News Archive

After more than a month off for the end-of-year holidays, Santa Rosa County Commissioners have a busy first meeting of 2023. A vote that could dramatically change the future of Milton’s $70-million wastewater treatment plant project highlights the agenda. Public forum begins at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the County Administrative Complex, 6245 Caroline St. in Milton. The commission will begin consideration of the published agenda at 5:30 p.m.

The City of Gulf Breeze spent Wednesday, Jan. 4, cleaning up 5,000 gallons of sewage in the Tiger Point area on Circle Lane and West Avenue. Following heavy rains early Wednesday morning, staff with the Gulf Breeze Regional Water System recognized a lack of water flow and heightened levels in a lift station leading to the water treatment plant. This caused water mixed with sewage to begin overflowing from manholes.

‘Tis the season…for looking to the year ahead. Sandpaper Publishing asked Santa Rosa County Public Information Officer Sarah Whitfield to help us preview the county’s 2023 to-do list. She consulted County Administrator DeVann Cook and Assistant County Administrator Brad Baker to provide the following issues to watch:

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) Bureau of Professional Development graduated 23 agency members from its Advanced Leadership Program on Dec. 15. Navarre’s Neeley Tolbert was one of them. Tolbert is based out of the Pensacola Regional Operations Center for FDLE.

East Bay Boulevard, otherwise known as County Road 399, in Navarre will experience closures in the near future as part of the ongoing drainage improvement project. A digital sign was put in place on Wednesday, Dec. 28 with incorrect information stating the roadway would be closed beginning Jan. 5. “We apologize for any confusion this […]

A Navarre man and a Gulf Breeze were arrested after Santa Rosa County Sheriff ’s Office deputies allegedly found 66.1 grams of fentanyl during a traffic stop in Holley.

Jeremy Brooks Dolan, 42, of Navarre, is charged with amphetamine trafficking, possession of a weapon, obstructing justice, weapon offence, resisting an officer, drug equipment possession, and two counts of drug traffi cking following a traffic stop.

The City of Milton’s 2023 will be shaped largely by forces beyond its control.

Santa Rosa County will host a drop-in open house from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at the Santa Rosa County Extension Office, 6263 Dogwood Drive in Milton, to discuss broadband. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rolled out a new national broadband map and Santa Rosa County residents are urged to validate the accuracy of the information on the map. Challenges to the FCC broadband map are due by Friday, Jan. 13. View the map at broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home.

After more than 40 years working in fire service, Holley Navarre Fire District Chief Ron Norton is retiring. Norton, who has been HNFD Fire Chief for the past 12 years, announced his retirement at the Holley Navarre Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners meeting on Monday, Dec. 20. He is set to retire during the first week of January 2023.

For one Navarre man, 2023 did not get off to a great start. At 2:50 a.m. on Jan. 1, a Navarre man, 27, crashed into a marked Florida Highway Patrol car in Fort Walton Beach. According to Florida Highway Patrol, an FHP trooper, 25, had stopped in the inside left turn lane at the North Beal Parkway and north Mary Esther Cutoff intersection for a red traffic light.