Century’s Failing Gas Dept. Looks To Increase Declining Prison Revenue; FDC Took Cost-Cutting Measures
November 1, 2018
Century is setting its sights on the local prison to help the gas department’s continued financial slide.
According to a document created by town account Robert Hudson, the natural gas bill for the Century Correctional Institution has dropped by about one-third when analyzing each August and September since 2014. In 2014, Century Correctional’s bills for August and September totaled $18,966. That decreased to $14,354 in 2016 and to $6,547 by 2018.
Century Gas Superintendent Wally Kellett said the prison’s natural gas meter is 18-years old and was “sticking” and not operating properly He said the meter was temporarily repaired and new meter has been ordered to stop revenue losses.
NorthEscambia.com reached out to the Florida Department of Corrections to see if there might by any other reason CCI’s natural gas bills dropped by such a large percentage since 2014.
FDC Communications Director Michelle Glady said the facility has actually taken several steps to decrease natural gas use.
“We converted the laundry operation from steam-powered to direct gas dryers. Century used to have a large steam boiler that consumed a lot of natural gas, but the new direct-fired gas dryers are more energy efficient. Additionally, several hot water heaters have been upgraded to high efficiency models,” Glady said.
The Century Gas Department lost $165,181 during last fiscal year ending September 30.
Pictured: The Century Correctional Institution is town’s biggest water, sewer and natural gas customer. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Highway 97 Wreck Cuts Power For Hundreds
November 1, 2018
Hundreds lost power for hours Wednesday night after wreck on Highway 97 in Davisville.
A driver was southbound on Highway 97 when she ran off the roadway and struck a power pole about a mile south of the Florida/Alabama state line. The collision sheared off the pole, leaving live electrical wires just feet off the ground.
The driver refused medical treatment at the scene.
Only two Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers lost power at the time of the crash; however, power was cut to about 250 customers north of Highway 4 for first responder safety and repairs.
The crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park, Bratt Students ‘Visit’ Canada
November 1, 2018
Students at Bratt Elementary and Molino Park Elementary had a chance to “visit” Canada and learn about the country during a recent Global Corner International Learning Center program at each school.
The Global Corner provides opportunities for the children of Northwest Florida to learn about world languages, cultures, and geography through innovative educational programs.
Pictured: The Global Corner at Bratt and Molino Park elementary schools. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Volunteer Sought For Escambia County Value Adjustment Board
November 1, 2018
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to be considered for an appointment to the Value Adjustment Board. The VAB provides for the hearing of all petitions, complaints, appeals and disputes concerning taxable assessment of properties. The term of office is one year.
Escambia residents interested in serving on the Value Adjustment Board are asked to submit a resume and letter indicating their desire to serve by 5 p.m. Monday, November 12. Resumes and letters should be submitted via email to jhwitter@myescambia.com or by mail to:
Judy Witterstaeter, Program Coordinator
Escambia County Board of County Commissioners
P.O. Box 1591
Pensacola, FL 32502
The board of county commissioners’ VAB appointee must meet the following requirements to be eligible to serve:
- Must own homestead property in Escambia County.
- Cannot be a member or employee of any taxing authority.
- Cannot represent property owners in any administrative or judicial review of property taxes.
The VAB meets for approximately 30-40 minutes twice a year, usually in September and December.
Gambling Amendment Fight Has High Stakes
November 1, 2018
This is part of a series of stories in advance of the November 6 general election.
The words on the November ballot appear simple enough: “Voter Control of Gambling in Florida.”
According to proponents of Amendment 3, it’s not much more complicated than what the ballot title proclaims.
But the proposal’s foes — including dog and horse tracks, NFL teams and sports-betting firms FanDuel and DraftKings — say a “yes” vote for the proposed constitutional amendment would shut the door not only on expanded gambling in the Sunshine State but on games Floridians already enjoy.
Amendment 3, placed on the ballot by a political committee largely backed by Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, would give voters the “exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling” in the state. The change, if approved by 60 percent of voters, would require statewide approval of casino-style games, such as slot machines, in the future. Such decisions are now largely controlled by the Legislature.
The high-dollar fight over Amendment 3 has pitted the Seminole Tribe — who now has exclusive rights to operate casinos with Las Vegas-style card games, such as blackjack — and Disney — which has long opposed the expansion of gambling in Florida — against pari-mutuels and out-of-state betting operators.
“Voters In Charge,” the committee behind the ballot initiative, has spent more than $31 million on the effort. Proponents of the measure, such as the committee’s chairman, John Sowinski, are using voters’ distrust of politicians and “special interests” to shore up support for the constitutional change.
“This comes down to, who do you trust: the voters or the politicians and the gambling lobbyists?” Sowinski told The News Service of Florida in a recent telephone interview. “Their burden is to suggest with a straight face that things are better in the hands of politicians and the lobbyists who contribute to them and who influence them.”
Meanwhile, two groups trying to kill the proposal — “Citizens for the Truth about Amendment 3” and “Vote No on 3” — have raised a combined $8 million since forming in late July. The anti-Amendment 3 groups are backed largely by pari-mutuels and “racinos” — South Florida pari-mutuels that have slot machines — along with firms such as FanDuel and DraftKings.
“It’s really the fundamental loss of local control that bothers people, more so than any specific game or anything,” Isadore “Izzy” Havenick, whose family owns pari-mutuels in Miami-Dade County and Southwest Florida, told the News Service. “People in Pensacola shouldn’t be telling people in Miami-Dade County what they should do. And conversely, people in Miami-Dade County shouldn’t be telling people in Pensacola what they should be doing.”
The constitutional effort comes after the Republican-dominated Legislature has repeatedly failed to agree on sweeping gambling packages in recent years.
Among the issues that lawmakers have grappled with is whether to authorize slot machines in eight counties — Brevard, Duval, Gadsden, Hamilton, Lee, Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Washington — where voters have approved the machines in referendums.
Legislators also have not gone along with pitches from national and international casino operators for “destination resorts,” swanky retail, lodging and gambling combos that proponents maintain could boost the state’s economy and deliver numerous high-paying jobs.
Unlike states like New Jersey and Mississippi, Florida also hasn’t taken advantage of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a federal ban on state-sanctioned sports betting. The Supreme Court decision cleared the decks for states to allow gamblers to legally bet on professional and collegiate sports teams, similar to what has been allowed in Nevada.
Approval of the constitutional amendment in November could cause Florida to lose out on millions of dollars from sports betting, incoming state Senate President Bill Galvano told the News Service. Illegal sports betting has long taken place in Florida and across the country.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s May decision “provides an opportunity for us to regulate and capture revenues from an activity that is currently going on in the state of Florida,” said Galvano, a Bradenton lawyer who’s been a chief legislative negotiator on gambling issues for nearly a decade.
“The revenues are substantial. If Amendment 3 is passed, we’d lose that opportunity and we’re hamstrung,” Galvano said.
But Sowinski contradicted the Republican leader.
“It doesn’t mean it’s prohibited,” Sowinski said. “It means that, if it’s casino gambling — and sports betting is casino gambling, under the federal law — it’s voters that have the last say on it, not politicians and lobbyists.”
Critics of the proposed constitutional amendment counter that entities with deep pockets, like the Seminole Tribe, will spend big bucks to kill any sort of gambling expansion.
If it passes, the amendment could also put an end to the popular and controversial “designated player” card games offered by pari-mutuel cardrooms. The lucrative games have been at the heart of a legal dispute between the state and the Seminoles, who pay the state at least $250 million a year in exchange for the exclusive rights to operate “banked” card games, such as blackjack, at the tribe’s casinos.
A federal judge sided with the tribe in the clash over whether designated player games breached the Seminoles’ exclusive rights to offer banked card games. After that ruling, the Seminoles agreed to continue make payments to the state, and gambling regulators promised to “aggressively enforce” the manner in which pari-mutuel cardrooms conduct the designated player games.
“Amendment 3 will clearly eliminate designated player games in cardrooms throughout the state of Florida. Period,” Jamie Shelton, president of pari-mutuel bestbet Jacksonville, told the News Service.
Like Havenick, Shelton argues the amendment would eliminate “local control” of gambling.
But decisions about thorny gambling issues now are largely in the hands of the Legislature.
“We’re dealing with an industry and an issue that is constantly morphing and changing. And without the ability to address it legislatively and the agility that that requires, you’re going to create real problems within the state of Florida, and you’ll end up creating a monopoly for the Seminole Tribe,” Galvano predicted.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew Gillum Draws Crowds In Escambia County
November 1, 2018
Just six days before the election, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum brought his campaign Wednesday to predominately Republican Escambia County.
“Are y’all ready to win,” Gillum said as he took the mic during an outdoor event at Arlene Williams BBQ. “Y’all continue to overwhelm me here in Escambia County.
“Given the facts that the stakes are so high, a lot of people have said, ‘what are you doing up the Panhandle of Florida in the final six days of a race for governor? Aren’t all the Democrats down state?’,” he said. “And I said I am in Escambia County because there are voters in Escambia County….and so we are going there. And guess what y’all? I believe we are going to win this race.”
Gillum’s bus tour also made a stop at St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church.
With large chunks of the money coming from trial attorneys, a political committee backing Democrat Andrew Gillum’s gubernatorial campaign reported raising more than $2 million on Tuesday, according to the state Division of Elections website.
The Forward Florida committee reported $2.02 million in contributions dated Tuesday and had about $4.68 million in cash on hand heading into next week’s election. The latest influx of money included $250,000 from the statewide law firm Morgan & Morgan and $250,000 from the Pensacola-based firm Levin Papantonio.
An updated report for Friends of Ron DeSantis, a political committee supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis, had not been posted on the Division of Elections website late Wednesday afternoon.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Pictured top: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum campaigned in Escambia County Tuesday at Arlene Williams BBQ. Pictured below: Gillum also campaigned at St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church on Jordan Street. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Thousands Attend Fall Festivals, Halloween Events (With Photo Galleries)
November 1, 2018
Thousands of people attended fall festivals and Halloween events across the North Escambia area Tuesday night.
For a Highland Baptist Church trunk-0r-treat photo gallery, click here.
For a other Halloween, fall festival and additional event photos submitted by readers, click here.
Pictured top and left: Trunk-or-treat at Highland Baptist Church in Molino. Pictured below: Reader submitted photos from additional activities. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Convicted Felon Arrested For Cantonment Shooting
October 31, 2018
A Cantonment man has been arrested in connection with a Cantonment shooting in July.
Ke’Shawn Denzel Bryant, 23, is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $300,000.
On July 28, Bryant allegedly shot an adult relative at his residence in the 1400 block of Muscogee Road.
The victim told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that after he arrived at the residence, Bryant walked toward him and fired twice from about 10 feet away. He was struck in his right ankle and right upper thigh. Bryant immediately ran into a wooded area behind the residents, and deputies could not immediately locate him, according to an arrest report.
Bryant’s criminal history indicates he has been convicted six times of a being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Pictured: The scene shortly after a July 28 shooting in the 1400 block of Muscogee Road in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Highway 97 Crash
October 31, 2018
There were no injuries in a two vehicle accident late Tuesday night on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
A pickup truck and 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe collided near a curve just north of the Walnut Hill Community Center about 11:25 p.m. The pickup truck came to rest in a wooded area, while the SUV came to rest about 400 feet away in front of the community center. The driver of the pickup and the driver and a passenger in the SUV all refused medical treatment.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power Rate Decrease Approved For 2019
October 31, 2018
Gulf Power received unanimous approval Tuesday from the Florida Public Service Commission to pass along additional tax savings to its 460,000 customers in Northwest Florida.
Gulf Power also recently filed a separate request with the FPSC to reduce prices based on reduced fuel, conservation and environmental costs. In total, if all of the proposed changes are approved by the FPSC, the average Gulf Power customer using 1,112 kilowatt-hours per month can expect to see a $2.70 drop on their monthly electricity bill beginning in January. Customers who use more electricity will see more savings while customers who use less will see less.
The approval will reduce rates for 2019 and beyond by approximately $9.6 million on an annual basis and reflects the remaining tax savings resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The proposed decrease comes on the heels of the previous tax-related rate decrease of $103 million for 2018.
The tax savings are the result of federal tax reductions under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was signed into law on Dec. 22, 2017, and became effective on Jan. 1, 2018. The decrease in the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent reduces the amount of federal income tax Gulf Power will have to pay and allows the energy provider to pass that savings along to customers.
“We’re so pleased to be able to pass these additional savings along to our customers,” said Stan Connally, Gulf Power chairman, president and CEO. “The bottom line for the average customer is savings of about $32 per year that will begin in January. This will be the eighth time in 10 years we’ve been able to decrease prices.”
On the tax-related decrease, Gulf Power worked together to reach an agreement with the Office of Public Counsel, the Florida Industrial Power Users Group, The Florida Retail Federation and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy to agree on how to deliver these savings to customers.
“Gulf Power, alongside the Office of Public Counsel and other groups reached an agreement that would bring the best short- and long-term value to our customers,” said Connally. “Beginning in January 2019, Gulf Power customers will see additional savings that will be reflected on their future energy bills. I’m excited that our prices will be the lowest they’ve been in five years.”