Century Votes To Sell Lot To Church For $1,000 For Expansion

January 11, 2018

The Town of Century has voted to sell a portion of  lot located nearly four miles outside town to the Poplar Dell Baptist Church so that they can construct a new fellowship hall.

For years, the church has cut the grass and maintained a lot about one acre in size behind their sanctuary and cemetery on Highway 168 in the Gandyville community. And they had eyed the lot to build their new fellowship hall. But they learned the property actually belongs to the Town of Century. Century’s gas department maintains a “natural gas gate station” — a connection between the town’s gas system and supplier — on one end of the property next to Poplar Dell Road. The remainder of the property is a large grassy lot.

The church determined that they needed 0.23 acres of the lot for the expansion.  The town council voted to sell the lot to the church for $1,000. A required buffer around the natural gas station will be maintained.

A $4,000 appraisal had been received for the full acre.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Flomaton Elementary Announces Spelling Bee Winners

January 11, 2018

Flomaton Elementary School has announced winners of their Spelling Bee. They are:

3rd-5th grade division:
Michael Bowen – Winner
Secily Carter – Runner-up

6th grade division:
Christopher Crawley – Winner
Sam Johnson – Runner-up

The students now advance to the county tournament.

Courtesy  photos for NorthEscambia.com,click to enlarge.

E. Coli Bacteria Prompts Bratt Davisville Water System Boil Water Notice

January 10, 2018

UPDATE: The boil water notice has been rescinded. The latest test results show that the water is safe to drink.

UPDATE: The original release from the water company indicated the well testing was December 10. That was a typographical error on their part. The well was actually tested January 10. This story has been updated to correct their error.

Wednesday night, the Bratt Davisville Water System issued a precautionary boil water notice after a well tested positive for E. Coli bacteria.

The boil water notice covers the areas below:

Nokomis Rd. from Rockaway Creek Rd. traveling West to North Pineville Rd., Rockaway Creek Rd. from Nokomis Rd. traveling North to Alabama Line, Gibbs Rd., Circle Rd., Shady Oak Dr., Miller Rd., Jakes Rd., Jones Rd., Reynolds Rd., Flowers Rd., Albritton Rd., Barlow Rd., Tullis Rd., North Pineville Rd. from Nokomis Rd. North to Alabama Line, Hollingsworth Rd., and three customers immediately south of Hollingsworth Rd. on North Pineville Rd.

The Bratt Davisville Water System issued the following information:

What should I do?

As a precaution, we advise that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative, bottled water may be used. Residents are also advised to take precautions when bathing, especially Immuno-compromised individuals, infants or the elderly.

What happened? What is being done?

We routinely monitor the water in our wells and distribution system for drinking water contaminants. Late on January 10th , we learned that one raw sample taken at Bratt Davisville Well 2 tested positive for the presence of E. coli bacteria.

Water containing E. coli bacteria can be considered safe for drinking and cooking after vigorously boiling the water. Disease symptoms caused by these bacteria may include diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and possibly jaundice, and any associated headache and fatigue. EPA has set an enforceable drinking water standard for E. coli to reduce the risk of these adverse health effects. Under this standard all drinking water must be free of these bacteria.

The water system is currently collecting samples to determine if the presence of E.coli bacteria exists within the water system. This precautionary boil water notice will remain in effect until a bacteriological survey shows that the water is safe to drink. The anticipated date for rescinding this notice is January 15, 2018, at 4:00 p.m.

If you have any questions you may contact Customer Service at 1-800- 235-3848 or at 3425 Hwy 4 W, P.O. Box 428, Jay, FL 32565.

Bisquick: Hazmat Crews Respond To Substance At Tax Collector’s Office

January 10, 2018

A white substance caused alarm at the Escambia County Tax Collector’s Office in downtown Pensacola on Wednesday.

The substance and a chemical smell on a license plate led to the response of a hazardous materials team and Escambia County Emergency Management.

After investigation, the substance was found to be Bisquick baking mix.

Jim Allen Elementary School Names Students Of The Month

January 10, 2018

Jim Allen Elementary School has named Students of the Month for December. They are Isabela Pomeroy (left) and Jacob Drysdale. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

FDOT Plans Highway 29, Molino Road Traffic Signal; Eight Miles Of Resurfacing

January 10, 2018

The Florida Department of Transportation plans to install a new traffic signal at the intersection of Highway 29 and Molino Road, resurface eight miles of Highway 29 and improve several other intersections from Molino to Cantonment.

When the traffic signal is installed at Highway 29 and Molino Road, turns lanes will be improved and the median crossover at the Dollar General Store will be closed. Additional improvements will include the milling and resurfacing of Highway from just south of Muscogee Road in Cantonment to Highway 97 in Molino.

There will also be additional safety and operational improvements made on Highway 29 at Barrineau Park Road, West Quintette Road and at the Molino Forestry Station. The improvements will include turn lanes, median openings and driveway modifications.

FDOT must acquire additional right of way for turn lane improvements at the Muscogee/Becks Lake Road intersection. The project is funded for construction in fiscal year 2019.

The estimated construction cost of the entire project is nearly $11.4 million.

The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing on the improvements from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 25 at the Molino Community Complex on Highway 95A just south of Molino Road. There will be a formal presentation at 6 p.m. Maps, drawings and other information will be on display. FDOT representatives will be available to discuss proposed improvements, answer questions, and receive comments.

Pictured: The intersection of Highway 29 and Molino Road Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.

Century Discusses Audit Problems As Due To Coding, Communications

January 10, 2018

The Century Town Council held a special workshop meeting Tuesday evening to discuss findings of a recent audit and work not yet done to complete an audit coming due soon to the state.

The audit uncovered numerous financial problems in Century during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016. Those findings included  deteriorating financial conditions that could result in a future “financial emergency”, $3.83 million in transferred special revenue funds that must be repaid to another fund, over $1.4 million in expenditures in violation of state statutes, over $5,000 in a bank account that did not appear on the books and other deficiencies.

The council discussed that many of the findings were simply due to transactions that were simply mis-coded, essentially placed in the wrong category when entered into financial software. There are no allegations of wrongdoing or missing funds.

Town Clerk Leslie Howington said it had been common practice to “borrow” funds from one account, such as the general fund, to another fund, such as the gas fund, in order to pay bills by their due date. The funds would then be recorded as due to the general fund and due from the gas fund. Instead, she said, the funds should have  been coded as operational transfers.

The town is currently working with town attorney Matt Dannheiser to re-code fiscal year 2015-2016 transactions to correct audit findings.

Auditing firm Warren Averett has warned town officials that information needed for their current audit was due December 31 but was not received. Now, the the auditors have pushed their schedule for fieldwork from this month to May, giving the town a deadline of April 15 to provide information and files. The council, in turn , is requiring that their CPA, Robert Hudson, provide completed reports to the council by April 1.

“Communication, communication,” Council member Ben Boutwell said. “So many of these problems have been caused by the lack of communication. You need to provide people with a (deadline) to provide you information and keep a paper trail of that.”

The town council is also  now requiring Hudson to communicate current financial information to them during the second council meeting of each month.

Pictured: The Century Town Council discusses audit findings Tuesday evening. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

FDLE Arrests Santa Rosa Detention Deputy

January 10, 2018

Tuesday, agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Russel Edmund Scott, 49, for theft of intellectual property. Scott was a  Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy.

The Sheriff’s Office requested that FDLE investigate Scott for unauthorized possession of SMARTCOP proprietary files on his personal share drive located on the SRCSO computer network system.

SMARTCOP provides system development, implementation and support services for public safety products including computer-aided dispatch, records management, mobile computer with field based reported and jail management systems.

During the investigation, FDLE agents discovered Scott, a former SMARTCOP employee, was in possession of numerous files that he was not authorized to have.

Scott was booked into the Okaloosa County Jail after his arrest.

Alabama Man Claims Nearly $200K For Davisville Winning Fantasy 5 Ticket

January 10, 2018

An Alabama man has claimed his prize for a winning lottery ticket sold last week at a local store.

fant5.jpgThe Florida Lottery says the January 4 Fantasy 5 ticket worth $198,985.90 was sold to William C. Julian of Gallion, AL. He purchased the ticket at the Korner Kwik Stop at 10481 Highway 97 in Davisville. It was the only winning ticket sold for last Thursday night’s drawing.

The 292 tickets matching four numbers won $109.50 each. Another 9,401 tickets matching three numbers are worth $9.50 each, and 90,332 ticket holders won a Quick Pick ticket for picking two numbers.

The January 4 Fantasy 5 winning numbers were 2-7-8-22-31.

Feds Drop Possible Drilling Off Florida Coast

January 10, 2018

Florida waters were removed Tuesday from White House plans to open previously protected parts of the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Gulf of Mexico to offshore oil and gas drilling.

The move was hailed by Gov. Rick Scott, while drawing questions about whether the quick decision and manner of announcement by the Trump administration were done to further Scott’s political career.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, making a brief appearance Tuesday night at Tallahassee International Airport, credited Gov. Rick Scott, who was by his side, for the decision to remove Florida from the drilling proposal announced Thursday.

“The great state of Florida has expressed and the governor has expressed his desire not to drill and not to have production platforms off the coast,” Zinke said when asked why Florida waters were removed from the pending review while waters off neighboring states remain eligible. “We think we have the assets in this country onshore and offshore and the rest of the Gulf to meet the president’s desire for energy dominance.”

Zinke who flew into Tallahassee to talk with Scott, addressed the media for about seven minutes and then departed. The meeting was added late Tuesday to Scott’s schedule.

Scott last week issued a statement that opposed opening Florida waters beyond the nation’s outer continental shelf — a jurisdictional term describing submerged lands 10.36 statutory miles off Florida’s west coast and 3 nautical miles off the east coast — prior to the White House policy being released.

The initial proposal was widely condemned by Florida politicians from both parties. On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson — a Democrat expected to be challenged for his seat later this year by Scott — was quick to call Zinke’s action a “political stunt.”

“I have spent my entire life fighting to keep oil rigs away from our coasts,” Nelson said in a statement. “But now, suddenly, Secretary Zinke announces plans to drill off Florida’s coast and four days later agrees to ‘take Florida off the table?’ I don’t believe it. This is a political stunt orchestrated by the Trump administration to help Rick Scott, who has wanted to drill off Florida’s coast his entire career. We shouldn’t be playing politics with the future of Florida.”

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein made a similar comment, noting that Scott in 2010 had disagreed with then-President Barack Obama’s decision not to pursue eastern Gulf drilling. Bergstein alleged Scott and President Donald Trump, a political ally, manufactured “a crisis to try and help his (Scott’s) political ambitions.”

Zinke said the administration strategy was to open everything, then meet with local stakeholders and governors, and to balance those views against plans for energy independence.

“We are on a course to be the largest oil and gas producer in the world,” Zinke said. “We are going to be a net liquid natural-gas producer. And I can tell you from a former (Navy) Seal, I don’t want your kids ever to fight on foreign shores for a resource that we have here. But there are places where resources are sensitive, and there are places where we are not going to go forward with resources. One of them is off the coast of Florida.”

In 2017, Trump signed an executive order asking Zinke to consider opening the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic to drilling.

Scott issued a statement Tuesday night thanking Zinke for coming to Tallahassee to hear his concerns about drilling.

“By removing Florida from consideration, we can now focus on how we can further protect our environment, including our proposal for record funding for the Everglades, our springs, our beaches and our state parks,” Scott said. “I will never stop fighting for Florida’s environment and our pristine coastline.”

by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida

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