Beach Archive

Oriole Beach Boat Ramp needs some improvements and Santa Rosa County hopes to have found a solution. The Board of County Commissioners recently approved the submission of the Florida Boating Improvement Program (FBIP) Grant application for boat ramp and parking lot improvements at the Oriole Beach Boat Ramp facility.

Navarre Beach has earned a prestigious nomination in this year’s Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards – Best Beach: Navarre Beach.

The Mer Sea development on Navarre Beach, which is supposed to bring a 47-house subdivision to the corner of South Carolina Street and White Sands Boulevard, is moving forward.

The project’s future was uncertain following the untimely deaths of its developers, Steve, Ann and Jay Hering, this past November.

The number of reefs off Navarre will grow in the next few years, as Santa Rosa County officials recently approved a contract to Walters Marine for grant funded artificial reef construction. The funding amount is $900,000.

A crowd of approximately 40 people packed into the main room at Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center (NBSTCC) Monday, March 24, to learn more about diamondback terrapins and how to participate in a volunteer program helping to preserve them.

On Thursday evening, March 27, at approximately 5:30 PM, emergency responders were dispatched to the Santa Rosa Sound near the 7300 block of Grand Navarre Boulevard in reference to a hydrofoil accident. The victim was a male in his 60s. The individual sustained severe injuries, including the loss of three fingers.

Navarre Beach is one step closer to getting a new beach retail shop.

Navarre Beach Lifeguards are back on duty and looking for ways to better cover their four-mile slice of paradise.

One way the lifeguards are doing this is with an upgrade at one of their busiest towers.

If you own an Airbnb on Navarre Beach, you may be getting a knock at your door in the near future. Navarre Beach Fire Rescue District (NBFRD) is moving forward with a plan to perform fire safety inspections on each short-term rental property on the beach. NBFRD Fire Chief Danny Fureigh estimates there are 1,300 Airbnb type properties on Navarre Beach but will have official numbers once an ordinance is drawn up allowing the district to do the inspections.

Following a season that brought over a million visitors to Navarre Beach, the lifeguards who patrol the shores are back to work. Navarre Beach Lifeguards started patrolling the beach and water Saturday, March 8 and will be active each day until late October. Even though last year was extremely busy, Beach Safety Division Chief Austin Turnbull expects there to be even more need for lifeguard services in 2025.