News Archive

The Santa Rosa County Tourism Development Office during the past spring and summer months have made significant improvements to Navarre Beach under the direction of TDO director, Julie White, and beach manager, Rick Vance.

Among the improvements was the replacement of top caps on handicap rails along boardwalks. Over the years, the heat and sun caused the old top caps to warp. Rick Vance, the beach manager, said if you laid all the boards from the top cap out from one end to the other, they would stretch a mile long.

Message received. The Santa Rosa County Commission denied Jubilee developers’ application for a community development district last month, and at the same Sept. 22 meeting made it clear it would not support rezoning the 2,700-acre property for higher density housing.

Santa Rosa Medical Center’s (SRMC) Chief Executive Officer, Doug Sills, announced his retirement, effective Friday, October 7, 2022.

From Christmas rooster décor and flannels to fencing and Jon boats, Tractor Supply Co. has brought a diverse range of inventory to Navarre. The retail store known for it’s farm supplies, animal feed and tools hosted its grand opening and Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting Saturday, Oct. 8. Excited shoppers and their leashed furry friends walked the aisles of the colorful new store, located at 2509 U.S. Highway 87.

Healthy Start Florida, a free home visiting program that provides education and care coordination to pregnant women and families of children under three years old, is seeking donations of pre-mixed baby formula, baby bottles with disposable liners, and other baby supplies for families in hurricane-affects areas.

Many families have been displaced from their homes, and baby supplies are in short supply. Since some areas lack access to safe drinking water, Healthy Start requests only pre-mixed – not powdered formula.

After waiting six months, the autopsy for Cassie Carli is done. Although the autopsy results have yet to be released, Saint Clair County (Ala.) coroner Dennis Russell told Navarre Press the cause of death and manner of death was “undetermined.”

On Mar. 27, Cassie Carli vanished from the Juana’s boat ramp parking lot following a custody exchange with Marcus Spanevelo, the father of her four year old daughter. After a week of searching and investigating, Carli’s body was found in a shallow grave in Saint Clair County, a county about 40 minutes outside of Birmingham.

At the polls on November 8, citizens of Navarre will have the choice to change the way Holley-Navarre Fire District is funded.

The ballot measure, which was approved by the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Holley-Navarre Fire District in September, proposes a change to ad valorem taxes, which is based on property values.

The Peanut Butter Challenge, UF/IFAS Extension’s annual collection for local food pantries that launched in the Florida Panhandle in 2012, is again spreading statewide this year. In 2021, citizens of Santa Rosa County donated 1,142 jars of peanut butter to the challenge. That’s approximately 1,635 pounds.

The Challenge runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31.

The Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County (DOH-Santa Rosa) today advised residents there has been an increase in mosquito-borne disease activity in areas of Santa Rosa County.

A human case of West Nile Virus has been confirmed and there is a heightened concern additional residents will become ill. Santa Rosa County Mosquito Control and DOH-Santa Rosa continue surveillance and prevention efforts. DOH-Santa Rosa wants to remind residents and visitors to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and to take basic precautions to help limit exposure.

Former Santa Rosa County Commissioner Don Salter was selected as the 2022 Friend of Agriculture for Santa Rosa County.

Salter is a Santa Rosa County native, born in Jay in 1947. His father was a farmer and grew peanuts for a time before moving to Cantonment. He was first elected to the county commission office in November 2000 and re-elected in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. He also served as chairman several times during his time in his office.