News Archive

In the classic baseball movie “Field of Dreams,” a voice in the corn famously told Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella “If you build it, he will come.”

Joey Harrell, the Santa Rosa County School District’s assistant superintendent of administrative services, said at a workshop last month that Florida schools are guided by the opposite edict when planning any expansion: “When they come, we can build it.”

BISSELL Pet Foundation is looking to help Santa Rosa County Animal Services empty out its shelter this July.

From July 11 to July 31, BISSELL Pet Foundation will be sponsoring reduced adoption fees in an effort to take homeless pets from kennels to couches. The longest-ever Summer National “Empty the Shelters” event will be hosted in more than 250 shelters in 42 states, which includes SRC Animal Services.

SRC Animal Services, located at 4451 Pine Forest Road in Milton, will offer $5 adoption fees for cats, kittens, dogs and puppies. All interested adopters can find more details online at www.santarosa.fl.gov/animals.

A Navarre Woman was arrested July 6 following an investigation that revealed she defrauded a woman in her 90s out of more than half a million dollars over the course of 18 months. The investigation was done by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheena Russell, 45, is charged with larceny of over $100,000, fraudulently obtaining property over $50,000, and exploitation of an elderly person of $50,000 or more. All of charges are first degree offences.

Santa Rosa County Public Works has some new tools that they hope will improve efficiency in dealing with stormwater pipes and drainage systems throughout the county.

Stormwater issues have become one of the most prominent issues on the minds of Santa Rosa County citizens and leaders.

Eric Straight, who in August of 2020 was arrested on the felony charge of aggravated stalking of a child under the age of 12, is set to be released from jail on July 11. The news comes following a court hearing.

Straight had a restraining order to keep him away from the home of a child in his neighborhood but during the court hearing, the judge denied the order. The order was meant to keep him away from the house for one year.

Santa Rosa County is in the early stages of setting its Fiscal Year 2023 budget, but three things are clear: Commissioners plan significant investment in infrastructure projects and support improving workforce retention.

And they will not cut the millage rate.

The Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) will once again host the annual Pensacola Beach Air Show, with viewing opportunities July 6-9. The elite U.S. Navy Blue Angels, our hometown heroes, will headline all events which culminate on Friday, July 8, with a full, dress rehearsal and Saturday, July 9, with the official Air Show. In addition to the Blue Angels, there will be a host of world-class military, aerobatic and stunt plane performers, as well as interactive exhibits, military recruitment stations and all types of vendors on the ground.

“We are so excited to be able to host our hometown heroes on our beautiful beach,” said Leigh Davis, Executive Director of the SRIA. “It’s an awe-inspiring tradition that locals and tourists alike get to enjoy every summer bearing witness to the breathtaking display by the United States Navy’s finest.”