Beach Archive

Navarre Beach, like any coastal beach, has its share of hazards and dangers. From rough surf to jellyfish, Navarre Beach visitors must be aware of their surroundings and educated on how to stay safe while still having a good time.

That’s where the Navarre Beach Lifeguards come in. Austin Turnbull, Navarre Beach Safety Division Chief, has overseen the lifeguards since 2018. According to Turnbull, one of the major dangers on the beach is something you may not even notice.

STOA Architects, Inc. shared updates on the Navarre Beach Boardwalk Project and new Navarre Beach welcome center with the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners during their biweekly commission committee meeting July 21. The project and plans presented to the board feature an elevated beach walkway, a main boardwalk complex with spaces for around eight vendors or local artisans, a food truck plaza and an open pavilion.

Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Patrol has there hands full this nesting season! The Patrol recently confirmed 15 sea turtle nests are now on Navarre Beach. 14 of the 15 nests belong to Loggerheads, with the lone outlier being a Green sea turtle nest.

While many people think of sharks as a threat in the water, The Florida Department of Health is warning people to be mindful in and around the water for a different reason. Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium which normally lives in warm brackish seawater, is responsi-ble for the deaths of four people throughout the Sunshine State, according to FDOH. The number of deaths come from confirmed cases of the bacterium and have occurred in Bay, Broward, Hillsborough and St. Johns counties.

Living shorelines are gaining popularity in Florida as residents seek sustainable solutions capable of calming waves and restoring habitats.

Every day visitors at Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center are greeted by a sea turtle named Sweet Pea when they walk in the door. Sweet Pea, a non-releasable green sea turtle, lives inside a 15,000-gallon saltwater pool at NBSTCC.

June 20 marked International Horseshoe Crab Day. While that day has passed, horseshoe crabs remain one of the most important creatures along the Florida Gulf Coast.

Described as ‘living fossils,’ horseshoe crabs were around before the dinosaurs and haven’t evolved much in the last 445 million years. They are unmistakably recognizable with their horseshoe-shaped prosoma (the front shell), opisthosoma (back shell) and a spike-like tail called a telson.

Despite rain clouds in the distance, weather wasn’t a deterrent for the Emerald Coast Amateur Radio Association’s annual American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day. ECARA was joined by the Santa Rosa County Citizens Corps’ Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) group.

Navarre residents and visitors flocked to Navarre Beach to catch a large scale fireworks display Friday night, July 4. The Independence Day celebration is put on by Navarre Beach Fishing Pier and Santa Rosa County. 

June was a busy month on Navarre Beach in more than one way. On top of the sugar-white sand, visitors play and lifeguards patrol. Beneath the sand, sea turtle eggs lay in nests across the beachfront, incubating.