Podcasts about Escambia

Mistreatment of women is more prevalent than realized. Women and men are more abused than most know. He and his wife formed "Pouring Foundations" to help women and their children find a sustainable future. This not a religious group but it is spiritual and faith based. Steve left a lucrative business and gave it all to a volunteer program to help abused women, men, and their children. Steve helps these abused get on a better path and help them find a pathway back to normal life. They provide housing and food assistance, with mental social counseling. People working to help others recover is an honorable trait that Steve Williams has. Their outreach is in its infancy and has been a huge success in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in Florida. Check out http://www.PouringFoundations.org ...About Pouring FoundationsWe aim to open transitional housing for women to find refuge and recovery. Providing housing assistance, grocery assistance, addiction recovery support, support for women and children facing or fleeing domestic violence, support for women who are homeless or facing homelessness. Offering educational and vocational training to support women with the skills they need and counseling services and more. Pouring Foundations - http://www.PouringFoundations.orgCongress Woman Michelle Salzman - https://michellesalzman.comSteve Williams ~ “Pouring Foundations” ~ An Outreach Program Helping Abused Womenon the GrassRoots TruthCast with Gene ValentinoORIGINAL MEDIA SOURCE(S):‣ Originally Recorded on March 14, 2025‣ GrassRoots TruthCast: Season 2, Episode 278‣ Image courtesy of: GeneValentino.com➡️ Join the Conversation: https://GeneValentino.com➡️ WMXI Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NewsRadio981➡️ More WMXI Interviews: https://genevalentino.com/wmxi-interviews/➡️ More GrassRoots TruthCast Episodes: https://genevalentino.com/grassroots-truthcast-with-gene-valentino/➡️ More Broadcasts with Gene as the Guest: https://genevalentino.com/america-beyond-the-noise/ ➡️ More About Gene Valentino: https://genevalentino.com/about-gene-valentino/

Ruthie Noel is the Executive Director of Achieve Escambia. In this episode she explains the unique role this organization plays in the community and why their number should be in your phone. We talk navigating local resources, finding paths to financial aid and advocating for families.Guest: Ruthie Noel https://www.achieveescambia.org/ | https://escambiachildrenstrust.org/familyresourceguide24-25/ | https://readykidsfl.org/readyrosie | https://www.fastweb.com/ | https://www.reachhigher.org/students/ | https://www.parentuniversitysav.org/pensacola Want to interact with the resources and guests featured here in real life?! Join us at the 2nd annual FREE Podcastapalooza! There will be a live animal presentation by animal tales and food trucks like BAM snowballs, Kip's Hotdogs & MELT Pensacola.One lucky guest will win a $250 Amazon gift card! Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 1, 2025 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Booker T Washington High School. Learn more about Escambia County School District: https://www.escambiaschools.org/Find additional links: https://www.voicesunitedineducation.com/podcast-episodesHost: Meredith Hackwith Edwards

AlabamaCarey Grayson was the third successful execution in AL by nitrogen hypoxiaAn LA case goes before SCOTUS with similar redistricting issues as case in ALCongressman Palmer joins newly formed caucus for government efficiencyFour plaintiffs connected to Atmore News sue Escambia county leadersAttorney for Dadeville shooting suspect wants access to one victim's phoneUS Fish & Wildlife looking into city permit that led to bald eagle nest outrageNationalMatt Gaetz withdraws name for US AG, Trump nominates Pam Bondi insteadPA Senator Bob Casey concedes race to GOP challenger, Dave McCormick2 dozen states file brief with SCOTUS over AZ law to protect women's sportsA high ranking member of Mexican cartel found alive in CA after faking deathSean Combs has 5 more lawsuits filed against him, claiming rape & sodomy 

pWotD Episode 2753: Matt Gaetz Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 1,217,564 views on Thursday, 14 November 2024 our article of the day is Matt Gaetz.Matthew Louis Gaetz II ( GAYTS; born May 7, 1982) is an American politician who served as the U. S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district from 2017, until his resignation in November 2024. His district included all of Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties, and portions of Walton County. A member of the Republican Party, he is widely regarded as a staunch proponent of far-right politics as well as an ally of president-elect Donald Trump. The son of prominent Florida politician Don Gaetz and grandson of North Dakota politician Jerry Gaetz, Gaetz was raised in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. After graduating from the William & Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia, he briefly worked in private practice before running for state representative. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 until 2016, and received national attention for defending Florida's "stand-your-ground law". In 2016, he was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives, and was re-elected in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024. In 2020, Matt Gaetz was accused of child sex trafficking and statutory rape. Following an investigation, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) decided not to pursue charges against him. Prior to his resignation as representative, Gaetz was also under ethics investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of underage sexual abuse, illegal drug use, sharing inappropriate images and videos on the House floor, misusing state identification records, converting campaign funds for personal use, and accepting impermissible gifts. Gaetz has denied all of the allegations. In October 2023, Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the position of Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives, resulting in the removal of Kevin McCarthy from his role as Speaker. Gaetz's actions in leading the motion were part of broader tensions within the Republican Party, with many members critical of McCarthy's leadership and handling of various legislative matters. Gaetz has endorsed the Great Replacement theory. In 2021, he called the Anti-Defamation League a "racist organization" after it condemned Tucker Carlson's promotion of Great Replacement theory. Gaetz said that Carlson "is correct about Replacement Theory as he explains what is happening to America". On November 13, 2024, president-elect Donald Trump announced he would nominate Gaetz to serve as United States attorney general. Gaetz resigned from the U. S. House of Representatives shortly after the announcement. His nomination led to surprise, alarm, and negative reception from some Senate Republicans.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:36 UTC on Friday, 15 November 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Matt Gaetz on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Ivy.

Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender reports Escambia County had over 8,000 people vote yesterday.

Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender reports on Escambia County's record-setting first day of Early Voting.

Teams from Escambia County Emergency Operations and the Sheriff's Office have headed to Maddison County to help with recovery efforts.  We have another area to watch in the Yucatan.

Jennifer Causey is a social studies teacher at Pine Forest High School whose econ class includes a mock investing challenge. She is working to end the cycle of poverty in Escambia county, by not just educating kids on money management basics, but making growing it accessible and fun. In this episode she shares what motivates her to dig in, when others short change this issue, and where to start if you're feeling behind.    Guest: Jennifer Causey: $500 stipend for FL Educator for completing free personal finance PD | On Demand Personal Finance courses for teachers, including homeschool teachers (all free) | Debt Free MillennialsGuest: Humphrey Yang: YAHOO Finance | Personal FinanceLearn more about Escambia County School District: https://www.escambiaschools.org/Host: Meredith Hackwith Edwards

Every August, the National Association of Community Health Centers sponsors National Health Center Week (Aug. 4-10) to celebrate and increase awareness of America's 1,400 Community Health Centers.Community Health Northwest Florida is proud to be a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that improves the health and well-being of individuals by providing high quality, cost-effective, comprehensive health care services. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Klawitter discusses how Community Health serves the children of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

MONTGOMERY – Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded just over million in grants to lower energy costs for low-income residents, with a particular focus on helping the elderly, people with disabilities and families with children. Both Clarke and Washington counties will receive a portion of this funding through organizations. For Clarke County, the Community Action Agency of South Alabama (CAASA) will receive 6,447. Other counties to benefit will be Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh, Monroe, Marengo, and Wilcox. The CAASA can be reached at 251-626-2646. For Washington County, the Mobile Community Action Inc. (MCAI) will receive 0,990. Other counties under this organization...Article Link

The Escambia County Medical Society Foundation (ECMS-Foundation) is proud to announce its inaugural Health Excellence Awards, set to take place on October 10th, 2024 at the historic Museum of Commerce. This new initiative aims to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of healthcare professionals and organizations in our community.The Health Excellence Awards will honor local healthcare champions in five categories: Workplace Health Vanguard Award Healing Hands Award (Clinical, Non-Physician) Healthcare Harmony Award (Non-Clinical, Non-Physician) Heart of the Community Award The ECMS Pinnacle Award (ECMS Member Physician) Dr. Ellen W. McKnight, President of ECMS-Foundation, emphasizes the importance of this recognition: "Healthcare professionals at all levels make significant impacts on our community every day. These awards provide an opportunity to acknowledge their dedication, expertise, and compassion. By celebrating excellence, we hope to inspire continued innovation and commitment to quality care in our region."This event serves a dual purpose as both an awards ceremony and a fundraiser for ECMS-Foundation's vital community programs. These include the Go Seniors! Transportation program, BP Cuff Distribution initiative, and the Music: Just What the Doctor Ordered program.Community members are encouraged to participate by nominating deserving individuals and organizations. Nominations are open until August 31st and can be submitted at escambiacms.org/HEA.For businesses and individuals interested in supporting this initiative, sponsorship opportunities are available. Interested parties can contact director@escambiacms.org or call 850-478-0706 for more information.About ECMS-Foundation: Established in 1994, the ECMS-Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of the Escambia and Santa Rosa County Medical Society. The Foundation is dedicated to improving healthcare access for the community's most vulnerable members through various programs and initiatives.

IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area  members have contributed $29.8 million to Escambia and Santa Rosa economies over the past 20 years, according to the Haas Center at the University of West Florida. Martha Holden has the details.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - had plenty to talk about today as Washington's recruiting efforts have really been humming along. As of the time of this recording, the Huskies had the 17th-best recruiting class in the country, ranked by 247Sports, and more verbal commitments should be on the horizon. In fact, when we posted our last recruiting update, the Huskies ended up with multiple commitments during the following 48 hours. Who knows if that is a trend that will continue with this podcast, but here's what we know so far... There have been six additional verbal commitments to Washington since our last recording: Birmingham (Ala.) Parker DL Caleb Smith Oakland (Calif.) Bishop O'Dowd WR Deji Ajose Spanaway (Wash.) Bethel LB Zaydrius Rainey-Sale Bastrop (Tex.) CB Ramonz Adams Burien (Wash.) Kennedy Catholic OL Lowen Colman-Brusa San Francisco (Calif.) Archbishop Riordan WR Chris Lawson Scott offers up his insight on each of UW's latest committed players before taking a quick break to pay some bills. After the break, the guys then talk about the top UW targets that are set to make their commitments public during the rest of the month: Kahuku (Haw.) safety Aiden Manutai Highland Home (Ala.) EDGE CJ May La Verne (Calif.) Bonita ATH Dylan Robinson Phoenix (Ariz.) Mountain Pointe safety Rylon Dillard-Allen And Scott also just spoke with another top target, Pensacola (Fla.) Escambia safety Ladarian Clardy, to get his thoughts on when he plans on making his decision, as well as where the Huskies stand. To wrap up the 70-minute recruiting discussion, Scott gives his final thoughts on whether the Huskies will sign more than 25 players in the 2025 class, as well as his take on Jedd Fisch's comments about trying to build the 'greatest ever' UW recruiting class. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Association of County Commissions of Alabama has prepared a Local Recovery Plan (LRP) for the counties of Clarke, Dallas, Escambia, Marengo, Perry, Washington, and Wilcox in response to the unmet needs from Hurricanes Sally and Zeta, which struck in 2020. The meeting will be held on July 16 and will be hosted twice at 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. in the Clarke County Commission Courtroom; 114 Court St. The Local Recovery Plan identifies disaster unmet needs, hazard mitigation, needs, and potential project types to be funded a Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery for...Article Link

Escambia County school board member Kevin Adams joined the show from the national Excellence in Education conference. He discusses the need for parents to be aware of the dangers to children of unlimited and unsupervised cellphone use, especially those younger than under 16. 

Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May, a Democrat, was approached last week by Charles Thornton, the vice chairman of the Escambia County Florida Republican Executive Committee."It's so unfortunate how divisive local politics have become," May said. "I pride myself on being someone that, although I'm a Democrat, that I work with Democrats, Republicans, independents, no party affiliates for whatever is best for this community."

Last month, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor issued an order requiring mediation in the lawsuit regarding the removal of the children's book “And Tango Makes Three” from Escambia County school library shelves. PEN America Florida's Katie Blankenship discusses the impact of the order.

In 2022, Stephanie Shepard's son died from a fentanyl overdose. Unfortunately, this is not unusual, as Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties has the highest opioid overdose rate in the state. Vowing that his death not be in vain, she founded Hope Above Fear, a non-profit dedicated to help educate, de-stigmatize and overcome addiction in youth. In this episode, she shares what you need to know as a parent, what you can do and why there is hope.       Guest: Stephanie Shepard https://hopeabovefear.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/hopeabovefear/ | https://www.facebook.com/hopeabovefear Learn more about Escambia County School District: https://ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com/ Host:  Meredith Hackwith Edwards 

 LaDonna Humphrey and David McClam continue their discussion on the death of Deanna Stevenson in Escambia County, Florida. They believe that Deanna's death was not a justifiable homicide under Florida's Stand Your Ground law, but rather a murder. They highlight inconsistencies in the story surrounding Deanna's death and the misapplication of the Stand Your Ground law. They call for Escambia County authorities to reopen and reinvestigate the case. The episode ends with a plea to listeners to join them in demanding accountability and justice for Deanna.Escambia County DA/County AttorneyAlison Rogers 850-595-4970 email legal@myescambia.cp,Time Line00:00 Introduction to the Case00:41 Tragedy Strikes: Deanna's Death03:21 Reopening and Reinvestigation06:26 The Emotional State of Deanna and Megan08:13 The Setup and Murder13:28 Demanding Accountability and Justice16:02 Closing Remarks and Call to ActionBe sure to tune into Stand Our Ground with Kiah Penfield HEREGet your tickets for True CrimeFest HERECheck out our other podcastDeep Dark Secrets With LaDonna Humphrey and Amy SmithTrue Crime, Authors and Extraodinary People with David McClamDON'T FORGET TO RATE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBEJOIN US ON FACEBOOKSIGN THE DEEP DARK SECRETS PETITION HERESound Mixing and editing by David McClamIntro and outro byJacqueline G. (JacquieVoice) From Fiverr.

In this episode, the hosts conclude their discussion on the Deanna Stevenson murder trial with special guest Kiah from the Stand Our Ground podcast. They focus on the former employment of one of the women involved in the case and her relationship with the lead investigator. They question why the lead investigator did not recuse himself and why the sheriff's office did not let the local police department handle the case.They also discuss the corruption in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and the questionable decisions made by the sheriff's office. The hosts express their concerns about the stand your ground claim in Deanna's case and the gunshot pattern that suggests she was running away. They also mention the possibility that Megan and Amy were aware that Deanna would be out with friends and drinking before inviting her over. In this part of the conversation, the hosts and Kiah discuss the evidence surrounding the letters and the theory that Deanna was going to pick up a letter on the night she was killed. They explore the text messages and emails between Deanna and Megan, as well as the overheard conversation between Amy and Megan about Deanna going for Megan's purse. They also discuss the possibility that the events of that night were a setup and express frustration with the lack of proper investigation. Kiah shares her feelings of uncertainty and the difficulty of not having closure. The hosts express their dedication to the case and their determination to seek justice for Deanna.Time LineChapters00:00 Introduction and Recap01:25 Former Employment and Relationship with Lead Investigator05:28 Corruption in the Sheriff's Offices09:14 Escambia County's Troubles11:21 Controversial Statement by Sheriff Bob Johnson13:33 Doubts About the Stand Your Ground Claim20:51 Concerns About the Gunshot Pattern21:22 The Evidence Surrounding the Letters22:31 Text Messages and Emails: Clues to Deanna's Intentions23:56 Overheard Conversations: The Purse and the Letter28:27 The Theory of a Setup29:52 Frustration with the Lack of Investigation32:16 Living with Uncertainty and the Search for Closure36:41 Dedication to Seeking Justice for DeannaBe sure to tune into Stand Our Ground with Kiah Penfield HEREGet your tickets for True CrimeFest HERECheck out our other podcastDeep Dark Secrets With LaDonna Humphrey and Amy SmithTrue Crime, Authors and Extraodinary People with David McClamDON'T FORGET TO RATE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBEJOIN US ON FACEBOOKSIGN THE DEEP DARK SECRETS PETITION HERESound Mixing and editing by David McClamIntro and outro byJacqueline G. (JacquieVoice) From Fiverr.

Escambia County Emergency Management invites girls entering 7th, 8th and 9th grades to participate in the inaugural HERricane Escambia program. The deadline to apply for the program is Friday, May 3.

Uncover the chilling truth behind Deanna Stevison's untimely demise as we scrutinize the perplexing decision to not press charges. The echoes of gunshots and a life lost too soon reverberate through our latest episode, challenging the self-defense claim under the controversial Stand Your Ground Law. We wrestle with the official narrative and the heartache of Deanna's family, who remember her as anything but confrontational. Join us on a journey through a labyrinth of legal nuances and gut-wrenching 911 calls that leave more questions than answers.Feel the weight of the silence that followed the harrowing events of June 8, 2017, through the lens of critical 911 recordings we've analyzed. The eerie calm of a car left running, its driver never to return, paints a haunting picture of what was supposed to be a brief apartment visit. We scrutinize the inconsistencies between Ollie Plunkett's statements and the visceral reality that the emergency calls captured, shedding light on the enigma of Deanna's alleged aggression and the calculated decision to answer a door with a gun at the ready.As the investigation unfolds, we dissect the puzzling movement of Deanna's body and the chaotic decision-making in those critical moments. Stitching together the fabric of Deanna's character with her intentions on that fateful day, we invite you to engage with us in a quest for clarity. Every layer of this mystery unraveled brings us closer to understanding the dire implications of Stand Your Ground Laws when lives hang in the balance. Stay tuned as we question everything and seek to keep the flame of justice burning for Deanna Stevison.Time Line(00:01) Investigating the Deanna Stevenson Case(04:21) Discussion on Apartment Shooting Incident(11:14) 911 Calls and Crime Scene Analysis(22:12) Deep Dark Secrets Podcast PromotionsBe sure to tune into Stand Our Grounf with Kiah Penfield HEREGet your tickets for True CrimeFest HEREGet your tickets for Crime Con UK and use Code Extinguished for 10% off HERECheck out our other podcastDeep Dark Secrets With LaDonna Humphrey and Amy SmithTrue Crime, Authors and Extraodinary People with David McClamDON'T FORGET TO RATE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBEJOIN US ON FACEBOOKSIGN THE DEEP DARK SECRETS PETITION HERESound Mixing and editing by David McClamIntro and outro byJacqueline G. (JacquieVoice) From Fiverr.

The quest for truth can often take us down the darkest of alleys, where the faintest glimmers of light beckon the brave. Today, we are joined by Kiah Penfield, whose tireless advocacy through her podcast Stand Our Ground brings us face to face with such a journey: the unsolved homicide of her cousin Deanna Stevison. As we explore Deanna's life, from her days as a corrections officer and devoted mother, to the chilling events leading up to her tragic death, we're reminded that every story is a tapestry of complexities, woven with threads of joy, pain, and sometimes, injustice.The heart of our conversation lies in dissecting the turbulent relationship between Deanna and her partner Megan—a narrative marred by manipulation and control. We witness how the scales tipped with financial shifts and how Megan's interactions with Deanna's son sent alarm bells ringing. Kiah's poignant accounts cast a new lens on the case, urging us to consider the unseen battles fought behind closed doors. As we sift through the layers of this case, we cannot ignore the unsettling efforts to discredit our discussions, pointing to a larger web of manipulation extending beyond a single relationship.Finally, we step into the shadows of a police investigation that appears to be riddled with more questions than answers. From missing files to interrogation discrepancies, the integrity of the Escambia Police Department's handling of Deanna's case is called into question. We grapple with the painful possibility of a cover-up and the painful implications it may have on the quest for justice. Kaya's determination to reopen and reinvestigate the case, coupled with our examination, serves as a clarion call for accountability and truth. The path to justice for Deanna may be fraught with obstacles, but it's a path we walk together, propelled by the hope that the truth will emerge from the shadows to honor her memory.Time Line(00:01) Unsolved Case of Deanna Stevenson(05:34) Relationship Manipulation and Escalation(17:36) Deanna's Shooting(25:22) Mystery Surrounding Shooting Incident(30:06) Confusion and Manipulation in Police Interview(34:40) Uncovering Alleged Police Corruption in Escambia(39:52) Investigative File Discrepancies and Concerns(45:26) Potential Cover-Up in Murder Investigation(54:08) Justice for Mishandled True Crime Case(01:02:06) Seeking Justice for DeannaBe sure to tune into Stand Our Grounf with Kiah Penfield HEREGet your tickets for True CrimeFest HEREGet your tickets for Crime Con UK and use Code Extinguished for 10% off HERECheck out our other podcastDeep Dark Secrets With LaDonna Humphrey and Amy SmithTrue Crime, Authors and Extraodinary People with David McClamDON'T FORGET TO RATE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBEJOIN US ON FACEBOOKSIGN THE DEEP DARK SECRETS PETITION HERESound Mixing and editing by David McClamIntro and outro byJacqueline G. (JacquieVoice) From Fiverr.

The Alabama Forestry Commission has issued a fire alert for Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and Washington counties. Gusty winds and low relative humidity are combining to create dangerous wildfire behavior. “Windy conditions are expected through Thursday with gusts approaching 30 mph, making fires very difficult to control,” AFC Southwest Regional forester Benji Elmore said. “Even with any rain received in the next few days, windy conditions will still pose a threat.” The number and size of wildfires increased last weekend, as 168 wildfires burned approximately 6,365 acres of forestland across the state, making up one-third of all...Article Link

Last leg of our 2023 holiday trip didn't let us cross the Escambia Bay, though we improvised. Still got them all done per the plan ✔️

This is our top listened-to episode of 2023! Thank you so much for downloading and sharing this interview between Kona and Danielle's sister, Bonnie. We plan to do more interviews with family members this season, so if you'd like to talk to us about your missing loved one, reach out at tips@andthentheyweregone.com.We'll be back soon with season 5!-----99% of missing people in America are found. But then there's the 1%. Some of the unfound get extensive news coverage, community support, or even an episode of Disappeared. Some, however, get forgotten; their cases barely investigated before being put on a shelf to collect dust.Even though Danielle Bell was only 14 years old when she went missing in 2001, she falls into the latter category.When Danielle went missing on September 28, 2001, no one outside of family and close friends looked for her. Everyone gave up on her– but not Danielle's sister. Now, over 20 years after her disappearance, Bonnie Bell continues to fight for her little sister and for change.In this episode, Bonnie agreed to speak with us about her sister, the suspects, and her theories on this case, which has yet to be solved.Anyone who has any information about Danielle Bell's disappearance is urged to call the Escambia County Sheriff's Office at 850-436-9620 or The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)Se insta a cualquier persona que tenga información sobre la desaparición de Danielle Bell a llamar a la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Escambia al 850-436-9620 o al Centro Nacional para Niños Desaparecidos y Explotados al 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)Danielle Bell Facebook PageBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeFor a full list of our sources, please visit our blogThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5360779/advertisement

Steve, Renee and Jeremy talk to Seth Dettling. The Bourbon Show music (Whiskey on the Mississippi) is by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).   Important Links: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3kAJZQz Our Club: https://www.abvnetwork.com/club Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theabvnetwork Check us out at: abvnetwork.com. Join the revolution by adding #ABVNetworkCrew to your profile on social media.

The historic John A. Gibson School building has been sold and will no longer serve the Communication Action Program Committee's Head Start program. Gibson was an educator and community leader in his native Bahamas before moving to Pensacola in 1872. With decades of teaching and administrative experience, he became a leader in Pensacola's new post-war education system. He taught and served as a principal at many Pensacola schools and led efforts to recruit and train African-American teachers in Escambia County. He co-founded the Institute of Colored Teachers of Escambia County, which campaigned for national policies that strengthened education for African-American students. Before being renamed to honor Gibson, the elementary school on North C Street was Public School No. 103 because Escambia County's segregated black schools were originally given only numbers.  For over 50 years, the John A. Gibson School served as a monument to Mr. Gibson's great impact on African-American education in Pensacola. When it closed in 1974, the school became the headquarters of Escambia's County Head Start Program. The property's sale has forced Head Start to transfer its dozens of children and families to two other locations, but transportation is a problem. On Saturday, Dec. 30, from 10 am. - 12 p.m. at 710 North C Street, the Community Action Program Committee will host a commencement ceremony and celebration of the decades of support that the Gibson School Head Start program has offered families in downtown Pensacola. They ask any current or former student, family member, staff, or community member that has memorabilia from the Gibson School Head Start to please bring it to the farewell event. Please call 850-857-8652 ext. 202 to attend the event.

The fourth annual Pack the Pirate Ship food drive – presented by Krewe of Lafitte and benefitting Manna Food Bank – will be held on Friday, Dec. 15, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The general public is invited to participate by donating nonperishable food items and financial gifts that will be used to provide food assistance to children, senior citizens, veterans, families, and individuals in need in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties through Manna's pantry and community programs.  Krewe of Lafitte – the largest men's krewe along the Florida panhandle – will host a drop-off site at Astro Lincoln, 6350 Pensacola Boulevard. Krewe member volunteers will help offload donations while donors get a good look at the iconic pirate ship parade floats. Manna's most-needed food items are: Canned Fruit in 100% Juice (20 oz. and smaller) Canned Mixed Vegetables (16 oz. and smaller) Chicken and Tuna (canned and pouches) Oatmeal (boxes of single-serve packets) Peanut Butter (1 lb. jars and individual cups) Microwaveable Dinners (e.g. Hormel Compleats) Canned Beans  Manna accepts and appreciates all nonperishable food donations. To ensure food safety, we cannot accept any rusty or unlabeled cans, perishable items, homemade items, noncommercial canned or packaged goods, alcoholic beverages, or items that have been used or opened. Financial gifts (cash, credit/debit cards and checks) are also greatly appreciated. A donation of just $25.00 will provide food for five days to a veteran in need, and $50.00 will provide 30 healthy meals for a child. 

Tristan Harris is the coach for Escambia county's Allstar Academic Team, a place where kids with drive & book smarts can gain a sense of community & competition. She proudly and passionately nerds out about how Escambia County students are winning by working together and scoring so much more than points as she explains how this trivia style tournament team is making a difference for students in Escambia County.Guest: Tristan Harris        Learn more about Escambia County School District: https://www.escambiaschools.org/ Host:  Meredith Hackwith Edwards    

The Clarke County Historical Society will meet Sunday, Sept. 24 at the Grove Hill City Hall. The speaker will be Don Sales, coordinator of the Thomas E. McMillan Museum at Coastal Alabama Community College's Brewton campus and president of the Escambia County Historical Society. He will speak on the rich history of Escambia County, Alabama. The meeting is at 2:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.Article Link

Huntley Dees was 8-of- 16 passing for 167 yards and a touchdown and added 83 yards and another score on the ground as No. 4-ranked AISA Jackson Academy blasted visiting Escambia Academy 46-18 Friday night. The Eagles (5-0) scored 40 unanswered points and piled up 412 yards of total offense to roll past the Cougars (1-4). Running back Cain Richardson ran for 127 yards and three touchdowns for JA, which had its best performance on the ground this season to go along with Dees, the state's leading passer with 1,133 yards. “We were finally able to establish a running game,...Article Link

We are back with more book banning but this time the authors are fighting back. PEN America along with Penguin Random House, several authors, and two concerned parents are suing Escambia County School District in Florida for their banning of books solely based on the ideological beliefs of the person complaining about them. There are so many crazy details and great agruments against the absurd nature of these bans that it is worth a listen and a share.

In May of 2019 a Pensacola, FL man’s badly decomposed body was discovered bound with duct tape and tightly wrapped in a tarp at the end of a desolate road next to an old mining sediment pond. The only potential clue left behind was a piece of scrap sheetrock, a bathroom tile, and a small length of orange nylon rope. All signs would inevitably point back to the man’s next-door neighbor. But would this quiet, good ‘ole Southern boy actually talk? And might there be more victims at the end of his twisted tale of lies?  Visit Our Sponsors:  Squarespace: Go to squarespace.com/choir for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, use offer code “CHOIR” to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain!  EveryPlate: Get started with EveryPlate for just $1.49 per meal by going to https://www.everyplate.com/podcast and entering code “invisible149”  StoryWorth: Go to https://www.storyworth.com/invisible to save $10 on your first purchase! Béis: Get 15% off your first purchase by visiting https://www.beistravel.com/invisible  Fabric by Gerber Life: Protect your family today with Fabric by Gerber Life by applying at https://www.meetfabric.com/invisible  Visit Invisible Choir on the web:  Patreon - Invisible Choir Premium:  https://www.patreon.com/InvisibleChoir  Website:  https://www.invisiblechoir.com/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/InvisibleChoirPodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invisiblechoir/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/InvisibleChoir Written/Audio Sources:  Escambia man sentenced for murder and theft Man's body found wrapped in tarp, investigators arrest next door neighbor REPORT: Escambia man convicted of murder after dead body found wrapped in tarp Florida man convicted of killing neighbor, withdrawing money Gulf Coast killer is person of interest in Oklahoma cold case slaying One man arrested and charged in the homicide of 54 - Facebook Remains I.D. Confirmed - Furthering Investigation Oklahoma Cold Cases Person of interest in Ardmore cold case sentenced for Florida murder The Full Interrogation and Confession of Kalvin Allison #crime Man's SUSPICIOUS Confession To Murdering Neighbor | Interrogation Raw | A&E Gulf Coast killer is person of interest in Oklahoma cold case slaying Corrections Offender Network Music & Sound Effect Sources Opening Track: “Haunted Forest” by PB&J Closing Track: “Dappled Rays” by Alfie-Jay Winters Music & Sound Effect Sources All music and sound effects used with express permission under unlimited blanket license authority from Epidemic Sound ® and SoundStripe ®.  Individual sources are available via request at info@invisiblechoir.com  

Matthew Louis Gaetz II is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district since 2017. The district includes portions of Walton County and most of Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

99% of missing people in America are found. But then there's the 1%. Some of the unfound get extensive news coverage, community support, or even an episode of Disappeared. Some, however, get forgotten; their cases barely investigated before being put on a shelf to collect dust.Even though Danielle Bell was only 14 years old when she went missing in 2001, she falls into the latter category.When Danielle went missing on September 28, 2001, no one outside of family and close friends looked for her. Everyone gave up on her– but not Danielle's sister. Now, over 20 years after her disappearance, Bonnie Bell continues to fight for her little sister and for change.In this episode, Bonnie agreed to speak with us about her sister, the suspects, and her theories on this case, which has yet to be solved.Anyone who has any information about Danielle Bell's disappearance is urged to call the Escambia County Sheriff's Office at 850-436-9620 or The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)Se insta a cualquier persona que tenga información sobre la desaparición de Danielle Bell a llamar a la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Escambia al 850-436-9620 o al Centro Nacional para Niños Desaparecidos y Explotados al 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)Danielle Bell Facebook PageBuy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came HomeFind us everywhereGet episodes early and ad-free on PatreonMerch storeFor a full list of our sources, please visit our blogThis week's promo is Cause of Death. Cause of Death - 100 Seconds to Midnight explores the things that will kill you through the lens of science, host Jackie Moriarty's personal experience as a microbiologist, and history.

The Pensacola Sports High School All Star Football Game will take place tonight at 7 p.m. at the Booker T. Washington High School football stadium. Approximately 85 senior football players from schools across Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties have been selected to participate.  Ray Palmer has the details.

Tina Herzik, the Vice President of Operations for Service Source, and Brent McNeal, the Director of the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, join forces with Carol Pankow in the Manager Minute studio to chat about creative staffing solutions in the great State of Florida. Tina and Brent discuss how the Florida General agency and Service Source are partnering to meet staffing needs with a unique model. With a business relationship that spans over 22 years, the duo shares how their two organizations continue to serve as front runners of innovative staffing practices and transformational leadership.   Listen Here   Full Transcript {Music} Speaker1: Manager Minute brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management, Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time. Here is your host Carol Pankow.   Carol: Well, welcome to the manager minute. Joining me in the studio today is Tina Herzik, Service Source vice president of operations for the VR program in Florida, and Brent McNeal, director of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Florida. General, I am so happy to have you both with me in the studio today. So, Brent, how are things going in Florida?   Brent: Things are going well, Carol. Thank you. We're definitely happy to see the end of the hurricane season here in Florida and looking forward to going through the homestretch here into the holiday break.   Carol: Yeah, I've seen you've had a lot of weather. We had our own 13 inches of snow on Monday, so at least you don't have that. Holy cow. So, Tina, how about you?   Tina: Same thing. Just getting over trying to lose that word pandemic and getting back to normalcy. But I live in Vero Beach, so happy that last hurricane didn't take us down. But we're standing.   Carol: Strong. Yeah, absolutely. Know all the Florida folks. I really you know, our hearts go out to y'all with everything that happened in that Fort Myers area. That is something else. I don't know how you deal with that all the time. That kind of those terrific weather conditions that can really just devastate a whole area. So I know you're rebuilding and people are working strong. So, Brent, it was really fun meeting you live and in person at the CC VR Leadership Forum before the conference began, and we all heard a pretty sobering message about the state of the national VR program. And we've got to spend the money. Each agency is facing different challenges, but the factor that binds us all together has to do with finding ways to expend funds. So the VR program, much like the rest of business across the country, is in the midst of a staffing crisis and trying to seek solutions to meet customer needs. Now, I know Florida General has a model that's been in place for over 20 years as a result of a legislative change. Now, this model is not really conventional, and I think you're the only people in the country doing something quite like this. But you have worked out all the kinks and have really learned so many lessons. So we thought others could benefit from the work that you all have done. And there's really a unique partnership that really is withstanding the test of time. So let's dig in. So, Brent, why don't you tell us a little about yourself, your background, how you came to VR and a little bit about Florida General?   Brent: Sure. First of all, I'm happy to be here. I echo the statements that you've made, we certainly are in the same boat as other programs around the country. And so this is a way that folks could explore to spend some of those funds and to better provide services to their customers. So my background, I came to VR first in 2009. It was my first job out of law school, actually, and did not know anything about VR or what it was, but quickly became so interested and invested because of the good work that I saw that the division was doing and so really enjoyed getting to learn the program. I also represented our Florida Division of Blind Services, so got to do a lot of interesting work and Randolph Shepherd and in other areas with that unit. So that is how I came to VR. I worked with VR in a legal capacity for around eight years and then took this director's position back in February. So coming up on one year here shortly in terms of Florida General, we're housed within the Florida Department of Education, headquartered in beautiful Tallahassee, Florida. The states broken up into seven geographical areas, and each of those has an area director. Now, we haven't always been here in the Department of Education, and we'll talk a little bit about some of the history and where the division was previously. But yeah, we've been with the Department of Education for a number of years now and are a big component of Florida DOH.   Carol: So your background really positions you nicely for this job because you know, the regs really probably pretty inside and out as being the attorney for the agency for so long.   Brent: You know that part is certainly helpful and I tap into it regularly. I have to resist the urge to just be the lawyer. And we have a very capable and wonderful deputy general counsel that leads our VR legal team. So I defer to Nicole Saunders now on legal matters, but it is nice to have that background as well as those relationships that I was able to build as the attorney, including with folks like Tina.   Carol: Absolutely. So how many people do you serve and how many staff does Florida General have?   Brent: For the past several years, it has varied between around 45000 to 50000 individuals receiving services within a state fiscal year. We have 884 full time equivalent staff that are employees of the division of the state of Florida.   Carol: Wow. That is huge. Are you in the top five programs in the country or something? As far as size, I think.   Brent: I think we must be I know that we're one of the largest. And, you know, Florida is such a diverse state, too. We talk about from the tip of the panhandle, which is where I grew up over in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, all the way down to the Florida Keys. And, you know, those two ends of the state could not be more different in terms of, well, just geography, but also all of the economics, you name it, just really diverse and a lot of different challenges throughout the state for such a big state as Florida.   Carol: Yeah, tough for you to just like we're going to drive to all the offices today. That can't happen. So the model I alluded to, what is this model that Florida general is working under to meet your staffing needs?   Brent: For over 20 years now, Florida VR has been working with Service Source in a successful public private partnership, and that's really added service capacity in our state. And so I'm looking forward to telling everyone more about that today.   Carol: Very cool. So, Tina, I didn't mean to leave you out.. Why don't you tell our listeners about yourself and your background and how you kind of fit into this picture?   Tina: Oh, thank you, Carol, And thanks for inviting us here today. I have been in Florida most of my life here. As I said, I live in Vero Beach. I did live where you are from in Minnesota for five years. So I've enjoyed the Minnesota life as well. I started my career out as a teacher, so working with the youth has always been very close to my heart. I obtained my master's degree while working under this contract over the years and rehabilitation counseling, I have my CRC, my Certified Rehabilitation Counseling license. I was the second employee hired under this original contract with this partnership in 2001 as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. Believe it or not, I took this job under a newspaper advertisement. Does anybody know what that is anymore? So the director that hired me to start up was the startup director for the privatization project, Steve Palumbo. Steve had worked with the state of Florida VR system for many years. He started this privatization. He was a great mentor to me. I was very green, just like Brent talks about coming in. I didn't know that much at all about what I was getting myself into. I had no idea that 20 years later I'd be as excited as I am about what we do. And as he mentored me over the years, I started out as a VRC, so I was a vocational rehabilitation counselor for a few years and then I became a unit supervisor for one of our largest units, which was one of the first units in this partnership on the Treasure Coast. It serves four different counties, and I did that for about 11 years. And then when Steve retired in 2017, I became the director for the program and have held that position ever since. I've worked with Service Source for over 20 years and I've been very excited to be part of what I always say to people, kind of the trailblazer of this type of model. And it's been great because, as Brent said, we also work together very closely when he was the attorney for VR. So it's just been a great partnership.   Carol: So Brent, what happened back in the 1999 legislative session that led to your model for meeting staffing needs?   Brent: Well, I'll give the caveat that obviously I wasn't around at this time, but I've done some research and know anecdotally that there were some similar circumstances to what we're facing now. There are very high caseloads. We had a number of vacancies that were presenting challenges and consequently we had some underserved areas in Florida where folks were having a hard time receiving VR services. In response to that problem, the Florida legislature passed Senate Bill 230 and which directed VR and I'll quote, to enter into local public private partnerships to the extent that it is beneficial to increasing employment outcomes for persons with disabilities and ensuring their full involvement in the comprehensive workforce investment system. So at that time, Florida VR was broken into 24 regions. The division was housed in another state agency at that time and had not made the move to the Department of Education. So there were 24 regions in stark contrast to our seven areas now, and initially contracts were only awarded for three of those 24 regions. Service Source was awarded two of the three contracts that were initially awarded after procurement was conducted in 2000. And just a little bit more about Senate Bill 230. It did include a section on the legislative intent, which I thought might be interesting to listeners, and it basically states the legislature finds that individuals with disabilities experience the highest unemployment rate of any group in society as high as 75%, and that unemployment and poverty go hand in hand. The legislature also finds that persons who complete the vocational rehabilitation program are twice as likely to obtain and maintain employment, and the use of private providers is the readiest way to add service capacity for this population. I'll stop there.   Carol: That's really interesting. You know, we're still facing that issue today with people with disabilities being one of the largest groups that have issues with unemployment and living in poverty. And so the needle has not changed a ton, but you were able to increase capacity. So let me just clear this up. Did the legislature at the same time, did they like freeze your FTEs or you actually lost some FTEs, but you could then use this source to be able to make up the difference?   Brent: I don't know that there was a simultaneous move with respect to FTEs. I know that over the years that has occurred where they have been frozen or we have been permission to expand, but I don't know if that was occurring simultaneous to this effort in 1999. And Tina may be able to speak a little bit more about that because obviously there was some trepidation on the part of division employees to this fairly significant change.   Carol: Well, absolutely. They're thinking we're being eliminated. You're taking our jobs away. So, Tina, why don't we go to you? Because you were around back in 1999. What's your perspective on what happened back then?   Tina: Yeah, absolutely. I actually remember it like it was yesterday. As I said, when I came into the position, I remember, you know, you start your first day on the job with your little box of all your desk items and you're walking in. And state workers at the time, field staff looked very concerned. There was a lot of concern and it wasn't the welcoming that you might have expected on your first day of your new job, because I didn't know that at the time and didn't understand it. But as time went on, I understood that the communication wasn't very clear on why we were there and what we were doing there. But we were brought in. We were brought in to work alongside state employees. So at the time we were working in the same offices right next door and taking over some of the caseloads. And, you know, everybody's very particular about giving up their caseloads. But what I believe happened at that time is VRC caseloads, the vocational rehabilitation counselors were dealing with over 300 plus cases in certain units. There were counties that, as we were talking about, were completely underserved. As I said, I started out here on the Treasure Coast. There are four counties on the Treasure Coast, very large school districts that needed to be served. And we are about an hour and a half driving distance from the actual area office for the state. So this worked very well and it took a little bit of time. But when the employees started to feel the relief and some of the challenges they were having and they realized we weren't there to take their jobs, I feel like over time it just made things a lot easier when they saw the positive responses and that they still had their jobs and they were able to leave as they retired and there was no difference. In that particular office, those people, those state workers left over time through retirement. And then it became that the Treasure Coast was mainly the private provider inside the state offices. So definitely, as Brent said, it was a very unusual time and communication wasn't very forthright. Nobody really knew why. We knew we had jobs. We were coming in to help, but nobody understood it. But I believe over time those challenges kind of went away and the fear went away when we were helping and it was making a difference. And so that made a big difference. It got better.   Carol: So I'm sure the feds probably wanted to say one or two things about this arrangement. So what do either of you think, Brent, I'll go to you first from a state perspective, if you are able to answer this, what did you guys do to help alleviate federal concern about this arrangement? Because I keep thinking non delegables, you know, in my head.   Brent: Sure. Well, that's the big one. And so that is addressed contractually. And I think it's certainly explicit and clear in our current contractual arrangements, which we'll get into. But I would imagine that that had to be addressed right out of the gate because it would be the obvious challenge or something that we would have to deal with. And I think we have done so well. But I think to go back to the federal response, I do understand that RSA had some pretty significant concerns initially, and I speculate that that led to the decision to only enter the three small contracts initially rather than to try to do the whole state. And I understand they were only one year contracts with a possible renewal for two years. So a limited term and very limited geographically to start out. And I think that probably helped to address some of the concerns.   Carol: So, Tina, do you have any thoughts back then about the federal concern because you were there, you probably heard a little bit about that.   Tina: Sure. Basically what we found or what I saw was that RSA contracted agencies to come in and do quality assurance. We had many, many audits and quality assurance reviews regularly. And what I feel probably alleviated those concerns over time because I was part of them, my cases were pulled for audits and then when I became the supervisor, we were still doing many, many quality assurance desktop audits. And basically once we would get through these audits and they were positive and they could see that we were following processes, we were doing the same work that the state was doing, we were following everything that was laid out in the contract. The audits became less, the quality assurance coming around every few months were less and less. And I believe that just spoke to the kind of work that was happening over time. But there was definitely a lot of concern in the beginning and as Brent said. It started out with short term contracts and now we've gone into more of a three year with three year extensions. And of course, everything is still we're all being we should all be under compliance audits from time to time, but it's more regular now. It's not like it was in the past.   Carol: Gotcha. Okay. That helps clear that up. So, Brent, I know I said something about the non-delegables, so how do you address that to ensure that VR remains in control? Because I'm sure our listeners are thinking, all right, but how does that work exactly?   Brent: As I mentioned, we clearly set forth the definitions within the contract and sort of address that head on. And early on in the language of the contract, for example, in the purpose of the contract, under brief summary of the nature and purpose of the project, it states, the purpose of this contract is to perform delegable VR services to eligible persons with disabilities in Area two, Area three, Area six and seven. Essentially, we're establishing that right out of the gate we define what those terms mean within the definitions, of course, citing to the applicable regulations and laws. And then most importantly, every unit has an assigned position that is a state employee that we call a counselor analyst, and they have the final signing authority for all work in the unit. So that's really essentially how we address this the non-delegable issue. The Service Source unit supervisor reviews the work first and then it's ultimately reviewed and signed off on by the counselor analyst. And so Tina mentioned our Treasure Coast where we have two counselor analysts based just on the size of that unit and the population there. The counselor analyst reports to our area director in each area around the state and those four areas that have the private units. And so, of course, we always have to document customer choice and form choice and working with private or state staff. I think we do a good job of explaining during our intake process that the services will still be the same and that it should appear the same regardless of which selection a customer makes. As to whether they would prefer to work with our state staff or with Service Source staff.   Carol: So that speaks to the question then what steps did you take to integrate staff in the work? And Tina, I'm going to send that to you because you've been there since the very darn start of the whole thing.   Tina: Yes, we wanted this to look seamless, and in the beginning I wasn't part of those decisions, but I can see why we did this. And it worked. Basically, our Service Source staff are on the state system, so we have emails, we're included in all the state correspondence. If you were to pull up myself or Brent, we're both in the system, so are all of the staff, Our Service Source staff, we do take our Service Source trainings like you would do for any company that you work for. But then we also, our staff is part of the mandatory state trainings, including ethics and sexual harassment and all the beginning onboarding, because it's important that our staff understand when they're working inside of a state system. There might be a little bit of differences in how the state system may work to a private agency, so they're held accountable for the same things that the state employees are. The VR staff have some additions. What I had to do is we have a staff handbook for Service Source. I actually had them update the handbook over time to add some things that my staff that are working under this contract need to also abide by because they're under this contract. Our management for Service Source is part of all the bureau meetings. We sit on their task forces. It's been wonderful because over the years that's a big piece. The communication has gotten better and better. And what we found is that if we collaborated together and that we work together on strategic plans, brainstorming ideas for Florida, we work together so our management and our leadership sits with their leadership and we work as one. And really it's seamless. We don't go out into the community and say, we are Service Source, employees, we are VR. So when we're in the office, we get paid by Service Source, we work for our company. But when we are working under this contract, we are working as a VR employee.   Carol: I like that you said seamless. That was the word that popped into my mind because you're explaining this. I'm like, This seems really seamless and I'm sure that took time to get to that point.   Tina: It evolved. It evolved. But I feel like in all the years I've been here, we're at that place. We're at that place where it's the best I've ever seen it. And it's been a lot of collaboration that's brought us there, but definitely seamless at this point.   Carol: Excellent. So I know one thing that buzzes around in my mind because in Minnesota we're a unionized state, several different unions our staff fell under. So Brent, is Florida unionized?   Brent: Florida is a what's known as a Right To Work state. And that essentially means that a person can work in the state, whether they're in a union or not. They can't be compelled to join a union as a condition of keeping their job. I believe a little over half of the states are right to work states. You know, that doesn't present as much of a challenge for us here as it might in other areas.   Carol: Sure, no, thanks for clarifying that. So, Tina, I wanted to look at today how much territory does Service Source cover in Florida and how many employees are on the Service Source side of the house.   Tina: Yes. Brent alluded a little while ago to the fact that we are in four of their contracted seven areas that we covered. We are inside 16 state offices from Jacksonville to Key West we are predominantly in central part of Florida. And on the East Coast, we have 145 employees inside this contract. When we began to kind of give you how we've evolved, we started out with 45 and we only had two offices. So now I would say percentage wise, years ago, it's probably about 18% of what the state is doing. We're involved in, I would say somewhere between 18 and 20%, but we have offices mainly between Jacksonville and Key West.   Carol: Yeah, that helps to give a better picture of what that looks like. So what are some lessons that you've learned along the way? And Brent, I'm going to go to you first on that.   Brent: Sure. And, you know, Tina and I have talked about this as we prepared for this podcast. And I think we both agree that communication is really the key. And Tina alluded to that earlier, that the communication perhaps could have been better and stronger, more robust at the beginning of this process, because any time you have a significant change like this, we all know that there's going to be if there's a vacuum of information that's going to be filled and people are going to fear the worst and they're going to just come up with the sort of 'Parade of Horribles' to use an old legal term of what might go wrong. So I think it's just critically important and has been important to our relationship that we keep those lines of communication open. We need to make sure as the division that we ensure that our partners, that Service Source, receive the same messages and information that our state employees receive and really toward the greatest extent possible work to that seamlessness that we've talked about. And it's interesting that you all focused on that word because that has been sprinkled throughout. But also I think it just does go to that seamlessness that we look for where for all intents and purposes, the work we do is the same and the customer has the same quality experience no matter who their counselor is.   Carol: So how about you, Tina? Are there any other lessons learned that you want to talk about?   Tina: Yes, I totally agree with Brent. Communication has been the biggest key lesson learned over time. Change management would have been a good lesson 22 years ago. We could have used that topic right? How to help people get used to something different. But I guess something that comes to my mind, I think about many, many years ago we tried to do a staff leasing concept many years ago in one of the areas that we serve. We tried the idea of having a state supervisor, supervising Service Source staff in an underserved area, and it worked for a little bit, but I don't think it worked as well as our current model and what we're doing. So I think that was definitely a lesson learned that we should probably stick to what we're doing from the beginning here with this model, because when you're answering to or you're being supervised by somebody in your own company, it still was all the same concept. But I think it definitely worked better when we didn't do that staff leasing. Having the contract the way it is now, but hugely about communication all across the board. It helps with employee retention, it helps with training, it helps with us all following policy and doing things the way we're supposed to do to serve the customers.   Carol: So I'm sure everybody is wondering how you both are dealing with staffing shortages. I was thinking about that. Does staff move between like the two organizations and how do you deal with that? Tina, I'm going to ask you that first.   Tina: Sure. You know, Brent and I even newly working together, we discuss this ourselves, and I've talked about this with every previous director. We definitely discourage poaching. We do not look to take each other. So that's not the whole purpose of this contract. The purpose of this contract is that we're working together. However, we don't discourage it happens very infrequently that the employees go from one side or the other. But it does happen and it happens for good reasons sometimes, you know, some people have to move to another area of Florida and Service Source doesn't have an office there inside the state. So it would naturally make sense that they would stay within our system and they would go to a state unit and vice versa. And also for any kind of possible advancement. We do not have all of the positions that the state of Florida has. We have quite a few of the positions that they have under contract. But there may be an opportunity for one of our staff on both sides to have advancement if they come. So we do want to keep all of these great passionate people inside the system. So we're not looking to do that, but we don't encourage that. But that's the biggest thing, is making sure that we're working together and as a team rather than encouraging anything like that.   Carol: So is the pay similar then?   Tina: Yes, the pay is very similar. The only thing different you have to understand is that state benefits are less expensive. If you really kind of look at the bottom line, sometimes it may appear because we have to add on a little bit of money there to cover benefits and different things that a private company would be different than a state system. But when you really look at the actuality of them, Very similar. Very similar.   Carol: Gotcha. So, Brent, how about you? How are you dealing with just the overall staffing shortages?   Brent: Well, we're certainly thankful for our partnership with Service Source to provide the services that they do and the staff that they do. But bigger picture, I'm pleased to announce that we have put forward as part of the department's legislative budget request some pretty significant raises for our what we call our frontline staff, our counseling positions, our technicians and those folks who are working with the customers. It's frankly long overdue. And we, as many agencies around the country have experienced, have definitely had challenges with staffing. So we have gotten further along in this process than we have. I understand that before I came on board last year, the division was taking a run at this and getting their proposal into the legislative budget request, but it did not happen. So that has occurred this year. We're very excited about that. We have the department's support and we're cautiously optimistic that that will make its way through the legislature and this upcoming session and that we will have a great outcome there.   Carol: Good for you. That is exciting to hear. I'm sure colleagues across the country will be interested in how you pitch that to get into the budget. That's always part of the problem. Just getting it out of the agency.   Brent: Absolutely. And I will say a lot of blood, sweat and tears and a lot of hard work with staff here who really thought deeply and for a long time about the various ways that we could go about this. Yes, I'm proud of the folks here who have helped to make that happen. And as I said, cautiously optimistic. And we've tried to be as transparent as possible with folks around the state as well to let them know what we're doing and that we are we're trying to go to bat there and we're excited about the possibility and looking forward to a good result in the spring.   Carol: Excellent. Well, do keep me posted on that. So, Tina, I'm curious, are there other states that Service Source operates in? And then what kind of services can you provide?   Tina: Yes, we are a leading nonprofit disability resource organization. We have services and prime contract operations located in more than ten states and the District of Columbia. Service Source have five regional offices share a common mission to provide exceptional services to people with disabilities through a range of valued employment training, habilitation, housing and many, many other support services. We have regional offices that are in Florida, Virginia, Delaware, Utah and North Carolina. Our mission aligns with vocational rehabilitation mission. I mean, we are committed to building more inclusive communities.   Carol: Very cool. I had heard mentioned that maybe you guys even get into like being able to provide interpreter services and things like that.   Tina: Yes. Well, from this contract, having this contract for many, many years, you know, as I said, we sat on many bureau meetings and at one point Florida was in need of having a larger interpreter services scope throughout Florida. They already had interpreter services positions throughout Florida, but they were looking for a private organization or a contract. And we had experience in our Florida regional office working with individuals with deaf and hard of hearing. So we immediately jumped in and offered those services. And through that task we have a contract now where we have an interpreter services contract that is based out of our Clearwater, which is our regional office here in Florida. And we have positions throughout the state, again, just like our contract sitting inside state offices, serving right alongside the state interpreters, the state and staff interpreters. And it's been a wonderful program over the last few years.   Carol: Very cool. Yeah, Thanks for sharing that. I know some folks have struggled with the interpreter contracts. I've just heard that as of late across the country. As with anything else, you know, where people are struggling to get staffed. So looking back on all of this and knowing what you both know now, is there anything you would change about what has happened and how it may be happened? Brent, I'll go to you first.   Brent: Well, as I look on the historical record and the documents that I've been able to find about how all this occurred, I think hindsight being 2020, probably some of those initial contracts could have been drafted in a way that might not have raised so many red flags. Now, again, that is hindsight, because this was such a new and different concept. It may have been the case that regardless of how they were drafted, there would have been concerns. But, you know, I think some lessons can be learned from that as to how those have evolved. And again, there was some movement around this time when all this was occurring where VR was sort of moved from one agency to another, and it eventually landed with the Department of Education in 2002. And I think that provided some additional stability for the division, and we've been here ever since. So I think it was probably wise to start small and scale up from there and to focus on underserved areas. Those are, I think, some lessons that were properly implemented and that that would be a good way to get something like this off the ground.   Carol: Tina, how about you? Any thoughts on that? Anything you would change?   Tina: Yeah, I totally agree with Brent. The contracts started out very differently. At one point we had five contracts for this, this one contract. We had five different serving different areas of Florida. And I understand why it happened that way. Looking back now, though, probably with the idea that you can do amendments to contracts, I think if we were to do this again, just amending contracts and having one large contract, because now we do have over the last five years, the most recent contract is one large contract working as a team approach across the state. So all of our goals and deliverables are work together as in anything that you work with and a team approach always works better. I have consistency among managers working together. Everybody has final goals that we're all working for the same mission and concept, but they're working together and they're working as a team rather than working in separate areas of Florida with different guidelines and thought processes and salaries. It wasn't as consistent years ago. So I definitely think that was something that definitely will help all of us in the future when we look at something like this. But we have to, over time, continuously work on streamlining and efficiency based changes. They're necessary and we've done that over time. And I think because we've done that, it's led to the success of the program.   Carol: Well, the lessons that you all have learned and everything that you've gone through can definitely help another state because they don't have to go through the same path. They can start off kind of right where you're at really with learning from you all. So do you have any parting words of wisdom? If somebody is interested in this type of model? How about you, Brent?   Brent: Sure. I will just continue to say how well it's worked for Florida and how much we value the partnership. And I echo the sentiment that the state should all learn from one another and from one another's mistakes and challenges. And that's one of the great things about our collegial body that we share around the country with our colleague. You know, we're certainly willing to talk to folks to share documents, to let them know about how this is historically evolved. And I guess I would just say that it's one of the great benefits is that we're able to learn from one another and to complement each other. A private entity is able to be a little bit more nimble in many ways than a state agency that has layers of bureaucracy and sort of red tape. That's certainly a benefit that can occur with this kind of arrangement. It's something that we would certainly welcome any questions from other folks as to how they might do something like this in their state.   Carol: Excellent. So, Tina, how about you? Any parting words of wisdom?   Tina: You know, I would say just like Brent, it's a great partnership. We've had almost 22 years of experience working to support the state of Florida and their mission that has become our mission. It works successfully because we've cultivated an excellent working relationship with each other. The natural cooperation with our state counterparts has been an influential force in our success. Many years ago, one of the previous directors called it We now are VR one. We're no longer Service Source in State VR, we're VR one. I look to what we've just been talking about over the last year in the CSAVR, especially in the Spring Virtual Conference about transformational change and transformational leadership. You know, I wanted to raise my hand and go, that's like what we did 22 years ago. We were the transformational change that nobody really thought of back then. And so these are the types of ideas I hope that during my career now, I can see us replicate this relationship in other states so we can assist state VR agencies that are in need to help them achieve their goals and better serve their customers.   Carol: Very cool. I love that VR one. That's awesome. So I know you both had mentioned if somebody out there is interested in the idea and there's certainly welcome to contact you. So Brent, what's the best way for them to do that?   Brent: Sure. Number one, I have to get in a plug for our new website that has recently been redesigned. That's at w w w dot rehab works dot org. So that is the Florida general website. But to contact me directly, I'd be happy for folks to shoot me an email. And that is Brent dot McNeal at VR.fldoe.org.   Carol: Excellent. And Tina, how about you if somebody wanted to reach out and talk to you?   Tina: Sure. And I'll give you my contact first. That same thing with Brent. You can reach me on the state system at tina.Herzik@VR.fldoe.org or you can reach me on my service source, which is Tina dot herzik h e r z i k at service source all one word dot org. Please look up our website as well, ServiceSource.org. You'll get to hear and see all the other wonderful things we're doing throughout the country and you can see what's happening with other parts of our business. But we are very unique with this partnership. As far as what service source is doing for what we're talking about today. But that's also in the information when you look it up.     Carol: Excellent. Yeah, I really appreciate both being on. This is very cool to hear about what is. Happen and that it's sustained. It's really lasted the test of time, which is really interesting as well. And Brent, I hope you keep me posted on what's going on with those staff salaries later on. So I wish you both the best and happy holidays.   Tina: You, too. Thank you so much, Carol.   Brent: Thank you so much, Carol. And thanks, Tina, for agreeing to do this. It's been a great experience and happy to spread the word and hope that it's helpful for folks.   Tina: I'm glad we're working together, Brent, This is great, continuing our journey. That's right. Happy holidays, both of you.   Speaker1: Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time, brought to you by the VR TAC for Quality Management. Catch all of our podcast episodes by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening

Bruce Vredenburg, Market President – Pensacola and Emerald Coast Markets · Hancock Whitney joins Genna to discuss EDATE.

https://myescambia.com/businesses/grants-and-incentives/edate

Hey Crew - It's great to be back with you for Episode 025. I'm a big fan of the fire service: Fire service podcasts, fire service leadership. I've come to really value listening leaders in the fire service. I think there is a lot of carry-over between the fire service and the construction industry: Our jobs place us in, sometimes, risky situations that we are called to mitigate. There are leadership issues in both of our industries that call for us to be sound in our inter-personal skills, navigating situations & issues. I love listening to great chiefs & leaders, in any industry, but those who are in the fire service always strike lots of chords with me. One of my favorite podcasts is produced by Battalion Chief Corley Moore of the Moore, Oklahoma FD. He runs a website called Firehouse Vigilance, and produces a podcast & YouTube channel called The Weekly Scrap, which is an interview-based Q/A forum where he'll bring-on another fire service leader. There's a live chat for the Q/A, and they always seem to dive into topics that provide me with tons of takeaways. In a recent episode, Chief Moore had Battalion Chief Curt Isakson of the Escambia, Florida FD on. Chief Isakson is an absolute fire-breather: You can't listen to him and not want to run through a brick wall. High energy, a library of knowledge and the kind of guy who you'd like to meet at a backyard cookout and hangout with. Chief Isakson introduced me to the question, "What is my % of impact?" Obviously, his take revolved around fire service members and how they could have a positive contribute to a situation. But for me, I grabbed that same question and took it into our industry: How can I positively effect a construction or engineering situation. I think you'll enjoy this podcast. A few linkables mentioned in the Show: Firehouse Vigilance (Chief Corley Moore) County Fire Tactics (Chief Curt Isakson) Connect with me anytime!! LinkedIn: Bob Hildebranski, PE Website: Hildebranski.com Contact Page Link --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bob-hildebranski/message

Banker Bruce Vredenburg explains why we should renew the the Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemption (EDATE) program.

Grab your headphones or your Bluetooth and check out this awesome interview with April HIght and Jessie Howell on the Foster Parenting Process. This interview was alarming, educational, & fascinating. April & Jessie shared with us: Being aligned with your purpose Aligned with your gifts and talents Impostor syndrome comes from comparison and judgment and much more

Last week Friday, the Joint Legislative Budget Commission voted to fund $5.5 million for Escambia and Santa Rosa projects. State Rep. Alex Andrade has the details.

This week is National Health Center Week. Community Health Northwest Florida is focusing today on its care for the homeless in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.  Homeless Health Navigator Walter Arrington has the details.

AlabamaA state senator calls for the governor and ADOC to fix prison problem in stateNew hotline coming to state to help those with mental health emergenciesReporter at the Lagniappe says former state BAR director violated his own rulesMan charged with kidnapping elderly lady is extradited from KY to ALWarnings of flesh eating bacteria out of Escambia county along Gulf coastNationalNY Times blasts Joe Biden for mental capacity, while releasing bad poll numbersBiden gets heckled during speech on gun violence by father of shooting victimUvalde TX officials release video footage of police response to school shooting Swedish study says mRna in Covid 19 vaccine does change human DNA17 year old speaks out about gender transitioning after de-transitioning

Episode 20 Carolyn Cox RoseIn 1978, Carolyn Cox Rose was a successful real estate agent in the Pensacola, Florida area. She left the realty office early one morning to meet a client at an empty house she was selling. Her raped and murdered body was found there later that day. Police learned that a man had phoned repeatedly, possibly luring Carolyn to her fate. But police failed to track down the mysterious client, and Carolyn's case went unsolved until, decades later, Escambia county authorities employed forensic genealogy in the case. The analysis led to a North Carolina man with a significant criminal past – and possibly, another victim.Follow DNA: ID on Social Mediaon Twitter at- https://twitter.com/DNAIDPodcaston Facebook at- https://www.facebook.com/DNA-ID-True-Crime-Podcast-103667495017418on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/dnaidpodcast/Podcast home page- https://www.spreaker.com/show/dna-id

The follow up to the Confederate flag dispute at Escambia Academy in Canoe, Alabama. Listen in to see what we found out. Plus we talked about recruiting. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/icons-sport-media/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/icons-sport-media/support

We talked about the issues of the Conferderate flag. Tune it! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/icons-sport-media/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/icons-sport-media/support

The Floridaville: Get to know the people behind the Florida names you know Representative Robert "Alex" Andrade is a member of the Florida legislature.  He represents the state's 2nd House district, which includes parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.  He is an attorney, loves rap music, and has a charity that provides bicycles to kids in need.