Business Tax Receipt Renewal Deadline Approaching
September 25, 2020
Next Wednesday is the deadline for business owners to renew their Business Tax Receipt (BTR) with Escambia County.
Businesses can make online payments and print their renewed BTR at EscambiaTaxCollector.com.
“Paying and printing online is easy and secure, and there is no wait time,” said Lunsford. “By signing up for electronic notification, businesses can save additional time and money by being notified by email when their account is due.”
There is never an extra fee for online payments paid by eCheck. Businesses also can make payments by mail or through the drive-thru at one of three convenient offices.
Also, business owners are encouraged to take advantage of the installment plan for tangible personal property tax payments. By utilizing this plan, business owners with a tangible personal property tax bill of at least $100 can make four quarterly payments instead of one lump sum payment. Each quarterly bill will receive a different discount for early payment as prescribed by Florida Statutes. The quarterly payments are due by the last day of June, September, December and March. Applications for the 2021 tax year are being accepted now at EscambiaTaxCollector.com.
Lunsford said, “The installment program not only helps ease the financial burden on taxpayers by allowing them to spread out the payments, it also provides a discount for making payments on time.”
Need Help With Hurricane Cleanup? Here Are Some Important Phone Numbers
September 25, 2020
If you need help with Hurricane Sally debris cleanup, mucking, trap installation or mold remediation, there are a couple of options in Escambia County.
Residents can call Crisis Cleanup at (850) 451-1954 or Florida Baptist Disaster Relief at (904) 253-9924, according to Escambia County Emergency Management.
The Escambia County Information Line (850) 471-6600 from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. and 211 will also match residents with needed service agencies.
File photo.
Council On Aging Resumes Meals On Wheels, Feeding Sites
September 25, 2020
The Council on Aging of West Florida has resume its Meals on Wheels program, and feeding sites have resume operation.
Meals are served between 11 and 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, and seniors are asked to call (850) 432-1475 by noon the day before.
Feeding sites are:
- Cantonment Senior Center, 132 Mintz Lane
- Century Senior Center, 6025 Industrial Boulevard
- Beulah Senior Center, 7425 Woodside Rd.
- Bayview Senior Center, 2000 E Lloyd St.
- Cobb Center, 601 E Mallory St.
- Westwood Homes, 4400 Westover Ave.
- Westminster Retirement Village, Building #1: 1700 N. “L” Street; Building #2: 1951 W. Blount Street
Blue Angels Will Fly Over Pensacola Friday; Tribute To Resiliency Of Community
September 24, 2020
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will be flying over Pensacola starting at 8 a.m. Friday as a tribute to the people of Pensacola and the resiliency of the Pensacola community after Hurricane Sally.
“We hope this flight over Pensacola provides a touching display of appreciation for the thousands of Hurricane Sally first responders and the continued resolve of the people of this community,” said Cmdr. Brian Kesselring, U.S. Navy Blue Angels commanding officer and flight leader for the flyover. “We will get through this, just like we have so much this past year. We are all in this together.”
“I am very appreciative of the Blue Angels for this incredible show of support for the people of Pensacola as we begin the long recovery from Hurricane Sally,” Mayor Grover Robinson said. “This storm has impacted so many people in our community during a time when many of us were already facing challenging times, but I know we will recover. Pensacola is a strong, resilient community, and we will be even stronger once we get through this together.”
The Blue Angels flyover will include the following areas:
- Pensacola Beach
- Perdido Key
- Community Maritime Park
- Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola
- Areas surrounding Pensacola Fire Stations 1, 3 and 4
The Blue Angels will be visible from many locations throughout the Pensacola area and along this route.
The public is reminded to continue to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Pictured: The Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds during a flyover of downtown Pensacola in April 2020. NorthEscambia.com photos.
Major Disaster Declaration Issued For Escambia County, No Individual Assistance Yet
September 24, 2020
A major disaster declaration was issued by President Donald Trump Thursday morning for Escambia County following Hurricane Sally. It does not yet include any provision for individual or household assistance.
The declaration will provide funding for roads, bridges, public facilities, debris removal and other public damages. So far, Escambia County has recorded some $183 million in damage to public infrastructure.
Escambia County Administrator said Escambia County will continue to seek funding for individual and household assistance.
“We are not taking our foot off the gas in trying to get that,” Commissioner Robert Bender said.
““I’m pleased to announce that FEMA has approved our request for a major disaster declaration for Hurricane Sally,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “This declaration adds all categories of public assistance for Escambia County, providing critical federal support for the long-term rebuilding efforts of this area following the severe damage and flooding that Sally left in its wake. Northwest Floridians are resilient, and we will continue to work with our local and federal partners to ensure a full recovery from Hurricane Sally.”
Beginning Wednesday on NorthEscambia.com, Escambia County began to ask the public to submit damage photos and narratives in an effort to seek assistance. By Thursday morning, about 250 people had submitted their damage photos directly to the county to be used to advocate for help for individuals and households. Click or tap here to submit your damage photographs and information.
Nine Mile, Highway 29 Construction Projects Mostly Undamaged By Sally. Except Maybe All Those Orange Barrels.
September 24, 2020
Hurricane Sally certainly scattered orange barrels everywhere around the Nine Mile Road and the Highway 29 construction zones, but overall the Florida Department of Transportation says both projects faired well.
After the Category 2 hurricane passed, inspectors began assessing the corridor for possible damage, clearing the roadway, replacing traffic control devices and more. And replacing all those orange barrels.
Nine Mile Road
Initial assessments show that the Nine Mile Road construction zone between U.S. 29 and Surrey Drive received minimal damage, according to FDOT.
Over the next week to 10 days, crews will focus on restoring the project to pre-hurricane condition while the area dries out from more than 25 inches of rain brought by Hurricane Sally. Once the project is sufficiently dry, normal operations will resume with crews focusing on paving the new westbound lanes.
Highway 29
Inspections found that the project had minimal damage. Currently, crews are focusing efforts on restoring the project to pre-hurricane condition as the construction zones dry out.
Pictured: Construction on Nine Mile Road. NorthEscambia.com photo.
HS Football: Northview Plays Friday Night, Other Games Delayed To Saturday; Tickets Sold Online
September 24, 2020
All of the high school football games in Escambia County this week, except for Northview, have been moved to Saturday, and the district has announced that tickets will be sold online.
The Northview Chiefs will host Bonifay at 7 p.m. Friday in Bratt as originally scheduled.
On Saturday, Tate will be at Washington at 1 p.m., West Florida will be at Escambia at 2 p.m., and Pensacola Catholic will host Pine Forest at 7.p.m.
Escambia County schools will participate in state series competitions for all fall sports, including football, volleyball, cross country, golf and swimming.
“Coaches and athletes are participating in fall sports events with the understanding that all events which require overnight travel will be evaluated on a case by case basis,” said Escambia County Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
Tickets for sporting events will be available online through GoFan.co. Families of athletes, band members and cheerleaders, as well as faculty members, will have the opportunity to purchase tickets prior to the general public. If tickets are not sold out online, then a limited number of tickets may be sold at the gate.
A convenience fee may apply to tickets sold online.
Steps to enhance safety at all sporting events will mean operational changes, including extensive sanitation plans, with social distancing guidelines for athletes, cheerleaders, band members and spectators, according to the school district.
“COVID-19 safety guidelines will be followed, to include recommendation of social distancing and face coverings, with families, friends and fans encouraged to support the students and district efforts to promote safety,” Thomas said. “Schools are starting with 30% capacity and look forward to a time when event capacity can be increased.”
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Tarps Still Available For Residents Of Cantonment, Carver Park And Molino
September 24, 2020
Residents in Molino, Carver Park and Cantonment who need tarps can contact the Escambia County Citizen Information Line at (850) 471-6600 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m to put in a request.
Residents will be asked to provide their name, phone number and address to be contacted to schedule logistics while supplies last.
Updated 9/24/20 noon: All of the food and water that was available is now gone.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Cox Still Working To Restore Service; Cantonment Was One Of The Hardest Hit Areas
September 24, 2020
Cox Communications continues to work to restore service in Escambia County.
The large majority of customers that still don’t have service are located in Cantonment, Myrtle Grove and along Lillian Highway in Southwest Escambia County, Perdido Key and other small pockets where infrastructure was more heavily damaged and, in some cases, is not easily accessible.
Wednesday afternoon, Cox was on scene of the damaged fiber optic network areas and was expecting more customers to come online Wednesday night as those repairs were made.
“Due to the impact of Hurricane Sally, we are experiencing delays in our typical time to restore services and that is causing errors in our outage restoration messaging through the Cox app and text alert system. Our crews are working extremely hard to restore services by the end of the week. Some of the harder hit areas may take longer for restoration projects to be completed,” Cox said in a statement.
“We appreciate how much our customers have been through in the last week,” said Anthony Pope, senior vice president and region manager of Cox Southeast. “We want our storm-impacted customers to be able to focus on their recovery and not their Cox bills. So, we are providing various forms of assistance, including credits for service disruptions.”
Flomaton Man Charged With DUI After Crash That Caused Gas Leak
September 24, 2020
A Flomaton man was arrested on a DUI charge after a traffic crash near Century that caused a gas leak.
Larry Eugene Salter, age 61, lost control of his vehicle and ran off Carnley Road about 5:15 Sunday afternoon. Firefighters were able to contain the gas leak shortly after their arrival; there were no other injuries reported.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper and Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy were able to smell alcohol on Salter’s breath, according to an arrest report. The trooper also noted Salter stumbled and swayed on the scene and during a field sobriety test that was conducted in the parking lot of the Whataburger in Century.
Breath tests conducted after Salter was transported to jail showed his alcohol level at .139 and .140. The legal limit in Florida is .08.
Salter was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $1,000 bond