Broxson Files Blue Angels License Plate Bill Again
October 15, 2019
Sen. Doug Broxson has again filed a bill to create a Blue Angels license plate.
He filed a bill that did not make it through the legislature last year, so he is trying again for the 2020 session.
If approved, the plate will cost an extra $25 to benefit the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, including the Naval Aviation Museum and the National Flight Academy in Pensacola.
The plate design includes the words “Home of the Blue Angels” at the bottom.
Pictured below: The design for a Blue Angels license plate was unveiled last year at the National Aviation Museum. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FDOT Updates Progress On Nine Mile Road Between Pine Forest And Beulah Roads
October 15, 2019
The Florida Department of Transportation says crews are making progress on Nine Mile Road between Beulah Road and Pine Forest Road.
Last month, the travel lanes between the Leisure Lakes RV Park and Eleven Mile Creek were temporarily shifted to the newly constructed and eventual eastbound roadway.
The project team is making every effort to widen the section between Navy Federal Way and I-10 from two to four travel lanes by the end of the year, according to FDOT. Meantime, work is simultaneously ongoing in other areas along Nine Mile Road.
London White Named Cantonment Cowboys Homecoming Queen
October 15, 2019
London White was named the Cantonment Cowboys 2019 Homecoming Queen.
Other homecoming winners were:
- Abby Nigam, 2019 Best All Around
- Kylie Wilder, first runner-up
- Kimree Martin, 2nd runner-up
- Kendra McDonald, Cowboy Supreme
- Khale Lanquest, Miss Cheerleader
- Baileigh Minor, most improved.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Catholic Wins District Girls Golf Tourney; Northview Runner-up
October 15, 2019
The Catholic High Crusader girls took the 1A district golf championship Monday, and the Northview High Chiefs finished as runner-ups.
Both advance to the regional meet next Monday in Jacksonville.
Northview girls team members are Bradi Edwards, Emily Boutwell, Meredith McGhee and Taylor Lashley. Jack Boutwell is volunteer coach.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Erin Bryant Named Bratt Elementary Teacher Of The Year
October 15, 2019
Erin Bryant has been named the Bratt Elementary School Teacher of the Year. She teaches first grade. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Driver Stuck In Truck By Live Power Lines After Highway 95A Wreck
October 14, 2019
A driver was stuck in his truck about half an hour Monday afternoon, surrounded by live power lines.
The driver of a work truck lost control on Highway 95A north of Old Chemstrand Road and struck a power pole. The pole was snapped into at least three pieces, and another pole was broken in half, sending power lines down near ground level. The uninjured man remained in the truck until Gulf Power arrived and cut off the electricity. He was not injured.
Nearly 750 Gulf Power customers were left without power once it was cut by utility workers.
Highway 95A was closed by the wreck.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Escambia Deputy Cleared In Grocery Store Shooting
October 14, 2019
An Escambia County deputy has been cleared in the August shooting of a suspect at a grocery store.
The State Attorney’s Office found an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant feared for his life when he shot Reginald Lee Booker, 29, at the Grocery Advantage on Lillian Highway on August 15. Booker remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $727,000.
Booker walked into the store and took the store phone before firing one shot inside the store’s produce section.
The ECSO lieutenant and other deputy entered the store as people were rushing outside. The deputies found Booker in the produce section with a gun. He ignored commands and fled through a set of double door and was pursued to the loading dock in the back of the store, according to the SAO report.
In an area of the back stacked with boxes and crates that provided Booker a place to hide, deputies again ordered him to show his hands. Booker raised the gun and pointed the gun at the lieutenant. The deputy, fearing for his life, fired three or four times, striking Booker several times, the report states. Booker was transported to Baptist Hospital were he underwent treatment.
Booker told the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conflicting stories about what happened. He told them he did not have anything in his hands, but the police shot him. During a second interview, he stated he ran into the store because he was being chased by five black males, and he claimed he put the gun down in the produce area and denied firing a shot.
A shell casing from Booker’s gun was found in the produce section, and his .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol was recovered in the back of the store. Surveillance video also contradicts Booker’s claims, FDLE said. However, there was no video of the shooting in the back of the store.
The FDLE investigation found the deputies attempted to apprehend Booker without the use of deadly force, and Booker’s statements were not consistent with video evidence or statements by witnesses.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
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Apartment Developer’s Utility Lawsuit Against Century Dismissed, But Motion For Rehearing Filed
October 14, 2019
A motion to dismiss a utility deposit lawsuit against the Town Century by an apartment developer has granted, but the case is not over.
The Paces Foundation and Century Park Apartments have filed a motion for a rehearing or reconsideration.
Paces contends they owed $63,750 for water and wastewater connection fees, but instead they were forced to pay over $100,000 more.
The court adopted both arguments that the town raised in defense that sovereign immunity and fraud statutes each preclude the Pace’s claims. But the apartment complex’s lawyers contend in their motion that the dismissal order overlooked key points of Florida law which authorize judicial review of the utility charges in question, and a rehearing or reconsideration is warranted to allow the case to proceed on its merits.
The plaintiffs do not seek “mere enforcement of an oral agreement as to the cost of utility services in this case. Rather, Plaintiffs have filed this action to enforce the statutory mandate that all municipal utility charges imposed upon private landowners must be ‘just and equitable’ according to the circumstances presented,” their motion states.
Century Park contends that they elected to make their $10 million investment in Century in late 2015, at which time a 2015 water rate ordinance was in effect. Those rates were in effect until increased in a series of acts by the town council, increasing costs over $100,000 for the developer, according to the motion.
Century Park contends it was not “just and equitable” to increase the rates after the property was developed.
The Dispute
In February 2018, Paces submitted a $165,180 check to the town for water and wastewater tap fees along with a protest letter from attorney William J. Dunaway of the Clark Partington law firm in Pensacola. The letter informed the town that the payment was made in full, but the amount remained in dispute.
Paces asked for a declaration that they owed the town $63,750 for full payment and an additional $101,430 deposit charged was invalid.
The lower fee of $63,750, according to Paces, was decided upon during a 2015 meeting with then-Mayor Freddie McCall and Town Planner Debbie Nickles. The only written agreement to come out of that meeting was a handwritten page showing calculations that Paces said were based upon the 2015 rates as published online in the town’s municipal code. The handwritten document also included a proposed fee for natural gas; however, the developer later opted to go all-electric.
In 2017, the town council passed two resolutions increasing the water and sewer tap fees and charged Paces based upon 50 connections. The apartment complex, according to the lawsuit, has only one master meter that serves all 50 units.
Paces contends they relied upon the lower payment quote in determining their financial options with the apartment development. They contend they were forced to submit the higher fee in order to obtain utility services and obtain a certificate of occupancy for the apartments.
McCall and Nickels did not deny the meeting, nor did they deny the agreement or the approximate $63,000 tap fee. “The town made a commitment to them. To me, they should do the right thing and honor that commitment,” Nickels said during a March 2018 town council meeting also attended by McCall.
Pictured top: Century Park Apartments. Pictured top inset: A check submitted under protest to the town by the Paces Foundation. Pictured bottom inset: The handwritten document Paces contends demonstrated a lower water and sewer tap fee as authorized by town code. Pictured below: Century’s justification for the $165,180 tap fee charged to the developer. NorthEscambia.com photo and images, click to enlarge.
Volleyball District Tournaments This Week: 1A At Northview, 6A At Niceville
October 14, 2019
The high school volleyball postseason gets underway this week with district tournaments.
In the District 1-6A tournament, the Tate Aggies are seeded No. 5 with a 6-14 record. Crestview, ranked fifth in the state, is No. 1 seed, followed by Niceville, ranked 15th in the state, at No. 2.
The District 1-1A tournament will open Monday night with Central at Laurel Hill in Laurel Hill, with the balance of the tournament hosted by Northview High School. Jay, ranked at number four in the state, and Baker, ranked number nine in the state, are the top two seeds. The Northview Chiefs, at number 16 in the state, are seeded third and host Jay at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
District 1-6A Tournament
at Niceville High (Oct. 14-17)
No. 1 Crestview (18-5) – BYE
No. 3 Pace (9-11) vs. No. 6 Milton (6-14)
No 2. Niceville (14-9) – BYE
No. 4 Navarre (7-15) vs. No. 5 Tate (6-14)
District 1-1A Tournament
at Northview High Oct.15, 17
No. 5 Central def.. No. 4 Laurel Hill Monday at Laurel Hill
No 2. Jay (17-4) vs. No. 3 Northview (8-7), Tuesday 5 p.m. at Northview
No. 1. Baker (14-10) vs. Central (4-11), 6:30 p.m. at Northview
Championship Game – Thursday, 6:30 p.m. at Northview
Pictured: Jay defeated Northview 3-2 on September 16 at Northview. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Winner Collects $107K For Lottery Ticket Sold On Nine Mile Road
October 14, 2019
We now know who purchased a winning Fantasy 5 ticket on Nine Mile Road last month.
The Florida Lottery says the September 7 ticket worth $107,018.35 was sold to Laura P. Wong of Theodore, Alabama, at the Publix at 2180 West Nine Mile Road. It was one of two winning tickets for the drawing; the second was sold in Titusville.
The 341 tickets matching four numbers won $101 each. Another 10,527 tickets matching three numbers are worth $9 each, and 99,932 ticket holders won a Quick Pick ticket for picking two numbers.
The September 7 winning numbers were 5-7-16-21-33.