Community Archive

Santa Rosa County Animal Services is proudly joining forces with Petco Love – formerly known as the Petco Foundation, a national non-profit working to lead and inspire change for animals – and animal welfare groups across the state of Florida on a shared mission to find homes for 2,000 dogs and cats in shelters. The Petco Love Florida Mega Pet Adoption Event will take place on June 28th, 29th and 30th in Petco stores and local animal shelters.

A staple of the East Milton food scene is back for summer. Gator’s Seafood, which has been serving customers since 1975 at its 4030 Farrington Road location, reopened its doors Friday, June 7. The restaurant operates seasonally, opening each June and closing in late summer. Bill Farrington, the owner, is carrying on his parents’ legacy. His father, Earl, started the restaurant in March of 1975 on family property. The restaurant is within earshot of where Earl was raised, Farrington said.

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office has two new faces, however, they won’t be donning a badge. They are public information officers, responsible for releasing pertinent information concerning the agency to the public. For the past few years, Jillian Durkin has held the role, helping facilitate press conferences, interviews with the Sheriff, and being a public face of the agency at community events. To replace Durkin, who left the agency in June, the Sheriff’s Office has named Mikiko Tucker as public information officer (PIO) and Kylie Blankenship as assistant PIO.

From the air we breathe to the water we drink to the food we eat, our oceans and rivers play a critical role in our health and survival. Recognizing that water is one of our most precious resources, the Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA) asks all Floridians to consider and appreciate the “bigger picture” of this life-giving liquid during National Oceans Month and National Rivers Month, which take place each June.

Local law enforcement and fire departments are running to the rescue once more — teaming up again to fight hunger for the 2024 Donut Strike for Manna – presented by Hanto + Clarke General Contractors and PenAir Credit Union.

On June 7, the Council on Aging of West Florida’s annual Pete Moore Automotive Team Senior Chill Out received a massive outpouring of community donations, collecting a total of 254 fans, 270 window air conditioner units, and $68,557 to help seniors stay cool this summer.

As the Blue Angels roared through the sky off in the distance, the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition introduced its Healthspan Resilience & Performance Complex in downtown Pensacola on Tuesday.

Long before coaching basketball at Milton High School or organizing food drives in Santa Rosa County, Jeremy Ruffin was a baby in the foster care system.

While he only spent a few months in the system before being adopted by a preacher and a teacher, Ruffin said where he comes from has shaped his outlook and outreach over the years.

The year was 1944. The United States and its allies were several years into the largest war the world had ever seen. While much of the focus was on the men fighting on beaches, battlefields, on the waves and in the skies over Europe, northern Africa and throughout east Asia, there were a group of people back home dedicating themselves to the war effort as well.

The University of West Florida is launching a Master of Science in Behavior Analysis beginning in Fall 2024, pending approval from the Florida Board of Governors. The UWF Board of Trustees approved the program at a meeting held on May 16.