News Archive

Editor’s Note: We will be meeting with Rep. Matt Gaetz, who represents the 1st District of Florida, on a regular basis to ask him questions about his representation of our district in Congress and initiatives that he is working on to the benefit of our district and our country.

How does your faith help you in your role as a Congressman?
Faith does two things it raises the ceiling on what you believe is possible. The word of God shows us that we don’t always know what is ahead of us.

Eric Sines heads out on the Santa Rosa Sound on his paddleboard, the water calm, the sun shining and the wind blowing lightly on a Wednesday morning in Navarre.

The conditions are perfect, according to Eric, who is doing a photo shoot on this day along with an interview ahead of his rapidly approaching big moment, that being the opportunity to represent Santa Rosa County and the state of Florida in the Special Olympics USA Games next month in Orlando.

The Board of County Commissioners held a 5-0 vote to approve a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between Santa Rosa County and the city of Milton.

The vote occurred at their regular meeting on the morning of Thursday, April 28.

The Gulf Breeze Zoo has experienced a baby boom in recent months and is excited to spotlight the recent births of a male orangutan and a female reticulated giraffe at the park.

Satu, whose name means fairy tale, marks the second orangutan birth at the Zoo in less than six months.  The baby is doing exceptionally well under the gentle care of his experienced mom. He and Sara can often be viewed from the boardwalk overlooking the orangutan island.

Dan Stewart, the attorney representing Philip Hayes, released the following phone call on May 2. Hayes has been charged with torturing or inflicting pain, serious physical injury or death on an animal, as well as the inhuman slaughter of livestock for an incident on April 12 involving the death of a mule on Deaton Bridge Road in Milton. The phone call is one made by Hayes to the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office requesting guidance on what to do with the mule. The SRSO released a statement saying Hayes was never cleared to shoot the animal.

The highly anticipated Navarre Park remodel has completed its first phase of upgrades. Santa Rosa County held a ribbon cutting Saturday, April 30 and all five commissioners came out to celebrate, along with Florida House Representative Alex Andrade and people involved in the improvements.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two suspects in connection to an attempted murder on Newcastle Drive near Fort Walton Beach April 13th. 21-year old Shea Jones of Fort Walton Beach and 16-year old Natorian Hinson-Brown of Navarre are now charged with attempted murder and firing a weapon into an occupied dwelling or conveyance.

The Tourist Development Council (TDC) addressed the traffic jams caused by events on Navarre Beach at Monday’s Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioner’s meeting. Julie White, the Tourist Development Director, brought her concern to the commissioners regarding the local events held during peak tourist season.

The proposed Run, Walk and Race Policy would address the domino effect White said the fun runs cause, including multi-hour long traffic delays, closed-off parking lots and local employees having trouble getting to and from work due to the former issues. According to the proposed policy, fun runs would not be allowed on Navarre Beach during the tourist season of March 1 to October 31.

The Board of County Commissioners heard a request to develop an RV park. The hearing came during the Special Rezoning Meeting that occurred on Thursday, April 28. Ultimately, the board voted to table the decision until more information can be received.

On April 30, 2017, Anna Louise Brown was murdered while out for a run on a beautiful Sunday. Since her death, lawyer Autumn Beck Blackledge has had the privilege of representing her family in various ways and to communicate with the public on their behalf.