Scott Appoints Jimmy Patronis As Florida CFO
June 27, 2017
Florida’s next chief financial officer will be one of Gov. Rick Scott’s original political allies.
Scott on Monday turned to former state Rep. Jimmy Patronis, 45, to complete the term of Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, who will leave the elected Cabinet office Friday for a job at Florida Atlantic University.
Scott said he wanted someone who could “step in and do a really good job.”
“He’s got a breadth of knowledge about a lot of things,” Scott said during an appearance at Patronis’ family-owned Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant in Panama City.
A Florida State University graduate, Patronis will be sworn in Friday to the $128,972-a-year job, joining Attorney General Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on the Cabinet.
The move was Scott’s third major appointment of Patronis, who served in the state House for eight years.
Scott appointed Patronis in 2014 to the Florida Public Service Commission. Patronis submitted his resignation Sunday from the $131,036-a-year position on the utility regulatory panel.
In March, Patronis was among a number of political loyalists the governor appointed to the state Constitution Revision Commission.
Patronis, a Republican from Panama City, was an early political supporter of Scott in 2010, when the governor was a largely unknown multi-millionaire from Naples who was challenging Republican establishment favorite Bill McCollum in a GOP primary.
Atwater, who was elected CFO in 2010 and re-elected in 2014, quickly offered support for Scott’s selection of Patronis.
“He’s a dedicated public servant with a proven record, an esteemed entrepreneur and a great man,” Atwater said in a statement. “And he’s just accepted the best job in the state of Florida!”
The move gives Scott another firm ally on the Cabinet. And while Patronis wouldn’t commit to running for a full term as chief financial officer, Scott could have a potential friend on the campaign trail in 2018 if, as widely expected, Scott runs for U.S. Senate.
“There will be plenty of time to talk about politics later,” Patronis said Monday. “Right now, I’m just focused on doing the best job that I can as CFO for the state.”
Patronis, who said Scott told him of the selection on Sunday, said he won’t work at the restaurant, which has often served as a campaign backdrop for Scott.
“The role is to be a full-time officer of the state of Florida,” Patronis said. “It’s impossible to put 40 hours, or 70 hours a week during the summer, here at Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant and take on the role of representing every citizen.”
Bay County Commissioner Griff Griffitts, who has known Patronis since the two were a year apart in elementary school, said the former legislator and his family have given back to the community, which should translate statewide.
“He brings lots of experience, not only in the state and in the public sector, but the private sector,” Griffitts said. “His experience in the Legislature, he’ll use that really well. And then his service in the restaurant industry, dealing with the public and the people every day, he will be a great CFO for the state. I don’t know if it will benefit Bay County more than it will any other county in the state, other than we’ve got our local boy that’s in this position. He will not show favoritism to anybody.”
But the Florida Democratic Party quickly blasted Scott’s selection of Patronis as “cronyism.”
“Floridians are facing rising insurance rates and stagnant wages, but Rick Scott is propping up yet another yes-man rather than prioritizing the needs of working Floridians,” Democratic spokeswoman Johanna Cervone said in a prepared statement. “This governor has stacked nearly every appointment with special interest lackeys rather than the most qualified candidates.”
Also, Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano, a Republican who served in the Legislature with Patronis, tweeted Sunday: “Let’s not forget who voted as FL PSC Commissioner to increase Utility rates on every Duke Energy and FPL.”
Democrat Jeremy Ring, a former state senator from Parkland and former executive with the internet firm Yahoo, is the only candidate who has opened a campaign account to run for chief financial officer. Ring said Monday that Scott’s appointment of Patronis won’t sway his decision to run.
Atwater announced in February he was stepping down early to become a vice president at Florida Atlantic University managing finances and economic development. As chief financial officer, Atwater has overseen Florida’s finances, helped make Cabinet decisions on issues such as preserving land and played a number of other roles, such as serving as the state fire marshal.
Atwater teamed with Scott in 2012 to push legislation intended to reform the personal-injury protection portion of auto insurance coverage.
But Atwater’s support for Scott on Cabinet issues wavered in 2015 over the abrupt departure of Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey, whose exit was orchestrated by the governor’s office. Last year, Scott and Atwater also clashed in their joint appointment of a new insurance commissioner.
After Atwater announced he would leave the CFO post, numerous names were mentioned as possible replacements They included Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, former state Rep. Tom Grady of Naples, state Sens. Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg, Tom Lee of Thonotosassa, Lizbeth Benacquisto of Fort Myers Jack Latvala of Clearwater, and state Rep. Joe Gruters of Sarasota.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pensacola Snaps Losing Streak To Chattanooga
June 27, 2017
In his first game back with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, right-hander Austin Ross picked up right where he left off.
Ross allowed one run in six innings on six hits and three walks while striking out six to help Pensacola snap a nine-game losing streak to the Chattanooga Lookouts with a, 6-1, victory Monday at AT&T Field.
Not only that but the Blue Wahoos snapped a seven-game losing streak with Ross’ strong outing. Ross struck out five hitters in the first four innings. His record remained a perfect 6-0 with Pensacola and he owns a 1.23 ERA.
The 28-year-old was called up May 30 to the Triple-A Louisville Bats where he started four of five games, going 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA.
Chattanooga loaded the bases in the first inning but scored only one run when DH Jon Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to score shortstop Nick Gordon, putting the Lookouts ahead, 1-0.
But the Blue Wahoos fought back to tie the game, 1-1, in the fifth inning when right fielder Aristides Aquino singled in left fielder Josh VanMeter, who smacked a leadoff triple.
Pensacola added two more runs in its next at bat in the sixth inning to go up, 3-1. Coming through again with two outs and runners in scoring position was — no surprise — VanMeter, who doubled to center to score third baseman Nick Senzel and first baseman Gavin LaValley. VanMeter is 13-31 (.419) in the situation and has 18 of his 31 RBIs on the season.
Blue Wahoos relievers Ismael Guillon and Carlos Gonzalez blanked Chattanooga over the last three innings.
LaValley hit a three-run homer on a blast to left field, putting Pensacola in control of the game in the eighth inning, 6-1.
The 22-year-old LaValley, who played his first five-game series in Double-A, shined. Called up from High-A Daytona Tortugas, the 6-foot-3 LaValley hit .353, going 6-17, with two doubles, two home runs and six RBIs.
Meanwhile, VanMeter, who was chosen to the Southern League All-Star game, went 3-4 with a double and triple, scored a run and knocked in two.
Coughlin Named Escambia County Assistant County Administrator
June 26, 2017
Matthew Coughlin has been selected to fill the vacant Escambia County assistant county administrator position. His duties will include oversight of departments and their strategic plans, along with development of clear performance benchmarks to meet the commission’s objectives.
Coughlin joins current Assistant County Administrator Amy Lovoy, as the two most senior positions under County Administrator Jack Brown. Coughlin’s first day with the county will be Monday, July 24.
The opportunity to serve the community and impact the area’s quality of life was one of Coughlin’s main motivating factors for applying for the position.
“It is an honor to be selected,” Coughlin said. “I hope that my experience and enthusiasm to serve can help advance the county’s mission to enhance the quality of life for all its citizenry.”
When asked about what he brings to the position, he said he hopes one area where he will stand out is the importance he places on working together toward a common goal.
“I hope to focus on strengthening our community by reinforcing current relationships, finding common ground where no collaboration exists. Forming new partnerships is key to advocating and working successfully for the people of the county,” he said.
Currently the assistant director of the Pensacola International Airport, Coughlin is responsible for the daily management of the Small Hub FAA part 139 certified airport, with a $26 million budget. Prior to his time with the city, he had a successful 24-year career as a Naval officer and aviator.
His final tour was as Naval Air Station Whiting Field’s base commanding officer from 2011 to 2014. While there, he was well-known for his community involvement and support while successfully fulfilling a mission that included overseeing a workforce of more than 3,000 personnel, managing an infrastructure that encompasses over 13,000 acres of property and 4,500 nautical square miles of airspace and airfields that equated to 14 percent of all Naval flight hours flown worldwide. Additionally, NAS Whiting Field volunteered more than 60,000 hours in the local community under his leadership.
A native of Greenfield, Massachusetts, Coughlin holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Western New England University, a Master of Science in management from the Naval Post Graduate School and a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the National Defense University.
Over 250 applications for the assistant county administrator position were received, and 10 people were interviewed. Coughlin was the unanimous choice of the selection committee.
Pensacola Traffic Crash Claims One Life
June 26, 2017
A Pensacola man was killed in a single vehicle crash Sunday night.
Officer Ronald Boutin said the crash occurred just before 11 p.m. near the intersection of Bayou Boulevard and Inverness Drive.
Boutin said a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche driven by 38-year old Scott Baehr was northbound on Bayou Boulevard when he lost control in the curve near Inverness, over corrected and left the road. The truck then struck a parked excavator and rolled over.
Baehr, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was partially ejected and died at the scene, Boutin said.
Escambia 4-H Offering Tailgating, Sewing And CSI Day Camps
June 26, 2017
Escambia County 4-H is offering summer programs designed to give your child the opportunity to develop character, valuable life skills, make new friends and discover new interests.
A “Beginner Sewing Day Camp” and a “Breakfast Day Camp” have already been held.
The day camps are open to youth ages 8 (as of Sept. 1, 2016) to 18, unless otherwise noted. Still to come are:
Tailgate Day Camp
July 5-6; 9 a.m.- 3.p.m.
Ages: 11+, Limit 20 Youth; $10
This camp will allow youth the opportunity to learn about all aspects of meat, grilling, and food preparation. Youth will use a 14 inch charcoal grill to cook beef, pork, poultry, and seafood in an outdoor setting.
Intermediate Sewing Day Camp
July 18 and 20; 9 a.m.- 3.p.m.
Ages: 12+, Limit 15 Youth; $10
This intermediate level camp will allow youth to become proficient using a sewing machine. Youth will have the opportunity to make pillowcases, tote bags, and much more!
CSI Day Camp
July 17 9 a.m.- 3.p.m. or July 19; 9 a.m.- 3.p.m.
Ages: 11+, Limit 12 Youth per Day; $10
This camp will focus on crime scene investigation techniques, including using UV light, chromatography, fingerprint and handwriting ID, and much more. The same information will be presented both days.
Registration forms are available online at escambia.ifas.ufl.edu/4h/day-camps. Please note that space is limited and is offered on a first come, first served basis. Registration should be completed at least one week before the camp begins including payment of any fees. For more information, please contact Belinda Spann at 850-475-5230 or bspann@ufl.edu.
For more Sewing and Breakfast day camp photos, click here.
Pictured top: A Sewing Day Camp and (pictured inset) A Breakfast Day Camp held previously this summer by Escambia County 4-H. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Year Later: No More Century Semi Rollover Accidents
June 26, 2017
It has been just over a year since there has been a semi-truck rollover on North Century Boulevard at Jackson Street, perhaps thanks in part to temporary fixes by the Florida Department of Transportation.
On June 13 of last year, a semi truck hauling logs overturned in the area, taking out a utility pole. The truck driver was cited for careless driving. Eight days later, another semi-truck overturned in the same location. The driver of the truck, which was hauling cotton, was also cited for careless driving. Similar accidents of the past several years have caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to utilities, including power and a sewage lift station.
Then-mayor Freddie McCall met onsite with Florida Department of Transportation engineers last June. The engineers agreed that the slope and design of the roadway in the curve is such that trucks in the outer lane have a difficult time navigating the curve at the posted speed limit.
The engineer recommended flashing beacon signs warning trucks of the tipping hazard and instructing them to use the inner-lane. Those signs were installed by last October.
Virgie Bowen of the Florida Department of Transportation recently told the Century Town Council that the safety issues are still being addressed, but she could not provide a timetable for work to change the road elevation. She any long term solutions are still being studied.
Pictured above and below: Previous semi truck rollovers on Highway 29 at Jackson Street in Century. Pictured bottom: This photo demonstrates that amount of lean on a semi truck passing through the area just below the speed limit. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
How Much Did It Rain Last Week? Radar Map Shows Estimates
June 26, 2017
Radar rainfall totals are in for Tropical Storm Cindy last week.
Most of northern Escambia County north of Molino received 6-8 inches of rain, including areas around Molino, McDavid, Century and Walnut Hill. The radar estimated that areas Cantonment south in Escambia County received 8-10 inches of rain. A few isolated areas in Escambia County, including parts of Cantonment, received between 10-15 inches of rain.
Some 10-15 inches of rain fell apart a large portion western Santa Rosa County in Florida and southern Mississippi. A few areas in coastal Mississippi had 15-20 inches of rain.
Isolated areas may have received significantly more rainfall that displayed by the radar estimate.
Report Shows University Grads In Florida Are Getting Jobs
June 26, 2017
A new study that followed the outcomes of Florida university students who earned bachelor’s degrees in 2015 shows that more than 90 percent of students were working within one year of graduation, with full-time employees earning a median salary of $39,100.
The report, which will be reviewed by the state university system’s Board of Governors next week, was able to match 60,333 graduates of the class of 2015 against employment and education databases, showing outcomes for 53,490 students, or 89 percent of the class.
The employment and education outcomes for the remaining 11 percent of the class, 6,843 graduates, could not be determined.
Of the 53,490 graduates, 70 percent were working, 23 percent were working and continuing their educations and 8 percent were attending school within one year of graduation.
Of the working graduates, 71 percent had full-time jobs and 29 percent had part-time employment.
“Pursuing a baccalaureate degree does increase life chances,” said Jan Ignash, the Board of Governors’ vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. “That’s why people go to school. And I think what this tells is the good news is that they get jobs and lot of them go on for further education.”
This is the third survey of Florida baccalaureate graduates, following a pilot report and an assessment of 2014 graduates. It has become an annual review helping the Board of Governors develop system-wide strategies based on the employment and education outcomes.
Christy England, the associate vice chancellor for academic policy and research who conducted the study, said the data is also aimed at individual universities and the students.
England said the salary data can help students “understand the value of that degree when they get their first job and they don’t know if they are being offered a fair wage or not.”
“They could potentially use it for negotiating,” England said.
The most popular majors for the Class of 2015 included business and marketing,19 percent; health professions, 12 percent; social sciences, 9 percent; psychology, 8 percent; biological sciences, 7 percent; and engineering, 6 percent, the study showed.
Although the median salary for the 2015 graduates working full-time was $39,100, it ranged from $58,600 for engineering graduates to $29,500 for biological sciences graduates. Other salaries included: computer sciences, $53,200; business, $42,100; journalism, $34,100; agriculture, $33,500; and performing arts, $31,300.
Although the employment trends were positive, the new report showed significant racial and gender gaps for the 2015 graduates’ salaries.
The median salary for African-American students working full-time was $35,600, $3,500 below the median for all students. The largest gap, $8,500, was for students employed in health professions, while African-American graduates earned $500 above the median in education jobs, the survey showed.
There was not a significant gap in overall salaries for Hispanic graduates.
But there was a $5,500 gap between salaries for women who earned a bachelor’s degree and male graduates, who had a median salary of $42,500 and were working full-time. In the business professions, which attracted the largest number of female graduates in 2015, males earned $4,200 more than the median salary of the women, which was $40,000.
England said the Board of Governors will need more long-term data before drawing more solid conclusions on the trends.
“The gaps are pretty substantial, particularly for African-Americans compared to all other students,” she said. “But again, it’s only two years of data, so we want to keep an eye on it.”
The wage gap between women and men may provide more incentive for women graduates to bargain harder for higher initial salaries, she said.
“This might be a way to empower them to go out and say, `I’m worth more gosh darn it and you should pay me more,’ ” England said.
Comparing the 2014 baccalaureate graduates with the Class of 2015 showed the median salary for all graduates working full-time rose 8 percent from the prior year. The median salaries increased for all subgroups including African-Americans, 7 percent; Hispanics, 6 percent; and females, 7 percent.
But the median salaries for males increased 9 percent and the wage gap with females increased by $1,100 between the two years, the survey showed.
Ignash said the annual assessments of the baccalaureate graduates will be enhanced by surveys looking at the individual classes five years after graduation and nine years after graduation, providing more long-term data.
“In some of these majors, you don’t expect students to be fully launched into their careers at a year out. They’re on a path,” Ignash said. “In four or five years when we go back and look at this, I think the data is going to round out the story.”
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Northview Chiefs Attend Down and Dirty Lineman Camp
June 26, 2017
This past weekend, the linemen from the Northvew High School Chiefs competed at the Down and Dirty Lineman Camp, one of the most prestigious linemen camps in the country.
The athletes practiced seven times in three days at Webber International University in Lake Wales, FL. Over 300 athletes participated in the camp from over 30 Florida schools, ranging from 1A-8A.
Northview rising senior Justin Helton was named the Down and Dirty Lineman Camp MVP.
On the way to the linemen camp, the Chiefs stopped in Gainesville to visit Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, commonly known as “The Swamp”, the football stadium for the Florida Gators.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NWE Football, Cheer To Host Registration Event Monday
June 26, 2017
NWE Football and Cheer will have a registration event on Monday, June 26th from 5:30 until 7 p.m. at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill.
Cheerleaders who need new uniforms will be fitted by our cheer uniform representative. Due to uniform turnaround time, this will be the last day to register for cheerleaders who need new uniforms.
Cheerleader registration plus new uniform package is $150. Cheerleader registration (if you have a uniform) is $25.
Football registration is $50. NWE provides helmet, shoulder pads and game uniforms. NWE Football Players can now also register online at www.nwechiefsfootball.com.