Need To Get Rid Of A Christmas Tree? You Can Still Recycle It For Free
January 5, 2025
You can still recycle your natural natural Christmas tree in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties.
In Escambia County:
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) will pick up Christmas trees from customers for free with the regular collection of yard waste.
Customers are asked to remove all decorations from their trees and cut the trees so that no portion is longer than six feet. Trees can be placed at the curb with other yard trash, and should not be placed in the regular garbage container or recycling cans.
For more information, call ECUA Customer Service at (850) 476-0480.
In Santa Rosa County:
Santa Rosa County Public Works offers an environmentally friendly option for disposal. Residents who would like to “treecycle” their tree for mulch may drop off their clean Christmas trees in the designated areas listed below by Jan. 20
- Jay Transfer Station – Transfer Station Road, Jay
- Central Landfill – Household Hazardous Waste facility, 6337 Da Lisa Road, Milton
- Pace Fire Rescue District – 4773 Pace Patriot Blvd., Pace
- Navarre Beach Boat Ramp Parking Lot Recycle Area – Gulf Blvd., Navarre Beach
- Tiger Point Recreation Area – Gulf Breeze, east of Walmart
Residents who wish to drop off their live tree will need to remove any tinsel, lights, and ornaments from the tree before dropping it off.
Salzman Hosts Blanket Drive for Community
January 5, 2025
Florida Rep. Michelle Salzman has organized a blanket drive for the community through January 10.
“As the cold weather sets in, many in our community, especially the elderly and families facing hardship, are struggling to stay warm. Some can’t afford heat, and others don’t even have power,” Salzman said. “To help make sure no one is left out in the cold, I’m organizing a blanket drive to provide warmth to those in need.”
Residents can help by donating:
via PayPal: MICHELLE@SYSCTL.NET
via Venmo: @MICHELLE-SALZMAN-
New blankets of all sizes can be donated at 3212 South Hwy 95A in Cantonment. Coordinate the drop-off by texting or calling (850) 207-5024.
Anyone that knows of someone that needs blankets can email michelle@sysctl.net using the subject “HELP NEEDED” and supply the contact information & who needs the blankets..
Congressional Special Primary Early Voting Opens in Under Two Weeks
January 5, 2025
Early voting begins in just under two weeks for the special Republican primary election for the Florida 1st Congressional District seat vacated by Matt Gaetz.
One week early voting will open on fSaturday, January 18.
The January 28 primary will be open only to Republicans – the complete field includes 10 Republicans, a Democrat, one candidate without party affiliation and four write-in candidates. With one candidate and no challenger, the primary will not be open to Democratic voters.
The Century, UWF and Brownsville early voting sites will not be open this January. The three sites had the lowest turnout last March with a combined total of 318 early voters for this year’s presidential preference primary at a cost of $17,000.
Early voting will be January 18-25 at the following locations in Escambia County:
- Escambia County Extension Services, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment
- Molino Community Center, 6450 Highway 95A, Molino
- Bellview Library, 6425 Mobile Highway, Pensacola
- Asbury Place, 750 College Blvd, Pensacola
- Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor, Pensacola
- Main Library, 239 Spring Street, Pensacola
- Southwest Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway, Pensacola
All vote-by-mail requests will expire at the end of the year. Anyone wishing to vote-by-mail must submit a new request.
The general election will be April 1.
Rain Overnight, Dropping Temperatures
January 5, 2025
Here is the complete North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Showers, mainly after midnight. Low around 39. South wind around 15 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 36 by 5pm. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 45. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. North wind around 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 27. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 46. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 48. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Showers likely, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 47.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.
Escambia Sheriff, Property Appraiser To Take Oaths Of Office This Week
January 5, 2025
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons and Property Appraiser Gary “Bubba” Peters will both be sworn into office next week. Both men won election last year without opposition.
For Simmons, it is his second term. It will be the first term for Peters, who previously served as deputy property appraiser.
Simmons’ oath of office ceremony and state of the agency address will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Marcus Pointe Baptist Church at 6205 W Street. Doors will open at 5:00.
The swearing in and investiture ceremony for Peters will be held at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday in Board Chambers at 221 Palafox Street. Doors open at 9 a.m. Parking will be on the fifth floor only from 8:30 until 10:30 a.m. at the Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building Parking Garage.
Both events are open to the public.
Ice Flyers Beat Birmingham 5-2
January 5, 2025
The Pensacola Ice Flyers earned a 5-2 win over the Bulls Saturday night at Birmingham.
The game was tied at 1-1 after one before a sold-out crowd. After two, the Ice Flyers held a 3-2 lead on the way to the road win.
File photo for NorthEscambia.com.
ECFR Makes Terminally Ill Cantonment Teen Honorary Firefighter
January 4, 2025
Dalton Harvey of Cantonment has loved firefighters and anything related to firefighting since he was baby. But he will never be able to become firefighter due to a terminal illness.
And it was a dream come true for Dalton Friday afternoon as firefighters from Escambia County Fire Rescue and Cantonment’s Engine 4 and ECFR Deputy Fire Chief Paul Williams stopped by his house, naming him an honorary firefighters and presenting him with his very own helmet and firefighter patches.
Dalton, 19, has Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy.
“His prognosis has been late teens early 20’s,” Dalton’s mother Tammy Harvey said. “He loves Florida, surrounded by friends and family, and he especially loves the warm weather because his body doesn’t tolerate the cold well.
“He likes the beach and girl watching,” she quipped.
VITAS Hospice partnered with ECFR to make Dalton’s dreams come true.
Escambia firefighters not only arrived at his house, they gave him a special look at the fire engine and their gear.
“To get something like this for him is beyond amazing,” Tammy Harvey said.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
The Cold Is Coming: Big Weather Changes Begin This Weekend
January 4, 2025
We are expected very cold temperatures and frigid wind chill values next week and several nights below freezing in North Escambia.
Saturday will see increasing clouds and a high in the mid 50s. There’s a slight chance of rain on Sunday, and it will be warmer around 70. By Sunday night, rain and thunderstorms, some possibly severe, will be likely by Sunday night with the passage of a cold front. Both Saturday and Sunday will be a good chance to prepare for the cold weather — find a place for plants and wrap pipes.
Next week, we’ll have highs only in the 40s and lows in in the 20s each day.
Here is the complete North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Widespread frost, mainly after 5am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 33. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Widespread frost before 8am. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a high near 55. East wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Sunday Night: Showers likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Low around 42. South wind around 15 mph becoming west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 48. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 45. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 25. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 45.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 45.
Century Native Launches Congressional Campaign In His Hometown With Walking Tour
January 4, 2025
Republican candidate Jeff Peacock took the first steps in his Congressional campaign Friday morning in his hometown of Century. He is one of 10 Republican candidates in the January 28 primary to succeed for Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Holding a campaign sign proclaiming that he is “one of us”, Peacock launched his “Walk Across the District” tour, modeled after Lawton Chiles’ legendary “Walkin’ Lawton” successful campaign for U.S. Senate in 1970 during which he walked 1,003 miles from Century to Key West in 1970.
“This campaign is about meeting and talking with regular folks, and I can’t think of a better way to do that than to visit with people one-on-one where they live. I may be old-fashioned, but I believe it’s important to shake hands with people and personally ask them for their votes. And that’s what this walk is all about,” Peacock said.
“I’m not a career politician looking for a promotion; I’m a teacher. I understand the challenges faced by everyday residents of our district and I want to be their voice in Washington,” he said.
Friday morning, Peacock walked just over a mile in Century, from Whataburger to Century Town Hall and a couple of businesses before departing by vehicle for a short walk through Jay.
“Sometimes we are forgotten,” Century Mayr Luis Gomez, Jr., told Peacock during a brief meeting at town hall. “We’ll be glad to have you aboard.”
“I’m excited at the possibility,” Peacock responded. “I’m a hometown boy. That’s why I decided to start this right here in this area.”
Gomez said candidates will sometimes stop in Century, “but once they get into the position we are kind of forgotten. I would love for somebody to come into the picture that is going to really be sincere about Century.”
“Century is Escambia County too; we need all the support we can get. This a great town,” the mayor said. “We don’t get the best rap sometimes, but it’s not as bad as it seems. Century is a community full of beautiful people; there is love and joy around here.”
“Whether you live in a small rural community, or one of our larger urban areas, I intend to be a congressman for all of the people of this district,” Peacock said.
Peacock, a 1988 graduate of Century High School, is currently a math teacher at Navarre High School that has been a small business owner. He also served as a senior campaign advisor to Congressman Lee Zeldin, President-Elect Donald Trump’s nominee for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
FPL Has Been Performing ‘Drone Operations’ In Molino And Cantonment
January 4, 2025
Florida Power & Light has confirmed that they have been conducting drone operations in the Molino and Cantonment areas to inspect electrical equipment.
“Inspecting our infrastructure is one of the ways we use drone technology to provide safe and reliable electricity to our customers in good weather and bad,” FPLE spokesperson Jack Ebie told NorthEscambia.com. “These proactive assessments help us identify any areas of concern before an outage can occur.”
We reached out to FPL after numerous readers questioned why they saw the drones flying in their neighborhoods.
Photo courtesy FPL for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.