Florida GOP Says It can Fend Off ‘Blue Wave’
April 8, 2018
Florida Republican leaders who gathered this weekend in Tampa believe they can hold back a Democratic wave in November to keep the “Trump agenda alive.”
But to retain congressional and legislative majorities and to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, that means ramping up messaging about economic growth, boosting turnout, particularly among voters who request absentee ballots, and countering what the GOP describes as “mainstream media” narratives of looming Democratic victories.
It also means allowing Democrats to celebrate some high-profile special election victories across the nation as speculation continues that Democrats will capitalize on a traditional mid-term surge by the party out of the White House.
“It’s going to be very hard for them to keep that energy up,” Republican Party of Florida Chairman Blaise Ingoglia said during a party quarterly meeting at a DoubleTree hotel.
Ingoglia also said Democrats will have to spread resources to campaigns across the country, unlike during their recent special-election victories for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama and a congressional seat in Pennsylvania.
“They’re very good at winning one race at a time,” Ingoglia, a state House member from Spring Hill, said.
Peter Feaman, a member of the Republican National Committee, called GOP candidates who will be on the ballot this year “proxies for keeping the Trump agenda alive,” with the agenda exemplified by tax cuts and secure borders.
“You know the other side is as enthused as we were two years ago,” Feaman said, referring to the 2016 elections, when Trump defeated Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. “So, the enthusiasm gap has been reversed. And now it’s us that has to get back into the game.”
The Republican Party of Florida has 56 paid employees scattered across the state. But Democrats are using the phrase “blue wave” to symbolize efforts to capture the governor’s mansion and Republican seats in Congress and the state Legislature.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham said in a news release this week that women standing up to gun violence and as part of the #MeToo movement “are the driving force behind the 2018 blue wave.”
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Obscure But Powerful Constitution Revision Commission
April 8, 2018
TALLAHASSEE — It’s almost showtime for the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, a somewhat-obscure but powerful group that can have a major impact on the state’s future.
The commission is obscure in the sense that it meets only every 20 years. But it is very powerful in its unique authority to place proposed constitutional changes before voters on the November ballot.
This week, the commission’s Style and Drafting Committee endorsed a package of a dozen ballot proposals that embody 24 potential changes to the Florida Constitution. If the measures win support from at least 22 of the 37 commission members, they will be placed on the Nov. 6 general-election ballot.
Six of the ballot measures include two or more potential constitutional changes. In all, those measures represent 18 proposed changes that were initially advanced by the commission.
For instance, one measure (PCP 6003) combines three major education issues, including proposed eight-year term limits for school board members, a requirement to teach “civic literacy” in schools and a measure that could make it easier to approve charter schools.
Another measure (PCP 6004) combines a proposed ban on offshore oil and gas drilling in state waters with a ban on vaping or electronic cigarettes in workplaces.
Six other ballot proposals have single topics, including a proposed ban on greyhound racing, new ethics standards for public officials, a requirement for a worker-verification process and a revision that could open more primary elections to all voters.
Beginning April 16 in the Florida Senate chamber, the commission will make final decisions about which of those proposals will be placed on the November ballot. In addition to approving or rejecting the measures, the commission could modify the proposals.
If the commission approves all 12 of the ballot proposals advanced by the Style and Drafting Committee, they would join five constitutional revisions already on the 2018 ballot. Those include measures on gambling, homestead tax breaks, restoration of felons’ rights and a requirement for a supermajority vote by the Legislature on future tax and fee increases.
The potential for 17 ballot proposals raises the specter of voter “fatigue” when Floridians go to the polls. Voters could face a long list of decisions in addition to the host of political races that will be before them, including races for a U.S. Senate seat, governor and the state Cabinet.
Commission members are aware of the history of the two previous panels.
In 1978, the commission advanced eight ballot proposals, which were all rejected by voters along with a citizens’ initiative on casino gambling.
In 1998, the commission put nine proposals on the ballot, and eight were approved by voters along with four constitutional changes that had been advanced by the Legislature.
An added twist this year is that the proposals will be the first commission measures subject to a requirement that they receive support from at least 60 percent of the voters. The 1978 and 1998 ballot packages were subject to majority votes.
VOTING RIGHTS BATTLE
Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet are not backing down in their legal fight with a federal judge over the state’s controversial process for restoring ex-felons’ voting rights.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker has ordered state officials to come up with a new rights-restoration process by April 26 after finding the current process gives Scott and the Cabinet members, who sit on the Board of Executive Clemency, “unfettered discretion” in deciding whether former felons should have their rights restored after completing sentences.
Scott and the Cabinet members on Wednesday filed an appeal of Walker’s ruling with the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, while also requesting a stay of the requirement to quickly revamp the process. Walker quickly denied the stay.
″(The) injunction in this case does not just prevent the state from effectuating state law,” the state’s motion said. “It also directs four of the state’s highest-ranking executive officers to revamp a 150-year-old vote-restoration scheme in 30 days. A federal court order requiring state officials to come up with new state policies impinges on the sovereignty and autonomy of the state.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose office is handling the appeal, also criticized Walker’s decision as she talked with reporters on Thursday.
“We have been following the law,” Bondi said. “We firmly believe that it is the law in the state of Florida. We plan on enforcing the laws. That’s what I do as the chief legal officer of the state of the Florida. So, yes, we are appealing it. We will appeal it to the highest court.”
Restoration of voting rights has long been a controversial legal and political issue in Florida. After taking office in 2011, Scott and Bondi played key roles in changing the process to effectively make it harder for felons to get their rights restored.
Under the current process, ex-felons must wait five or seven years after their sentences are complete to apply to have rights restored. After applications are filed, the process can take years to complete.
Florida voters will get to weigh in on the issue in November with a ballot initiative, Amendment 4, that would automatically restore voting rights to felons who have served their sentences, completed parole or probation and paid restitution. Murderers and sex offenders would be excluded under the measure, which must win support from at least 60 percent of the voters to be enacted.
MAGNETIC ATTRACTION
Florida took another step this week in its effort to move beyond a state best known as a tourist destination, as the National Science Foundation announced it has renewed support for the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, with an investment of $184 million over the next five years.
The announcement was anticipated, but nonetheless it reaffirms that Florida, with the main MagLab facility at Florida State University, will also be a place where cutting-edge scientific research is conducted.
The new award, which is 10 percent higher than the previous five-year award, brings the National Science Foundation’s total funding for the MagLab and related facilities to $867 million.
The MagLab boasts the strongest research magnets in the world, including a continuous high-field magnet at 45 teslas and a pulsed magnet that can provide a magnetic field of 100 teslas, some 2 million times stronger than the earth’s magnetic field. For comparison, a refrigerator magnet has about .01 teslas.
“This one-of-a-kind facility is an important part of Florida State University and the entire Florida economy,” FSU Vice President for Research Gary Ostrander said.
STORY OF THE WEEK: The Florida Constitution Revision Commission will consider a dozen ballot proposals that embody 24 potential changes to the state Constitution. The commission’s Style and Drafting Committee on Thursday approved the ballot package, which will be debated by the full commission beginning April 16 and, if approved, would be placed before voters in the November general election.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “They remind me of disobedient children who whine about being punished for doing something they knew was wrong and were warned about the consequences.” — National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer, responding to a lawsuit from 10 South Florida cities challenging the constitutionality of a 2011 state law that provides penalties for local government officials if they try to impose gun-control regulations that exceed a statewide standard.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Tate High Graduate Buck Completes Basic Military Training
April 8, 2018
U.S. Air Force Airman Justin F. Buck graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Buck is a 2016 graduate of Tate High School of Cantonment.
Blue Wahoos Rained Out, Doubleheader On Sunday
April 8, 2018
Saturday’s contest against the BayBears was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, beginning at 1:05 p.m. The series is currently tied at one game apiece.
Right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez is still expected to take the mound for the Blue Wahoos for his Double-A debut in game one. The Cuban native is in just his second season of affiliated baseball after signing with the Reds in 2016. He enters this season as the Reds ninth-best prospect according to Baseball America.
Jesus Reyes, who joined the Blue Wahoos in the second half of last season, will take the hill in game two. In 10 games with the Blue Wahoos last season, Reyes went 2-4, 3.31 ERA.
The BayBears will send out a Double-A debutant of their own in Jose Rodriguez, who was a California League Mid-Season All-Star last season with Inland Empire. Rodriguez finished the season ranked fourth in the California League with 134 strikeouts.
Mobile will call upon another right-hander in Ivan Pineyro who spent time playing across three different levels in the Angels farm system last season.
Arson, Racketeering Charges Filed Against Murder Suspect
April 7, 2018
Ashley McArthur, charged with murdering a woman whose body was found in Cantonment and additional charges of grand theft, has now been charged with starting a fire inside a business and racketerring.
McArthur is facing a first degree murder charge for the death of 33-year old Taylor Wright, a private investigator and former police officer. Wright’s body was found last September off Britt Road, just west of County Road 97 near Muscogee Road in Cantonment. She allegedly stole $34,000 from Wright.
McArthur operated Pensacola Automatic Amusement (PAA) on Pace Boulevard. She was charged in November 2017 with felony grand theft and fraud for the alleged theft of $13,301.04 from the Azalea Cocktail Lounge, which represented funds reported missing between July 10, 2015, and September 14, 2017.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, lounge customers pay for games or the jukebox using cash, credit card or a mobile phone app. The payments were to be split 50-50 between the Azalea Lounge and another company. It was alleged that McArthur was splitting only the cash proceeds with lounge while keeping the proceeds from the credit card and mobile app payments.
Now, McArthur has been charged with arson and racketeering after she set fire to PAA in June 2017, according to court documents. The state alleges she started the fire to avoid a scheduled meeting with representatives of Azalea Lounge. She remains free on a $400,000 bond that was posted on February 5.
Court documents state:
At 10:17 p.m. on June 7, 2017. McArthur closed the office at PAA and did not activate the alarm. This was not uncommon nor was it uncommon for PAA to have a single false alarm report during the night. At 3:35 a.m. the following morning, PAA had eight alarms activated simultaneously which included a burglary alarm on the safe room door. According to the alarm records for 2017, this type of activity was uncommon. The alarm company called McArthur’s mother, Rhonda Britt, and told her that law enforcement had been notified. Britt canceled law enforcement because she stated that it was probably a false alarm.
At 9:56 a.m., MrArthur called 911 to report a fire at PAA. She reported that she arrived at the business at approximately 9:4 a.m. and entered through the back of the building by way of the warehouse. She observed a haze and black smoke marks at the door to the office portion of the building. She exited the building to report the fire.
McArthur did not answer multiple calls from a representative of Azalea Lounge about their planned meeting for that morning. When she answered at a call at 10:45 a.m., said she had a personal issue and could not make the meeting.
The State Fire Marshal found multiple unrelated points of origin for the fire on the first and second floors of PAA. Debris samples tested positive for heavy petroleum distillate, which is an accelerant.of the same type as lamp oil, charcoal starter fluid or diesel fuel. The fires were found to be separate and not connected in cause or origin. All accidental causes of the fire were excluded.
On scene, McArthur reported to the State Fire Marshall’s Office that her mother called her when the alarm went off in the middle of the night and asked her to check on the business. She said she drove by the business and didn’t get out of the car because of the type of neighborhood it is in. She said everything looked fine and returned home.
The portion of the PAA building which was burned contained the type of financial records which pertained to the theft allegations.
ESCO: Woman Crashes On Nine Mile While Fleeing From Deputies
April 7, 2018
A woman that was fleeing from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was seriously injured when she crashed her car into a deep ditch Friday afternoon.
The ECSO said a woman passing fraudulent checks at Synovus Bank on Nine Mile Road near University Parkway left the business after the bank called the sheriff’s office. When the woman saw a patrol vehicle, she drove away at a high speed. Major Andrew Hobbs, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, said the deputies did not attempt to stop the woman or pull her over after she sped off.
The woman wrecked about a half mile away and was transported as a “trauma alert” to an area hospital by Escambia County EMS.
The crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not been released.
Photos courtesy Brianna Girdner for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Three Injured In Head-On Wreck East Of Flomaton
April 7, 2018
Three people were injured in a two vehicle head-on crash Friday night east of Flomaton.
The wreck occurred about 8:35 p.m. on Highway 31 near Old Highway 31. The three injured were transported to D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton by Escambia County (FL) EMS and McMillan Ambulance.
Additional details have not been released by Alabama State Troopers.
The Friendship and Flomaton fire departments responded, along with the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office and Flomaton Police Department.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Kayley Groff Signs Tennis Scholarship With Coastal Alabama
April 7, 2018
Tate High School tennis player Kayley Groff signed full ride tennis scholarship with Coastal Alabama Community College.
Groff currently plays the number three position for the Tate Aggies with a 9-1 record so far this year.
“She has been a catalyst on the varsity squad for the last three years,” Tate head tennis coach David Bonucchi said.
Groff has also been a member of the Showband of the South for four years participating in Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Concert Band. She is also an exceptional academic student and a member of the Beta Club.
Pictured top: (standing, L-R) Tate High Principal Rick Shackle, Coastal Alabama’s tennis coach (full name unavailable), Tate tennis coach David Bonucchi, (sitting, L-R) mom Kaye Mathis, Kaley Groff, twin sister Haley Groff and Ronnie Antone. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Tops Washington, Northview Beats Baker
April 7, 2018
Tate and Northview both earned big wins Friday night in high school baseball.
Tate 10, Washington 3
The Tate High School Aggies Beat the Washington Wildcats 10-3 Friday night.
Cole Fryman earned the victory on the pitcher’s mound for the Aggies. He went four innings, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out two and walking one. Ryan Greene and Gabe Castro helped close out the game in relief.
For Tate: Blake Anderson 1-2, R, RBI; Ethan Bloodsworth 1-3, RBI; Reid Halfacre RBI; Trent Jeffcoat 2-3, 3B, R; Kaden Kings 2-5, RBI; Raymond Lafleur 2-4, 2B, 3RBI; Mason Land 4-4, 4R; RBI; Hunter McLean 2-3, 2R, 2RBI; Jesse Sherrill 1-2, 2R.
Northview 13, Baker 3
The Northview Chiefs beat the Baker Gators 13-3 Friday night in five innings in game that saw a one hour delay for rain and lightning.
Seth Killam pitched five, allowing five hits, three runs, one error and striking out seven.
For Northview: Trevor Singleton 3-3, 4R, Jackson Moore 2-4, 2B, RBI; Adam Aliff R, RBI; R; Seth Killam 2-4, 3R, RBI; Jason Fischer 2-4, R, RBI; 2-3, R, RBI; Tanner Levins 1-3, R, RBI; John Chivington 1-3, R; 2RBI.
Up next, the Chiefs will host Jay Tuesday at 6 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse Horse Passes Away
April 7, 2018
Some sad news to report today..one of the horses that was part of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Posse has died. Karen Powell’s horse Tag passed away Friday morning. Pictured: Tag and Karen Powell during an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Posse training last November in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
