Business Archive

Navarre may soon be home to Panera Bread, the popular restaurant known for its soups, salads and sandwiches. The restaurant chain’s Navarre store will be 3,200 square feet and one story, with parking. The overall site is around 32,000 square feet. The building will also include a drive thru.

Navarre may soon be welcoming its second McDonald’s restaurant.

After 13 years at the helm, Phyllis and Al Smith have stepped aside and handed the reins of Alphy’s Catfish House to someone new. The restaurant’s new owner, Cody Pitre, officially took over May 6 and brings 40 years of experience in the restaurant business with him.

On Thursday, May 9, Keller Williams Emerald Coast in Navarre presented a check for $4,800 to Emerald Coast Exceptional Families, a 501c3 nonprofit which provides support services to special needs families. The money will go toward funding for the SAFE program, something ECEF started with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office in 2022. The SAFE program is meant to foster better communication between law enforcement agencies and the special needs community.

The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) has handed down an emergency restriction on Gulf Breeze plastic surgeon, Dr. Ben Brown’s license. The emergency restriction of Brown’s license was filed by FDOH on May 2. Multiple complaints and litigation have come from former patients. Staff and witnesses have also contributed reports of violations of state law pertaining to medicine. These reports included allegations Brown was allowing non-licensed individuals to perform cosmetic procedures, performing the wrong procedure on a patient, failing to keep legible medical records, and not applying proper supervision during procedures.

Withdrawal of a zoning application for Navarre Town Center’s planned business district proposal in January has led to speculation on the future of the project. In April, that speculation became more acute when property within the proposed development went up for sale.

MacDaddy Coffee Roasting Company, Inc., a 12-year-old coffee ‘micro-roaster’ business on E. Gregory St. in Pensacola, is looking to relocate to Country Club Road in Tiger Point. To do it, the business has made a request to the Santa Rosa County Zoning Board seeking a conditional use permit.

Historically, pirates on the high seas boarded and seized ships in search of money and riches, selfishly stealing the booty for themselves. Today factions still roam the seas, overtaking lone vessels for their wares. However, in 2009, the Pirates on the Panhandle Social Club landed in Navarre, becoming more than 250 strong today. They are an anomaly though, demonstrating an altruistic penchant for performing good works, proving not all pirates are bad.

A century is quite a milestone. For United Way of West Florida, it’s a history they are proud to continue.

United Way of West Florida (UWWF), formerly known as United Way of Escambia County, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024. The nonprofit organization serves Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

The skies around Northwest Florida are almost always occupied. At any point in time, you can see commercial airliners taking off from Pensacola International Airport or Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, fighter jets and C-130s soaring above the region’s various military installations, and the Blue Angels training along the coastline.