Home Care In Milton, FL

Rare snowfall in Florida was caught on video on Tuesday morning as a bitter winter storm caused temperatures to plunge across the region.

An arctic blast brought frigid temperatures, bone-chilling winds and heavy snow to much of the United States over the weekend and early this week. Some Florida residents woke up to light snowfall as temperatures dropped low enough to produce the flurries.

One resident caught the snow flurries falling past their security camera.

"*SNOW IN FLORIDA* this morning in the Panhandle with flurries and sleet from Pensacola to Milton. No accumulation, but hey, what a treat!" WINK News Chief Meteorologist Matthew Devitt posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday morning alongside the video.

National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Don Shepherd told Newsweek that winter precipitation in the Florida panhandle is "fairly uncommon" and might happen once every five to six years.

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The snow has moved on, but cold weather persists in the area. The northern half of the state faced a slew of NWS winter weather warnings on Tuesday morning, including a hard freeze warning in the panhandle, a freeze warning in northern Florida and a wind chill advisory in central Florida.

"We are very cold," Shepherd said, adding that it was only 19 degrees in Pensacola on Wednesday morning. "That's pretty unusual. Even down on the beaches, it's in the 20s right now."

Wind chills dropped the temperatures in northern and northeastern Florida to 15 degrees, prompting the NWS to issue a warning about hypothermia. Slightly further south, wind chills of lower than 27 degrees were expected in Coastal Volusia County.

"The cold wind chills could result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken," the NWS warning said. "Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves."

The hard freeze warning prompted the NWS to suggest that Floridians in the northern part of the state take steps to protect crops, sensitive vegetation and outdoor plumbing systems, such as sprinklers.

During the cold snap, overnight temperatures in the Florida panhandle were 15 to 20 degrees below average for the time of year. Shepherd said the region warms up briefly overnight on Wednesday and on Thursday before temperatures plummet again on Friday and remain cold through the weekend with lows in the teens and 20s.

More than half of the U.S. is covered with snow from the slew of storms. Some areas, like Nashville, Tennessee, received more than an entire year's worth of snowfall in one day.

The same system that brought low temperatures to Florida on Wednesday will also sweep across much of the nation. The storm will bring heavy mountain snow to the Rocky Mountains, along with ice storms in the Pacific Northwest. Heavy lake-effect snow will continue in the Great Lakes region, although snow will taper off in the northeast.

A new Starbucks and McDonald's are underway at Dogwood Drive in Milton, according to Milton City Council member Jeff Snow who confirmed the development to the News Journal this week.

The two global chains will soon rise out of the wooded area that once sat across the street from the sparkling new Publix Super Market in Merganser Commons at 5854 Dogwood Drive.

The development process has been ongoing for about a year, with opportunities worked in for citizen input, Snow said.

The land is currently being cleared, which has been a hot commodity recently for developers, as Snow said there has been “a lot of development at that corridor.”

While Milton Public Information Officer Bethany Anderson confirmed that the McDonald's will go in 5849 Dogwood Drive and the drive-thru Starbucks at 5867 Dogwood Drive, the estimated timelines are unknown.

The two quick-service restaurants will also be joined by an urgent care office and a dental office, according to Anderson.

Additionally, FiftyDollarEyeGuy will be moving into Nixon’s on Dogwood near Highway 90, according to Anderson, which was a formalwear shop.

Snow noted that the business growth in Milton “is a positive thing,” since there has not been much development in that area of Milton for many years.

Milton’s Dogwood Drive growing in population and popularity.

Milton’s Dogwood Estates area is growing rapidly, with a 66,921-square-foot shopping center and retail space leading the charge, including a brand-new Publix that opened in 2022.

The plaza brought a variety of new tenants with it, including Milton-favorite Scoops Ice Cream and Sweets.

The retail growth is up to speed with the Milton community, which surpassed 10,000 people for the first time in history in 2020.

Ed Spears, Milton's economic development director, told the News Journal in a previous interview that that the population benchmark is indicative of growth moving forward.

"That puts you on the radar for a lot of national-level companies," Spears said of the census results. "Their site selectors generally don't even look at communities of less than 10,000. It's one of the key indicators."

Are there other Starbucks planned for Santa Rosa County?

Meanwhile, a new Starbucks is being developed for 5606 Woodbine Road. The roughly 2,5000 square foot building will also include a 500-square foot outdoor patio area, along with a drive-thru order and pick-up lane for quick orders on the run.

Prior to this addition, there were two nearby Starbucks just over five miles from the planned development site. One being the limited kiosk inside of the Target at 4727 U-S 90 in Pace, or the other inching closer toward Milton at 4830 Highway 90.

Full-service Starbucks locations offer items that some grocery store kiosks do not offer, such as lunch sandwiches and breakfast wraps. Larger locations also allow for mobile ordering.

However, the Starbucks expansions aren’t slowing down anytime soon.

The industry leader, with 13 locations in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, plans to add 22,000 stores by 2030, according to media reports.

The Milton City Council will be asked Tuesday to assist in reducing a list of city manager candidates from 43 to approximately 10 to 12.

Former Gulf Breeze City Manager Buz Eddy, who is heading up the search for someone to replace retiring Randy Jorgenson, told council members he intends to provide them his recommendations for finalists for the position. Council members received a full list of applicants ahead of their Monday Executive Committee meeting.

Plans call for the council to hold a special called meeting June 15, two days after they receive Eddy's recommendations, to vote on whether or not to accept the list and proceed to an interview phase in the hiring process. Council members agreed with Eddy's idea to conduct interviews via Zoom between June 19 and the end of the month.

"I think it's a reasonable proposal," said Councilwoman Marilynn Farrow.

More:Santa Rosa mulling land swap with Milton for portion of capacity at new wastewater plant

Following Eddy's guidance, the council will act on July 11 to narrow the list of candidates once again, this time to four or five who will be interviewed in person between July 12 and July 21. Under the timeline proposed, a leading candidate can be found, a contract negotiated and a new city manager put in place by the Sept. 1 date Jorgenson has targeted as his last day of work.

Eddy, who retired from the city of Gulf Breeze in 2017 after nearly a quarter century as its manager, assisted the Milton council in 2018 in a search for a chief administrator that ultimately ended, after some twists and turns, in the selection of Jorgenson.

Jorgenson, a city planner at the time of his hiring, was called upon in September of 2018 to replace Brian Watkins, who had spent nearly a decade in the job, but was fired that April after a tumultuous year in which his termination had been discussed three times. Then-Mayor Wesley Meiss cast the deciding vote to fire Watkins after the eight-member council deadlocked 4-4.

Jorgenson, who Council Member Jeff Snow has called "the best city manager this city has seen in 50 years," is leaving his job on his own terms. He had made no secret that he wanted to retire after turning 65, which happens this month.

More:Milton City Council terminates Brian Watkins as city manager

Who are the Milton City Manager candidates?

The City Council had announced when it embarked upon the search for Jorgenson's replacement its intention to advertise nationally for candidates and a review of resumes received indicates the job drew interest from all over the country. Applicants from Illinois, Texas, Virginia, New Jersey, Michigan and even California requested consideration for the job.

Not all of the job candidates have city manager or deputy city manager experience, but several do. Howard Brown is presently the village manager of Indiantown, Kemarr Brown is assistant city manager of the city of North Miami Beach. Stefan Wynn was the city manager of Neptune Beach through January of this year and Scott Collins served as city manager of the city of Fairview, Tennessee, through last November.

Chad Morris is the deputy city manager in nearby Niceville.

Other job experiences among the candidates include manager of the largest water utility in Arkansas, the former executive director of the Choctawhatchee Bay Estuary Program, an executive in a search firm for crypto clients and an assistant sales manager for Lowe's in Pensacola.

Ed Spears, the city of Milton's economic development director, appears to be the only in-house candidate to apply for the city manager's job, but three others list Milton as their home address. Jim Ponek is a semi-retired Parks and Recreation official who recently moved from Panama City Beach to Escambia County to be closer to family.

Milton Mayor Heather Lindsay, who did not respond Tuesday to a phone call seeking comment, thanked Eddy for his work in assembling the applicant resumes and encouraged council members to read through the available resumes and highlight contenders for the interview stage.

The Florida Department of Transportation is scheduled to embark Monday on the design phase of its planned widening of U.S. Highway 90 through downtown Milton.

The next day, at its city council meeting, Milton's elected leaders will be asked to approve a package of recommendations that they, along with city staff and local residents, have compiled for FDOT to consider as the widening project edges closer to becoming a reality.

If the council approves the package it will be forwarded along with a cover letter to FDOT.

Ian Satter, spokesman for FDOT's Northwest Florida district said any documentation provided by Milton's citizenry would be closely considered.

Related:What comes after U.S. 90 expansion in Milton? Community leaders start planning.

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"In any type of project we desire to work with all of our partners," Satter said. "Input will be taken into consideration as it relates to the design aspect and every other aspect, including safety, and other features."

The input package put together by city staff was derived from two outreach meetings. The first, conducted April 15, brought in members of the city's planning board, Historic Preservation Board, Community Improvement Board andCommunity Redevelopment Agency, which is made up of members of the City Council.

The second outreach meeting, held May 25, was open to the public.

City staff presented the data it had compiled following the two meetings to the council at its June 5 Executive Committee meeting. Councilwoman Marilynn Farrow commented that she would like time to review the paperwork before it is forwarded to FDOT.

She agreed only reluctantly to submit to a compressed review schedule, which City Manager Randy Jorgenson pointed out was necessary due to the Monday start date for the design phase of the widening project.

"I am uncomfortable with the way certain very important decisions come before us and we're asked to make a snap decision," she said.

Widening U.S. 90 through Milton has been discussed since 2014, and the Milton City Council has been on the record as opposing the plan. In a draft copy of the cover letter to be included with the package of recommendations, Jorgenson related the emphasis city residents put on keeping their downtown intact.

"Due to the importance this project holds on the future of development within the city of Milton,as well as the movement of vehicles along Highway 90 through the community, the Milton City Councilhas expressed the desire to be closely involved in the design phase of Highway 90," the letter, dated June 13, states. "We ask the department to carefully review and apply the data provided from the two meetings, and tocommunicate further with the city to avoid the design of a project that causes harm to the communityand the traveling public."

The data compiled in the two meetings does not necessarily present a unified front from among the elected officials and city boards and the public.

Strong majorities emerged during the April meeting in favor of leaving the speed limit through downtown Milton at 25 miles per hour and establishing travel and turn lane widths of 10 feet. The narrower lanes, it was decided, would help keep a driver's attention focused on the road and reduce the urge to speed or become distracted.

When the public met in May, calls were made in favor of increasing speed limits to 30 or 35 mph.

Recommendations were also recorded in the public meeting for reducing the speed limit to 20 mph.

Milton officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Perhaps the most controversial debate point among those participating in the U.S. 90 widening discussion has been the closing of some or all of Willing Street, which crosses U.S. 90 at the western foot of the Blackwater River Bridge.

At the June 5 meeting, Mayor Heather Lindsay reporting having heard from business owners on Willing Street who have complained that closing or limiting access to the roadway could negatively impact commerce.

"Depending on how you want to influence DOT, you could be setting up negative consequences," Lindsay said.

Jorgenson reminded the council that the design phase of the project, which precedes right of way acquisition and actual construction, is focused only on U.S. 90 and that issues like what should be done with Willing Street is "something that is fluid" and can remain in discussion as DOT's engineers do their work.

Construction of a pedestrian bridge and where it might be located is also a topic ripe for continuing debate, Jorgenson said.

More:Milton council considers soliciting alternatives to widening U.S. 90 through downtown

"It should be part of any conversation going forward and I'm sure it will be," he said.

Plans still call for FDOT to complete only about 60% of its design study to determine road right of way, according to Satter. When that is concluded the state will set the work aside and consult the Florida Alabama Transportation Planning Organization to decide what next steps, if any, will be taken toward completing the widening project through downtown Milton.

It is unlikely that FDOT staff will conduct any kind of public forum before a decision is made to complete the design work, Satter said.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff's deputies made an arrest in connection to a dead body reported on Schnoor Road Wednesday.

Deputies arrested 53-year-old Robert Patrick Jernigan Thursday night after law enforcement say he fatally choked Stephen Lee Jernigan, a 70-year-old who was an administrator for the popular "Santa Rosa Community Group" Facebook group, and then ran him over with a golf cart at the 1800 block of Schnoor Road.

"Upon arrival, deputies located the deceased, Stephen Jernigan, under a golf cart," an arrest report states. "Stephen was observed to have large lacerations on his head and facial area and about his lower extremities."

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Stephen Jernigan's wife, Faye, told deputies that she heard her husband and Robert Jernigan began fighting. She then heard the two walk out the back door of the home and didn't hear anything else.

"(Faye) and her (daughter) talked for about 45 minutes and then she got off the phone to check on Stephen," the report says. "Faye then stated she went outside and found Stephen under the golf cart just behind her vehicle."

During an interview, Robert Jernigan reportedly told deputies he and Stephen began a "heated verbal argument" and Stephen began slapping him in the face. Deputies noted Robert had marks on his face.

Robert then said he did something to Stephen that is redacted in the report, before claiming he picked Stephen up off the ground because they "worked things out."

The responding deputy then attended Stephen's autopsy. The medical examiner said he observed multiple rib fractures, a pelvic bone fracture, bleeding in the eyes, hemorrhaging in the neck and a fractured hyoid bone, the U-shaped bone situated at the root of the tongue in the front of the neck.

Robert Jernigan was arrested for homicide and is held in the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond.