Update on Timeline for Construction of New Beulah Fire Station

The glacially slow process of building the new fire station in Beulah has consumed the first five full years of my time on the Board of County Commissioners.

But we're finally on the brink of moving this project forward.

Property has been acquired (took 3 years), design funded, and construction is funded.  Now, all that is left is getting this project out to bid.  According to staff, we are looking at a May groundbreaking.  Below is the tentative schedule for this project based on Building Inspections being able to review and comment on the plans within 30 days and Purchasing having out for bids within 14 days.

• DRC Review Completed and submitted to Building Inspections for their review                    - Jan 19, 2022
• Building Inspections review completed                                                                                             - Feb 18, 2022
• Submit to Purchasing                                                                                                                              - Feb 21, 2022
• Purchasing advertise                                                                                                                              - Mar 8, 2022
• Open Bids                                                                                                                                                  -  Apr 8, 2022
• Take to Board                                                                                                                                           - Apr 21, 2022
• Date of Commencement and Ground Breaking                                                                               - May 5, 2022
• Completion                                                                                                                                               - Jun 30, 2023

 

The Process Works

ECAT Employee and Union President Michael Lowery's termination has been overturned by an arbitratror.

The process works.

It isn't always pretty, it certainly isn't perfect, and it definitely isn't timely--- but it works.

The process of employee discipline, together with rules, ordinances, state and federal law-- combined with processes and procedures outlined in collective bargaining agreements for covered employees to appeal such discipline---- can all blend together and become opaque and circuitous.

Case in point:  Mike Lowery.

He was terminated by administration many, many months ago and he has fought this termination ever since.  Through various stages of appeals--he has stayed the course.

Now--whether or not we believe he was right or wrong--the arbitrator has spoken--and he will be reinstated.

From an evening email received by the board yesterday:

Commissioners,

 Please be aware the Arbitrator in the Lowery matter concluded there was just cause to discipline, but due to the lack of previous/progressive discipline, the termination was reduced to a 3-day suspension without pay.  Lowery must be reinstated and made whole for lost wages/benefits.  The Arbitrator will retain jurisdiction for 60 days for implementation of the remedy.

 Current ECAT management and HR are aware.  Please don’t reply all.

 Alison 

We're Getting Worked....Literally....to the Tune of $12,240.00 Daily

The State's prison transport buses leaving our jail and heading to the State's prisons have apparently been running empty as we currently supervise, some for long periods of time, 136 convicts that the State has not yet allowed us to transfer.......for $0 compensation......

$12,240.00 per day.  That's how much taxpayers of Escambia County are paying (based upon an estimated total cost of incarceration, daily, for a prisoner in our jail) to house prisoners who have already been adjudicated, convicted, and sentenced to serve at least one year + in state prison.

We are paying this cost because currently we have 136 inmates in our jail that are awaiting transport to state prison.  So we keep footing the bill until they are transported.

And oh, by the way, the state of Florida does not give us one thin dime in compensation/restitution for these extended stays in our jail.  Not for housing, supervision, consumables, or medical costs associated with the supervision of such individuals. Nada, zilch, zero.  Not a penny.

By contrast--Federal inmates housed in local facilities generate as much as $100 daily for the institution PLUS complete reimbursement for medical costs incurred by such facilities by the holding of said Federal Prisoners.

So why does the state not compensate local counties for these costs like the Federal Government does?  Why does the state foist their responsibilities on counties?

THE CATALYST

Recently, a local Circuit Judge looked into the carrying-out of the sentence of an individual which this Judge had imposed-- to ascertain whether or not it was being carried out as ordered.

Come to find out--this particular inmate has been in our jail since the sentencing in October--even though this individual had been sentenced to 4 years in State Prison.

Why?  was the question asked.  It's a question that I'd like to know the answer to as well. 

Because Judges are quite deliberate in their sentences.  

Sometimes, it is a sentence of one year and one day specifically so such an individual will go to state prison.  Sometimes it is because such an individual has committed so many infractions, over and over, repetetively, that a bus ride to a state facility for the minimal period allowed is precisely what a Judge has in mind.  

But most times, it is because such an offender has committed and been convicted of  a serious crime.

"If it is a minor drug offense, even crack cocaine in small amounts under the weight which would indicate trafficing--those inmates will never see state prison for that offense.  Heck, they probably won't even be sentenced to county jail for that infraction--they'll get probation." said one individual with whom I spoke who is intimately familiar with the criminal justice system locally.  

"The state has closed a couple of facilities down south and they have major issues with staffing, just like we do locally, so they are moving very slowly on the transfers of inmates out of local jails." said an individual with whom I spoke who is intimately familiar with the operations of our jail locally.  "We are starting to see some better movement by the state, and we are getting these transfers accomplished but it is not as quickly as we would like.  We typically transfer out the most aggressive, violent, and longest-sentenced prisoners first--because those are the prisoners who are the most difficult to deal with."  This individual stated.

The Board of County Commissioners have collectively already made getting jail medical costs under control by asking the legislature to work toward a more equitable, legilsative solution for us to be able to recoup high-dollar medical costs from Medicare and Medicade where this would be applicable.  But now that I see the amount of local tax dollars we are expending to help alleviate the state's prion staffing and occupancy challenges--I believe we need to add some sort of reimbursement issue to this ask as well.  There is no free lunch, and the State should pay us for these costs if they can't take their prisoners in a timely fashion.  We all know there is no free lunch----but right now we are getting our lunches handed to us by the state.  We're getting worked---and we need to get this righted.

I'll be looking to discuss this at an upcoming meeting.  I'll also be discussing it with our delegation members. 

What is the Current Status of the Opening of Beach Access #4 at Perdido Key?

I had the opportunity recently to drive through areas of the new District 1 over the weekend, including Innerarity Point and Perdido Key,  and one of the things that stood out to me was just how close we are to completing Beach Access #4.  Significant progress is being made at this, Escambia County and District 1's newest public Gulf-Front access point on Perdido Key.  

Work has been ongoing to level the surface and pour the concrete for the entry and the parking surfaces, which has now been substantially completed and is currently in the process of curing.  Additionally, a large portion of the fomer slab is being returned to nature with the addition of sand and native plants.

According to staff with whom I have spoken recently---this has been the biggest part of the job.  Once cured fully, crews will line the spots, add curbs and the walkover along with signage and split rail fencing.

"We should be functionally open by March 1st" was what I was told.

I can't wait, nor can many others who have been waiting for this for going on 8 years.  It has taken far too long for many reasons--but we are almost at the finish line.

I intend to have a ribbon cutting ceremony once we officially open this access point and it will be a great additional amenity for all of the west side of Escambia County and for District 1 and District 2 citizens!

Monthly Jail Stats Report(s) Begin......

 Escambia County will begin putting out a monthly report that delineates the stats from our Jail.  This was announced via an email to the board from Debbie Bowers late last week.  From her email to the board:

"We decided that monthly statistics may be the best approach to give you significant information related to the Corrections Department operations.  Please find attached the first one; going forward, we will try to issue the report before the second Tuesday of each month."

See our first report, reflecting data from November of 2021, below.

What Penalty Will be Faced by the Inmate that Attacked our Corrections Officer?

Interrupted "Gunning" in the shower leads to a violent attack on an employee--now what happens to this inmate?  What additional time will this individual face for beating up an officer, sending him to the hospital?

What will happen to the inmate in our jail that attacked and beat our employee, the jail corrections officer?  That is a question I pondered when I heard about the horrific event that happened last week at the jail.  After the news reports on the incident--I'm sure even more are wondering about this.

Apparently, the officer was following standard procedure as a nurse was about to enter the spaces--the showers are cleared of inmates prior to the entrance of the nurses---for everyone's benefit, comfort, and safety.

One inmate, apparently, "wasn't finished" and refused to leave the shower.  According to some who are familiar with what occurred, this particular inmate was "gunning" (masturbating in the open shower area) and didn't want to leave.  Apparently he was hoping to get a glimpse of the nurse and to also potentially have the chance to expose his genetalia to the nurse.

This incident took place in an area of low level offenders, and so having the one officer clear the shower was not an unusual practice-according to what I have learned. (i.e. in areas of more serious offenders, two officers would clear the shower) But although this particular inmate didn't appear to have violent offenses on his rap sheet--many believe that a majority of these "nonviolent" offenders still may have the propensity for violence and may actually have histories of violence for which charges have not been proven in court.  Regardless--the officer was following protocol, so far as I've been told.

When asked to leave the area and finish his "shower", a verbal altercation took place and the inmate refused to comply.  Upon being given reiterated commands by the officer to leave the shower area, the inmate attacked the officer before he could radio for assistance, punching him repeatedly and throwing him across the shower area and continuing to rain down blows on the officer who by this point was in a defensive posture.

. 

According to a source, the officer followed his training and was able to successfully deploy his pepper spray which sent the inmate reeling-- looking for a towel to wipe it from his eyes.  And as the inmate was wiping the spray from his eyes, additional officers converged on the scene and the prisoner was restrained. 

So I asked someone that would know what the sentence might be for an incarcerated individual who attacks a corrections officer--sending such an officer to the hospital.  I'm told it depends on multiple factors, most important of which are the severity of the officer's injuries resulting from the battery.  If a battery on a law enforcement officer is the charge by the State Attorney--then the maximum penalty is 5 years, as this would be a 3rd degree Felony.  If the injuries are severe, disfiguring, and or resulted in

Ivermectin in Pensacola Hospitals for COVID-19 Patients? Not Happening Anymore

As I discussed in this post, I have received information that patients in at least one of our "big 3" local hosptials were, in fact, receiving Ivermectin as a part of their treatment plan (s) for COVID-19.  The information I received was from May of 2021.

Yesterday, that information was confirmed by a member of that hospital's staff.  

I found the cognitive dissonance of this to be astonishing.  

Remember--EVERYONE in the mainstream wants you to believe Ivermectin is an unsafe "Horse De-Wormer" as they simultaneously warn you with a serious looking face about all the reports to poison control hotlines about people overdosing on horse dewormer!  --But they neglect to mention that the pill form of Ivermectin for humans is among the safest, most widely prescribed medication in the world--and that the lion's share of the overdosing is due to folks inappropriately measuring the animal paste Ivermectin and taking this veterinary formulation of this product.  (Some doctors are actually being investigated in some parts of the country for dispensing Ivermectin for thousands of COVID-19 patients--even when such patients improve and none die!)

I've also heard anecdotally that another member of the same local hospital's staff has quietly prescribed Ivermectin for COVID-19 patients' use on an outpatient basis, with such prescriptions subsequently filled at local pharmacies.

And lots of other local doctors are apparently  prescribing Ivermectin for Covid-19 patients, too.  Really smart, intelligent, rational medical doctors.

So if doctors want to prescribe Ivermectin for COVID-19 patients "off-label" ----- why are they being stigmatized and silenced/cancelled/precluded from doing so?  

I'm told by some really, really smart doctors that LOTS of drugs approved by the FDA for some conditions are actually used and prescribed frequently for other, differing conditions.  This common practice is called "off-label" use.  And, I'm of the understanding that once a drug is approved by the FDA for a specific condition/disease---this in and of itself DOES NOT preclude doctors from prescribing it for OTHER conditions/diseases---It only precludes the manufacturers of such medications from advertising/marketing these medications for conditions other than the original maladies for which the medications initially received FDA authorization.  Sounds complex, but it is not.  As an example--one pediatrician with whom I spoke prescribes some blood pressure medications to her patients for conditions not associated with blood pressure regulation.  Another doctor described prescribing an anti-seizure medication for purposes other than preventing seizures.  I'm of the understanding this is common practice.

But now, I'm told, this one particular hospital is no longer using Ivermectin "off -label" for COVID-19 patients.  I wonder--are they precluding all their physicians from any "off-label" prescribing for any other conditions for patients----------or does this only apply to Ivermectin and COVID-19?  Shouldn't doctors be able to individually make this call for their patients?   Maybe that will be my next question to him next time I see him or speak with him.  Meanwhile, this is the official position, at least for now, on Ivermectin for COVID at this one particular, large local hospital:

"we had one physician prescribing ivermectin back in the [May 2021] timeframe..his physician extender also did so.  Since then that has ceased from happening in accordance to our formulary as adopted by our medical staff.....during the late summer/fall wave, the recommendations from medical societies came out against its use unless part of a clinical trial, which we did not do..."

Case closed.