Florida’s best kept secret remains a favorite destination amongst travelers, and the secret may be getting out. Navarre Beach has been named one of the top beaches in the country in the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards.
Kevin, Rene and Marie Rudzki, representing Juana’s, presented the Fisher House with a $9,370 check on Feb. 12. “The check represents proceeds raised during our Penguin Plunge event on New Year’s Day,” Marie Rudzki said. “We have partnered with the Fisher House for the last five years. Over those years we have raised more than $30,000 for the Fisher House. We chose to partner with the Fisher House because of the community’s strong ties to the military,”
The $15 million dredge-and-fill restoration of Navarre Beach planned to begin around April 1 could be postponed for months because the equipment and crews are behind schedule on similar projects in Delaware and Sarasota counties.
Sometimes it really is a small world.
In fact, it’s part of the reason why a WeatherSTEM unit will soon be installed at the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station.
Construction of the $30 million SpringHill Suites on Navarre Beach has resumed after overcoming some obstacles, and the 161-room hotel is tentatively scheduled to open in December.
Gigi Naggatz was affectionately known as “The Turtle Lady” on Navarre Beach and she was a leading volunteer and conservationist who worked tirelessly for the sea turtles. She passed away Jan. 5 after a years-long battle with cancer. While she will be greatly missed by many, her spirit will live on through the many volunteers that carry on her mission on Navarre Beach.
TripAdvisor, one of the world’s largest travel sites, has listed Navarre Beach on a list of 10 Affordable Hidden Gem getaways for the winter season. The TripAdvisor website says of the list, “TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals has rounded up 10 super affordable US getaways this winter for staying in a rental, many of which are worthy of the “hidden gem” moniker due to their great attractions and recreation yet relative anonymity.”
The lease fees collected by a developer from the owners of 14 Sugar Dunes condominium units since the late 1980s, but never paid to Santa Rosa County as normally required, total more than $180,000.
The falling temperatures and a forecast of rain showers did not deter the hundreds of participants in the plunges held on Navarre Beach on New Year’s Day. Just the day before, the temperatures were in the 70’s and a plunge sounded pretty refreshing. But just one day later, the skies were overcast and the temperatures fell by 20 degrees and to those several hundred people the plunge still sounded refreshing. They were supporting a cause.
