Up until this month, when a sea turtle larger than two feet wide got hooked off the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, there was virtually no way to safely rescue the animal.
The Navarre Beach Board of Fire Commissioners voted to finalize a proposal for the Navarre Beach Fire Department to take over supervision, staffing and management of the lifeguard program along Navarre Beach.
Local surfer Brenda Stokes will be honored with the Lifesaving Award later this month after she successfully pulled a man caught in a rip current safely to shore aboard her surf board in late June.
As visitor numbers continue to rise and hundreds of people touring the facility in a single day, the nonprofit Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center (NBSTCC) is looking to expand.
Navarre Beach residents are working with their recently formed Neighborhood Watch group and law enforcement in an effort to make the area safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The numbers are in, and Navarre Beach Fire Department annual funding needs far exceed their initial increase request by $313,687, according to a study by Government Services Group Inc (GSG).
Zipping along in golf carts, talking with schoolchildren, teaching tourists how to cast a line or even rescuing endangered sea turtles, Navarre Beach Fishing Pier has a few new “pier guys” on the payroll.
