Final OLF-8 Design Plan Accepted By Escambia Commission
June 5, 2021
The Escambia County Commission has accepted a final design for the OLF-8 property on Nine Mile Road.
The OLF-8 design is a consensus after months of discussion and debate about the balance between commercial, residential and community space on the 630-acre parcel.
The final “Adjusted Hybrid Plan” is a combination of commerce, residential and amenities. It allocates 271 acres to commerce and industrial; 61 acres to residential including duplexes, townhomes and multifamily; 47 acres to a mixed-use center such as residential over retail and office over retail; and 45 acres to trails and public amenities such as a post office, school, day care and community garden.
The plan next goes to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for land use approval and to the planning board this summer for master plan code updates. With approval, the commission will vote on final approval for the OLF-8 Master Plan in early October.
To read the full 71 page OLF-8 plan, click or tap here.
In January 2019, Escambia County acquired OLF-8 in a land swap with the U.S. Navy for property in Santa Rosa County. The county hired DPZ CoDesign to develop the best plan for OLF-8, and the firm presented four plans ranging from a commerce park based concept to designs with a mix of commerce, residential and green space on the 500 plus acre site along Nine Mile Road in Beulah.
Click graphics to enlarge.
Ransom Middle School Names Students Of The Month
June 5, 2021
Ransom Middle School named Kristyne Yelverton and Tom Fleming as Students of the Month for May. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Stops Releasing Daily COVID-19 Case And Death Reports
June 5, 2021
The Florida Department of Health has ended daily COVID-19 reports that were used by the public and media to track the number of cases and deaths in the state. And as a result, our daily reports on NorthEscambia.com have also come to an end.
We’ve published the reports daily since March 2020. As cases declined, so did the number of people reading our reports. But in the interest of public service, we continued daily publication because thousands of people tracked our reporting to see changes and trends in their local community.
The Florida Department of Health plans to publish a weekly update on cases and vaccines. It remains to be seen how detailed that report will be and if we will be able to provide updates on cases at the local community level for places like Pensacola, Cantonment, Molino, Century and Walnut Hill.
NorthEscambia.com will evaluate the new reporting format and determine if we will publish weekly updates. Rest assured, however, that we will update you if there’s any major local trend change reported by the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary, Christina Pushaw, told The News Service of Florida on Friday that there is no need to keep issuing the daily reports.
“Covid-19 cases have significantly decreased over the past year as we have a less than 5 percent positivity rate, and our state is returning to normal, with vaccines widely available throughout Florida,” Pushaw said in an email.
In the last week, Escambia County recorded 60 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths.
No Injuries As Fire Damages Flomaton Mobile Home
June 5, 2021
Fire damaged a mobile home in Flomaton late Friday night.
The fire was reported about 11:40 p.m. in the 300 block of Dixon Road, not far north of the Alabama-Florida state line.
There were no injuries reported and no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
The Flomaton, Friendship and Lambeth fire departments from Alabama, the Century Station of Escambia (FL) Fire Rescue and MedStar EMS responded.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Stewart And Steady Hitting Lead Blue Wahoos To 4-1 Friday Win
June 5, 2021
The Blue Wahoos completed the first month of their season Friday night in the same way it started.
Strong starting pitching. Flawless performance by the bullpen. Mixed together with a couple big swings and defensive plays.
The summation was another win, this one a 4-1 victory against the Mississippi Braves that evened the series (2-2) and gave a capacity crowd (5,038) at Blue Wahoos Stadium a familiar look.
“It has been apparent all year that our pitching has been dominant — from the starters to the bullpen — and I think that’s been the main thing that has kept us in every single game,” said Blue Wahoos catcher Nick Fortes, who went 2-for-4 with a triple and made the game’s biggest defensive play with a perfect throw to catch the M-Braves’ Riley Unroe stealing third in the third inning.
“We kinda started out a little slow at the beginning of the year with the bats,” Fortes said. “But I feel that everybody is starting to hit their stride a little bit and making things move a little bit more crisply out there.”
The Blue Wahoos (17-11) began their season — and new affiliation with the Miami Marlins — on May 4 with a win against the M-Braves.
Since then, it’s been a consistent element with the pitching staff in each win. Friday was lefthander Will Stewart’s turn to shine.
The 23-year-old, Huntsville, Alabama native worked six innings and threw a season-high 92 pitches with six strikeouts, one walk and one run allowed.
“Honestly, it all started with my mindset,” said Stewart, who earned his first win as a Blue Wahoos starting pitcher. “I think earlier in the month, I came out and there was a lot of doubt in my mind.
“I didn’t have as much confidence as I do now. It took me really finding a routine and getting into what works for me instead of trying to emulate things here and things there.”
Reliever Tyler Stevens followed by striking out four of the six batters he faced. Colton Hock followed in the ninth by earning his seventh save to become the Double-A South leader.
The Blue Wahoos lead the Double-A South in team pitching (3.39 ERA) and in team relief.
After dropping back-to-back mid-week games to the M-Braves, the Blue Wahoos flipped the script Friday. They got a first-inning lead when Peyton Burdick worked a walk, Jerar Encarnacion followed with a single and JJ Bleday continued his hot bat with an RBI single.
In the fifth inning, Encarnacion blasted a two-run homer into the right field berm off a fastball from M-Braves’ reliever Chris Nunn. This one exited at 101 mph off his bat and the ball seemed to further accelerate as it was leaving the ballpark.
The Blue Wahoos added another run in the sixth inning after Fortes led off with a single and scored on Tristan Pompey’s single.
The game’s key moment occurred after Stewart yielded three singles to start the third inning. With a run in, Unroe got a jump to steal third. But Fortes’ throw was perfect to have Blue Wahoos’ third baseman Demetrius Sims apply the tag a split-second before Unroe’s headfirst slide reached base.
“Oh my gosh, if we don’t throw that guy out there, they’ve got runners on first and third with one out and I am notoriously getting in that situation,” Stewart said. “For (Fortes) to take that away and me not have to deal with that, you can’t ask for anything more.
“It was big. I think if we don’t have that throwout there, I probably don’t go six innings.”
Instead it worked out well for him.
The first 2,000 fans entering the ballpark Friday night received a power-blue beach mat, courtesy of game sponsor, Wind Creek Casino and Hotel in Atmore, Ala.
The final two games of this series are Saturday and Sunday with the Blue Wahoos throwing their top two pitchers, Max Meyer and Jake Eder, for the first time on a weekend.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
Navy To Sample Drinking Water Wells Near Outlying Fields In Florida And Alabama
June 5, 2021
The U.S. Navy is preparing to sample drinking water wells near Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field’s Outlying Landing Fields (OLFs) in Florida and Alabama beginning in June. The investigation includes OLFs Evergreen, Brewton, Silverhill, Summerdale, Barin and Wolf in Alabama; and OLFs Harold, Pace, Spencer, Santa Rosa and Holley in Florida.
The Navy will be sampling drinking water wells within a designated sampling area at each OLF for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. PFAS have been used nationwide since the 1950s in products that resist heat, stains, grease and water. They have been used in a variety of products and substances such as non-stick cookware, food packaging such as microwaveable popcorn bags, water-resistant textiles and sprays used to treat carpets and fabrics. PFAS are key components in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF).
The Navy will sample drinking water wells to determine if AFFF or other PFAS-containing materials used at a NAS Whiting Field OLF have migrated through groundwater into off-base drinking water wells at levels greater than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s health advisory levels for two specific PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).
In May 2016, the EPA announced a lifetime health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for both PFOS and PFOA. Although these health advisory levels are not enforceable regulatory standards, the Navy is proactively seeking to identify drinking water wells that may contain levels of PFOA and/or PFOS greater than the EPA lifetime health advisory. To do this, the Navy needs to sample drinking water wells in the designated sampling area.
The Navy has mailed a letter to property owners in the designated sampling area, for each OLF, to provide further information and to request permission to sample their drinking water. Sampling will be available to property owners within the designated sampling area at no cost.
The Navy will host an online “virtual” open house to inform the public and provide answers to questions about upcoming efforts to sample drinking water wells near the OLFs for PFAS. The online virtual public meeting will be available at https://WhitingFieldPFAS.com.
This online presentation will be available for the public with materials that may be downloaded for more information. There will also be contact information for Navy representatives, along with partnering agencies including, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Alabama Department of Public Health, and the Florida Department of Health, with representatives who are also available to answer questions.
To schedule a drinking well sampling appointment, please call 844-NASWFLD (844-627-9353).
‘Is It Legal?’ County Takes No Action, For Now, On Retirement Plan Back Funding That Could Cost $1.9 Million
June 4, 2021
The Escambia County Commission took no formal action Thursday night on reimbursing up to $1.9 million in lost retirement income for commissioners and top level employees after they were allegedly never told of a retirement plan option. The discussion left one commissioner asking if the payout is legal, and one public official saying she controls the county’s checkbook and does not like the idea.
401(a) Annuity Program
It’s called a 401(a) annuity program, and under state statute is offered only to senior management service employees and commissioners that opt out of the Florida Retirement System (FRS). It’s available statewide, not just in Escambia County.
The plan does not cost Escambia County taxpayers anything extra when contributions are made in a timely fashion; the employee contributions are exactly the same whether or not the money goes into FRS or the annuity program. FRS has significant administrative overhead and fund liability that is funded from employee contributions. The 401(a) annuity plan participant costs are lower, so participants can earn significantly more retirement dollars.
Escambia County has offered a 401(a) annuity program to senior management employees and elected officials since 1997.
Employees Not Told Of Program
Many employees, along with current and past commissioners, have said they were never informed of the annuity plan’s existence, and they lost significant retirement funds as a result.
In March, Commissioner Steven Barry and County Attorney Alison Rogers went before the Florida Commission on Ethics concerning retirement plans. There were no allegations of ethical wrongdoing against Barry, Rogers or anyone else; instead they were seeking permission for the BOCC to vote on the annuity plan.
Barry contended that after he was first elected in 2012, the county’s human resources department did not tell him, other commissioners and other eligible county employees about the existence of a 401(a) annuity plan, only the normal FRS plan. He said he did not know about the plan until months into his second term, past a six month eligibility period. He did sign up as his third term started.
Commissioners, including Barry, sign retirement plan enrollment forms to choose between six options. One option is to “withdraw from the Florida Retirement System to participate in a local annuity plan”. Barry has contended that provides no real information about the 401(a) plan, its benefits and its earnings potential.
“Is It Legal”
Barry asked the ethics commission if the county commission could vote on a settlement plan that would allow payments to him, other commissioners and other county employees that were not told about the annuity plan by the county’s human resources department. The ethics commission agreed that the county commission could vote on paying lost earnings from the 401(a) plan to impacted commissioners and county employees.
That payout could total as much as $1.9 million, including just over $225,000 each for Barry and Commissioner Lumon May.
“I want to be supportive. It’s a hell of a lot of money,” Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said. “I’m angry that folks weren’t told about it. It’s not right … I’ve got to know that it’s legal, but I don’t have a warm and fuzzy that it is.”
Bergosh said, “I just have to ask the attorney, is this legal?”
County Attorney Alison Rogers will provide her own legal opinion to the board at a future date, along with at least one more legal opinion. Rogers is eligible to participate in the annuity program, but she has given notice to that board that she won’t transfer to a 401(a) plan or accept back payment.
Barry said he understands Bergosh’s request for definitive answers on the legality of the 401(a) settlement.
“I appreciate the support of the majority of my colleagues tonight. I am certainly interested in moving forward with the discussion toward fairness and equity we had this evening, but I absolutely support Commissioner Bergosh’s idea of having definitive determination about the legality of any resolution coming to the board,” Barry told NorthEscambia.com after Thursday night’s meeting.
“I Hold The Checkbook For This County”
“I answer to Gov. DeSantis, and I answer to the people,” Clerk and Comptroller of Escambia County Pam Childers said after the commission discussion. “I am really go to have to look at this closely. I am not comfortable at this time to back-fund the pension for the commission or the employees.
“At this time, I am not comfortable with it, and I hold the checkbook for this county,” Childers concluded.
Tate High School Names The Top Of The Class Of 2021
June 4, 2021
Tate High School has named their honors graduates for the Class of 2021.
Valedictorian is Katelyn Michelle Loudonk (pictured left) and salutatorians are Maggie Ruth Brown (pictured top right) and Michael Robert Dixon (pictured bottom right). Brown and Dixon tied with the exact same final GPA.
The Top 10% honors graduates are as follows:
1. Katelyn Michelle Loudon
2. Maggie Ruth Brown
2. Michael Robert Dixon
4. Quang Tam Vo
5. John Thomas Semple
6. Kobi Seth Menser
7. Morgan Kelly Anderson
8. Jonathan David French
9. Haley Grace Vranich
10. Brianna Marie Deason
11. Bailey Nicole Jenkins
12. Jackson Cecil Chatwood
13. Brentley Marie Garrett
14. Evelyn Campbell
15. Bristol Denae Kelley
16. Gwenivier Elise Ward
17. Staci Marie Saucier
18. Samantha Guerrier
19. Joseph Pusateri
20. Eva Marie Miller
21. Abigail Breanne West
22. Maddison D’Rea Dorion
23. Courtney Ryan Adams
24. Jessica Jean Conti
25. Allison Suzanne Jefferis
26. Adam Cooper Lee
27. Nicholas Chase Walsh
28. Mia M Brown
29. Jonathan Evan Chisolm
30. Joanna Jiang
31. Kiera Jolie Goodyear
32. Kendall Jordyn Blackmon
33. Jacob Ryan Hutto
34. Aaron Stephen Neshem
35. Jacob Heath Greeson
36. Jacob Lawson Chatwood
37. Sidney Claire Stojak
38. Chandler Gray Hastings
39. Lindsey Carole Morris
40. Tayler Lynn Bridges
41. Layah Denae Seals
42. Matthew William Luebke
43. Cristian Alexander Bates
44. Jordan Tyler Jarman
45. Emily Rene’ Johnson
46. Natalee Ann Stuart
47. Armonie Michele Hughes Nettles
48. Ethan Daniel Middleton
Commission Votes To Put County Administrator Gilley’s Employment Contract On The Table For Discussion
June 4, 2021
The Escambia County Commission vote unanimously Thursday night to discuss their employment contract with County Administrator Janice Gilley.
Gilley is about two years into a three year employment contract that expires on June 30, 2022, unless it is terminated or extended by a commission vote.
The affirmative vote on Commissioner Steven Barry’s motion places the contract discussion on the board’s June 17 meeting, providing Gilley with the required notice.
“There’s never a bad time to talk about these things among ourselves,” Commissioner Doug Underhill said.
“In the contact, it does state that there is a review annually, and we are coming up on that time,” Commissioner Robert Bender noted.
Due to the pandemic, there was no public job performance review for Gilley in 2019, but commissioners did hold one-on-one discussions with her.
Walnut Hill Woman Accused Of Biting, Hitting Her 74-Year Old Father
June 4, 2021
A Walnut Hill woman is charged with hitting and biting her 74-year old father.
Brandy Godwin Ramer, 43 was charged with one count of felony battery on a person 65 years of age or older, felony larceny on a victim age 65 or older and violation of a court order.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the father has an active domestic violence injunction against Ramer, but he had allowed her to live at his residence. She became irate and trashed the house before grabbing and kicking him before biting his hand, an arrest report states. The victim left home and returned to find his phone missing.
Deputies noted the father had a small laceration to his elbow and nose, along with bruising on his arm and what appeared to be a bite mark on his right hand. He refused EMS.