News Archive

Santa Rosa County has extended Navarre Pier Funplex’s contract, managed by local attorney Ken Fountain, to manage the Navarre Beach Pier by six years, through 2029, and at least two commissioners wanted to give them even more time.

This Thanksgiving, Santa Rosa County Animal Services (SRCAS) is offering residents an opportunity to foster a pet through a short term foster program. Home for the Pawlidays, the name of the foster program, will last for the week during Thanksgiving. On Tues., Nov. 22 or Wed., Nov. 23 from 1 to 4 p.m., foster parents can pick up a pet from SRCAS and foster them through the holiday and drop them off Mon., Nov. 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

While many people’s eyes were on federal and statewide elections across the country, there was plenty of intrigue in local races in Santa Rosa County. The big story of the night in Santa Rosa County was the ousting of District Four County Commissioner Dave Piech by fellow Republican Ray Eddington.

New details have emerged from the arrest of John William Kapolczynski Jr., a former NJROTC instructor and substitute teacher at Navarre High. Kapolczynski, 46, of Navarre, was initially arrested on Nov. 4 for obscene communication, public order crimes, and a sex offense. On Nov. 11, Kapolczynski’s charges were changed to lewd and lascivious behavior. He is currently out on $25,000 bond, according to Santa Rosa County Jail View.

If you were anywhere near NAS Whiting Field this past week, you may have seen a large variety of helicopters dotting the skies. The Naval Air Station hosted the 32nd annual Naval Helicopter Association Gulf Coast “Fleet Fly In” from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4.

The Fleet Fly In is designed to provide several days of training and knowledge sharing to Training Air Wing Five students. The event helps flight students prepare to make career decisions on selecting their fleet aircraft platform.

Navarre’s Navy JROTC program punched a ticket to the regional with a second- place overall finish at the Tulane Drill Meet last Saturday in New Orleans.

It was the first overnight meet of the year for the Raider battalion and Navarre was one of six schools competing at the meet. A total of 44 cadets attended the meet for the Raiders.

The Tourist Development Office, which is responsible for promoting tourism throughout Santa Rosa County, gave an overview of their campaign to bring more tourists from the Nashville area of Tennessee to Northwest Florida at the Nov. 3 Tourist Development Council meeting.

In July, Julie White, the tourist development director for Santa Rosa County, and her team went to a Nashville event to introduce Navarre Beach to a new audience. They had a special vacation giveaway in which people could enter to win a trip to the beach.

A national real estate fraud has found its way to Navarre. This is a cautionary tale for buyers, sellers and Realtors.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Detectives arrested Joshua Huston, age 47, of Pine Ranch Dr. for attempted homicide.