Community Archive

Local residents impacted by flooding in April only have until 10 p.m., July 21 to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

What does an alligator named Sam eat for lunch? If you guessed “anything that he wants to,” then make plans to visit the Gulf Breeze Zoo and see if you are right. The zoo began public alligator feedings earlier this month. They are held at 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays and feature the zoo’s 13-foot male alligator, Sam.

“I was born October 16, 1936, in Moline, Illinois,” Carole Platt said softly, but her eyes blinked surprise when I exclaimed; “You’re just a baby!” referring to my being born two years later in 1934.

Statistics from the Santa Rosa County Development Services Office shows 194 residential building permits have been issued in Navarre’s zip code (32566) through June 25. If the pace continues, the number of permits will slightly outpace the 2013 total of 372 permits.

Members of the local community theater company, Paradise Productions, are getting ready for “Seussical the Musical” that will be performed Aug. 1 – 3 at St. Sylvester Catholic Church. Local residents though won’t have to wait for the performances to learn about the production or see some of the cast members in action.

The state announced July 3 more than $2.4 million in grant awards for outdoor recreation projects across Florida, but Navarre Park was not one of them. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), 51 projects were funded. All of the selected projects were categorized as “small projects” meaning the grant request was $50,000 or less. Santa Rosa County’s grant application for Navarre Park was for $150,000, which placed it in the large projects category.

The National Weather Service in Mobile reported that Pensacola and Mobile recorded their wettest month in history April 2014, thanks mostly to the April 29 storm that dropped about two feet of rain the area. However, since then, the area in June experienced a below average amount of precipitation. According to NWS, the area experienced 3.26 inches of precipitation in June, which was less than half of the average amount of 6.60 inches.

A report released late last month by Florida Realtors generally showed an increase in the number of single family homes sold in May when compared to last year but a decline in sales in the condo and townhouse market. May is the third consecutive month with the same sales trend.

A family from Quitman, Arkansas, participated July 4 in the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park’s newest animal encounter, “Discover Reptiles.” Rob and Alicia Hicks and their eight-year-old son Kyle Williamson got to go behind the scenes with Senior Aquarist Graham Northrup from Navarre and Gulfarium’s curator of fish and invertebrates Allen McDowell.

Based on the budget, the July 4 fireworks display on Navarre Beach should have lasted about 12 minutes, but fireworks company representatives had planned to stage the show in such a way that spectators would get at least 20 minutes of “oohs and aahs.” But due to a firing mishap during the show, crews continued to send shells skyward nearly 90 minutes after the show began at 9 p.m.