Latest news with #WMBB
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
3-year illegal drivers license scheme unveils public corruption in Bay County
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – 'Evidence suggests that hundreds, if not more than a thousand, fraudulent driver's licenses were issued as part of this scheme,' Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said. Public corruption brought Attorney General James Uthmeier to Bay County on Thursday. Officials say two Bay County tax collectors' office employees were providing undocumented individuals with driver's licenses in return for compensation. The employees identified as Bancelie Velazco and Demetrius Smith allegedly skipped steps and proper testing, then issued the licenses in exchange for cash or a 'Cash App' transaction. Ford believes people from all over the state traveled here to buy the licenses, and that the illicit activity had been happening for around 3 years. However, Bay County Tax Collector Chuck Perdue says they only noticed the suspicious activity last month, after reviewing April's month-end reports. Florida Attorney General holds news conference in Bay County Perdue says he immediately contacted Ford's office. 'I was starting to review our month-end reports, and I was seeing where, you know, on average, of my 80 employees, an employee on average during the month, will do 20 to 25 road exams. I had one employee, Mr. Smith, who did 295 exams in one month. So those exams take about 20 minutes each. So, doing the math, there's not that many work hours in the week, right?' Tax Collector Chuck Perdue said. Sheriff Ford says the investigation has been ongoing for around a month, with the majority of headway being made on Wednesday. So far, there have been eight arrests, and officials have seized around $120,000 from the illicit proceedings. Some of the arrests were individuals caught with fraudulent licenses, and others were people acting as brokers. Officials cited the involvement of a Callaway business called 'Cubamax'. 'The investigation also allowed us to arrest five additional individuals who are acting as brokers, running local businesses that claim to assist with immigration paperwork but instead arranged illegal transactions and funneled aliens from as far away as Miami to obtain licenses fraudulently,' Ford added. Uthmeier and several others blamed the Biden administration for the illegal activity. 'I think today is yet another example of how the Biden border policy puts American families at risk. Here you've got hundreds of aliens that are cheating, that are breaking the law, that are buying driver's licenses without taking the test, getting on the roads, putting everybody in danger. So, you know, if there's any silver lining to come out of this terrible discovery, it's that law enforcement worked very well together. Continued to follow the breadcrumbs and ultimately uncovered, you know, pretty widespread and advanced operation,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said. Officials said this is just the start of this investigation. Perdue says it's unclear at this time if there will be any repercussions for individuals responsible for supervising the employees. Sheriff's officials and Homeland Security Investigations will be working with the Highway Patrol and other agencies to track down the fraudulent driver's licenses. They say the fault lies with illegal immigrants who are adding pressure to the system. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Panama City hosts first CRA virtual workshop to discuss projects in Millville and Glenwood
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The CRA board discussed two programs in their workshop on Wednesday. They believe it will help incentivize local businesses while protecting the community. The first one was introduced by the newly appointed mayor, Allan Branch. It's called SPARK stands for small business property activation, redevelopment kick-start. The idea would involve the CRA offering to sell city-owned properties in Glenwood through a 'structured, fair and results-driven process'. People or businesses with ties to Glenwood, who are minority or women-owned, or are creating jobs and using public-facing space, would receive preference through a scoring system. 'If our pipe dream or our success story is people of the neighborhood building back their neighborhoods, we need to have some sort of scaling or point system that you're most sophisticated by. Or someone out of Atlanta who has a $50 million portfolio is going to have the best presentation for property. And so we have to score people's packets differently if we want to incentivize local growth, particularly local growth that potentially might be there first. Building brick and mortar businesses, those are folks like myself,' Panama City mayor Allan Branch said. Panama City announce traffic impacts for 'This We'll Defend' celebration The second topic discussed is an outdoor seating incentive program in Millville. It would make it easier for restaurants to create outdoor seating. Under this proposal, businesses would be reimbursed up to $10,000 to cover the expenses for outdoor tables and chairs, patios, fencing, and outdoor lighting. None of these plans have been finalized, but the branch says they want to continue the conversation with some rough sketches and letters of support from businesses. The next virtual workshop has been scheduled for two weeks from today, which will be June 25. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Panama City announce traffic impacts for 'This We'll Defend' celebration
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – Panama City officials announced closures will go into effect to ensure a safe 5K and community celebration for the 'This We'll Defend' event on Saturday, June 14. According to a news release, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., portions of West Government Street, 4th Street, E Beach Dr, and other nearby streets will be managed through traffic control and PCPD. Panama City celebrating U.S. Army's 250th anniversary at 'This We'll Defend' event Tarpon Dock Drawbridge closures will be from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and Marina T-Dock from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Officials advise seeking an alternative route or be prepared to stop and have a delayed commute. They encourage leaving yourself extra time and using alternative routes. For more information about the 'This We'll Defend' event, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Bozeman softball coach releases statement after firing
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – Former Bozeman head softball coach, Jared Smith has broken his silence just under two weeks after being fired from his position. On May 29, Smith was informed by Bozeman Principal Ivan Beach that he would not be renewed for his position for the upcoming season. The move came as a surprise to much of the community as the Bozeman softball team was coming off of its furthest regional playoff run in program history. Bozeman fires softball coach following historic season On May 30, Bay District Schools released a statement on behalf of Deane Bozeman School regarding their decision to fire Smith. BDS releases statement regarding Bozeman coach firing On Wednesday, June 11, Smith reached out to local media members with the following statement regarding his sudden departure from Bozeman and his plans to join the Arnold High School softball coaching staff: 'I would like to start by acknowledging and thanking everyone who has publicly and privately expressed support and encouragement for Amber and me. More specifically, I would like to thank each and every player who has played for me during my time at Bozeman and to each of their parents for trusting me to guide their children during their high school softball careers. I would also like to thank the administration, coaches, and teachers I have worked with side-by-side over my 18 years at Bozeman. And as I tell anyone who asks, I have been blessed to have the greatest booster club year in and year out. It is more than fair to say that the hard work and support of the parents (past and present) who have made up the Bozeman Softball Boosters have had a huge impact on every success that this program has experienced. During my time as the head coach of the Bozeman Softball program, there have been highs and lows, learning moments, and memories made that will last a lifetime. The positives outweigh the negatives 100 times over. From the beginning, I strived to set a standard of high expectations for my players, starting in the classroom and then continuing to hold that standard on the field of competition. In the last 7 years, these Bozeman Softball teams have earned the highest GPA in Bay County four times. Just this year, our players in high school had a 100% pass rate on every State EOC/PM assessment. We had 4 high school players finish this school year with a 4.0 or higher GPA. The players over the years deserve all of the recognition and credit for taking their role as a student seriously and meeting or surpassing every expectation that was set for them. Carrying this standard of excellence to the field has been the second phase of my vision for the program I was leading. In my 11 years as head coach at Bozeman, we won 118 games. There were 17 individual players who signed to play at the collegiate level. In the last 8 years, we have made the playoffs 4 times. In 2018, we won the Bay County Tournament title. We were seeing the fruits of the standards I was striving to set come to fruition right in front of our eyes. This current season was validating, in many ways, that we were on the right track. The way this current group of girls competed was exciting and re-energizing. I don't think these girls even realized everything they were accomplishing, because they were simply performing the way we worked to prepare them every day at practice. In their mind, they weren't doing anything special. But, man, was this group special! As a team, these girls broke 4 team records, 6 individual records, and took care of their academics (see above). Over the course of this season, in response to some adversity, I adopted a message to our players that, in a way, became a rallying cry. I encouraged them to 'Be present' and to 'Do more than enough.' Their response was incredible. They earned a spot in the District Championship game (in our first season after moving up into a larger classification). Then they earned the 4-seed in the Regional playoffs, but still had to travel to the 5-seed due to that team winning their district championship. No big deal…they went into that environment (for most of them, this was their first taste of playoff softball) and brought back the first playoff win in Bozeman Softball history. With this win, they earned a rematch from our District Championship game, against the team that finished #2 in the State (a truly great and talented team). In that game, we jumped out early, then fell behind in a BIG way. I called them together in the dugout and reminded them to 'be present' and to give me 'more than enough.' The players in that dugout at that moment may have been the only people alive who believed we had a chance. But they bought in and locked in and fought back from a huge deficit to end up tying the ballgame. In the end, we didn't quite have enough to topple our talented opponents. I, however, have never been more proud of a team than I was at the conclusion of that game. As it turns out, that game was my last game as the leader of the Bozeman Softball program. If you are waiting for me to air out grievances here, then I am going to have to leave you waiting. I am not going to publicly argue or refute any claims. I know, without a doubt, we did things the right way, every time. Whether I understand or agree with why decisions are made, the administration at Bozeman is tasked with making tough decisions daily and this was their decision. If you must know 'why?' all I can do is point you to the statement that was released. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities I have had at Bozeman and every moment will be regarded fondly. As Amber and I are now moving on to a new adventure, we are ready to announce that we have both accepted teaching positions at Arnold High School and are incredibly excited to join their school and softball program. I would like to thank Principal Smith for welcoming Amber and me into his school and athletics program. His support has already been a huge encouragement to us. I am looking forward to learning from their legendary head coach, Rick Green, and immersing myself into their winning culture. This opportunity is an exciting one, both professionally and personally, as we both look to grow as educators and coaches. I realize this has been long, and I'm not sure what is the best way to wrap it all up. So, what I will end with is to simply encourage all past, present, and future players to 'be present' in all that you do and if you are going to do something, always 'do more than enough.'' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBH's Bartlow named Florida Distance Athlete of the Year
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — A North Bay Haven Charter Academy graduate is closing the book on a historic high school running career, and starting a new chapter at the collegiate level. What began as a simple hobby for Maggie Bartlow transformed into a passion, and then into a college scholarship. Now, her legacy continues as she prepares to compete for Florida State University's cross-country and track programs this fall. 'I'm going to be honest, I was not expecting my high school career to turn out like this at all,' Bartlow said. Bartlow didn't always envision running at the next level. In fact, the idea of distance running once felt overwhelming. 'Distance running in particular can be very daunting,' she said. 'You're telling me I have to race three miles over grass and through mud, and I'm going to get all dirty and possibly throw up at the end. It's terrifying.' But with a passion for numbers and a drive to constantly improve her times, Bartlow became more than just comfortable with the sport, she became elite. In the fall of her senior year, Bartlow claimed Bay County's first-ever state championship in cross country. By spring, she set her sights on the track. 'My goal was the 3200,' she said. 'I wanted that 3200. The 1,600 has never been my strength, but I really, really wanted this 32.' She not only won gold in the 3,200-meter run but also earned silver in the 1,600. Her accomplishments caught the attention of MileSplit, which recently named her the Florida Girls Distance Athlete of the Year. 'I can't believe that people really think of me like that,' Bartlow said. 'The fact that I'm considered up here by other people, it's just like, oh my gosh, this is kind of unreal.' Before heading to Tallahassee, Bartlow will compete one final time as a high schooler at the Nike Nationals in Oregon. She hopes to make the Seminoles' A-team in her freshman year but said she wouldn't be where she is today without the people who've supported her along the way. 'Every person that experiences some sort of athletic success, they're going to have a family behind them or friends or teammates or coaches, teachers,' she said. 'For me, it's all of the above. I've had so many people come together and help pull me along this journey, and I would not be here if it weren't for them.' Bartlow leaves behind a legacy as perhaps the most decorated distance runner Bay County has ever produced, and she's just getting started. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
