News Archive

A Marine Corps leader was arrested Sept. 2 in Santa Rosa County and charged with cruelty toward a child and battery with domestic violence after he allegedly choked a child.

Michael Masters, 40, had been serving as an executive officer at Parris Island with the recruit training regiment. Parris Island is the main Marine training installation for Marine recruits east of the Mississippi River.

Last week, the Santa Rosa County Zoning Board reviewed proposed changes to the county’s Land Development Code for the last time before the final draft goes before the Board of County Commissioners for final approval.

AT&T customers in Santa Rosa County trying to reach the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office, Milton Police Department, Gulf Breeze Police Department and Santa Rosa County Fire/EMS dispatch using an AT&T landline or cell phone will not be able to reach these agencies on the non-emergency, administrative phone numbers.

A storage lot on East Bay Blvd. (County Road 399) is set to become an RV park, according to Santa Rosa County Planning and Zoning. The storage lot, which is operated as DB Storage, is located at 8352 East Bay Blvd.

If you think it’s been hot this summer, imagine what you’d feel like if you were covered in fur. This August in Milton, where the county animal shelter is located, the temperature has hovered in the high 80s and 90s. Santa Rosa County Animal Services’ dog population, of which they have about 86 dogs, has had to deal with those temperatures in the animal shelter, which despite being inside, isn’t closed in. SRCAS has worked hard to keep the dogs in relative comfort, but it has been tough sledding, especially in August. That’s when a local A/C company stepped in to help.

Santa Rosa County Animal Services is hosting a Community Cats Day for Santa Rosa County residents Wednesday, Sept. 13, at Santa Rosa County Animal Shelter, 4451 Pine Forest Road in Milton. Up to 40 stray/feral cats will be accepted for free spay and neutering through community cats program funding.

The crowning of Miss Santa Rosa County, Miss Escambia County, Miss Pensacola, Miss Pensacola Beach, Miss Milton, Miss Pace, Miss Navarre, Miss Navarre Beach and Miss Gulf Breeze was held Sunday, Aug. 27, at Gulf Breeze Middle School. 28 young women were crowned in total.

The Fire Commission for Holley Navarre Fire District voted to approve a rate increase for residents’ fire assessments Monday, Aug. 28, during their monthly meeting. The now approved rate structure for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2023-24) is expected to bring in $3 million, a comparable number to last year’s actual assessment revenue ($3,092,209). FY 2023-24 runs from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024.

On Aug. 30 and 31, Navarre High School saw extra security on campus after graffiti was found in a bathroom at the school Tuesday, Aug. 29. According to school district public information officer Dr. Tonya Shepherd, the bathroom graffiti indicated students shouldn’t attend school Aug. 30 or 31. No threat of school violence was made but an investigation began immediately following the discovery of the graffiti.

The Gulf Breeze Zoo is excited to announce the birth of a baby reticulated giraffe. Staff were on hand monitoring as Kenya, a 14-year-old giraffe, gave birth to the 6’3” 160 lb. male on July 13 shortly before midnight. The baby giraffe has not yet been officially named.