On 1370 WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen" Today: Latest on Medical Examiner vs. Funeral Director Claims

 

Rick Outzen called yesterday and invited me to appear on his popular morning drive news program "Real News with Rick Outzen" this morning at 7:00.  He wanted to discuss the issues surrounding the recent claims by the Medical Examiners that there is no basis to the complaints by several funeral home directors.

A real strange story where apparently I am the bad guy for publishing some public record emails sent to my office with outrageous accusations that affect the families and loved ones of the constituents I represent.  And I was very skeptical about the veracity of these claims----- which I stated in my post.

Come to find out one of the funeral directors who wrote theses salacious, scathing letters trouncing the ME's office and reputation has now had a change of heart and wishes he would have never even written the letter.  He all but recanted what he wrote. He feels really "bad" about it.

How weird is that?  Was it true what he wrote?  Will someone get around to asking him that question??

Meanwhile, I've been subsequently contacted by another funeral director who specifically does NOT recant what he wrote and who believes things are improving but there are still issues with that ME's office.

And then I received a gruesome account via email of how another body was "butchered" by the medical examiner's office.  This one, received just yesterday, is so gross and distrurbing I am not even going to publish it.  It is stomach turning, nauseating, and heartbreaking for the grieving family member who experienced it.

So I don't know what is going on, but it sounds as if there is still some work to be done to rectify all the issues.  Meanwhile, folks ought to be careful about crying wolf then feeling bad about it, because when I get stomach-truning accounts like those letters sent to me in my official capacity----yeah, I am going to talk about it and blog about it.

Had I not done so, the media would have never covered it and we would not yet be close to a solution to the problems--which at least we now appear to be BECAUSE of the publicity this gory episode received.

Rick and I had a good discussion, which I will link here once he publishes the podcast.

Was it True--Or Was I Right and it Wasn't True?

Those that do a rain dance should not be upset when they get wet....

Yesterday afternoon I got a call and a text from the AM 1620 News producer asking my opinion about the latest "revelation" about the Medical Examiner.  Apparently, the Medical Examiner was on Andrew Tallman McKay's show yesterday morning along with a remorseful funeral director.  I told him I don't listen to the show, didn't hear it, didn't know what happened.

Later in the day, I got a call from the PNJ.  Same topic.  The reporter texted me a podcast of the conversation.

Then this morning I get a text from Channel 3.  Same issue.

So I held my nose and listened to the podcast.

Here's the takeaway:  The funeral directors sent letters to the county making outrageous, unbelievable accusations that were graphic, salacious, and incredible.  They were also public records the minute we received them.

I posted excerpts to this blog because these allegations were so out of the ordinary.  As is typically the case, the media outlets in town who constantly mine my blog for story ideas picked up the story and ran with it.

And now, come to find out, at least one of these funeral directors regrets sending the letter.  He says he wishes he would not have sent it.  He all but recanted.

That is interesting, because I thought these allegations were hard to believe and I said so in my original post.  

Looks like my suspicion has been supported---and none of these allegations are true.  Things are perfect and "nothing to see here, move along."

Glad to hear that, because if I get multiple allegations like that from reputable businesses in town on a very sensitive topic of interest to my constituents--I will likely blog about it so my constituents know.  And often times the media will pick this up and run with my topic--reaching an even wider audience.  Good.

But the lingering head scratchers on this topic for me are now two-fold.  

1.)  Why write a letter and make accusations that are false?  Why did this funeral director do this?

2.)  Why get mad at me, a public official that blogs important topics of interest---when my blog has a limited number of viewers when juxtaposed with WEAR's massive audience---and most people saw this story once they (WEAR) picked it up.  And the PNJ.  So why is this guy and the ME upset with me?

Seems ridiculous to me---writing something apparently that was not true and sending it to the county commissioners in the hopes nobody ever reads it???  Huh??  What????  Makes no sense at all.

Sounds like buyer's remorse to me.  Better yet:  Sounds like these guys did a rain dance and are mad when it started raining and they got wet.

The Latest Form Letter Being Sent to Commissioners: Make Escambia Safe for the Unborn

From time to time various groups will send the commissioners form letters on a variety of topics.

Same letter, or a variation of it, with a different sender signing it.

The latest ones are on a topic for which the Board of County Commissioners has zero control.  Abortion.

I am a pro-life Christian man, imperfect, and a sinner.  I know that.  But regardless of what  I think, regardless of what each of the five County Commissioners believe about the very sensitive topic of abortion, whether we're pro-life or pro-abortion, the fact of the matter is we don't regulate it at the county level.  That is a state and federal area of oversight.  The letters should be directed there.

A few years back, some governments locally were getting form letter requests from those who wanted  human rights proclamations enacted-- recognizing those who lead certain alternative lifestyles.  Again, not a city, county, or local government issue.

Then there are the gun rights letters advocating for a gun-friendly ordinance.

We don't regulate firearms--that is federal and state territory.

So here is the latest form letter request we are getting; Make Escambia Safe for the Unborn

"Dear Commissioner,

As a local resident, I am appealing to you on behalf of the thousands of preborn children who have been murdered in Escambia County through the horrific act of abortion. I request that you immediately adopt the Resolution to “Make Escambia County Safe for the Unborn” as introduced by Pastor Kent Langham on May 4th.  

Both the Bible (Ps. 139:13-14) and scientific evidence are absolutely clear that life begins at conception. As recently as March 2017, the American College of Pediatricians published an Abstract stating that “The predominance of human biological research confirms that human life begins at conception - fertilization.” Therefore, to take the life of the preborn at any point is to take away one’s life unjustly, thus committing murder.

Abortion is in violation of our country's founding documents which declare, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Abortion not only infringes upon the preborn human’s constitutional right to life, but it also violates the law of God. The Bible consistently teaches that God forbids murder and hates the shedding of innocent blood (Ex. 20:13; Prov. 6:16-17).

I hope you will consider adopting this resolution and thereby protecting innocent human life in Escambia County. Thank you for your time and consideration. Please contact me should you wish to discuss this further.

Thank you,

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXX "

County Requests Safety Evaluation of FDOT's Beulah Road/9-Mile Road Intersection: FDOT is Studying the Issue

There have been a number of wrecks at the intersection of the state's roads Beulah Road and 9-Mile Road.

The latest one resulted in a fatality.  Numerous Citizens have expressed concern.  And the county is listening.

Last week, we requested FDOT look into this situation for safety's sake via this email, below:

"Escambia County requests the Department conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the signalized intersection of Nine Mile Road (State Road 10 / U.S. 90-A) at Beulah Road (State Road 99).  The Design-Build improvements were complete in February 2022 and drivers routinely request changes to the geometry, pavement markings and traffic signal operations.  The evaluation may need multiple staff with multiple backgrounds; Design, Safety Office, and Traffic Operations. 

 One specific concern that routinely comes up is the obscured view of oncoming thru traffic for the driver turning left on the green permissive phase.  (It appears to be more obscure for the eastbound left turning vehicle.)  Has the Department reviewed the possibility of shifting the EB left turn lane to the north to provide additional sight distance?  If it is not feasible, please examine changing the traffic signal’s left turn treatment from protected/permissive mode to protected only mode.  There have been two major crashes with eastbound left turning drivers failing to yield the right of way and turning in front of a westbound driver in the past few months.  (November 16, 2022 and April 28, 2023).  The latest crash resulted in a fatality.

 FDOT Design Office is currently managing Project 433113-5-52-01, Beulah Road resurfacing from Mobile Highway (SR 10A/U.S. 90) to Issacs Lane.  There may already be an evaluation complete.  If so, can you forward the document?  There may be some short-term recommendations Escambia County maintenance staff can implement.  The Google Earth KMZ file representing 30% plans is attached.

 FDOT provided signalization upgrades during the Design-Build project that can provide valuable data for the evaluation.  The detection camera provides a variety of data including turning movement counts and 24-hour counts. I am also available to meet to go over some of the citizen suggestions, verify measurements in the field and obtain photos.    

 County Commissioner Bergosh has requested to stay informed on the progress of this request.  I am copying him on this email.  As a courtesy, I am also copying the District Traffic Operations Engineer.

 Appreciate your support."

Wednesday of last week, FDOT acknowledged the issue and confirmed they are having the matter looked into.

Good afternoon Jim,

 

"We have tasked Phillip Kurth, with FTE to study this location.

 Phillip

 Please see Jim’s email below regarding the Task Assignment for this location that I sent you earlier. Please work with Jim Hagon on this assignment.

 Respectfully,

 Tammy Melchi

Traffic Specialist IV

FDOT Traffic Operations Office"

more to come.

Calling for War?

Just prior to the board of county commissioners' passing (unanimously) the sign reform ordinance for Perdido Key Beach in District 1(to reduce the number of signs per property in order to clean up the aesthetics of that beach and to prevent harm to wildlife) ----one speaker who appeared flummoxed (56:45 of this video) to learn his complex's property (La Riva) contains a 75 foot public beach easement for public beach access asked if the board was "calling for war!"

Of course we are not "calling for war"--however if the extreme hyperbole of "war" is to be used here (which is inappropriate, IMHO.  My dad and brother--and many other veterans-- fought in real "wars"--public beach access is not that...) then it has been a "war" on the  public and the general public's rightful access to their public beaches guaranteed via these perpetual easements which has recently been waged by some owners and complexes at Perdido Key.   But not to worry, I am going to get to the bottom of all of this within the next few months and move appropriately to recognize EVERYONE's rights.  (Yes, including the general public who do not necessarily have the resources to own a luxury beachfront condominium but who nevertheless have access rights to visit those beaches)

Now, as it pertains to the two complexes directly adjacent to our existing, diminutive public beach access #1-- (Beach Colony and La Playa) we don't yet for certain have all the information on whether or not there is an access easement for the public specific to these two complexes.  We are working on that.  Meanwhile, now comes word that at least one of these two complexes is now brazenly violating our sign  ordinance by attaching a rope to multiple signs going from the dune line all the way down to the water.  This picture taken yesterday- 5-6-2023.  So, I'd simply ask this.  Who is it that is "waging war" against whom?

I'm a guy who is a rule follower.  I follow the rules and I call balls and strikes with issues that come before me.  I've said it at all of my public town halls in the Perdido area since that portion of the county came back to D1 post-redistricting.  And of course, I have and remain a public beach access guy.

But before the revelation about these access easements was uncovered, I told the owners of condos at the beach I would follow all rules about private property ownership/beach access/property rights.

And that stance won't change at all, not one inch, going forward.  

It's just that now following the rules means that we allow the public's rightful access to the beaches guaranteed in these original deeds.  

I know this will infuriate some.

But rules are rules, and I am a rule follower---always have been, always will be.   

Balls and strikes, black and white, right and wrong.

Two Fresh Title Abstracts: Not Surprisingly--They Don't Indicate any Public Beach Access Easements or Reservations

Late Friday Afternoon Assistant County Attorney Steve West forwarded to me two new title abstracts for two existing parcels in Perdido Key (Sundown and Grand Caribbean).  Neither of these two parcels, from my initial scan and review of them, provide for any dedicated public beach access nor do they contain easements or reservations for the public's use of the beach.  And this is not surprising.

Because the Sundown parcel is on the extreme west end of Perdido Key and looks as if it is firmly within the giant tract of land that was deeded to three families directly from the Federal Government in 1926 via an action by then president Calvin Coolidge.  So, no new news there.

Part of the public access  mystery appears to be solved in looking at the original deed for Grand Caribbean which apparently extended all the way down to the beach.  

Which means at some point Sandy Key was subdivided and sold off from the original Grand Caribbean deeded property--so far as I can tell. 

The Grand Caribbean parcel, while in and of itself providing no dedicated easement or reservation for perpetual beach access for/by the general public nevertheless is interesting because in it's current configuration it is "land-locked" to the north of the Gulf of Mexico bordered by the Sandy Key condominium on its south--with Sandy Key directly on the Gulf of Mexico.  It appears that the original large parcel had gulf front property included.  So the interesting thing that I discussed in a previous blog post was "why" Sandy Key would acquiesce to Grand Caribbean's want for a beach walkover to access the Gulf of Mexico?  The Grand Caribbean HOA document contained within the abstract only contains one page and in the one page (of many I would assume) there is no mention of public beach access to the south--so I would need to see the rest of the 1996 HOA Grand Caribbean covenants to know for sure if deeded public beach access was negotiated for the northern part (Grand Caribbean) when the parcel(s) were divided up in 1996 and two separate condo complexes were made from the one larg lot?  But with the information I have at hand right now--it appears somewhere there is a reservation for Grand Caribbean from Sandy Key for access.  That's my assumption for now, but I'll find out for sure in the weeks and months to come.   

So no, these two parcels' abstracts and what they describe (no public beach access) do NOT come as surprise to me based upon the sum totality of what we know thus far about all of the parcels out on Perdido Key.  The interesting information will come upon our thorough examination of the deeds and abstracts for La Playa, Sandy Key, Beach Colony, Parasol, Land's End, Vista Del Mar, Indigo, Indigo East, Palacio, and Perdido Sun.

Once we start to receive each of these complete abstracts, which we will obtain, we will have a much clearer picture of the state of public beach access at all of Perdido Key in District 1.  In fact--once we get the final ten mentioned above----I think we will have the entire puzzle put together.

More to come.

Perdido Gate Part VII: The McCormack Files

I am told this photograph that was forwarded to me by citizen Michael McCormack was taken at Perdido Key post Hurricane Ivan when a large project was undertaken to renourish the dunes.  

Escambia County citizen and Perdido Key public beach access champion Michael McCormack has sent me a trove of additional documents and files on his research of the issues of public access of Perdido Key's beaches.  I am going to link them all here in this post.  In his emails  to me, he sends lots of different files, .pdf's and powerpoints.  In one of his emails, he asks the following interesting and compelling question:

"Jeff, I also question whether the so called “dune restoration” was not renourishment in fact. Look at the pictures in this report after Ivan, there was not a dune in sight and looks like wet sand all the way to the destroyed buildings. So how is that not renourishment when sand is dredged from the Intracoastal Canal by the ACOE, trucked to the beach then spread out in order to build a sandy beach portion back for the property owners up and down the entire Perdido Key beach line?"

I've spoken to staff on this and have been told that the renourishment was simply a dune restoration.  But if the whole beach was washed out after the storm and all the new sand reclaimed what was once there and re-established the beach--what is that called?

Check out all of his documents here.  It might be that these generate additional comments, questions, and concerns?

The McCormack Files  

Hurricane Ivan Damage Report