Community Archive

Nine years ago, Sweet Pea, the beloved resident sea turtle at Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Con-servation Center, was rescued and began her journey from severely injured animal to local conservation icon.

The residents of Holley-Navarre Fire District can expect a general increase in their fire assessments for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The fiscal year starts Oct. 1, 2025, and runs until Sept. 30, 2026.

This summer, Navarre added a Kiwanis Club to its cohort of community-service-oriented organizations. Kiwanis is a global service organization whose main focus is helping children. In practical terms, this includes service projects, volunteerism and coordinating with local schools and organizations to reach those in need.

Former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and U S. Senator Doug Jones will be in Pensacola Friday, Sept. 19, as the featured guest speaker at a community event.

This July, Stuff the Bus, the annual donations drive organized by United Way of West Florida, brought together Escambia and Santa Rosa County residents to support local schools and students for the 2025-26 school year.

Alligator hunting season in Florida began Aug. 15 at midnight. Within just a few hours, what will likely be one of the biggest gators of the season was caught on the Yellow River in Santa Rosa County.

Santa Rosa County residents Chase Salter, Scott Miller and Seth Brayton were the men behind the haul.

It isn’t every day you turn 101 years old.

Mrs. Thelma Taylor, a resident at the Beacon assisted living facility in Gulf Breeze, did just that Wednesday, Aug. 20, surrounded by family, friends and Beacon staff.

Amidst a game of bingo Wednesday, Aug. 13, around 20 players turned their chairs at the Holley-Navarre Seniors Association to acknowledge a generous gift from a local nonprofit.

Pirates on the Panhandle, a nonprofit fraternal organization based in Navarre, recently donated a new laptop to the senior center, which will be used to broadcast Bingo on a new 75-inch TV.

If you walk into your child’s school, there is a chance you might hear they belong to a “house” or have received a “feather.” Don’t be alarmed. They are partaking in their school’s PBIS program. PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support. Around half of Santa Rosa County public schools participate in the state program, which centers on creating a healthy learning environment for all through promotion of positive behavior and other behavior management techniques.

This July, state officials, hunters and curious citizens made their way to the Florida Ever-glades to remove invasive pythons from the region. The 2025 Florida Python Challenge, in its 12th year, took place over 10 days and tasked par-ticipants with removing as many members of the invasive species as they could. Winners were determined by how many pythons were removed and their size.