Beach Archive

The Navarre Paddle Classic is back, bringing paddlers, spectators and outdoor enthusiasts together for a weekend of competition and community connection. The fifth annual event will return to Navarre Beach Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17. Start times for the event are 8:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. each day.

From May 1 through the end of October, sea turtles come onto Florida beaches to nest. Navarre Beach has seen its fair share of nests over the years.

At the highest point, the beach had nearly 20 nests in a season. In 2025, there were 18 nests found on Navarre Beach.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has reached a major milestone in its Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative (FSMI), completing all airborne LiDAR data collection and receiving the majority of vessel-based sonar data used to map Florida’s coastal waters.

Navarre Beach Fire Rescue District Chief Danny Fureigh is no longer employed with the district following an arrest on a probation violation, April 30.

On Earth Day, held each year on April 22, Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center held a sea turtle release event at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County.

Among the five turtles released was Crater, a 12-lb. juvenile green sea turtle. Crater was rescued off Navarre Beach Fishing Pier earlier this month after getting hooked in the mouth by someone who was fishing.

The timeline for completion of phase II of an artificial reef project off Santa Rosa County has been extended.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) extended the deadline from July 1 to Dec. 30 to accommodate for weather interruptions during the deployment process. The County Commission followed suit, approving the extension April 23.

Navarre Beach Marine Science Station hosted its annual Autism Odysea event Saturday, May 2. The event brings together various organizations for a day devoted to special needs families.

Around 100 people packed the engine bay at the Navarre Beach Fire Rescue District on Tuesday, April 21, to voice concerns over a district plan to change how residential properties used as short-term rentals are assessed.

Short-term rentals, also called transient public lodging establishments, are defined by state statute as “any unit, dwelling, building or group of buildings within a single complex of buildings which is rented to guests more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days or one calendar month, whichever is less, or which is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented to guests.”

Adams Sanitation, Navarre Area Board of Realtors, Navarre High School’s Shock and Awe EV racing team, and other groups and businesses came together April 22 for a beach cleanup in honor of Earth Day.

Firefighters from across the Southeast descended upon Pensacola Beach this past weekend for the Pensacola Beach Firefighters Challenge. The event is held annually and features individual competitions, team relay events and an opportunity for kids to get in on the action.