FDOT: Rights Of Way Wrong For Political Signs
July 11, 2016
As election season gears up across Northwest Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is reminding all citizens that state law prohibits political signs on state right of way.
In Section 479.11(8), Florida Statutes provide that no signs shall be erected, used, operated, or maintained on the right of way of any highway on the State Highway System.
Political signs placed on state right of way will be removed by FDOT staff and placed at one of the department’s operations centers. FDOT personnel will make reasonable attempts to preserve campaign signs that are taken down and to provide campaign offices an opportunity to claim the signs.
The roadway right of way includes the roadway surface, concrete or grassy median, intersections, entrance and exit ramps, and a strip of land, usually bordering either side of the road, which is reserved for shoulders, drainage ditches, sidewalks, traffic signs/signals, fencing, electrical traffic signal control boxes, utility lines and future road expansion.
Improperly located signs on state right of way poses a traffic safety hazard that can distract motorists or block their view, endanger the safety of individuals who are erecting signs along busy highways and present obstacles to crews who maintain roadways.
Wahoos Win Over The Shuckers
July 11, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos first baseman Eric Jagielo has struggled at the plate all year but he never stopped working on his swing.
It paid off Sunday when Jagielo hit a rocket over the head of Biloxi center fielder Brett Phillips for a walk-off single that scored Blue Wahoos shortstop Zach Vincej for a 4-3 Pensacola victory over the Shuckers in front of 3,451 at Pensacola Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Jagielo said he has worked with hitting coach Alex Pelaez and has made his swing more compact. His average has steadily risen from .146 on May 9 to .208 Sunday, which is his highest average this year for the former first round pick in 2013.
The hot-hitting Jagielo, who has played 13 games at first base after playing the position just three times before coming to the Cincinnati Reds organization, also hit his second homer in three games on Saturday. Jagielo has six homers and 21 RBIs this season.
“I’m getting back to where I was last year,” said Jagielo, who was an All-Star in his last three minor league seasons in the New York Yankees organization. “I’m hitting pitches I was missing before.”
It was Pensacola’s third straight victory and the Blue Wahoos’ eighth walk-off hit this season — a franchise record. Jagielo also had Pensacola’s last walk-off, or “Wahoo Way” as the team has dubbed it, came on Father’s Day June 19 when he singled down the line to drive in Pensacola utility player Brandon Dixon for a 2-1 victory over the Mobile BayBears.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly likes that his hitters made the most of their opportunities Sunday. The Blue Wahoos are now 8-9 in the second half and 49-38 on the season in the Southern League South Division.
“It’s not the way we planned it, but it’s nice getting a victory in the end,” Kelly said. “The only shame is that Rookie Davis doesn’t get a W out of it.”
The Blue Wahoos also tied another less desirable franchise record Sunday by striking out 18 times in a game. The last time Pensacola had that many was June 9 in a 14-inning game against the Jackson Generals.
Davis admitted he was looking to redeem himself. Davis lasted two innings, giving up seven runs, four earned on nine hits, walked one and had no strike outs in his last start against Mobile.
Sunday, he became the third Blue Wahoos starter to pitch into the seventh inning in the last 35 games. in June and July. The last two came back-to-back after righty Tyler Mahle went seven Saturday.
Davis pitched seven strong innings. He shutout Biloxi on six hits and struck out five, lowering his ERA to 2.84.
“It was a big difference from the last game,” Davis said. “I tried to come out and pitch aggressively.”
You can’t blame Biloxi right hander Taylor Jungmann, the 12th pick overall in the 2011 draft, if he didn’t want to face Pensacola on Sunday. He had faced Pensacola three times in his career and was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA, giving up 12 earned runs in 14 innings.
Although, Biloxi’s Jungmann gave up three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings Sunday before being pulled with men on first and third, he did strike out a career-high 12 Blue Wahoos, including eight of the first nine outs.
Pensacola tagged Jungmann — who got blistered by Major League and Triple-A hitters for more than nine runs per game — for two runs in the third inning. Blue Wahoos center fielder Brandon Dixon doubled in the left center gap to score Davis and second baseman Alex Blandino for a 2-0 Pensacola lead.
Blue Wahoos Vincej hit a long fly ball off the wall for a triple to start the fourth inning. Pensacola left fielder Juan Duran then drove Vincej in to put the Blue Wahoos up, 3-0, with a deep sacrifice fly to right field that didn’t even draw a throw from the Biloxi outfielder.
Vincej went 3-4 with a triple and double, scored twice and stole his fifth base of the year. He is now 16-42 or .381 in his last 11 games and is hitting .276 on the season.
In the ninth inning, though, Biloxi pinch hitter Johnny Davis tied the game, 3-3, with a leadoff home run to right field. It was his first career home run in fourth professional season.
Biloxi had pulled within one run, 3-2, when third baseman Gabriel Noriega smacked a single up the middle that scored Phillips. Biloxi second baseman Chris McFarland then hit a chopper in front of the plate that Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson decided to throw to first base and let Shuckers left fielder Garrett Cooper score.
That’s when Jagielo delivered his second Wahoo Way this season, driving in Vincej who had doubled in the ninth.
“He’s a big time player,” Davis said of his teammate. “Some guys want to step away in that situation but he’s not one of them. He’s been working hard since the first day of the first half.”
Florida Lawmakers Seek Expanded Hate Crime Coverage For Police, Fire
July 11, 2016
Two Republican lawmakers called Friday for expanding Florida’s hate-crimes law to include attacks on police officers and firefighters.
The proposal by state Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, and state Rep. Neil Combee, R-Polk City, came the day after five law-enforcement officers in Dallas were fatally shot and seven others were wounded. The Texas attack occurred during a demonstration protesting shootings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.
Florida’s hate-crimes law increases penalties if offenses are based on factors such as race, religion, sexual orientation or mental or physical disability.
Baxley, who is running this year for a Central Florida Senate seat, announced in a news release that he and Combee would seek in 2017 to expand the hate-crimes law to address offenses against police officers and firefighters. Similar proposals were filed during the 2016 legislative session but did not reach the House or Senate floors.
“Law enforcement officers hold the fabric of our society together,” Baxley said in the news release. “An attack on them is an attack on our tradition of ordered liberty, and we must do everything possible to hold individuals who do them harm accountable.”
by The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Flowers outside Dallas Police Headquarters. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Woman Charged With Child Neglect After Pot, Cocaine Found Near Child
July 10, 2016
A Cantonment woman is facing felony child neglect and drug charges after authorities say she was smoking marijuana and had cocaine and additional marijuana in the car with her child.
Escambia County deputies reported finding driver Timothy McKinley Sinkfield, 24, and passenger Mercedes Chanté Lowman, 24, in vehicle with the lights off sitting in the middle of Tiki Lane. The responding deputy said he smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and found a half burned marijuana cigarette in plain view in the front center console tray. A license check revealed Sinkfield’s license was canceled indefinitely in 2014.
Sinkfield was charged with misdemeanor driving with a suspended license and marijuana possession, plus he was arrested on failure to appear in a previous drug case. He remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $13,000.
Lowman’s child was in a child safety seat in the back of the vehicle, according to an arrest report. In a small bag sitting on a diaper, deputies reported finding three smaller bags of marijuana and a crack cocaine rock. She was “Not upset at all and acted as if she could care less about the safety of (the child),” the deputy wrote in his report.
Lowman was charged with felony child neglect, felony cocaine possession and possession of marijuana. She was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $11,500 bond. The Department of Children and Family Services is also investigating..
Cause Still Unknown Of ‘Monster’ Fire That Destroyed Historic Atmore Home
July 10, 2016
Four weeks ago today, a massive Sunday morning fire destroyed a historic turn of the century home in downtown Atmore. And now, investigators still don’t know how the fire started.
Atmore Fire Chief Ronald Peebles said the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office has not reached a final determination on the cause of the fire.
The fire was reported about 6:35 a.m. June 12 at 311 South Main Street, at a two story, 4,000 square foot home built in 1900. Flames were shooting skyward from the second floor as the fire firefighters arrived on scene. The residents of the home had escaped unharmed, and the family dog was miraculously found alive and doing well on the first floor of the home nearly two hours after the blaze began. Click here to read more about the dog.
Firefighters were hampered by heat and humidity as they fought the blaze, but there were no injuries. Smoke from the fire was visible as far away as Ernest Ward Middle School on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
The Atmore, Poarch, Wawbeek and Flomaton fire departments from Alabama and the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue in Florida, Atmore Ambulance, the Atmore Police Department and the Poarch Creek Tribal Police responded to the fire.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
July 10, 2016
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:
- I-10/U.S. 29 Interchange – The I-10 westbound to U.S. 29 north (Exit 10B) ramp will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesday, July 13 and Thursday, July 14 as crews perform striping work. Traffic will be detoured to U.S. 29 south. Drivers will make a U-turn at Diamond Dairy Road to access U.S. 29 north.
- I-10 Widening – Intermittent and alternating lane closures on I-10, between State Road (S.R.) 291 (Davis Highway/Exit 13) and U.S. 90 (Scenic Highway/Exit 17), from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. the week of Monday, July 11 as crews perform striping work. ·
- S.R. 727 (Fairfield Drive)- Northbound lane closure on Fairfield Drive at 77th Avenue from 8 p.m. Monday, July 11 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, July 12 as crews mill and resurface area.
Santa Rosa County:
- I-10 Widening – Alternating lane closures, between the Escambia Bay Bridge and S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard/Exit 22), from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, July 10 through Thursday, July 14 as crews continue widening work. In addition, alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard near the I-10 interchange for bridge work.
- S.R. 87 Multilane – Alternating lane closures from one mile south of the Yellow River to north of the Yellow River Bridge from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, July 10 and Monday, July 11. In addition, traffic will be shifted to the west on the Yellow River Bridge and adjacent approaches as crews continue to widen S.R. 87. The speed limit on the Yellow River Bridge will be reduced to 45 mph and vehicles will not be allowed to pass on the bridge.
- S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard)- Intermittent lane restrictions across the Garcon Point Bridge from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 12 and Wednesday, July 13 as crews perform a routine bridge inspection.
- S.R. 281 (Avalon Boulevard)- Intermittent lane closures and slow moving operations from U.S. 98 to the toll bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. continuing through Thursday, July 28 as crews perform striping operations. There will be no work performed Friday through Sunday.
- S.R. 87 and S.R. 89 from S.R. 4 to the Alabama line – Intermittent and alternating lane closures and slow moving operations from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. continuing through Sunday, July 31 as crews perform striping operations.
- U.S. 98 – Crews will perform striping operations and install raised pavement markers (RPMs) from the Pensacola Bay Bridge to Central Parkway (approximately nine miles) Sunday through Thursday nights through Sunday, July 31. Motorists may encounter minor traffic delays from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
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 in a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
Alabama Deputy Involved In Traffic Crash
July 10, 2016
An Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Deputy was involved in a traffic accident in Atmore Saturday night.
About 9:30 p.m., the deputy’s marked cruiser was traveling on Highway 21 near Hendrix Tractor Company when it was sideswiped by another vehicle. The cruiser came to rest in a ditch.
There were no injuries in the accident.
The crash remains under investigation by the Alabama State Troopers.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Brown Interrupts The Quiet
July 10, 2016
Other than a steady stream of emails from politicians letting loose about mushrooming concerns regarding toxic waters south of Lake Okeechobee, it was a quiet week in Tallahassee.
Florida Supreme Court justices left court watchers high and dry, taking an annual summer break without opining on closely monitored cases involving gambling and the death penalty. And Gov. Rick Scott was nowhere to be seen in Tallahassee, though he and his staff tried to make crystal clear that they are concerned about nasty algae coating waterways south of the big lake.
But by Friday, a veteran congresswoman prevented capital denizens from succumbing to the lethargy induced by Florida’s dog days.
After months of rumors, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown and her chief aide pleaded not guilty to a series of charges related to what federal prosecutors described as a “scheme involving a fraudulent education charity” and a “personal slush fund.”
LONGTIME CONGRESSWOMAN’S LONG-AWAITED INDICTMENT
Brown and Chief of Staff Elias “Ronnie” Simmons were indicted Friday on charges that they used a sham education charity to pay for personal expenses and luxurious events, accusations that pose the most serious challenge yet to her 23-year congressional career.
Brown and Simmons pleaded not guilty to all of the 24 counts in the indictment, which includes allegations of mail and wire fraud, concealing facts on financial-disclosure forms, filing false tax returns and theft of government property.
Federal prosecutors say the two worked with Carla Wiley, a Virginia woman who reached a plea deal with the government in March, to set up “One Door for Education” and use it “as a personal slush fund,” in the words of Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell.
“Congresswoman Brown and her chief of staff are alleged to have used the congresswoman’s official position to solicit over $800,000 in donations to a supposed charitable organization, only to use that organization as a personal slush fund,” Caldwell said in a press release announcing the indictment. “Corruption erodes the public’s trust in our entire system of representative government.”
But Brown, a pugnacious congresswoman known for fiercely defending her district and her legacy, insisted to reporters Friday that she is innocent. The congresswoman, who has built her identity around constituent service, said she would “let the work I’ve done speak for me.”
“My heart is just really heavy,” the 69-year-old Jacksonville Democrat said. “This has been a very difficult time for me, my family, my constituents. But I’m looking forward to a speedy day in court to vindicate myself. … We’ve got the rest of the story. So I’m looking forward to presenting the rest of the story.”
Brown — who has fought off challenges to her district and other threats over two decades in Congress — has long insisted on her innocence in the matter. “I’m clean,” she told reporters in March as she faced questions about federal probes amid a separate legal fight over the shape of her district.
Brown has represented a district that stretches from Jacksonville south to Orlando since 1993. She is seeking re-election in a dramatically redrawn district that goes from Jacksonville west to Gadsden County, passing through Tallahassee.
RIVERA STILL COULD BE ON THE HOOK
In other ethics-related news involving a onetime member of Florida’s congressional delegation, a state appeals court on Wednesday rejected Miami Republican David Rivera’s challenge to an ethics finding against him but didn’t close the door to the possibility of hearing the case again in the future.
Rivera left the Legislature in 2010 and served one term in Congress. The ethics case deals with his time in the state House before heading to Washington.
Wednesday’s ruling means the lengthy battle over a proposed ethics fine of nearly $58,000 will likely continue, even as Rivera attempts a political comeback in this year’s elections. The former lawmaker is one of five Republicans and one Democrat running for an open seat in state House District 118 in Miami-Dade County.
In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal said it was too early for Rivera to challenge the constitutionality of a law allowing him to be fined by state House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island. While the Florida Commission on Ethics recommended a punishment, Crisafulli is charged by the law with the final decision.
Rivera’s attorney had argued that it’s unconstitutional for the speaker to have that kind of authority over a former member. But the judges said challenging the law now was jumping the gun, because the ethics process “will not be complete until the speaker acts on the commission’s recommendation.”
COURT LEAVES ‘EM GUESSING
The Florida Supreme Court issued a ho-hum batch of opinions on Thursday before shutting down shop for a nearly two-month summer hiatus.
The break leaves unresolved questions about issues such as the constitutionality of the state’s death-penalty sentencing laws, something the court has grappled with since a January U.S. Supreme Court ruling that essentially said the state’s system was unconstitutional because it gave too much power to judges, instead of juries, in sentencing inmates to death.
The Legislature and Scott scrambled to approve changes to address the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which came in a case known as Hurst v. Florida. Since the ruling, the Florida Supreme Court has been inundated with arguments on the issue and is faced with trying to sort out questions such as whether the changes approved by the Legislature and Scott meet constitutional tests.
The court also left hanging a case that has major implications for the gambling industry and for communities in various parts of the state. The case centers on whether Gretna Racing, a pari-mutuel facility in rural Gadsden County, should be able to offer slot machines without the express approval of the Legislature.
The ultimate ruling likely will come down to how justices interpret a 2009 gambling law. Gretna Racing contends the law permits counties to hold referendums to allow slot machines — an argument Scott’s administration and Attorney General Pam Bondi dispute. The outcome will affect at least six counties where voters have approved slot machines in referendums. Those counties are Gadsden, Brevard, Hamilton, Lee, Palm Beach and Washington.
The justices also left in limbo a case challenging the constitutionality of a Florida law requiring women to wait 24 hours before having abortions.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Longtime Congresswoman Corrine Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat, pleaded not guilty to charges that she and a top aide used a sham education charity to pay for personal expenses and luxurious events.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “We protect everyone just as a matter of course because it’s just, you know, it’s a nice thing to do.” Administrative Law Judge R. Bruce McKibben, after deciding to keep secret the names of investors affiliated with a Jacksonville nursery trying to get a license to grow, process and dispense marijuana products.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Florida Supreme Court To Heart Arguments On Gambling Initiative
July 10, 2016
The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments Nov. 2 on a proposed ballot initiative that could make it harder to expand gambling in the state. The court issued an order Friday scheduling the arguments, as pari-mutuel facilities contend that the measure should be kept off the 2018 ballot. Justices do not rule on the merits of proposed constitutional amendments but must sign off on the ballot wording. The proposal, known as “Voter Control of Gambling in Florida,” would require future statewide votes to authorize casino-style games including blackjack, craps and roulette. The amendment, which has received financial backing from the group No Casinos Inc., would take away the Legislature’s ability to approve casinos in Florida but would not affect tribal casino operations, which are regulated by federal law.
by The News Service of Florida
Wahoos Open Series With Win Over Biloxi
July 10, 2016
Pensacola center fielder Jeff Gelalich was called up to Double-A to be a backup player on the Blue Wahoos team.
But he created a problem for Pensacola manager Pat Kelly by hitting so well.
Now a starting outfielder for the Blue Wahoos, Gelalich smacked two doubles and drove in Pensacola’s first run of the game to propel them to a, 4-2, victory in the series opener Saturday against the Biloxi Shuckers in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Kelly said Gelalich is a good “problem” to have, hitting .321 in 32 games with five doubles, three triples, one home run and 11 RBIs.
“If you hit it doesn’t create a problem for you,” he said. “I’ll find a spot for you. At this level, if you perform, you’re going to get an opportunity to play.”
Gelalich, who was a high draft choice by the Cincinnati Reds in 2012, came into his fifth year in the minor leagues with a career .245 average. He spent three years at the Low-A Dayton Dragons before moving up to High-A Daytona Tortugas this year.
Gelalich was promoted May 15 to the Double-A Blue Wahoos after hitting .235 in 24 games for Daytona. He’s happy to have worked himself into a starting role with Pensacola.
“It’s always a goal,” said Gelalich, who was 2-4 with one RBI Saturday. “You always want to play.”
The Pensacola victory was the first time the first half South Division champions have won back-to-back games in the second half. They moved out of the cellar and are 7-9 in the second half and 48-38 on the season.
The Blue Wahoos scored first in the third inning when catcher Jose Duarte scored on a double by Gelalich off the right field wall for a 1-0 lead. Then pitcher Tyler Mahle scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by second baseman Alex Blandino to go up, 2-0.
“I’m just trying to hit the ball hard and not do too much with it,” Gelalich said.
Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo hit a deep solo shot to right center field to lead off the fifth inning and put Pensacola ahead, 3-0. It was Jagielo’s second homer in three games and sixth on the season.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej smashed a line drive into right center field for a stand up double. Right fielder Juan Duran then hit a zinger past the third basemen into left field that scored Vincej, giving the Blue Wahoos a 4-0 lead.
Biloxi first baseman Nick Ramirez crushed the ball deep over the scoreboard in right field to end Mahle’s scoreless inning streak in the seventh inning and pull the Shuckers within, 4-1.
Shuckers left fielder Johnny Davis hit a grounder into right field to start the eighth and advanced to third base on Biloxi right fielder Tyrone Taylor’s single to center. Davis scored when Brett Phillips grounded out into a double play to pull Biloxi within, 4-2.
Pensacola righty Mahle rebounded from his worst outing in three starts with Pensacola when he gave up five earned runs to Mobile in 4.2 innings, the shortest of his three starts.
He gave up just one run on a solo dinger, five hits, one walk and struck out five. Mahle improved his Pensacola record to 3-1 with an earned run average of 3.74.
Kelly said he has liked what he has seen out of the 21-year-old pitcher.
“He had a good fastball and spotted it where he wanted to,” Kelly said. “That was a quality seven innings.”