Thief Strips Wheels From Mustang, Leaves It On Blocks In Front Of Dealership
January 16, 2017
An Atmore car dealership is asking for the public’s help in finding the person or persons responsible for stealing tire and rims off a Mustang and leaving the vehicle up on blocks in front of the business.
The car was a Mustang Shelby GT350, parked right next to Highway 21, just a few yards north of the Florida state line. The tires and rims were stolen sometime between 10 p.m. Saturday and 2:45 a.m. Sunday. The car was left up on landscaping blocks that were covered in dirt as if they were used and had been removed from a yard or business.
While an expensive loss, the dealership said these are not the $15,000 plus carbon fiber wheels found on the GT350R.
Johnson Ford is offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Atmore Police Department at (251) 368-9141.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Teen Pizza And Game Night Tuesday At The Molino Library
January 16, 2017
Teens are invited to the Molino Branch Library Tuesday at 6 p.m. for fun an pizza.
Teens 13-17 are invited to join the event at Kristi Bush from TBS Comics will teach everyone how to play the game “Codenames”.
The Molino Branch Library is located at 6450-A Highway 95A in the Molino Community Complex.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
January 16, 2017
Drivers will encounter traffic variations on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Chipley– Drivers will encounter traffic variations on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
· 12th Avenue over Bayou Texar Bridge Project- Southbound lane restriction over Bayou Texar from 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14 through 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15 as crew remove and repair pipe. Traffic flaggers will be on site to assist with traffic control.
· Interstate 10 (I-10) Widening from Davis Highway to the Escambia Bay Bridge-Alternating eastbound lane closures between Scenic Highway (U.S. 90/Exit 17) and Davis Highway (State Road (S.R) 291/Exit 13), from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. the week of Monday, Jan. 16 to replace raised pavement markers.
· Fairfield Drive (S.R. 727/295) Resurfacing from Mobile Highway to North Pace Boulevard- Traffic on Fairfield Drive will encounter lane restrictions, a shift, and temporary detour from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 15 and Monday, Jan. 16 as crews perform paving operations. The westbound inside, left lane will be closed just east of Ruby Avenue and traffic shifted to the outside lane. New Warrington Road Spur under the Fairfield Drive overpass, will be temporarily closed and traffic detoured to Mobile Highway, south to the on ramp leading back to New Warrington Road.
Drivers traveling eastbound on Fairfield Drive will encounter a lane shift just west of the overpass over the New Warrington Road Spur. Traffic will be transitioned to the westbound travel lanes to bypass the Overpass, transitioning back to the eastbound lanes at Ruby Avenue. Law enforcement will be on site to assist with traffic control. Motorists are reminded to obey the posted speed limit and to watch for construction vehicles and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
· Garden Street (U.S. 98) Parade Festivities from “A Street to Tarragona Street – Garden Street will be closed to traffic between “A” Street and Tarragona Street from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 for parade festivities. Traffic will be detoured. Law enforcement will be on site to assist with traffic control.
· U.S. 98 Maintenance Operations from the ramp from New Warrington to S. Pinewood Lane- Alternating lane closures from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 through Thursday, Jan. 19 as crews make repairs to the roadway.
· Perdido Key Drive (S.R. 292) Resurfacing from the Alabama State line to the ICWW (Theo Baars) Bridge- Paving operations resume Tuesday, Jan. 17 beginning at the Alabama State line proceeding east. For the next two weeks lane closures will be in effect 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition there will be lane restrictions on the ICWW (Theo Baars) Bridge at the west end of the project Tuesday, Jan. 17 and Thursday, Jan. 19 as crews perform concrete work. Drivers can expect delays.
· Gregory Street (U.S. 98) Utility Work from Palafox Street to Tarragona Street- Westbound, outside lane will be closed between Palafox Street and Tarragona Street from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17 and Wednesday, Jan. 18 as ECUA performs underground utility operations.
· U.S. 29 (S.R. 95) Underground Utility work from N Palafox to south of Fairfield Drive- Southbound, outside lane will be closed from the intersection of N. Palafox and Murphy Lane south to Fairfield Drive from 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17 to 6 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18 as crews repair a manhole.
· Davis Highway (S.R. 291) Underground Utility Work from Fairfield Drive to Brent Lane- Southbound, outside lane closed between Fairfield Drive and Brent Lane from 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19 to 5 a.m. Friday, Jan. 20 as crews perform underground utility work.
· U.S. 29 (S.R. 95) Widening from I-10 to 9 Mile Road- Alternating lane closures north and southbound U.S. 29 and east and westbound 9 Mile Road near the U.S. 29/9 Mile Road overpass from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews continue work on barrier wall installation and preparation for the bridge construction.
· 9 Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Pine Forest to U.S. 29- Alternating lane closures continue on Untreiner Avenue as crews drive temporary sheet pile.
Santa Rosa County:
· I-10 Resurfacing from east of S.R. 87 to the Okaloosa County Line- Intermittent and alternating inside lane closures between the S.R. 87 interchange and the Okaloosa County line from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 15 through Thursday, Jan. 19 as crews mill and pave. Motorists are reminded the speed limit is reduced to 60 MPH within the lane closure.
· S.R. 87 Parade Festivities from Elva Street to Raymond Hobbs Street – S.R. 87 will be closed to traffic between Elva Street and Raymond Hobbs Street from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 for parade festivities. Motorists will be detoured and law enforcement on site to assist with traffic control.
· I-10 Widening from Davis Highway (S.R. 291) to the Escambia Bay Bridge-Alternating lane closures on I-10 eastbound, between Scenic Highway (U.S. 90/Exit 17) and Davis Highway (State Road 291/Exit 13), from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. the week of Monday, Jan. 16 to replace raised pavement markers.
Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through the construction zone, and to pay attention for workers and equipment entering and exiting the work area. All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Florida House Set To Look For Ways To Cut Budget
January 16, 2017
House members are expected to consider how they would cut the state budget by anywhere from $1.1 billion to $2.2 billion as part of an exercise toward making the next spending plan balanced.
Plans for the exercises were unveiled Tuesday by House Appropriations Chairman Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, as he tried to stress the chamber’s message that the state budget for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1, will be incredibly tight.
“Our spending pattern is unsustainable, and this is the time to address it,” Trujillo said.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, has taken a tough line on the budget, saying that the already-small projections of a state surplus don’t take into account factors like $300 million pledged by law to be spent on counties affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Trujillo said Tuesday that state agencies have also pitched $594 million in additional spending that’s not accounted for by the official budget forecast used to project a surplus and that any new proposals by Gov. Rick Scott would also eat into the state’s growing revenues.
The state is expected to take in more money during the next budget year than in the current one, which ends June 30. In fact, state economists recently added $141.9 million in projected tax revenue over the next 18 months. But that represents a sliver of the state’s annual spending — less than 0.2 percent of the current budget.
And much of the expected increases in tax revenues would be eaten up by the usual cost increases for items like education funding and health-care programs.
And those trends could lead to a shortfall as soon as the 2018-19 budget year, when projections show the Legislature will be $1.3 billion short, followed by a nearly $1.9 billion hole the following year.
“Our real goal and our real task throughout the course of this committee and throughout the course of this year is going to be (finding) ways to cut, to save in order for us to meet our long-term financial obligations,” Trujillo said.
That led to the budget exercises set to be considered by House budget subcommittees, Trujillo said. The first would make a set of modest assumptions about budget growth and try to put the state on track to fix the future shortfalls over a three-year period; the other would be based on more aggressive spending by lawmakers and the resulting need to make deeper cuts to avoid the shortfalls this year.
The subcommittees are expected to report back by Feb. 13.
The House maneuver adds to a simmering question about precisely how lawmakers should approach budget decisions in the spring session, which begins March 7. It could also reignite tensions between Republicans and Democrats about how to deal with a shortfall.
For example, Rep. David Richardson, D-Miami Beach, asked Trujillo to have House staff members prepare a look at the impact of recent tax cuts on the state’s budget picture.
“I’m wondering if we have done or we can do some analysis to look back over the last four years at these tax cuts and determine which of those tax cuts have truly stimulated the economy the way they were intended to, and if they have not, whether or not we want to look at repealing that tax cut,” Richardson said.
But that suggestion drew concern from Rep. Bill Hager, R-Delray Beach.
“To repeal a tax cut means that we would be voting for tax increases,” Hager said.
Tax increases have generally been a nonstarter for Republicans.
Trujillo said he would have House staffers follow up on Richardson’s request but suggested that he didn’t believe it would solve the budget problems.
“I think it’s undisputed that our expenditures, even if we wouldn’t have cut taxes, would be much higher than the tax cuts, than the revenues we would receive from (not having) those tax cuts,” Trujillo said.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
MLK Day Holiday Closure List
January 15, 2017
The follow will be closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
- Escambia County Board of County Commissioners
- Escambia County Property Appraiser
- Escambia County Tax Collector
- Escambia County Area Transit administrative offices, ECAT bus and trolley service
- Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office
- Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller’s office
- Escambia County Animal Shelter
- West Florida Public Libraries
- Escambia County Schools
Exceptions:
The Perdido Landfill will be open for normal business hours.
CENTURY, PENSACOLA, JAY
All Century, Jay and Pensacola offices and departments will be closed on Monday.
ECUA
ECUA offices will be closed Monday. No change in residential and commercial sanitation collections for ECUA customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
- Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners offices
- Santa Rosa County Clerk of the Court
- Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser
- Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections
- Santa Rosa County Tax Collector
Exceptions:
The Central Landfill will be open for normal business hours, 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Half Of Century Tornado Recovery Assistance Applications Denied
January 15, 2017
Today marks 11 months since an EF-3 tornado devastated part of the Century area. Many residents without insurance are still working their way through a maze to receive government housing help. Over half the applicants for the largest available assistance program have been denied.
Two major programs — State Housing Initiatives Partnership program (SHIP) and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) — are the source of government funding for tornado recovery in the Century area. For the purposes of this story, the “Century area” includes all housing damaged during the February 15 tornado, not just housing within the Century town limits but also housing in unincorporated Escambia County.
According to information provided by Escambia County, five CDBG applications have been approved for housing demolition. One $5,500 demolition project has been awarded.
There have been 59 applications for repair, replacement or demolition assistance through the SHIP program. Of those, 27 applications have been approved for a total of $1.8 million while 32 SHIP applications have been denied. Typical reasons for denial, according to county officials, were the client declined assistance, did not respond and had their file closed, was over income guidelines, was not the actual property owner or the property was not actually tornado damaged.
There are no pending SHIP applications. The county is working with some of the denied applicants to refer them to any other possible source of help, including BRACE, the Housing Finance Authority and Rural Development. Some have already been referred or received assistance elsewhere.
Of the SHIP applicants that were approved, 11 of the 27 required legal assistance in order to get approval.
Once an applicant is approved for SHIP or CDBG funding for repair or replacement, they do not directly receive any money. The county puts a contract out for bid and pays for the repairs directly. Some of the SHIP repair jobs have been completed, along with some SHIP and CDBG demolitions. Other SHIP replacement housing is awaiting soil test results, the resolution of legal description inconsistencies or the finalization of housing plans.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Molino Book Club To Meet January 30
January 15, 2017
The Molino Book Club will meet Monday, January 30 at 6 p.m. at the Molino Branch Library.
Molino Library friends will join together for a lively discussion of January’s book choice, “I Always Loved You” by Robin Oliveira. This historical novel is based on the life of Impressionist Artist Mary Cassatt.
Springtime Weather Continues
January 15, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Areas of fog after 9pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
M.L.King Day: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after noon. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 76. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 73.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.
Saturday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.
Sunday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
IEA Equestrian Team Qualifies For Upcoming Regionals
January 15, 2017
Local middle and high school equestrian teams from Trinity Farm have qualified for regionals.
The teams compete in Interscholastic Equestrian Association “IEA” horse shows. in which they “blind ride” — drawing a horse to ride at the event ratheru than riding their personal horse. The show judges the riders primarily on their abilities for the chance to win college scholarships.
The regional competition will be held February 5 at the Escambia County Equestrian Center.
Pictured: Trinity Farm of Northwest Florida team members (front center) Paige Keener, (first row, L-R) Lexi Bryant, Megan Gulsby, Sarah Hodge, Olivia Stone, (back) Morgan Mickel, Tessa Walsingham, Lilli Bonner, and Athena Critides, Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
GOP, Dems Pick Party Chiefs
January 15, 2017
Florida’s Republican and Democratic parties picked new leaders on on Saturday.
Ingoglia Wins Second Term As State GOP Chair
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Following the state GOP’s strong performance in the November elections, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Blaise Ingoglia overwhelmingly won a second term Saturday at the party’s annual meeting.
In a vote of the party’s executive committee, Ingoglia defeated his only competitor by a 2-to-1 margin, taking 152 votes to 76 for Christian Ziegler, the Republican state committeeman for Sarasota County.
Following a heated race, Ingoglia urged Republicans to put any divisions behind them, as elections for governor, the state Cabinet and U.S. Senate loom in 2018.
“We need to come together as a party, starting right now,” he said. “We cannot afford to lose a millisecond fighting amongst ourselves.”
Ingoglia was buoyed by the GOP’s showing in November, when President-elect Donald Trump carried the state and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio easily won re-election. At the same time, Democrats made only minimal gains in the state Legislature and congressional delegation, despite favorable district maps.
But the fall results did not necessarily indicate the incumbent was a shoo-in — Ingoglia won his first term in 2015 by ousting then-Chairwoman Leslie Dougher despite swing GOP victories the year before.
Ingoglia, who is also a state representative from Spring Hill, had also weathered a stormy beginning to his tenure. Senate Republicans moved to separate their campaign operations from the party following Ingoglia’s election. The relationship between the party and Gov. Rick Scott, who backed Dougher in 2015, is somewhere between icy and nonexistent.
The wedge between Scott and the party was one of the top arguments for Ziegler’s supporters.
“Not only does Christian enjoy an excellent relationship with the No. 1 elected official of these great United States, he enjoys a strong relationship with the No. 1 elected official of the great state of Florida, our governor, Rick Scott,” said Joe Budd, the state committeeman from Palm Beach County.
Ingoglia’s backers continued to point to the results in November, though. Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee to carry the state since 2004, and a potential wave against the GOP never materialized.
Rubio, who seconded Ingoglia’s nomination, said the chairman was the best choice to lead the party forward facing midterms in 2018 and as the GOP starts to lay the groundwork for Trump’s re-election bid in 2020.
“It’s hard to think about in those terms, because we just got out of an election,” Rubio said. “But (the) re-election’s already started. And it needs to start with a strong Republican Party of Florida.”
In his remarks to the executive committee, Ziegler said the party was helped last year by an influx of resources from the Republican National Committee, the energy generated by Trump’s larger-than-life personality and Rubio’s organization.
“But to win in 2018, we will be on our own,” he said.
Ziegler also promised to be “a full-time chairman” — an implicit shot at Ingoglia’s role in the Legislature.
Ingoglia took shots of his own, seeming to bristle at Ziegler’s attempt to claim the mantle of the grass-roots candidate for the position. The chairman recalled traveling to county GOP fundraising dinners across the state.
“‘Grass roots’ is not a talking point. It’s a state of mind,” Ingoglia said. “It’s a commitment that lasts for years, not weeks, and certainly not for a campaign.”
Florida Democrats Pick Prominent Fundraiser As New Party Boss
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
Florida Democrats on Saturday picked a prominent fundraiser from Miami-Dade County to lead their party for the next four years, turning aside four other challengers.
Despite more than a month of political drama leading up to the Democrats’ state executive committee meeting, Stephen Bittel easily won the election, collecting 55 percent of the votes on the first ballot.
Alan Clendenin of Hillsborough County finished a distant second, followed by former state Sen. Dwight Bullard of Miami-Dade County, Lisa King of Jacksonville and Leah Carius of Osceola County.
Bittel, a wealthy real estate developer from Coconut Grove, was the favorite of the party establishment, drawing support from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and other influential party leaders. Bittel, 60, said the vigorous fight to succeed Allison Tant, who has led the party through the last two election cycles, was a positive sign for the party.
“Contentious elections are reflective that there are Democrats all over Florida that are passionate, committed to coming together, moving forward together and starting to win elections,” Bittel said. “Contentious is good. It means that we care.”
Talking to reporters after his election, Bittel said he has ambitious plans for a party that has won two out of the last three presidential races but has lost virtually every other statewide race in recent years.
“We are going to grow this party to a size and strength that has never been seen before,” he said.
He promised an “enormous” staff expansion, more training for local Democratic organizations and the recruitment of candidates at every level, including city, school board and sheriff’s races.
“We have had an under-resourced operation in Florida for a long time,” Bittel said. “We will build a different kind of party and we will change things.”
He also said he will emphasize voter registration in a state where Democrats hold a narrow lead over Republicans and numbers of voters with no party affiliation continue to swell.
“We want a year-round voter registration drive, every day, every month and all year,” Bittel said.
But Bittel’s first task will be mending rifts among party factions and activists who are still dealing with the aftershocks of Hillary Clinton’s loss and bitterness over the party’s role in the defeat of Bernie Sanders in the presidential primary.
“I’ll be honest. We have a fractured party,” said Bullard, who lost a Miami-Dade committeeman race to Bittel last month. After the loss, Bullard moved to Gadsden County to remain a candidate for the party chairman.
Bullard said party leaders need to be make meaningful reforms to unite Democrats.
“There has be some concessions made, some recognition of not doing the same thing over and over again,” Bullard said. “It’s going to be up to leadership to prove otherwise and do the necessary outreach to the Bernie folks, to millennials, to ethnic communities to make them part of this thing.”
As a sign of that outreach, Democrats on Saturday did elect Bullard as one of Florida’s national committeemen, a prominent party post.
Rep. Joe Geller, D-Aventura, who supported Bittel, said the new chairman will be a major asset for the party.
“He brings first and foremost heart, dedication, commitment to progressive causes, organizational skills and vision,” Geller said. “I won’t dismiss the financial resources he can bring. But it’s about sixth on my list.”
Geller said Democrats, who have run well in major urban areas like Miami-Dade, have to develop a statewide strategy.
“Democrats are like French generals. We’re always fighting the last war: I-4, I-4. Man, we’re getting killed on I-10,” he said. “We don’t have to win all those places. But we need to get our votes in all those places.”
The political drama in the leadership race continued on Saturday when Clendenin, who had been ruled ineligible by a party subcommittee on Friday, was reinstated by a vote of the executive committee on Saturday.
Following Bittel’s election, Clendenin said he is fearful the party will not learn lessons from its defeats in the last two election cycles.
“Hopefully as we move forward and Mr. Bittel puts together an organization. It will look dramatically different than what we have,” Clendenin said. “Let’s see what he does.”