Happy Ending: Missing Veteran Found Safe
March 25, 2016
Two Santa Rosa County deputies had the opportunity to go above and beyond the call of duty Wednesday night when they located a missing elderly man from Atmore.
George Haley, an 83 year old dementia patient, left his home on Freemanville Drive north of Atmore about 5:00 Wednesday morning in a 2002 pickup truck. An Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Senior Alert was issued when friends and family were unable to find him.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Middleton and Sgt. Todd Reaves conducted a traffic stop on Haley’s pickup near the Pace Assembly of God Church Wednesday night. He had been reported as a possible drunk driver.
“My husband found him and called police actually thinking he was a drunk driver,” Gina Riela posted on the NorthEscambia.com Facebook page.
Once the deputies realized they had located the missing senior, they contacted and waited for his family to arrive from Atmore to pick him up. They began to talk and discovered that Haley is a veteran with plenty of stories to tell.
“We exchanged stories about life,” Middleton said. The deputies bought Haley a burger and fries since he had not eaten all day.
“Mr. Haley, it was a pleasure meeting you sir, thank you for you’re service in the military and God Bless you,” Middleton said.
Haley is safely back home with his family.
Pictured: Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Sgt. Todd Reaves, George Haley of Atmore ,and Deputy Brian Middleton. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
White Files For Florida House Seat
March 25, 2016
Pensacola Republican Frank White has opened a campaign account to run this fall for a House seat held by Rep. Mike Hill, R-Pensacola Beach, according to the state Division of Elections website.
White plans to run in House District 2, which includes parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The filing comes amid speculation that Hill will run for the state Senate this year if Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, decides to seek a congressional seat.
That congressional seat opened up when U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., announced he would not seek re-election this year. One other candidate, Pensacola Democrat Raymond Guillory, has opened a campaign account in state House District 2.
by The News Service of Florida
Ensley Pharmacy Burglars Caught On Video
March 25, 2016
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for two people caught on video as they burglarized the Ensley Pharmacy earlier this month. The surveillance video shows the two suspects as they take a large quantity of narcotics frm the pharmacy, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information on the burglary is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9630 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Tate Aggies Win Ocoee Baseball Invitational
March 25, 2016
The Tate High School Aggies won the 2016 Ocoee Knights Baseball Invitational Thursday as they topped Clearwater 3-1.
Trace Penton pitched the win for the Aggies with four shutout innings.
The game was scoreless until the Aggies went up in the fourth on a run on a groundout by Cole Halfacre. The Aggies scored two more runs in the bottom of the firth, including single from Josh Kea that scored Corey Young.
Branden Fryman was voted the MVP of the Ocoee Knights Baseball Invitational.
Pictured: The Tate High School Aggies won the 2016 Ocoee Knights Baseball Invitational Thursday. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scott Signs Bills On Body Cameras, Dental Care
March 25, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday signed 34 bills into law, including a measure that will require standards for the use of police body cameras and a plan that could lead to revamping dental care in the Medicaid program.
The body-camera bill (HB 93) was a priority of many Democratic lawmakers and came after a series of highly publicized confrontations across the country between police and members of the public.
The bill does not require law-enforcement agencies to use body cameras. But if they do, the agencies would be required to establish policies and procedures addressing the proper use, maintenance and storage of body cameras and recorded data.
One of the sponsors, Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, issued a news release Thursday that said the procedures could help protect police officers and citizens. He also cited the case of a musician, Corey Jones, who was fatally shot last year by a plainclothes Palm Beach Gardens officer. Questions have swirled around the shooting, but the officer, who was later fired, did not have a body camera.
“This will maintain the transparency we as a community crave and deserve,” Shevrin Jones said in the release. “This bill is one that really hit home for me after the death of Corey Jones, and hopefully now that it has been signed by the governor, we can hear less about lives lost and more about the unity between law enforcement and the community.”
After lawmakers passed the bill this month, Florida Police Benevolent Association President John Rivera praised the measure.
“We have been saying that departments should not implement body cameras without having a policy,” Rivera said in a prepared statement. “There are so many questions pertaining to procedures, proper use, maintenance, data storage and training that need to be addressed before body camera programs are started. There must be guidelines so that everyone knows the rules and to avoid this issue becoming a knee-jerk political issue.”
Scott is in the process this week of taking action on more than 100 bills that lawmakers passed before the legislative session ended March 11. He faced a Thursday deadline on the 34 bills.
Among the measures was a heavily lobbied bill (HB 819) that could ultimately lead to changes in the way the Medicaid program provides dental services.
The issue centers on the state’s Medicaid managed-care system, which requires HMOs to cover dental services. But supporters of the bill have contended that the services could be better provided by separate prepaid dental plans — an idea known as “carving out” the services from the Medicaid managed-care system.
The bill, sponsored by incoming Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, and Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami, will lead to the state’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability conducting a study of dental services and submitting the report by Dec. 1. If lawmakers don’t take action during the 2017 legislative session to keep dental services in the Medicaid managed-care program, the Agency for Health Care Administration will be directed to move forward with a prepaid dental program.
The bill was supported by the Florida Dental Association but faced heavy opposition from the Florida Association of Health Plans, which represents the managed-care industry. The Florida Association of Health Plans argued, in part, that the bill was tilted toward moving to prepaid dental plans. That is because the change will occur if lawmakers do not take action next year.
Scott issued a letter Thursday that appeared to indicate he shared some of the industry group’s concerns, though he signed the bill.
“While I am giving my approval to this bill today, if the results of the study do not demonstrate better quality dental care at reduced costs than the net benefits provided under statewide Medicaid managed care today, I expect the 2017 Legislature to amend the statute immediately to protect Medicaid recipients and the services they receive through statewide Medicaid managed care,” Scott wrote.
Another bill that drew debate during the session was a measure (HB 1051), sponsored by House State Affairs Chairman Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, that would prevent boaters from anchoring overnight in some South Florida waterways.
The bill, which Scott signed without comment, would prevent overnight anchoring in part of the Middle River in Broward County, Sunset Lake in Miami-Dade County and three parts of Biscayne Bay in Miami-Dade. Supporters argued during the session that waterfront property owners have problems with people anchoring off their backyards for long periods of time. But opponents pointed, at least in part, to already-limited mooring space in South Florida.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
County Accepts Tornado Housing Applications; Not Yet For Century
March 24, 2016
Escambia County staffers were in Century Wednesday taking applications for housing assistance. But meanwhile, it’s still wait and see for residents of the Town of Century on any housing funds that might be available.
The Escambia County Neighborhood Enterprise Division took applications for housing rehabilitation programs for citizens in the unincorporated areas, or outside the town limits, affected by the February 15 Century tornado.
The Florida Housing Finance Corporation notified Escambia County of $2,058,028 in State Housing Initiatives Partnership, or SHIP, disaster funds for the two tornadoes that struck Escambia County in February. Funds will be appropriated to assist with owner occupied housing rehabilitation, replacement, and disaster mitigation as outlined in the county’s Local Housing Assistance Plan.
Century won’t be able to to take applicants for housing assistance until April — the funds will first be dispersed to Escambia County and an interlocal agreement between the county and the town must be amended to cover the new funding.
The Century Town Council will sign off at a future meeting on an applications process. The applications, Mayor Freddie McCall said, will likely be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
Once available, funding may only be utilized for households directly impacted by one of the two storms and income restrictions will apply, see chart below. Household members seeking repair assistance will be required to provide proof of homestead exemption, income, assets, mortgage (if present), and insurance (if present) to certify eligibility.
For more information on disaster-related owner occupant housing repair or home replacement assistance:
- Unincorporated areas of Escambia County – County Neighborhood Enterprise Division at (850) 595-0022.
- City of Pensacola – City Housing Office at (850) 858-0350
- Town of Century – SHIP applications are expected to be accepted in April, for more information call (850) 256-3208
Pictured: Housing assistance applications were taken Wendesday at the Century Town Hall. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Rabid Racoon Found In Flomaton
March 24, 2016
Officials in Escambia County, AL, are urging local residents to take precautions against rabies. The warning comes after a recent positive confirmation of rabies in a racoon found in a residential neighborhood in Flomaton.
The following precautions should be taken to avoid possible exposure to rabies:
- Do not allow pets to run loose; confine them within a fenced-in area or with a leash.
- Do not leave out uneaten pet food or scraps around your house.
- Do not illegally feed or keep wildlife as pets.
- Don’t go near domestic animals that are acting in a strange or unusual manner.
- Instruct children not to go near any non-domesticated animal regardless of its behavior.
- Advise children to tell an adult if they are bitten or scratched by an animal.
A person who is bitten or scratched by an animal should wash wounds immediately with mild soap and water, apply first aid, and seek medical attention or contact the county health department as soon as possible. Rabies is preventable in humans exposed to a positive animal if special medical treatment is provided in a timely manner.
Avoiding direct contact with wildlife is the primary protection from rabies. In addition, vaccinating domesticated animals also reduces the risk of exposure to rabies. Rabies vaccination not only protects the animals from rabies, it helps protect the owners, family members, and other pets as well. Alabama state law requires that all dogs, cats and ferrets must be kept current with rabies vaccination. Rabies vaccines are also available for horses and other livestock if recommended by a veterinarian.
Scott Signs Bills For Rape Kits Testing, Adoption Law
March 24, 2016
Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday signed nine bills, including a high-profile measure requiring local law-enforcement agencies to submit “rape kits” to be tested and another giving judges guidelines concerning adoption.
Scott praised SB 636, which would establish time limits for sexual-assault evidence — known as rape kits — to be submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing. He said in a statement the move would “provide thousands of women with a renewed sense of safety and closure as they heal from the horrific crime of rape.”
Demand for the bill followed revelations that thousands of rape kits had been collected but not tested statewide. In September, Attorney General Pam Bondi called on lawmakers to increase funding for crime labs to address the backlog. In early January, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported that the state had more than 13,000 untested rape kits.
No one disputed that testing the DNA evidence could help prevent future rapes, but until Wednesday, Florida had not required law-enforcement agencies to submit rape kits for testing.
Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R- Fort Myers, and Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, sponsored bills setting time limits for testing such evidence, with the Senate version ultimately passing both chambers unanimously.
“It certainly changes the conversation,” Adkins said. “I think for too long, these offenders, these predators, have been able to get away with it. … It’s time we sent a clear message that in Florida, we will not tolerate sexual-assault crimes — and we’re coming after you.”
The proposal would require local law-enforcement agencies to submit the rape kits within 30 days of the beginning of their investigations or after being notified by victims or victims’ representatives that they wish the evidence to be tested.
Also, the new state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 includes $10.7 million to help eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits. Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials told lawmakers that fiscal constraints had led to the backlog.
Other bills Scott signed Wednesday included an adoption bill (SB 590), sponsored by Adkins and Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, that allows judges to make adoption decisions based on “the best interest of the child.”
The impetus for the measure was a conflict between two laws governing adoption. One has required judges to rule based on the best interests of children, while the other allows private adoption agencies to intervene in open adoption cases where parents’ rights have not yet been terminated. In such cases, adoption agencies typically name the people that biological parents prefer to adopt children — even if the children have thrived in other placements.
The new law allows judges to give greater weight to the children’s bonds with foster families or other caregivers. In cases where children are old enough to express a preference, that may be considered as well.
United Way Tornado Relief Supplies Still Available In Century
March 24, 2016
Tornado victims can still receive free in-kind goods donated by the community from the United Way in Century.
Items available include baby food, diapers, baby formula, $25 restaurant gift cards, shampoo, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, drinking water and more from Healthy Start in Century. Their office at 511 Church Street is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. or while supplies last.
The items are available for free with those with verified damage from the February 15 Century tornado, or the February 23 Pensacola tornado.
ECAT Announces New Routes Beginning Next Week
March 24, 2016
Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) has announced new routes beginning April 1. Effecting Routes 41 and 42, updates include improvements like increased frequency, new service areas and more buses. Changes are as follows:
• Route 41 will be split into 2 Routes, and will become 31 and 41.
o Route 31: bi-directional service between Downtown and Pensacola State College along 12th Avenue and Bayou Blvd, with added service to Target, Winn-Dixie and Sacred Heart Hospital.
o Route 41: service to Summit Blvd, and a portion of Scenic Highway.
• Route 42 will be split into 2 Routes, and will become 32 and 52.
o Route 32: bi-directional service between Downtown and ECAT Rosa Parks Transit Center on Fairfield Drive.
o Route 52: service to Cordova Mall via Pensacola State College along 9th Avenue, with increased frequency during peak hours.
“We are excited to introduce these new and improved routes to the community,” said Tonya Ellis, Director of Marketing and Community Relations for ECAT. “By listening to rider feedback, recommendations from recent transportation plans, and continually striving to make strategic improvements, our team is always working to meet customer needs and improve public transportation for the people of Escambia County.”