Water Restored At Ransom Middle School
August 22, 2024
Ransom Middle School was without water due to a water main break for portion of Thursday morning.
The Escambia County School district said water service was restored by about noon. Portable toilets were brought to the school and bottled water was available during the service outage. Service was resorted by noon.
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authorities said there was a water main break on Highway 297A near Sherrilane Drive that has been repaired. The school was notified by ECUA directly, and under 50 impacted residences in the area received door hanger or phone notifications.
Update: Century Boil Water Notice Lifted
August 22, 2024
UPDATE: The boil water notice was lifted just before 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 22.
Previous story:
The entire town of Century remains under a boil water notice that was issued Sunday morning, but Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. hopes that precautionary advisory will be lifted today or at worst on Friday.
A significant portion of the town of Century was without water for most of Sunday following water main break about 4:30 a.m. in front of Bondurant Ace Hardware at 8511 North Century Boulevard. An automated system notified the mayor by 5:30 p.m. and crers were at work by 6 a.m. They worked until about 9:45 p.m. to complete repairs.
Gomez said Wednesday night the town replaced several feet of a large 6-inch pipe that broke as the result of what he called an Act of God.
“We did the boil water notice out of precaution to make sure nobody got sick or had any kind of contamination in their water,” he said.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
The town is awaiting the results of bacteriological testing to give the all clear and lift the advisory. In the meantime, the the town advises that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be brought to a rolling boil for at least a minute, or that bottled water be used.
“Use your bes water before boiling water,” Gomez said.
As soon as the town notified NorthEsambia.com that the boil water notice is lifted, we will update this story.
Due to the water main break, the Whataburger restaurant on North Century Boulevard closed Sunday. It has since reopened.
Two Town of Century employees were injured, one of them seriously, during the repair process when the hole in which they were working at least partially collapsed.
Pictured: Repairs to a broken water main Sunday afternoon on North Century Boulevard. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Application Denied For Borrow Pit On Highway 95A In Molino
August 22, 2024
The Escambia County Board of Adjustment (BOA) has denied a conditional use change application for a borrow pit in Molino.
According to Escambia County, a borrow pit is where material like gravel, soil, clay or sand is excavated for use at another location. Borrow pits can be enclosed or open, and both types require a permit in Escambia County.
The applicant, Justin Patterson or Ironhorse Cattle, Co., proposed a 44-acre borrow pit on 52.88 acres zoned AG (agriculture use) at 5595 Highway 95A, west of Highway 95A and just south of Cedartown Road. Escambia County Land Development Code (LDC) requires conditional approval use approval for any borrow pit or reclamation activity with 1,000 feet from any residential use or zoning.
In a meeting lasting over five hours Wednesday, the BOA heard testimony from numerous residents, most expressing concerns about truck traffic, dust, perceived environmental issues, and noise that would impact the surround area. Several others spoke in support of allowing the applicant to use the property as proposed.
BOA staff recommended the approval of the conditional use to allow the pit.
Wednesday, the BOA votes 3-1 to deny the application. A similar conditional use change request for the property was denied by the Board in April 2022.
Specifically, the Board disagreed with the staff recommendation, effectively finding that:
- General compatibility. The proposed use cannot be conducted and operated in a manner that is compatible with adjacent properties and other properties in the immediate area.
- Nuisances and hazards. The scale, intensity, and operation of the use will generate unreasonable noise, glare, dust, smoke, odor, vibration, electrical interference, or other nuisances or hazards for adjoining properties and other
- properties in the immediate area
- Screening and buffering. Where not otherwise required by the Land Development Code (LDC,) screening and buffering will not be provided if appropriate to the proposed use and site.
- Use requirements. The proposed use does not comply with any additional conditional use requirements of the applicable zoning district, use, or other provisions of the LDC.
Board member Michael Godwin noted that as many as a dozen residences are within 1,000 feet of the proposed borrow pit property.
The Application And Proposal
“The proposed use can be conducted and operated in a manner that is compatible with adjacent and surrounding properties. The subject property is largely surrounded by undeveloped property,” the application stated, noting that there is one residential structure to the south of the proposed pit site, which will become a lake overlooked by a single-family residence when after excavation is complete. Operation is planned for 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday, as allowed by the LDC. A 25-foot landscape buffer was proposed around the fenced-in pit.
Single access to the pit property was proposed for a driveway off Highway 95A across from Josh Lane.
The developer’s application said noise would be limited to the daylight hours and with pit’s sidewalls acting as a sound barrier, and a dust suppression system would have been used to prevent airborne materials.
“The use will not generate unreasonable noise, glare, dust, smoke, odor, vibration or other nuisances or hazards,” the application stated. “The excavation activity is temporary.”
According to the Northwest Florida Water Management District, there are no permitted potable water wells with 500 feet of the property; however, the permitting program did not exist until the late 1970s, and records are incomplete before the late 1980s.
A neighbor previously objected to the proposed use based on a private irrigation well in the vicinity of the project. An attorney for the applicant asserted that protections do not exist around any private or non-potable (drinking) water well.
Escambia County Development Review staff have recommended approval of the conditional use of the property.
“Staff recommends approval of the Conditional Use as submitted with the enhanced buffering as detailed on the submitted site plan. DRC site plan approval and BCC approval of the reclamation plan are required,” was the staff findings as submitted.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, NorthEscambia.com graphics, click to enlarge.
Man Arrested On Multiple Charges After Manhunt In Cottage Hill
August 22, 2024
A man is facing multiple charges following a manhunt Monday night in Cottage Hill.
Jeremy Edward Byrd, 48, was charged with resisting an office and felony possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He was also arrested on an outstanding warrant after his bond was revoked in a 2022 case involving charges of trafficking in fentanyl, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of cocaine.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted Byrd riding a bicycle on Virecfent Road near Cottage Hill Road. The deputy had been looking for Byrd on an outstanding warrant, with knowledge that he was staying at an address in the 100 block of Cottage Hill Road.
The deputy rolled his windows down and told Byrd to stop, but Byrd picked up speed. The deputy pulled his vehicle in front of the bicycle, but Byrd drove into a ditch.
“Due to the facts that Jeremy Byrd was actively fleeing, refused to stop and was about to enter a wooded area where he could escape and I was by myself, I utilized my agency-issued taser,” the deputy wrote in the arrest report that was released Wednesday. The taser probes missed due to bushes. The deputy saw Byrd enter a wooded area and flee toward Crowndale Road. Other deputies and a K-9 unit responded.
Byrd was located in a muddy area, lying down with his arms under his body. He refused multiple commands to give the deputy his arms, the report states, and the deputy used a closed fist strike to the bicep area to gain control and restrain Byrd.
The report states that a black bag located under Byrd contained a baggie that contained a substance that field test positive for methamphetamine, along with a syringe and other drug paraphernalia.
Byrd was not injured in the incident.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Atmore Woman Arrested On Florida Vehicle Theft Warrant
August 22, 2024
Atmore police officers investigating a domestic disturbance report arrested a local woman wanted on an outstanding warrant from Escambia County, Florida.
The Atmore Police Department arrived on West Oak Street and discovered that Cecelia Penn Andrews, 61, had an outstanding Florida warrant for vehicle theft.
Andrews was booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center without bond to await extradition to Escambia County, Florida.
Cantonment Man Cited, SUV Catches Fire After Crash
August 22, 2024
A Cantonment man was cited following a traffic crash in Bellview Wednesday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 19-year-old was driving a Chevrolet Equinox north on Mobile Highway and failed to stop for stopped traffic, striking a GMC pickup truck driven by a 51-year old Pensacola man. The collision pushed the GMC into a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by a 63-year-old Georgia man.
Following the crash, the Cantonment’s man Chevrolet Equinox caught fire,
Trooper said no one was injured.
Six-Run Fourth Sinks Wahoos in Loss to Smokies
August 22, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos continued their struggles against the Tennessee Smokies on Wednesday night, falling in a 10-6 final after two early leads slipped away.
The Blue Wahoos have now dropped 7 of 8 games this season to the defending league champions, and two in a row to begin their six-game road series.
With the loss, the Blue Wahoos again failed to put pressure on the first-place Biloxi Shuckers. The Blue Wahoos now trail the Shuckers by 1.5 games with 22 to play, pending the results of Biloxi’s game in Birmingham.
The Blue Wahoos briefly held a pair of early leads, taking a 2-1 edge on solo homers from Nathan Martorella and Johnny Olmstead in the second and a 3-2 lead on a Joe Mack RBI single in the third.
Olmstead’s homer was his first at the Double-A level, and began a 3-for-4 night. Mack’s RBI was his Southern League-leading 60th of the season.
Pensacola starter Luis Palacios (L, 8-6) was uncharacteristically shaky, tying a career high with 10 hits allowed and setting a new career high with four walks. The Smokies turned the game around with a six-run fourth, turning a 3-2 deficit into an 8-3 Tennessee lead. The Blue Wahoos left allowed eight runs, seven earned, over 3.1 innings.
The Smokies got their starter, Antonio Santos (W, 7-3), through 5.0 innings despite a high pitch count. The Blue Wahoos added on three runs against the Tennessee bullpen, getting RBI doubles from Jakob Marsee and Jared Serna in the sixth and a solo homer from Graham Pauley in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to come back.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Smokies on Thursday. First pitch from Smokies Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT, with a live audio broadcast beginning at 6:55 p.m. ET/5:55 p.m. CT.
Highway 4 Bridge Opening Delayed By Wrong Paint
August 21, 2024
It’s been delayed again.
The Highway 4 bridge over Canoe Creek will not open this week as originally anticipated.
The Florida Department of Transportation told NorthEscambia.com last week that that the bridge is complete, but there were a just few minor items that need to be fixed prior to traffic being allowed across the bridge. But it’s turning out to be a little more complicated.
Tuesday, Escambia County officials said they had been notified that the bridge likely won’t open until next week. They said the wrong type of reflective paint was used on the bridge and the roadway approaches, and it must be corrected to meet FDOT requirements and pass inspection. The painted lines are also not straight, and there is spilled paint along in the area.
And that will require contractor Murphree Bridge Corporation to move equipment back to the site in order to grind away the wrong paint and repaint the lines.
With previous contract extensions due to weather, the contractor has until September 1 to open the $4 million bridge without penalty.
The new bridge replaces an 81-year-old structure that hat was closed on July 10, 2023, with traffic between Bratt and Century detoured.
Pictured: The Highway 4 bridge over Canoe Creek on Tuesday afternoon, August 21. NorthEsscmabia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tom Harrell Wins Escambia County School Board District 5 Seat
August 21, 2024
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Tom Harrell has been elected to the Escambia County School Board District 5 seat.
Harrell garnered 59.06% of the votes in the non-partisan race. Challenger Jim Taylor received 28.96% of the vote, and Josh Luther received 11.98% with all precincts reporting.
“I want to thank the voters of District 5 for their tremendous support. I am humbled and honored to represent our community” Harrell told NorthEscambia.com Tuesday night. “Children first in all decisions!”
Now retired, Harrell was a teacher at Ransom Middle School and served as principal at Escambia Westgate School and Lipscomb Elementary School. He was named both a principal of the year and teacher of the year for the Escambia County School District.
He has been a resident of District 5 since 1975.
To learn more about Tom Harrell, in his own words, click here for his NorthEscambia.com candidate survey, which was published prior to the election.
Jay High Teacher Beats Incumbent Santa Rosa County Commissioner Calkins
August 21, 2024
A Jay High School teacher has defeated the incumbent for a seat on the Santa Rosa County Commission.
Rhett Rowell received 11,979 (43.53%) votes. Jerry Couey finished second with 7,872 (28.61%), while incumbent James Calkins had 7,668 (27.86%).
Rowell is a native of Santa Rosa County and is a social studies teacher at Jay High, his alma mater.
Rowell will not face a Democrat in November, but he will appear on the ballot due to two qualified write-in candidates.