Century Residents Receiving Higher Garbage Bills This Month
December 9, 2021
Century residents will notice a higher garbage bill this month.
Early last month, the Century Town Council voted Monday night to raise garbage rates, something that has become a yearly tradition.
The town contracts with Republic Services to collect garbage within the town limits. Republic has a provision in their contract that allows them to increase the rates they charge the town each December to match the Consumer Price Index.
The increase amounts to 3.73%, or 91 cents, per customer with one can. The town traditionally passes the rate increase directly along to residents each year.
Century renewed a five year no-bid contract with Republic Services in July 2020.
Century residential sanitation rates increased from $24.43 to $25.34 . That’s broken down to $18.68 per residential container picked up by Republic and $6.66 for bimonthly yard waste pickup by the town. Century does not offer recycling services. Republic charges the town $15.49 a month for each residential container, with the town retaining $3.19 each. With 533 containers, Century makes $1,700.27 per month that pays the town for providing customer service and billing.
Commercial customers have also seen a 3.73% increase from Republic, but they are not billed by the town.
File photo.
Tate High’s Josiah Glodfelter Signs With UWF Baseball
December 9, 2021
Tate High School senior Josiah Glodfelter signed Wednesday to play baseball for the University of West Florida. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Schools Hiring More Armed Campus Security Officers
December 8, 2021
The Escambia County School District will be hiring more campus security officers for elementary schools in 2022.
Armed campus security officers are trained by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to protect students in local schools.
There are multiple steps in the application process.
The position is currently posted and will remain open until January 7, 2022. The district intends to recruit approximately 20 qualified individuals to participate in the training class, which begins in February 2022.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will conduct thorough background screenings, psychological evaluations, and polygraph tests for interested candidates. Successful candidates will be required to complete over 150 hours of paid training.
Selected candidates begin with a current starting salary of $31,397 for 10 month employment. Once the training process has been completed, candidates are eligible for a variety of benefits.
The campus security officer job description and list of applicant qualifications have been posted on the ECSD website
Gulf Power Customers To See Nearly $7 Monthly Increase For Fuel Costs
December 8, 2021
Gulf Power customers will see an increase of nearly $7 per month on their bills in January due to the increasing cost of natural gas.
“Rising fuel prices are affecting electricity generation costs. Since projecting its annual fuel costs, FPL has seen more than a 10 percent cost increase,” said PSC Chairman Gary Clark. “The PSC’s cost recovery rule ensures that utility fuel costs are timely monitored, so the PSC can better protect ratepayers now from even further volatility in fuel charges.”
Tuesday, the Florida Public Service Commission approved the increase for Florida Power & Light Company, which owns Gulf Power.
Effective in the first billing cycle of January 2022, Gulf Power’s residential customer using a typical 1,000 kWh will increase $6.83 a month, from $148.78 to $155.61. For other FPL customers, that benchmark 1,000 kWh bill will increase $6.82 a month, from $113.85 to $120.67
Mid-course corrections—or adjustments—are used when a utility’s costs increase or decrease significantly within a calendar year. Under Commission rules, a utility must notify the PSC when it expects an under- or over-recovery greater than 10 percent.
Pictured: A sign on 10 Mile Road at Pate Street for the Gulf Clean Energy Center, formerly known as Gulf Power’s Plant Crist. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Completes Redistricting, New District Lines Now In Effect
December 8, 2021
Escambia County’s new district lines went into effect on Tuesday.
The biggest change across the county was a boundary shift moving Perdido Key into District 1.
In terms of land area, District 1 is second behind District 5. There were only minor adjustments to District 5, with all of the district now north of Nine Mile Road or I-10.
Click the map above for an enlarged version, or click here for a zoomable pdf.
Per special act, the new district lines also apply to the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) Board and the Escambia County School District Board. The school board will meet on December 14 to discuss the new district lines as they pertain to county schools.
Based on data collected from the 2020 census, total population for Escambia County is 321,905. The total voting age population (VAP) is 258,145. The new map allows for a population of 61,909 in District 1; 66,316 in District 2; 62,652 in District 3; 67,553 in District 4; and 63,475 in District 5.
Two Escambia Residents Win $1 Million Each In Lottery Scratch-Off Game
December 8, 2021
Two Escambia County winners have each claimed a $1 million Florida Lottery prize from the Gold Rush Limited scratch-off game.
Frances Peterson purchased her winning ticket from Circle K at 800 West Garden Street, and Walter Scales purchased his winning ticket from Sai Krupa (BP station) at 7815 North Davis Highway in Pensacola. Both winners chose to receive their winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $795,000 each.
Each retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.
Boil Water Notice Lifted For Portion Of Chemstrand Road Area
December 8, 2021
UPDATE: This boil water notice has been lifted.
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has issued a precautionary boil water notice for an area along Chemstrand Road due to a broken 8-inch water main.
The boil water notice is in effect for Chemstrand Road from Boyette Street to Limerick Lane, along with Arnett Street and Chadson Lane.
Residents located in the specified boil water notice area are advised to boil water for one minute at a rolling boil or to use eight drops of regular unscented household bleach per gallon of water, for water to be used for drinking or cooking purposes. Two independent bacteriological samples have been initiated and the advisory will be lifted as soon as possible. This process routinely takes 48 hours and the notice will be rescinded at that time.
ECUA crews have completed the repairs and flushed out the lines. Residents within the area and nearby are advised that there is a possibility of discolored water as a result of the utility work, and to flush their home’s plumbing by running their taps for a few minutes. If problems persist, customers are asked to contact ECUA Customer Service at (850) 476-0480 for assistance.
Precautionary boil water notices are issued as a part of the standard protocol following any loss of water pressure, whether as a result of planned maintenance activities or unscheduled repairs.
Escambia County EMS Offering CPR Classes
December 8, 2021
Escambia County Emergency Medical Services is offering CPR and AED courses for any Escambia County residents.
The Heartsaver CPR AED Course is designed for anyone with limited or no medical training who needs a course completion card in CPR and AED use to meet job, regulatory or other requirements. The Heartsaver CPR AED course trains participants to give CPR, and use an AED in a safe, timely and effective manner.
The BLS for Healthcare Providers course is designed for healthcare professionals and other personnel who need to know how to perform CPR and other basic cardiovascular life support skills in a wide variety of in-facility and prehospital settings. The American Heart Association’s BLS course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate ventilations and provide early use of an AED.
Cost for CPR and AED Training (includes an eBook):
- Heartsaver CPR AED Course – $60
- Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers – $75
All courses will take place at the Escambia County Public Safety building at 6575 North W Street.
For more information, click or tap here.
For large parties interested in group training, call (850) 471-6428 or email Michelle Stanhope at mkstanhope@myescambia.com.
Church Vandal Arrested, Charged With Spray-Painting Several Churches
December 7, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has charged a local man with spray-painting several churches.
Deputies responded to the Olive Baptist Church Tuesday to find that numerous glass doors, metal doors, brick walls, and sidewalks were spray-painted using words and phrases like “murder”, “depart”, “liar”, and “Satan depart from me”. A white male with a beard and glasses was seen on surveillance video, according to the ECSO.
Shortly after this story was posted, the ECSO received a tip about the suspect’s identity. Deputies responded to Sears Boulevard and took 31-year old Sean Thomas Michaels into custody.
Michaels is charged with felony criminal mischief and two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
Michaels was also charged with spray-painting four other area churches – Marcus Pointe Baptist Church, Victory Baptist Church, St. Andrew the Apostle Orthodox Church, and Legacy Church.
Pictured: Sean Michaels is charged with spray-painting Olive Baptist Church.
Highway 97 Convenience Store Robbed At Gunpoint
December 7, 2021
Authorities are searching for a suspect following an armed robbery Tuesday morning at the Marathon convenience store in Davisville.
The suspect walked into the store at the corner of Highway 97 and Nokomis Road about 11:30 a.m. and robbed the store at gunpoint.
The suspect then ran out the door toward the rear of the building and possibly fled in an unknown vehicle on Nokomis Road, according to the store’s owner. He as described only as white male wearing dark clothing.
There were no injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Surveillance images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
