West Florida Library Top 10 Books Of The Month
March 5, 2018
The West Florida Public Library has released their Top 10 Most Popular Books for the previous month. Clicking any title or author will search the library’s catalog to determine availability at each branch or place a hold.
“The Rooster Bar” by John Grisham
“The Woman in the Window” by A. J. Finn
“The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah
“Two Kinds of Truth” by Michael Connelly
“Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by Michael Wolff
Alleged Hit And Run Driver Found Three Miles Away From Crash Scene
March 4, 2018
Authorities caught up with an alleged hit and run driver with her vehicle’s engine on the ground three miles from an injury crash Saturday in Davisville. The incident landed the driver in jail.
According to witnesses, a driver was waiting to make a turn from Highway 97 onto Meadows Lane south of the Piggly Wiggly store, when she was rear-ended by a black Kia Soul driven by 53-year old Cheryl Rene Parrish of McDavid about 4:20 p.m. Witnesses further stated that Parrish and the Kia Soul then struck a Nissan car before running several other drivers off the road and continuing south on Highway 97.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy located the disabled Kia, with Parrish reportedly still behind the wheel, three miles away on Highway 4 just west of Still Road. The force of the collision had broken the motor mounts on the Kia, and the engine was resting on the ground. The front and side curtain air bags in the vehicle had deployed at the time of the crash.
Multiple parts apparently from the Kia were located along the three mile route between the crash site and the final resting place of the Kia.
The driver of the vehicle that was rear-ended refused medical treatment at the scene but later reported going to the hospital. The the driver of the Nissan car was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital.
Parrish was transported by Escambia County EMS to Atmore Community Hospital for evaluation. She was booked into the Escambia County Jail early Sunday morning with one hit and run involving injury charge and two additional counts of misdemeanor hit and run. She was released on a $2,000 bond late Sunday morning from the Escambia County Jail.
Further details on the crash have not yet been released by the Florida Highway Patrol as they continued their investigation.
Florida Senate Backs Armed Teachers, Rejects Assault Weapons Ban
March 4, 2018
After hours of intense debate on a school-safety measure, Senate Democrats were unable Saturday to strip a controversial provision that would allow specially trained teachers to bring guns to schools or to add an assault-weapons ban demanded by survivors of last month’s mass shooting at a Broward County high school.
Democrats spent the rare Saturday floor session trying to amend the sweeping bill, hurriedly crafted by Republican leaders in response to the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 14 students and three faculty members dead.
But outnumbered 23-15 in the Senate, and even with the frequent support of two Republicans, Democrats were only able to make marginal changes to the bill (SB 7026) aimed at making schools safer and keeping guns away from mentally ill people.
Much of the debate in the week since Republican leaders rolled out the package has centered on a proposed “school marshal” program. That program would allow specially trained teachers and other school workers, who would be deputized by local sheriffs, to carry guns to school.
Gov. Rick Scott is among critics — including the PTA, the union representing teachers, and many parents and students from Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High — who oppose the proposition.
Sen. Perry Thurston, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat who is chairman of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, pleaded with senators to support an amendment that would have removed the marshal program from the bill, saying that it would further endanger minority children who are at risk of gun violence.
Black parents already must have “the talk” with their children about how to avoid getting into confrontations with law enforcement officers and how to keep interactions with police from escalating, Thurston said. That talk will have to begin earlier if teachers are allowed to be armed, he predicted.
“We can’t agree to that. No type of way. No form. No shape. This is a non-starter,” he said.
The Senate plan and a similar House proposal would allow school boards to decide whether they want to implement the marshal program. If school boards opt for the program, the House proposal would require sheriffs to participate, while the Senate proposal would not.
While being grilled by Democrats, Sen. Bill Galvano, the bill’s sponsor, said that the school-marshal plan “hasn’t just been drawn out of the air,” but was based on other programs in Florida and across the country.
“We’re seeking to transform school security in the state of Florida,” said Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who will take over as Senate president in November.
The marshal program would exist “in a new state of affairs,” based on other components of the bill, such as a new Office of School Safety within the Department of Education and requiring school-safety specialists and threat-assessment teams at the local level.
The legislation includes broad outlines for the marshal program, including the requirement of at least 132 hours of training and psychological screening, but would leave up to sheriffs and school districts details such as what types of guns could be used and where they would be stored, Galvano said.
That means parents, students and others would have no way of knowing which teachers might be armed, Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, said.
“We will have no clue in 67 counties in this state of what this marshal program looks like,” Gibson said. “We don’t need additional guns in schools. You don’t add fuel to a fire that’s already burning. It’s burning just fine on its own.”
But Senate Majority Leader Wilton Simpson argued that allowing teachers to carry guns would make students safer.
“We are many colors in this chamber. I would want a teacher to have the opportunity to stop an evil person from slaughtering children,” Simpson, R-Trilby, said. “But the only thing that’s going to stop a slaughter, in that moment, is if it’s fortunate enough to have a person in that room with a firearm. And the marshal program provides an opportunity, not a guarantee, for that to be done.”
The House and Senate packages have faced pushback from politicians on both ends of the gun-control spectrum.
Many House Republicans and the National Rifle Association are opposed to proposed regulations that would raise age requirements from 18 to 21 and impose a three-day waiting period for the purchase of rifles and other long guns. Proposals would also allow law enforcement officers to seize weapons from people who pose a danger to themselves or others and ban the sale of what are known as “bump stocks,” an idea also opposed by the NRA.
Democrats are frustrated because the proposals fail to include a ban on assault-style weapons such as the semi-automatic rifle used by 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas student charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder after the nation’s second-worst school shooting.
Survivors of the shooting, parents of slain students and high schoolers from across the state have flooded the Capitol since the Valentine’s Day shooting, with the vast majority seeking a ban on assault weapons.
The students asked lawmakers “to do one thing: make school shootings and assault weapons a thing of the past,” said Sen. Linda Stewart, an Orlando Democrat who offered an amendment Saturday that sought to ban them.
“Assault weapons are really killing machines. They are not rifles, and they are not guns that we use to protect our homes and go hunting,” she said at the end of an hourlong debate on her amendment.
Immediately after the amendment failed in a 20-17 vote, Senate President Joe Negron ordered a moment of silence as requested by Scott for the entire state on the 17th day after the 17 Parkland students and faculty were killed.
Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon, a member of the black caucus, conceded Saturday that the ban on assault weapons was “too divisive” for the GOP-dominated Legislature.
“It splits us down the middle, and it’s not the time to do that right now. This is the time to come together,” Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, said.
But he beseeched his colleagues to support a proposed amendment doing away with the marshal program, saying lawmakers need more time to explore the issue.
“This is an important piece of legislation that we’ve put together in a week. We can all get behind (it) if we don’t have something like this in it that splits us down the middle,” Braynon said. “Why would we take this moment when we need to come together … to almost tear us apart as a body?”
After nearly eight hours of debate on the attempted amendments, Sen. Tom Lee proposed removing the most-controversial portions of the bill: the marshal program and the new restrictions on the purchase of long guns.
Lee, a former Senate president, said lawmakers have consensus on two issues — keeping guns out of the hands of mentally ill people and school hardening.
The “gun control and that marshal plan are for a bumper sticker in November,” Lee, R-Thonotosassa, said.
“They’re going to do nothing. Neither one of them,” he said. Lee’s proposal to remove the issues failed.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
March 4, 2018
Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities
Escambia County:
- State Road (S.R). 742 (Creighton Road) Construction Improvement Project from east of Davis Highway to Scenic Highway- Intermittent and alternating lane closures between Davis Highway and Scenic Highway from 8:30 p.m., Friday March 2 to 5:30 a.m. Saturday, 2 Saturday, March 3 continue as crews perform milling, paving, sidewalk and curb replacement.
- U.S. 29 Resurfacing between U.S. 90 and Muscogee Road – Alternating lane closures on U.S. 29 north and southbound, from Muscogee Road to West 9 ½ Mile Road, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, March 4 through Saturday, March 10 as crews pave the roadway.
- I-10 Widening from Davis Highway to the Escambia Bay Bridge – Intermittent and alternating lane closures on I-10, between Davis Highway (Exit 13) and Scenic Highway (Exit 17), and on Scenic Highway, between Whisper Way and Northpointe Parkway, from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, March 4 through Thursday, March 8 as crews perform construction activities. The speed limit on I-10 will be reduced to 60 mph during nighttime lane closures.
- U.S. 98 (S.R. 30) Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Alternating lane closures on U.S. 98 east and westbound, between 14th Avenue in Pensacola and Bay Bridge Drive in Gulf Breeze, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, March 4 through Sunday, March 11 as crews perform construction activities.
- U.S. 29 Widening from I-10 to Nine Mile Road- Drivers traveling U.S. 29 and Nine Mile Road will encounter traffic pattern changes from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday, March 5 through Saturday, March 10 as follows:
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- Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 overpass: Travel lanes will be reduced to one lane for each direction. Alternating traffic shifts will direct all traffic onto the westbound OR eastbound lanes throughout the night as crews begin construction of the new center bridge deck.
- U.S. 29 between I-10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road: Drivers may experience alternating lane closures as crews prepare for future traffic shifts.
- U.S. 29 at Nine Mile Road Overpass: Monday and Tuesday, Mar. 5 & 6, north- and southbound U.S. 29 will be reduced to one lane each and detoured onto the Nine Mile Road off- and on-ramps as crews place the beams for the center portion of the new bridge deck.
· S.R. 292 (Perdida Key Drive) Turn Lane Construction just east of River Road- Traffic on Perdido Key Drive just east of River Road will encounter intermittent lane restrictions in the center lane from 8 p.m. Thursday, March 8 to 5 a.m. Friday, March 9 as install bi-directional pavement markings in the westbound. Left turn lane in front of La Riva Condominium.
Santa Rosa County:
- I-10 Widening from Escambia Bay Bridge to Avalon Boulevard (S.R. 281/Exit 22) Alternating lane closures on I-10, from the Escambia Bay Bridge to east of S.R. 281 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, March 4 through Friday, March 9 as crews widen the roadway. In addition, alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard, near the I-10 interchange, will also be encountered as crews reconstruct the overpass.
- U.S. 98 (S.R. 30) Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement – Alternating east and westbound lane closures, between 14th Avenue in Pensacola and Bay Bridge Drive in Gulf Breeze, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday, March 4 through Sunday, March 11 as crews perform construction activities.
- S.R. 89 North Median Landscape Enhancement- Drivers may encounter intermittent inside lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, March 5 through Friday, March 9 as crews landscaping the medians.
- S.R. 87 Multilane from Eglin AFB boundary to Hickory Hammock Road – Traffic between County Road 184 (Hickory Hammock Road) and the Eglin AFB boundary is restricted to loads less than 11-feet wide. The restriction will be in place until the project is complete.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
Tate Lady Aggies Shut Out Two Challengers, Suffer Two One-Run Tourney Loses
March 4, 2018
The Tate Lady Aggie softball team picked up two shutout wins and record two touch one-run losses in tournament play this weekend in the Florida-USA Softball Challenge Panama City Beach.
Results were as follows:
Friday
Marianna 1, Tate 0
Tate 12, McCarthy 0
Saturday:
Daphne 5, Tate 4
Tate 6, North Bay Haven 0
Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Road Prison Inmates Graduate From Welding Program
March 4, 2018
The Escambia County Corrections Department recently recognized eight Road Prison welding program graduates with a ceremony at the Escambia County Road Prison. Two of the graduates also received their GED in addition to the Occupational Certificates of Participation and American Welding Society certificates.
- Joshua Carr – GED and AWS Certification
- Nicolas Feraci – GED and AWS Certification
- James Johnson – AWS Certification and OCP Certification
- Kenneth Munoz – AWS Certification and OCP Certification
- Herman Dillard – AWS Certification and OCP Certification
- Johnathan Ross – AWS Certification and OCP Certification
- Marcus Dale - OCP Certification
- Jared Stanga – AWS Certification
Ceremony attendees included Road Prison Commander Charles Snow, Escambia County Corrections Director Tammy Jarvis, Assistant County Administrator Matt Coughlin, Instructor Danny Cain and George Stone Technical Center Principal TJ Rollins.
Through a partnership with George Stone Technical Center, the Escambia County Road Prison offers nationally-recognized certifications including stick welding, pipe welding, MIG and TIG welding, or metal inert gas and tungsten inert gas. Participating students choose to opt into the program during their time at the road prison.
During the 2016-17 school year, 30 inmates participated in the welding program through the county’s partnership with George Stone Technical Center. George Stone issued 45 Occupational Certificates of Participation for various welding disciplines, and 21 of the 30 inmates received American Welding Society National Certifications that are recognized through the United States.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia BOCC Weekly Meeting Schedule
March 4, 2018
Here is a schedule of Escambia County public meetings for the week of March 5-9:
Tuesday, March 6
Planning Board-Rezoning – 8:30 a.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place (Agenda)
Planning Board-Regular – 8:35 a.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place (Agenda)
Amalgamated Transit Union 1395 Collective Bargaining Session – 10 a.m., Escambia County Area Transit Administrative Offices & Rosa Parks Bus Terminal, 1515 W. Fairfield Drive
Environmental Enforcement Special Magistrate – 1:30 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place (Agenda)
Wednesday, March 7
Contractor Competency Board – 9 a.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
BCC and International Association of EMTs and Paramedics Bargaining Meeting – 10:30 a.m. Escambia County Public Safety Building, 6575 N. W St.
Amalgamated Transit Union 1395 Collective Bargaining Session (if necessary) – 12 p.m., Escambia County Area Transit Administrative Offices & Rosa Parks Bus Terminal, 1515 W. Fairfield Drive
Development Review Committee – 1 p.m., Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place
Thursday, March 8
Executive Session – Amalgamated Transit Union – 8 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place
BCC Committee of the Whole – 9 a.m., Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building, 221 Palafox Place
Registration Underway For Annual Century Sawmill Pageant
March 4, 2018
Registration is underway for the 26th Annual Century Sawmill Pageant to be held April 7.
The remaining registration date is Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Southern Treasures Florist across from Whataburger in Century. The registration deadline will be March 23 by 5 p.m. For a printable registration form and more information, click here.
The pageant is for girls age 0 and up through high school. There will be a $250 scholarship awarded to both the middle and high school division overall queens.
On The Night Shift: Santa Rosa Sheriff Johnson Makes ‘Substantial’ Drug Bust
March 4, 2018
A traffic stop by the Santa Rosa County sheriff led a “substantial” drug arrest.
Sheriff Bob Johnson was working an evening patrol shift about 9:00 when he observed a vehicle with several violations traveling eastbound on Highway 98. Sheriff Johnson conducted a traffic stop with his unmarked cruiser at the intersection of Highway 98 and Fox Den Drive.
The driver was identified via passport as Sunsiarae Swatzel, a 47- year old female from Fort Walton Beach.
Johnson said he believed there were indicators of other activity and called for a K-9 unit to respond. Shortly after, K-9 Zeus arrived and alerted on the vehicle for the presence of narcotics. After a search of the vehicle, the following illegal items were inside Swatzel’s purse that was inside the vehicle, according to the SRSO:
- four bags of methamphetamine,
- four Xanax pills,
- one Alprazolam,
- 0.8 grams of heroin,
- 5 grams of marijuana,
- one syringe with unknown clear liquid
- a powder substance that was possibly Fentanyl
Swatzel was charged with delivering or distributing meth, two counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and marijuana possession She also received two traffic citations.
Pictured: Drugs recovered by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. Pictured below: Sheriff’s Bog Johnson was working an evening patrol shift when he made a traffic stop and arrested a woman who allegedly had a “substantial” quantity of drugs in a purse. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
eFlorida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Parents Plead For Action
March 4, 2018
Last week, the students had the spotlight. This week, it was grieving parents who dominated the discussion.
Their focus, and the attention of lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott, was on a measure that began as a wide-ranging school-safety proposal but is now known inside the Capitol as a “gun bill” that’s alienated people on both ends of the Second Amendment spectrum.
Republican leaders last month hurriedly assembled a package dealing with mental health, school safety and stricter gun regulations in an effort to prevent another tragedy like the Feb. 14 massacre of 17 people — including 14 students — at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Now they’re fighting against time — and bipartisan dissatisfaction — to get a bill passed in the week before the legislative session ends.
What began as a unified pledge by Scott and GOP legislative leaders to make schools safer and keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill people like Parkland gunman Nikolas Cruz has — in less than a week — morphed into a fiery debate over whether teachers should be allowed to bring guns to schools and whether more restrictions should be placed on buying guns.
National Rifle Association Florida lobbyist Marion Hammer sent out an alert to “members and friends” this week in advance of an expected Senate vote, warning that “senators are being bullied into voting for gratuitous gun control measures in order to be able to vote on school safety.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High alum, said the bill had been “hijacked” by Republicans who insist on keeping the controversial provision that would allow school districts to use specially trained teachers who are deputized by sheriffs to bring guns to class. The proposal has been dubbed the “school marshal” program.
“I just don’t get why they even came up with that,” Cameron McEachern, an 18-year-old Marjory Stoneman Douglas High senior, said after a press conference Friday in the Capitol. “It’s not what we want.”
POLITICS BE DAMNED
Accompanied by the father and brother of a student slain during the mass shooting in Parkland, Scott made a rare appearance before the House and Senate on Thursday to urge lawmakers to pass a school safety measure.
The governor’s direct message to the Legislature, with the aid of grieving parent Ryan Petty, came as the House earlier in the day put its plan on hold. Republican leaders acknowledged the plan — opposed by the powerful NRA, black lawmakers, some survivors of the massacre and others — needs more work.
Scott is touting an alternative plan that relies heavily on putting law enforcement officers in schools.
“If this devolves into a gun control debate, we are going to miss our opportunity to get something done. What’s different about the governor’s plan is that we are focusing on securing our schools,” Petty, whose 14-year-old daughter Alaina was among the 17 people killed, told reporters after pleading with lawmakers in both chambers to pass a bill.
The day after Petty and Scott, accompanied by Petty’s son, Patrick, addressed the House and Senate during floor sessions, the Senate postponed debate on its bill, scheduling a highly unusual Saturday floor session. [Read more ...]
Senate President Joe Negron announced the Saturday session in a memo Friday morning, saying the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Bill Galvano, wanted “additional time to work on this important issue.”
Delaying consideration of the measure (SB 7026) until next week would affect the House’s ability to hear the Senate bill because of procedural reasons, Negron said.
Galvano said Friday he has the votes to pass the measure, but acknowledged it is problematic for many of his colleagues.
“We have some that think we’re going too far, some that think we’re not going far enough. Certain interest groups like some components, don’t like others. That means, in my experience, that we probably have a pretty good piece of legislation, that we’ve hit a balance between competing interests,” Galvano, a Bradenton Republican slated to take over as Senate president after the fall elections, said. “But at the end of the day, none of that matters. We had a tragedy just a couple of weeks back. What we should be concerned about is not what group likes what, but can we come together, put a meaningful safety package out there and pass it that’s going to save lives. And then the politics of it be damned.”
Scott on Thursday reiterated his rejection of the school marshal program.
“I want to make sure that there’s a law enforcement presence at our schools. I don’t believe in arming the teachers. I’ve been clear about that since I put out my proposal last week,” the governor told reporters.
House and Senate budget committees approved the two chambers’ similar proposals on Tuesday.
The bills would raise the age from 18 to 21 to purchase rifles or other long guns and create a commission to explore failures leading up to the massacre.
About 40 parents from Parkland, the affluent Broward County enclave where the nation’s second-worst school shooting occurred, traveled to the Capitol to share their stories and requests with key legislators and Scott.
Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son Alex was among the victims at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, strained to choke back tears as he begged lawmakers to act.
“I’ve never been an outspoken person. I never wanted to be in this situation. But I’m pleading with you to put your differences aside. It’s time to learn to compromise and help make our schools safe again,” Schachter, comforted by his father, Steve, told the House Appropriations Committee. “We owe it to all these students. You owe it to me and you owe it to all those 16 other families.”
BUDGET TALKS ON THE SIDE
The $400 million school-safety initiative is also playing a role in House and Senate negotiations about the state’s $87 billion budget.
After striking a deal on local property taxes, the House and Senate late Thursday agreed to spend $21.1 billion on public schools in the 2018-2019 academic year, which would represent about a $100 increase per student.
But they are still trying to allocate that funding while accommodating a $400 million school-safety package, prompted by the Broward County mass shooting.
The cost of the school-safety initiatives as well as other recent impacts on the state budget, including a decline in projected corporate income-tax collections and higher Medicaid costs, are impacting other areas of the proposed $87 billion-plus budget.
On Thursday, the Senate backed off a proposal that sought $345 million in state performance funding for the university system, agreeing with the House to leave it at $245 million, which is the current level. Negotiators also agreed on $30 million in state performance funding for the 28 state colleges, which is also the current level.
In the prison system, lawmakers find themselves forced to respond to legal settlements in cases alleging prisoners are not receiving adequate treatment for infectious diseases, mental health issues and disabilities.
Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican who is leading the Senate negotiations on civil and criminal justice issues, estimated the new budget will contain about $100 million in response to those legal mandates involving the Department of Corrections.
The issues include money for treating prisoners with hepatitis C, an infectious disease that may affect as many as one out of every five prisoners in the system. Treatment can cost as much as $37,000 for a 12-week regimen.
The House and Senate agreed Thursday to spend another $42.6 million on mental-health treatment, including hiring 289 people, in response to a separate lawsuit.
And lawmakers are in agreement on spending more than $6 million to care for disabled prisoners under a court settlement that came after advocates alleged the state was discriminating against prisoners who were deaf, blind or confined to wheelchairs.
Despite the overall challenges, Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said the budget negotiations remain on target for a final deal by Tuesday, which will allow lawmakers to vote on the spending plan on March 9, the last day of the 2018 session.
“We’re having great communications. It’s been a very smooth process,” Bradley said.
STORY OF THE WEEK: With time running out in the legislative session, key House and Senate committees approved school-safety initiatives that include a controversial program allowing specially trained teachers to bring guns to schools.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “What you’re asking Republicans to do, if you vote for this, you’re toast. If you want to move up, you’re toast.” — State Rep. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, who serves as Sarasota County Republican chairman, on a school-safety proposal (HB 7021) opposed by the NRA.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida