News Archive

A discussion of two roadway projects in Northwest Florida touched off a heated exchange between multiple county commissioners during the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization’s (TPO) Aug. 12 board meeting.

The discussion started with Steve Stroberger, a member of the Escambia County Commission, asking the board if it could move Sorrento Road improvements in Escambia to the No. 4 spot on the previously approved non-Strategic Intermodal System (non-SIS) priority list. The fourth spot is currently held by a U.S. 90 expansion project in Milton. Sorrento Road, which is part of Gulf Beach Highway in Perdido, is the fifth-place priority.

The Library of Congress’ 2026 National Book Festival will feature a familiar face to many in Northwest Florida.

UWF President Emerita and Professor Emerita of anthropology and archaeology Judith Bense’s new book, “Early Spanish Florida: Unearthing the History of America’s Oldest Colony,” has been selected for the festival’s “Great Reads from Great Places” list.

If you’ve visited the Gulf Breeze Zoo or driven past it recently, you may have noticed a construction activity happening next door.

The activity is part of a development project to create a neighborhood of townhomes. According to Santa Rosa County Planning and Zoning Director Shawn Ward, the single-family residential development is called Soundview Cove Estates.

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis has asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to study establishing a national veterans cemetery in Okaloosa County and announced a steering committee to build a case for a roughly 200-acre site in Northwest Florida.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man found dead inside a Navarre Park restroom Monday, Aug. 10.

Michael Patrick Long, 64, was reportedly found around 4:15 a.m. by an EMT in the last stall of the men’s restroom.

With early voting underway and the primary less than a week away, Carol Boston is making a final pitch for why voters should reelect her to the Santa Rosa County School Board.

A board member for 12 years, Boston currently serves as its chairperson. She said the same things that inspired her initial campaign still ring true.

A Leon County judge this week determined the summary of a property tax cut ballot measure passed by the Legislature is filled with political rhetoric and is misleading.

The multiyear, multimillion-dollar Santa Rosa Regional Reuse Project is nearing completion in its first phase.

The project, also referred to as the Eglin RIBs Project or simply Eglin Project, involves the county, Holley-Navarre Water System, Northwest Florida Water Management District and the city of Gulf Breeze.

A research team with the University of Florida and the University of Maryland is looking to create a predictive model for flesh-eating bacteria in the Gulf of America, potentially giving scientists and health officials new insights into how and when the bacteria appear in waterways.

Flesh-eating bacteria, also known as Vibrio vulnificus, are typically found in warm coastal waters and can be exacerbated by flooding and agricultural and stormwater runoff.

Santa Rosa County District Schools is awaiting a judge’s order to see if it can fire a suspended employee accused of inappropriate communication with Central School students in 2024 and 2025.

The Florida Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) is hearing a case between the school district and Keith Elliott, an IT professional who was suspended by the district last September.