Beach Archive

When they aren’t designing jewelry or going to school, you’ll find Croix and Kai at the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center (NBSTCC). The brother sister duo, ages 10 and 9, make and sell bracelets at various markets along the Emerald Coast.

It’s been 22 months since Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center set up fishing line recycling bins on Navarre Fishing Pier. The bins were erected as part of the Monofilament Recycling Program with the goal of reducing environmental damage caused by discarded fishing line.

Every month, a group of veterans, Active Duty servicemembers and some first responders take to the water. Not on a mission but to kayak and fish. They are part of an organization known as Heroes on the Water; a nonprofit founded in 2007 to provide recreational wellness experiences to those who have served. 

While venturing down Navarre Beach, as he does every morning, Doug Browne and a friend discovered a sight they wished they didn’t have to see. On May 25, Browne and Olivia Hagedoorn found a deceased dolphin washed up along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico. The dolphin was technically on Eglin Air Force Base property, but the friends managed to see it and contact someone with Gulf World Marine Institute.

A rare and endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was rescued off the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier at around 5:20 p.m. Friday evening. The turtle was severely wrapped in fishing line, towing a 6-foot fishing pole. The Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation stranding team went into action to retrieve the turtle.

From May 18 to 24, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other entities across the state of Florida observed ‘National Safe Boating Week’ ahead of the summer, which unofficially starts with Memorial Day.

Florida Sea Grant is gearing up for the 2024 Great Scallop Search. The search is set to begin July 27 and finish Aug. 4. There are 11 grids in Big Lagoon and 55 grids in Santa Rosa Sound where volunteers can search. 

It’s that time of year again. The beaches fill with visitors and sea turtles are in nesting season. Summer is nearly upon us, and the beaches of the Emerald Coast are once again welcoming visitors from all over, including those who have swum a long way to get here. From May to October, sea turtles visit the beaches of Florida to nest, leaving their eggs to hatch and their hatchlings to find their own way back to the Gulf of Mexico.

On April 30, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the 2024 Gulf Red Snapper recreational season will last 103 days, the longest season since the state was delegated management of Gulf red snapper. This season will include both summer and fall seasons, including major holiday weekends such as Father’s Day, July 4th and the Thanksgiving holiday.

Navarre Beach is home to over 1,000 people. Add tourists and you have a far larger number. 

With all those people comes a tremendous amount of waste, and not only the trash kind. To manage waste and water resources, Navarre Beach residents rely on the Santa Rosa County-run Navarre Beach Wastewater Treatment Facility, located at 1411 Utility Drive.