Escambia Closes Applications For Rent, Mortgage Assistance A Week Earlier Than Planned
September 5, 2020
Applications closed Friday, a week earlier than planned, for the Escambia County CARES Act rent, mortgage and utility assistance program.
The program made $813,451 available on Tuesday to assist eligible applicants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with up to $3,000 for each family. In the first day, over 600 applications were received, and by Thursday that number was around 900.
The county decided to close the application period early because the funds are likely exhausted due to the overwhelming response. The maximum assistance for those that qualify will be $3,000 per household and will be paid directly to the landlord, mortgage or utility company.
About two hundred of those that applied will be immediately deemed ineligible because they indicated that they had not lost income due to the pandemic. All applicants will be notified by county staff regarding their eligibility in the coming days.
A larger county assistance program is forthcoming, but applications details have not been announced.
FDOT Virtual Update: Nine Mile Road Study From Pine Forest To Mobile Highway
September 4, 2020
The Florida Department of Transportation has released a virtual update on a study about Nine Mile Road from Pine Forest Road to Mobile Highway.
The study considers alternatives for widening and improvements along the 5.8 mile stretch of Nine Mile Road. The projects addresses current and future capacity issues on Nine Mile Road and Pine Forest Road due to the expansion of Navy Federal Credit Union and other development projects.
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.
Pictured: A virtual rendering of Nine Mile Road at Heritage Oaks Boulevard (above) and Beulah Road (below). Courtesy FDOT for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Attorney General Recovers More Than $1 Million From COVID-19 Scams, Purchases
September 4, 2020
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has announced that her office has recovered more than $1 million in recoveries from COVID-19 related purchases, cancellations and scams.
Florida remains under a state of emergency due to the spread of the novel coronavirus and the state’s Price Gouging Hotline remains active for consumers to file complaints related to price increases on essential commodities needed to help prevent the spread of the virus.
In addition to securing more than $1 million for consumers since activating Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline, the Florida Attorney General’s Office:
- Received approximately 5,100 consumer contacts about the price of essential commodities;
- Made more than 9,500 referrals and contacts to merchants about allegations of price gouging, refunds and scams;
- Issued 92 subpoenas to further price gouging investigations; and
- Worked with online platforms to deactivate 250 posts offering items for outrageous prices.
Violators of the price gouging statute are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation, up to a total of $25,000 for multiple violations committed in a single 24-hour period and additional penalties for violations of other applicable laws.
For a list of the commodities covered under the state’s price gouging laws during the COVID-19 state of emergency, click here.
Price gouging can be reported by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.
“While I am extraordinarily proud of our Rapid Response Team recovering more than $1 million for consumers, our efforts are far from over. We continue to pursue allegations of extreme price increases and other COVID-19 related scams and unfair business practices, and I remain committed to doing everything under the authority of this office to stop those trying to exploit this crisis by taking advantage of Floridians,” Moody said.
Federal Court Ruling Clears The Way For Removal Of Pensacola Confederate Monument
September 4, 2020
A federal court ruling will allow the City of Pensacola to remove the Confederate Monument from what was known as Lee Square on Palafox Street.
A lawsuit was tossed by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers found the lawsuit seeking to stop the removal lacked legal standing. The lawsuit was filed byT he Ladies Memorial Association, the Stephen Mallory Camp 1315 Sons of Confederate Veterans, Veterans Monuments of America and Save Our Southern Heritage Florida Chapter.
The suit was filed after the Pensacola City Council voted in July to remove the 129-year old monument. The council also voted to revert the name Lee Square back to its original name of Florida Square. Old maps show Florida Square was the original name of the parcel on North Palafox Street one block south of East Cervantes.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Alabama To Build Three Mega Prisons, One Near Atmore; Will Create 2,800 Local Construction Jobs
September 4, 2020
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has announced plans to build to three new mega-prisons in Alabama, and one of those will be near Atmore.
The Atmore site is proposed near Bell Fork Road — which runs between Highway 21 north of Atmore and Robinsonville Road. But the statement “near Bell Fork Road” does not rule out that it could be located on Highway 21, and local officials have said it will be located off Highway 21 near the RiverCane development. We reached out to the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) in an attempt to pinpoint a more exact location.
“The ADOC intends to enter into confidential negotiations with CoreCivic to build Facility Three with a proposed site near Bell Fork Road in Escambia County,” Samantha Rose, public information specialist for the ADOC, told NorthEscambia.com. “As the procurement process has now entered into a confidential negotiation period to ensure and secure the best possible value for the State, we cannot disclose additional details regarding the proposed site in Escambia County at this time.”
The ADOC anticipates construction to begin in early 2021, and they said that will mean about 2,800 construction jobs in Escambia County. Two other mega-prisons will be built in Alabama in Bibb County and Elmore County.
Some of the current prisons in the state will be closed as inmates are moved to other facilities. That announcement will come at a later date.
The prisons will be built by private companies and leased back to the state, which will operate them.
Pictured: Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Magnitude 3.8 Earthquake Strikes Near The Florida/Alabama Line
September 3, 2020
The U.S. Geological Survey is confirming a magnitude 3.8 earthquake near the Florida/Alabama line Thursday morning. The earthquake was initially reported by USGS as a 4.0, but that was revised after additional data was analyzed.
The earthquake was centered near Pollard, Alabama, shortly after 10 a.m. That’s about three miles north of Jay or six miles east-northeast of Century.
NorthEscambia.com received hundreds of reports of the ground shaking and even motion of walls and other objects inside buildings from across the area. Most of the reports were in the areas of Century, Flomaton and Jay, but extended outward to Pensacola, Cantonment and Brewton. Many people reported a secondary but weaker shaking, but that has not yet been confirmed.
Escambia County Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore said Engine 519 from the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue surveyed the Century area but did not find any damage.
Jay High School reported that students were safe. The quake was felt at the school, but there were no injuries and so far no damage found.
According to the USGS, damage is not expected from a magnitude 4.0 earthquake.
There was a series of earthquakes in vicinity from March 6 to April 17 in 2019 ranging from magnitude 1.8 to magnitude 2.8. In 1997, a magnitude 4.9 earthquake occurred in the area.
This story will be updated with any additional information.
In the graphic below, you can see the earthquake as recorded in real time by a seismic monitoring station in Brewton.
Amid Investigation, Former Gulf Breeze Mayor Retiring From CTA. Here’s Why CTA Matters A Lot To Century.
September 3, 2020
The former mayor of Gulf Breeze is retiring amid a state investigation, but he says it has no connection to the Capital Trust Agency (CTA).
CTA benefits Century financially in a big way.
The Gulf Breeze Police Department received a complaint that was referred to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. In August, FDLE raided the home of Ed Gray, who was employed by the City of Gulf Breeze as executive director of the Capital Trust Agency. Two days later, he placed himself on leave and has now announced his retirement from CTA.
“It’s known I have been the subject of an investigation regarding accusations made which have no connection with affairs of the city of capital trust agency,” Gray said in his retirement letter. “There is no escaping such a matter becomes a distraction to performing my duties.”
Capital Trust Agency has provided the tax-exempt financing about $2 billion worth of projects, including affordable housing projects, airport facilities, hotel and convention developments promoting tourism, health care projects, and K-12 educational buildings across Florida and beyond.
It’s a role that has provided significant income for Century.
Century has received over $1 million dollars in fees since signing on to CTA, and balancing the town’s draft budget for the next fiscal year relies on the anticipation of least $115,000 in fees from CTA. That’s over 10% of the town’s total budget.
On the surface it might seem unlikely that Century, one of the poorest small cities in the state, could play a part in the financing of dozens of multi-million projects including the Community Maritime Park in Pensacola, $439 million in hotel and convention centers for the Seminole Nation, airport cargo terminals, schools and apartment complexes.
The approvals were granted by Century and Gulf Breeze as members of the Capital Trust Agency, an independent public body for the purpose of financing or otherwise accomplishing development programs. Century entered into the Capital Trust Agency with Gulf Breeze in 1999 with Century essentially serving as the “second signature” for CTA, certifying that the projects meet a public purpose under IRS rules and regulations.
The CTA is structured in such a way to indemnify Century from any financial risk, whether it be from a company that defaults on repayment or any other legal liabilities, according to Michael Stebbins, CTA attorney. The funds used for the bonds are from the CTA’s funds, not from Century or Gulf Breeze.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Continue To Decline In Escambia County
September 3, 2020
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Escambia County are continuing to decline.
As of Wednesday, there were 107 patients current hospitalized for COVID-19 in Escambia County. It is first time since July 3 the number has been below 110. Once month ago, the hospitalization number was 217.
Click graphic to enlarge.
Source: City of Pensacola.
Century Man Charged With Battery Of His Wife
September 3, 2020
A Century man was arrested after allegedly pushing and hitting his wife, who is the mother of his child, multiple times in the head and forcefully taking her phone.
Alexander Hayes, 23, was charged with with battery and felony robbery following the incident.
Hayes and his wife were living apart, but he went to her residence to look for his clothes and a cell phone cover that contained his identification and credit cards. As she attempted to walk out of the residence, Hayes closed the front door and hit her approximately nine times on the side of her head with an open hand, according to and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report. He then pushed her into a chair and struck her in the head about five more times before snatching her iPhone, the report continues.
The Sheriff’s Office said the victim suffered injuries to her head and neck.
Hayes was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $10,000 bond.
Grandma Presses Charges Against McDavid Man For Stealing Her Pickup Truck
September 3, 2020
A McDavid man’s grandmother pressed charges after he allegedly hotwired and stole her her pickup truck.
Jimmy Lavon Wiggins, 22, was charged with with felony grand theft of a motor vehicle and remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday morning with bond set at $4,000.
His grandmother told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that Wiggins had to hotwire the 1993 Chevrolet pickup truck in her yard on Perdue Road because she had the only keys. She said she reached Wiggins by phone and tried to get him to leave the truck somewhere for her to pick it up, or he could bring it back.
According to an arrest report, the woman told deputies that Wiggins is “constantly stealing things to get money to buy drugs”.