There were no allegations of ethical wrongdoing against Barry, Rogers or anyone else; instead they were seeking permission for the BOCC to vote on the employee benefit issue.
Barry contended that after he was first elected in 2012, the county’s human resources department did not tell him, other commissioners and other eligible county employees about the existence of a 401(a) annuity plan, only the normal Florida Retirement system plan. He did not know about the plan until months into his second term, past a six month eligibility period. He did sign up as his third term started.
Barry asked for a settlement approval from the ethics commission that would allow payments to him, other commissioners and other county employees that were not told about the annuity plan by human resources. The ethics commission agreed that the county commission could vote on paying lost earnings from the 401(a) plan to impacted commissioners and county employees. To date, the BOCC has not voted on the issue, and no payments have been made.
Sunny And Warm Thursday And Friday, Maybe A Rain Shower For The Weekend
May 27, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday Night: Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 67. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. West wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Memorial Day: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87.
DeSantis: $1,000 Bonuses Coming For Florida Teachers, Principals
May 27, 2021
Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $765 million in funding for Florida’s teachers is on the way, including $1,000 payments directly to most principals and teachers.
Over 3,600 principals and almost 180,000 full-time classroom teachers in grades pre-K through 12th will receive the $1,000 disaster relief payments for a total of $215 million in the state budget, the governor said during a new conference at Destin Elementary School.
There is also $550 million in funding to continue to raise minimum teacher salaries, $50 million more than last year’s budget allocation.
DeSantis said over the past year, minimum pay for Florida’s teachers increased by an average of $6,000 from $40,000 to $46,000.
“While most other states locked down their schools, Florida followed the science and opened our schools for in-person instruction, five days a week,” said DeSantis. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our teachers and school leaders Florida succeeded where so many other states failed. I can’t thank them enough for their hard work and dedication during this school year and these bonuses are a small way to say thank you on behalf of our state.”