Community Archive

Lori Riddles has only been on the job as the manager of the Navarre Library for a little more than a week.

Earner Harris is no stranger to being recognized as the Holley-Navarre Fireman of the Year. This year marks the third time he has received the award. He also earned the honor in 2002 and 2005.

The discord between District 4 County Commissioner Rob Williamson and some hospitality industry veterans has surfaced for the fourth time since November and made him a sometimes churlish minority of one on the Santa Rosa County Tourism Development Council.

In the midst of the controversy swirling around Holley-Navarre Water System, an annual meeting and election of board of directors is scheduled for Jan. 19.  Four seats are open on the board; three from expiring terms and one from the resignation of Will Goulet.  The meeting will commence at 7 a.m. at the Board of Directors meeting room at HNWS with the announcement of the final slate of candidates running for election.  It will then recess for voting to commence until 7 p.m. when the meeting will be called back to session to discuss business, present the annual report and deliver the results of the election. 

Major Bob Johnson of the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office has been promoted to Chief Deputy with the organization.  Johnson is the first to serve as Chief Deputy since Sheriff Wendell Hall was sworn into office in the year 2000. 

Amy Bridge made a difference in the community during the holiday season.

An unfamiliar truck passes slowly by your house, looking around your yard and house as he drives by.  A solicitor comes to your house and attempts to talk their way into your home.  A distraught person rings your doorbell in the middle of the night asking to use your phone.  A burglar breaks in and is surprised to find someone home, and that homeowner is assaulted. All of these scenarios have happened in Navarre during the past several months. 

The $400,000 engineering study ordered up by Santa Rosa County commissioners two years ago suggests $60 million in possible flood control measures for Holley by the Sea but warns that some may not be worth the money.

Navarre was the scene of the catastrophic foggy night training crash of a UH-60 Blackhawk off Navarre Beach in which 11 servicemen perished March 11, 2015. The Navarre community wasted no time expeditiously melding together to assist emergency personnel and search crews both civilian and military, hoping against hope, even as the search transitioned into a recovery operation.

Under questioning from a prospective lodging “partner” about the company’s recent financial demands in return for promoting Santa Rosa County overnight stays at its event scheduled here next April, a company executive now says its fees are negotiable.