Century Council Forced To Cancel Meeting After Zoom Calls Fail
September 9, 2020
The Century Town Council was forced to cancel their regular meeting Tuesday night because their virtual software was not allowing telephone connections.
During the pandemic, and executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis has allowed governmental bodies to meet virtually. The Century council switched to Zoom in July for meetings, and everything has worked almost flawlessly since.
While most people think of Zoom as a video conferencing service, there are plan options that allow users to join meeting audio by making an ordinary telephone call. Council members and the public have mostly joined the meetings by telephone, with only just a few using the Zoom app or website. The council has not been broadcasting video.
Tuesday night, callers were met with a message that telephone service was not available for the Century council zoom meeting. It was not immediately known if that was a Zoom technical glitch, or Century’s account was no longer configured or if the fee was properly paid for the “Zoom Phone” options.
The only participants to join the meeting via the Zoom app Tuesday night were the mayor, the interim city manager and an administrative clerk that were physically at town hall, council member James Smith and NorthEscambia.com. The other council members and public all apparently tried to use the telephone method and that failed.
Due to the failure, the meeting was canceled. It is expected to be rescheduled.
ECSO Seeks Beulah Area Vehicle Burglary Suspects
September 9, 2020
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for three individuals caught on surveillance video near the scene of several vehicle burglaries.
The burglaries happened early Tuesday morning, September 8 on Blackhorse Circle north of Mobile Highway, not far from the area of Beulah Elementary School.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Need Work? Re-Employ Escarosa Job Fair Will Be Thursday
September 9, 2020
Looking for work? Dozens of businesses will take part in a virtual job fair this week.
The Re-Employ Escarosa event will take place on Thursday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The employers will be on hand to meet virtually with potential employees.
You can pre-register, view participating employers and see a list of a available jobs by clicking or tapping here.
CareerSource Escarosa partnered with FloridaWest, The Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, The Gulf Coast Minority Chamber, Studer Community Institute, Pensacola Young Professionals, and Fleet and Family Support Center to host the event.
Tate, PHS Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
September 9, 2020
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has named semifinalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring.
Local students named National Merit semifinalists are Michael R. Dixon and John T. Semple from Tate High School; and Sydney Dodson, Calla Endacott, Kendall Frazee, Owen Ides, Maxanthony Mateer, Alyssa Pascoe, George Prettyman, Mai Tran, Ashley Wu and Amy Zhang from Pensacola High School.
Gulf Of Mexico Offshore Drilling Protection Extended
September 9, 2020
Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced he is extending the Prohibition of Offshore Drilling in the Eastern Gulf that was set to expire soon. Trump’s extension comes days after Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson sent a letter to the president requesting an extension explaining how critical this prohibition is to the culture, economy, and way of life in Northwest Florida.
“Whether the tourism that services visitors from across the nation or the military bases that protect us all, the people of Pensacola and Northwest Florida are connected to the Gulf of Mexico for our way of life and the continued exclusion of drilling,” said Mayor Robinson. “Florida’s economy and culture are again dependent, both for the military and tourism, on the extension of the current drilling prohibition.”
In this speech in Jupiter, Florida, Trump credited Pensacola and its support for the extension, saying, “As long as I am President of the United States, we will conserve this wondrous national inheritance. From Key West to Key Biscayne, from Tampa to Tallahassee, from the Pensacola — beautiful Pensacola. I love Pensacola. I think it was 97 percent; that’s one of the reasons I like them. (Laughter.) They said, “How’d you do in Pensal- — Pensacola?” I said, “Was that — maybe 95, 97?” Right up there, so that helps. It’s amazing how that can help, isn’t it? Right here to Jupiter, which I know very well. And we’ll preserve this glorious land for our children, for our grandchildren, and for every generation of American to come.”
Pictured: President Donald Trump mentions “beautiful Pensacola” during a speech in Jupiter, Florida, on Tuesday.
FDOT Studies Widening Nine Mile To Six Lanes, But Four Lanes Aren’t Done. Escambia Commissioner Questions Why.
September 8, 2020
The $46 million four laning of Nine Mile Road won’t be completed until late spring next year, but the Florida Department of Transportation already has a study underway to consider widening it again to six lanes from Pine Forest Road to Mobile Highway.
An Escambia County commissioner wants to know why it’s taken so long to complete four lanes and why six lanes are under consideration.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“Why the hell is the current project so badly over-budget and behind schedule? That is the question residents I represent want to know,” Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh wrote on his blog Monday, saying he plans to address Nine Mile Road during a Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization meeting this week.
“….this project is tracking to be nearly 24 months behind schedule—residents that I represent want to know why this FDOT project is not a 24 hour a day, weekends and nights, priority for completion? I want to know this too, so I will be asking this question SPECIFICALLY at the TPO meeting we will be having this Wednesday,” Bergosh continued.
“So with this as the backdrop—why are we even talking about making 6-lanes on this road NOW?? Who is pushing this? Did an outlandish, expensive ($74 million), and inefficient “special interest” idea get laughed out of a room full of Tallahassee deciders a few months back, and is this the “new” project this special interest group now is pushing? Gosh I hope this is not the new “we gotta have this” project because there are MUCH MORE important projects that need to come first that will have greater impact on the issues out here than talking about 6-Lanes through Beulah,” the District 1 commissioner wrote.
Bergosh said FDOT needs to address other issues before six laning Nine Mile, beginning with fixing I-10 and the Pine Forest Road exit to two lanes now and add a dedicated turn lane on westbound I-10 because vehicles are currently stacking up on the shoulder of the interstate for about a mile.
He said FDOT needs to get to work on the Beulah Interchange project. “If you pull HALF the Beulah traffic off of 9-Mile Road north to Isaacs lane and what will eventually be our interchange there—-this lightens the traffic load on the heavily-congested portion of 9-Mile Road through Beulah on 9-Mile Road in front of NFCU. Hello?!? Duh??”
And there’s one more thing, Bergosh wrote. The capitalization is his…”FDOT, for the love of God, MAKE YOUR CONTRACTOR FINISH THIS CURRENT 4-LANE PROJECT IN BEULAH BETWEEN EXIT 5 AND MOBILE HWY. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH WITH THREE DAY NO WORK WEEKENDS AND LAME EXCUSES WHEN THIS PROJECT IS TRACKING 24 MONTHS BEHIND!!!”
As NorthEscambia.com first reported last week, the Florida Department of Transportation has credited a virtual update on the Nine Mile six lane study. The virtual project update, interactive map, virtual tour and a comment form are available by clicking or tapping here. The deadline to submit comments is October 15.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: A look at the construction on Nine Mile Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
First Day Of Practice, Less Than Two Weeks Before Football Season Opener
September 8, 2020
Labor Day Monday was the first day of high school football practice for the Northview Chiefs and the Tate Aggies– less than two weeks before the start of a pandemic-shortened season.
The first games of an eight contest schedule will be played the night of Friday, September 18.
The 2020 schedules for the Tate High School Aggies and the Northview High School Chiefs are below.
TATE HIGH SCHOOL AGGIES
- Sept. 18 vs. Pine Forest
- Sept. 25 at Washington
- Oct. 2 at Pensacola
- Oct. 9 vs. Pace
- Oct 16 vs. Escambia
- Oct. 23 at West Florida
- Oct. 30 vs. Pensacola Catholic
- Nov. 6 at Gulf Breeze
NORTHVIEW HIGH SCHOOL CHIEFS
- Sept. 18 at Baker
- Sept. 25 vs. Holmes County (*Senior Night)
- Oct. 2 at Escambia Academy (AL)
- Oct. 9 at Walton
- Oct. 16 vs. South Walton
- Oct. 23 at Jay
- Oct. 30 vs. Chipley (*Homecoming)
- Nov. 6 vs. Jay
Pictured: The seniors of the Northview High School Chiefs 2020 football team. Pictured below: The first day of practice for the Chiefs. Photos: Northview QB Club for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Gas Prices Reach Six Month Highs
September 8, 2020
Florida gas prices jumped 13 cents early last week. Drivers are now paying the highest price for gasoline since March.
Florida drivers are now feeling the effects of Hurricane Laura, which made landfall in Louisiana nearly two weeks ago,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Wholesale prices shot up, because the storm affected refineries in the region. It took several days, but retailers eventually raised retail prices as a result of the added cost.”
Despite the recent price hike, drivers found the lowest Labor Day gas prices in 16 years. Monday’s state average of $2.19 per gallon is 12 cents more than last week and 5 cents more than last month. Still, pump prices remain 24 cents per gallon less than this time last year.
The lowest price in North Escambia was $2.12 at a station on Muscogee Road Monday night, while a couple of warehouse clubs were at $1.95 in Pensacola.
“Florida gas prices should begin to trickle down this week,” Jenkins continued. “Labor Day traditionally marks the last big travel weekend of the summer, which leads to lower gasoline demand during the fall. However, demand was already unseasonably low this summer, due to the pandemic. While pump prices should remain low, it’s possible that some volatility continues in the coming months.”
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Crews Return After Helping To Restore Power Following Hurricane Laura
September 8, 2020
Gulf Power crews returned home safely Sunday from Louisiana after restoring power to thousands of customers who were left in the dark following Hurricane Laura. Gulf Power sent nearly 80 lineworkers and support personnel, along with 100 contractors, to help Entergy restore electric service and aid in recovery efforts following the storm that knocked out power to thousands of customers in Louisiana.
Crews worked 16-hour days in hot, humid conditions to restore power in the Columbia, La., area, located south of Monroe in the northern part of the state. A smaller leadership team of Gulf Power employees remain in the hard-hit area of Lake Charles in the southern part of the state assisting with restoration. Gulf Power’s sister company, Florida Power & Light, remains in Louisiana to assist Entergy with rebuilding its grid.
“It’s been an incredibly busy season of storm restoration across our country and we understand how difficult it is for customers to be without power – especially in the midst of the pandemic,” said Gulf Power President Marlene Santos. “I am so proud of our men and women for leaving their families to help other communities during a time of need. Our crews have experience in restoring power and so we’re glad to assist others, especially after they helped us following Hurricane Michael.”
Before making the decision to send help, Gulf Power makes sure its customers are taken care of and that no other storms are on the immediate horizon.
Providing mutual assistance after natural disasters is a hallmark of the energy industry. Gulf Power has already made four storm restoration trips this year. In August alone, Gulf Power crews assisted FPL and then traveled to New Jersey to assist a utility there following Hurricane Isaias.
Labor Day By The Numbers: Increasing Unemployment In Escambia County
September 7, 2020
Here’s a look at the latest pandemic employment numbers for Escambia County.
The most recent numbers from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity were released in late August and included employment statistics through the end of July.
The unemployment rate in Escambia County was 9.2% in July, up from 7.9% in June. That represents 13,167 people out of work out of a county workforce of 142,520. One year ago, Escambia County’s unemployment rate was just 3.5%, or 5,126 people.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced the Pensacola area private-sector employment decreased by 7,100 jobs (-4.5%) over the year. The industry losing the most jobs over the year was leisure and hospitality (-3,100 jobs). Construction was the only major industry that gained jobs over the year in July 2020 (+100 jobs).
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 11.3 percent in July 2020, up 1.0 percentage point from the revised June 2020 rate, and up 8.2 percentage points from a year ago. There were 1,125,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 9,975,000.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in July.