Century Council Stops Mayor From Paying Pandemic Time And A Half; One Councilman Suggests Employee Layoffs
April 23, 2020
Century Mayor Henry Hawkins thought the town’s essential field employees — those that are keeping the water, sewer and gas operations running — deserved pay for time and half for their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic. He upped their pay for one week, but the Century Town Council put a stop to it because they did not approve the expenditure.
During a telephone conference call council meeting on April 6, Hawkins told council members about his plan and his reasoning, but it appears council members did not hear all of what he said due to noise on the call. (A transcript is below.)
During this week’s council meeting, council members debated employee options, unemployment pay and their understanding of various government orders related to employees during the pandemic.
“My suggestion is call them off, tell everybody to stay at home. That means they’ll be laid off; they qualify for unemployment,” council member Luis Gomez said. “And we stop until everything gets back right. Let them draw unemployment…cause they going to get more than they normally get anyway. If you don’t need them, let them go home.”
The other four council members expressed strong objections to any layoffs.
“There’s going to be certain workers that are essential, so we can’t shut down our government,” council member Ben Boutwell replied.
“I don’t think that is a reasonable suggestion,” council President Ann Brooks added with agreement from James Smith.
“If it was me and I was a city of employee of Century, I would choose to go home and protect my safety and my life and draw whatever the larger than usual employment was,” Gomez responded. “I think that the workers should get that choice too.”
With no council motion or action regarding the potential layoff of employees, the council returned to discussion of the time and half pay approved by the mayor.
“A decision was made about employee pay that never came to the town council. It was made outside, and that doesn’t happen. That kind of decision needs to come to this council before it is every told to any employee,” Brooks said. “That does not need to happen again.”
“I agree,” Gomez remarked. “But now that we are here, where to we go from here.”
“You were taken care of this week,” Boutwell said, referring to addressing employees about the week of time and half pay. “But now the council is saying, no that’s not right. It’s not right that we have to be put in this position.”
Boutwell made a motion as suggested by Brooks to “allow the employees to keep what was given to them wrongly but that they get their regular pay in the future”. Smith seconded the motion. It passed 4-0 without a vote from Gomez. He had warned that his phone battery was low and apparently dropped off the call before the vote.
The employees remain eligible for overtime just as before the pandemic.
What did the mayor say?
Minutes approved the council this week contain an incorrect direct quote of a statement purportedly made the mayor during an April 6 telephone council meeting.
The minutes (pictured below) quote Mayor Henry Hawkins as saying, “Since the Governor has issued a shelter in place order and only mission essential personnel work, I have stated to the employees in the field that we will work on water leaks and the sewer plant. Everything is not mission essential (i.e. lawn mowing, baseball field maintenance). Because they are working I think it’s fair that we pay them time and a half instead of being off and getting paid for 40 hours.” (Editor’s note: The parenthesis and items contained within were typed as such in the minutes.)
The minutes continue, “However, none of the Council heard this statement due to technical difficulties.” It wasn’t made clear how the clerk that typed the minutes knew the no council member heard the mayor.
But while the quote approved by the council reflected the gist of what he actually said, the direct quote typed by the clerk in the official minutes was incorrect.
NorthEscambia.com reviewed the mayor’s statement in a recording of the April 6 telephone meeting:
“Since we are in this pandemic and they’ve declared that only mission essential personnel be at work, we have reduced the staff in the office,” Hawkins said and is clearly audible on the recording. He continued, with noise from other phones making it increasingly difficult but not immediately impossible to understand.
“And the guys in the field are working on water leaks and the sewer plant. So,” he said.
“Could everyone please put your phones on mute please? Thank you. Go ahead mayor,” Council President Ann Brooks interjected after some background noise.
“We are not doing business as usual. We are working on water leaks and the sewage plant. Everything else is not mission essential…mowing the yards and that kind of stuff until this is over with,” Hawkins said as background noise on the phone call increased. “And I think (inaudible) because they are working (inaudible) pay them time and a half otherwise they will go home and get paid for 40 hours,” Hawkins said in a portion of the recording that had a lot of background noise. Portions at the end of his statement were very difficult to understand without the playing the recording back multiple times and probably were not understandable during the phone call.
NorthEscambia.com photo and image, click to enlarge.
Manna Launches Fundraiser For COVID-19 Response And Recovery Relief
April 23, 2020
Manna has launched the Manna Cares Campaign to raise much-needed funds for Manna’s COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.
The campaign goal is $200,000, the equivalent of 120,000 meals for neighbors in need in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Those who have already committed significant contributions to Manna include Florida Blue; Gulf Breeze Rotary; Kerrigan, Estess, Rankin, McLeod & Thompson, LLP; retired NFL guard Josh Sitton of Bear General Contractors; and Kevin Russell Home Builders.
In response to the effects of coronavirus, Manna has focused on supporting the needs of at-risk, vulnerable populations served pre-COVID-19, as well as those who suddenly find themselves unemployed or with reduced hours. As a result, Manna has nearly doubled the amount of food distributed to accommodate the needs of our community.
Donations to the Manna Cares Campaign can be made online at www.mannahelps.org or by sending a check to Manna, 3030 North E Street, Pensacola, FL 32501. All donations will support Manna’s efforts to feed our neighbors in need and will remain in our local community.
“COVID-19 has presented many challenges for our community. Many of our neighbors are struggling when it comes to food,” said Manna Executive Director DeDe Flounlacker. “Manna is diligently working to identify gaps in service and provide hope to the hungry in our community. We are committed to seeing this through.”
One of the many programs Manna continues to support through the COVID-19 crisis is the School Resource Officer (SRO) Food Program. Even though schools are closed, Pensacola Police Department and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SROs continue to check-in on families and deliver food to those in need.
“I think that it’s important for our community to know how critical it is to keep Manna funded so we can continue to feed children and families in need,” said Pensacola Police Chief Tommi Lyter. Josh Sitton of Bear General Contractors and Kevin and Laura Russell of Kevin Russell Home Builders recognize how important it is too. They’ve directed their contributions to the School Resource Officer Food Program to ensure students and their families are fed.
“A large segment of our community doesn’t have enough food to last a few days, and most of these families in need have children. Manna can feed a family of four 12 meals for as little as $20, so every donation makes a difference,” said Lyter.
Manna has reinforced established programs to provide additional support and has established new partnerships to serve those most in need in the two-county area. At this time, Manna is providing food (in the form of groceries) to the following partners/programs: Healthy Seniors Food Program at Westminster Village; Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast; Manna’s own Monthly Senior Food Program at Main Pantry; Gulf Coast Kids’ House; Santa Rosa Kids’ House; Pensacola Police Department; Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; OASIS Florida; Backpacks4Teens program through the Santa Rosa County School District; United Way of West Florida’s AmeriCorps VISTAs; representatives of the hospitality and service industry; Community Health Northwest Florida; Gulf Breeze Interfaith Disaster Resource Council; Salvation Army; Saint John Divine Baptist Church; Pensacola State College; Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola (REAP); and Children’s Home Society.
Hospitals Support Reopening Local Beaches With Conditions
April 22, 2020
Local hospitals support the limited reopening of local beaches, Baptist Hospital CEO Mark Faulkner said Wednesday morning. He offered little insight into the conditions.
Faulkner said the CEOs of the major hospital in Escambia County will send a letter to the county commissions in Escambia and Santa Rosa county supporting the opening of beaches “with conditions”.
He said limiting the hours for the beach opening to just a few hours per day would lead to larger crowds at one time as opposed to a sunrise to sunset opening.
“When you are at the beach, it is a fairly low risk, low contact ” he said, “whereas at a setting of worship, or at a school, or a prison, where you have different constraints, it’s hard to just say we can open everything back up. We would certainly see a second wave.”
Santa Rosa County will vote on their beaches on Thursday, while Escambia County meets next Tuesday.
Faulkner’s comments came during a virtual “Coffee With A Commissioner” event hosted by District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh.
Pictured: (from top left, clockwide) Baptist CEO Mark Faulkner, Commissioner Jeff Bergosh, County Administrator Janice Gilley, Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore during a virtual “Coffee With A Commissioner” event Wednesday morning.
North Escambia Storm Damage Was Not A Tornado, Says National Weather Service
April 22, 2020
The National Weather Service has determined that damage in the Quintette, Cottage Hill and Cantonment areas early Monday morning was caused by poweful straight line winds, not a tornado.
“Damage was typical of severe straight line winds with no evidence of a tornado path,” the NWS said. Winds were estimated at 80-85 mph.
A storm survey crew found a corridor of significant wind damage from West Quintette Road east-southeast through Cottage Hill toward the Escambia River. Damage included roof damage to some homes with significant tree damage across the area.
Once the storm passed into Santa Rosa County, it created a brief EF-0 tornado track from Ephrem Lane to Bradley Drive in Pace with winds estimated at 75 mph. But most of the damage in the Pace area was from straight line winds estimated at 80-85 mph.
Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia (AL) COVID-19 Cases Up By One
April 22, 2020
The number of COVID-19 cases in Escambia County (AL) in increased by one on Wednesday, the Alabama Department of Health reported on the day after the county record its first death.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Escambia County (AL) has increased to 18, with a total of 246 total tests performed.
The Alabama Department of Health reported 5,610 total positive cases in the state out of 48,387 tests. There have been 201 reported deaths statewide.
Burglary, Vehicle Theft Suspect Captured After Foot Chase On Muscogee Road
April 22, 2020
Steven Paul Griggsby, 43, was charged with burglary, grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of burglary tools, two counts of petit theft, criminal mischief with property damage and resisting arrest.
Griggsby is accused of stealing a vehicle Monday night from a used vehicle dealer on Palafox Street, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He’s also suspected of stealing catalytic converters.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office received information that led to Griggsby at a location on Muscogee Road midday Tuesday. After a brief foot chase. he was taken into custody. An ECSO spokesperon said the clothing he was wearing in video from the car lot and catalytic converters were found inside the vehicle.
ECSO spokesperson Amber Southard said Griggsby may face additional charges, and there may be additional arrests in the case.
Griggsby remained in the Escambia County Jail Wednesday morning with bond set at $29,000.
Two Injured In Old Chemstrand Road Crash
April 22, 2020
Two people were injured in a two vehicle crash midday Tuesday in Cantonment.
The crash happened about noon on Old Chemstrand Road at the Mill Creek Trail, across from the Cypress Lakes Golf Club. At least one of the injured was transported to the hospital as a trauma alert.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released further information.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Photos: Blue Angels And Thunderbirds Fly Over Escambia County
April 22, 2020
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds flew over Pensacola Beach and downtown Pensacola Tuesday afternoon. Pictured above and below: The U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos by Perry Doggrell and Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Improvement Committee Continues To Feed Kids Weekly. Here’s How You Can Help.
April 22, 2020
The Cantonment Improvement Committee was able to provide food bags to kids again on Tuesday.
For week seven of the ongoing project, food donations will be accepted on Monday, April 27 at 3 p.m., and food distributions will begin at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21 at Carver Park, 208 Webb Street in Cantonment.
Donations can also made to $CICfunding on Cash App.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida SNAP Recipients Can Now Shop For Groceries Online
April 22, 2020
Florida SNAP recipients can now buy their groceries online at select retailers.
Online shopping became available on Monday at Walmart and Amazon. The Florida Department of Children and Families will continue to coordinate with the USDA and the Florida Retail Federation to expand the network of retailers participating in the pilot program.
The USDA approved adding the online shopping program in Florida. The online option is currently available in six other states.
“Removing barriers and enhancing access to critical services, while supporting Florida’s infrastructure, remains a top priority for this agency, “ said DCF Secretary Chad Poppell. “I commend Governor DeSantis for taking yet another proactive action to equip Florida families with resources, while keeping their health and safety at the forefront. This is an innovative, common sense efficiency that will strengthen our families during this time of uncertainty.”
Walmart already accepts SNAP benefits at all its brick and mortar locations in the United States. Customers will be able to use their EBT cards and opt for curbside pick-up. Utilization of food assistance benefits remains limited to the purchasing of eligible grocery items and cannot be used to pay for delivery services.