Time Change: Spring Forward. And Don’t Forget The Smoke Alarm Batteries.
March 9, 2024
Don’t forget to “spring forward” and set your clocks ahead one hour before heading off to bed Saturday night. Daylight saving time begins Sunday, making use of longer summer days, allowing people to rise early and spend more of the day working or playing.
It’s also a good time to remember to change the batteries in your smoke alarm.
Daylight saving time ends November 3, unless that’s changed by Congress.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio has said repeatedly the practice of “falling back” as daylight saving time an antiquated process that should come to an end. They say year-round DST would reduce car crashes, reduce crime, improve physical fitness, reduce energy use and benefit agriculture. Read more…
Gonzalez Baptist Church Hosting Food Giveaway Today
March 9, 2024
Gonzalez Baptist Church at 1590 Pauline Street will host a free food distribution for families in need on Saturday, March 9.
Beginning at 11 a.m. a large box of non perishable food items and fresh produce will be provided to attendees while supplies last. Line-up will begin at 9 a.m.
File photo.
‘Night Of Nature’ At The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center Canceled, Well, Due To Nature
March 8, 2024
UPDATE: The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center’s annual “Night of Nature” that was set for Friday night has been canceled due to, well, nature. Organizers had planned to have the event rain or shine, but it has been canceled due to the threat of severe weather.
Previous story:
The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center’s annual “Night of Nature” will be Friday night from 5:30 until 8:30.
The event is free and open to the public. It will be a fun filled night for the entire family. Visitors can meet Roy Hyatt Environmental Center reptiles, Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida birds of prey, Sunset Wildlife Connection special critters, Escambia Amateur Astronomy Association (EAAA) and their telescopes, night hikes through the woods, peering through microscopes, and much more.
There will be food trucks on site (not free).
In the event of rain, all activities will be moved indoors and continue. Only the night hikes will be canceled for rain.
The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center is located at 1300 Tobias Road in Cantonment For more information, call (850) 937-2117.
Donations will be accepted. Some suggested items are:
Gift cards to:
- Walmart
- Target
- Lowes
- Home Depot
- Any pet stores
- Grocery stores
Food for animals:
- Black oil sunflower seed
- Wild Bird Seed
- Turtle Sticks
- Greens (kale or collard)
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Apples
Miscellaneous Items:
- Lysol/Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
- Paper Towels
- Copy Paper
- Hand sanitizer
- Bleach
- Light Bulbs (60 watt, heat bulbs and reptile bulbs)
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Rain And Thunderstorms Likely
March 8, 2024
Severe storms will be possible late Friday evening into Saturday morning. Damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes are all possible with storms. In addition to the threat for severe weather, heavy rainfall capable of producing instances of flash flooding is possible across the area with 1 to 3 inches expected. Locally higher totals are possible.
Here is your official North Esambia area forecast:
Tonight: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 75. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. North wind 5 to 15 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east after midnight.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76.
Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Today Is Deadline To Request A Mail Ballot
March 7, 2024
Voters who wish to be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot for the March 19 Presidential Preference Primary Election must request their ballot by 5 p.m. today, March 7, according to Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Robert D. Bender.
Voters can make their request by using the online form at EscambiaVotes.gov or by contacting the Supervisor of Elections by mail, phone (850) 595-3900, e-mail (votebymail@escambiavotes.gov), or fax (850) 595-3914. Requests must include the voter’s date of birth, address, and their Florida Driver’s License or Florida ID Card number or the last 4 digits of their social security number. Voters may track the status of their ballot by clicking Track My Ballot at EscambiaVotes.gov.
The U.S. Postal Service recommends voters mail ballots at least one week before the due date. Return postage has been paid for the 2024 elections. Completed vote-by-mail ballots must be received in the Elections Office no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, March 19. Voters may also drop-off their vote-by-mail ballot at the Elections Office or at any of the ten area early voting locations during early voting hours
After Thursday’s deadline, a voter may still pick up a vote-by-mail ballot in person from the Elections Office through Monday, March 18.
The March 19 election is a Republican Party Primary. In Florida’s closed partisan primary elections, you are only eligible to vote in primary contests for the party in which you are registered. Democratic, non-partisan and minor party voters will have contests on the August 20 election ballot.
For further information on vote-by-mail ballots, early voting, or precincts and polling locations, contact the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections at (850) 595-3900, soe@escambiavotes.gov or visit EscambiaVotes.gov.
Severe Storms Possible From Late Friday Into Saturday Morning
March 7, 2024
Severe storms will be possible late Friday evening into Saturday morning. The storms will be capable of producing damaging winds and perhaps a tornado.
Here is your official North Esambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. South wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could be severe. Low around 66. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.
Escambia County Receives Increased $22 Million Beulah Town Center Offer For OLF-8 Property
March 6, 2024
Beulah Town Center, LLC (BTC) has submitted a revised $22 million offer for 290 acres of the OLF-8 property on Nine Mile Road, adjacent to the Navy Federal Credit Union campus.
In February, the Escambia County Commission voted unanimously to enter into two weeks of contract term negotiations with BTC. At that time, BTC’s offer was $20 million.
The commission will discuss the latest offer at their meeting on Thursday.
The offer will adhere to the Master Plan for the property, leaving 250 acres on the northern part of the field for the county to use for job creation. BTC will develop retail and restaurants along Nine Mile Road, “along with potential for a big box, big name retail store that everyone will celebrate”, District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said. An area will also be reserved for tennis courts to be developed adjacent to the new Navy Federal Recreation Park.
If the county accepts the offer, BTC will make a nonrefundable $10,000 deposit as earnest money. A half million dollar deposit into escrow will follow five days after the inspection closing date, along with an irrevocable half million dollar letter of credit.
There would be a six month due diligence period, with an option to extend.
Fog Tonight, Rain By Friday
March 6, 2024
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 52. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight.
Friday: A chance of showers between noon and 3pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Friday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 66. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Saturday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 3pm, then a chance of showers after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 72.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
It’s Super Tuesday, But Florida Won’t Vote For Two More Weeks
March 5, 2024
Today is Super Tuesday, when voters in 16 states and one territory will make their voices heard. But Florida won’t vote for two more weeks.
The Florida Presidential Election year starts with a preference primary, where partisan voters in Florida will decide their presidential candidate nominee on March 19.
Florida has a closed primary election. There will only be a Republican primary this year. The Florida Democratic Party has already chosenPresident Joe Biden as their candidate for the November ballot.
Florida’s presidential preference primary is held on the third Tuesday in March. This year, the presidential preference primary is March 19, 2024 with polls open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
For the primary, the deadline to register to vote or to update party affiliation was February 20.
The vote-by-mail ballot request deadline is March 7.
Other big election dates this year in Florida are the primary election on August 20 and the general election on November 5.
Slight Chance Of Rain Tuesday Night
March 5, 2024
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Wednesday: Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 78. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Breezy, with a southeast wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 65. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Saturday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Southwest wind around 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67.