News Archive

Several Santa Rosa County offices will be closed Friday, Dec. 23, through Monday, Dec. 26, for the Christmas season. The Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners, including the library system and animal shelter, will be closed for the holidays.

The American Legion Riders Chapter 382 in Navarre is holding their 7th Annual Ride for the Claus benefitting our Navarre and Midway area less fortunate children, special needs children, foster children, Gold Star Military Families, and both the Navarre Gardens Nursing Homes. Each year the list has grown and now they deliver presents to more than 300 children. These rides will take place on Saturday, December 17th and December 18th from 9am to 3pm in the Navarre and Midway community. They also held rides on Saturday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 11.

Weather conditions in Santa Rosa County may become severe Wednesday night. The National Weather Service in Mobile is predicting severe weather conditions late Wednesday starting in the evening and going into the overnight hours. Isolated severe storms are possible as early as Wednesday morning. Santa Rosa County has been placed under an enhanced risk for severe weather. With the severe weather, the main threats are tornadoes and damaging winds up to 60 miles per hour (mph) or greater. The National Weather Service said a strong (EF2+) tornado is possible.

Lawmakers hear a little bit of everything when they hold public hearings in their districts: funding requests, policy concerns, conspiracy theories and political attacks.

Those in traffic along U.S. Highway 98 in Navarre on Thursday, Dec. 8, may have noticed lights, sirens, and the strong smell of gasoline. At approximately 9:08 a.m. that morning, Holley Navarre Fire Department received a call of a fuel spill at the marina near Navarre Park and Mango Mary’s.

A new report from AAA says that Northwest Florida has some of the least expensive gas prices in the sunshine state. According to the report, Crestview-Fort Walton Beach at $2.89, Pensacola and Panama City, each at $2.92, were the least expensive metro markets in the state. Overall, Florida gas prices declined 12 cents per gallon last week. The state average is now on a 31 day streak of declines, falling a total of 41 cents per gallon.

The Florida Department of Transportation announced a traffic advisory for state roads in Santa Rosa County and other areas where crews will be working throughout the month of December. Those roads include: U.S. 98 (Navarre Parkway) Turn Lane Construction at the new Publix – Drivers will encounter intermittent outside westbound lane closures near Rosewood Avenue on Mon., Dec. 12 and Tues., Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for paving operations.

Pat Quinn, founder of the Gulf Breeze Zoo, passed away this week. We are remembering him by republishing a story that this author wrote almost 10 years ago when he was honored by the new owners of the Zoo, the Mogensen family.

With Christmas time comes the nativity scenes. But not all nativity scenes are created equal.

At Woodbine Baptist Church, they have been putting on a nativity scene for the past four years that seeks to bring people closer to the story of Jesus’s birth through a one of a kind experience.

Foster a pet this Christmas through Santa Rosa County Animal Services’ (SRCAS) Home for the Pawlidays short-term foster program!

SRCAS says foster parents can pick up a pet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21, or Thursday, Dec. 22, foster them through the Christmas holiday and drop them off Tuesday, Jan. 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.