News Archive

It’s a cliché because it’s true: Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

Santa Rosa County Commissioner Dave Piech stopped short of using the time-honored adage last week when answering a resident’s questions about repairs to East Bay Boulevard in Navarre, but the message was clear.

A former church youth director at Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of probation. Ryan Walsh, 30, pleaded no contest to lewd or lascivious battery. Walsh was arrested in February 2020 after an investigation by the Gulf Breeze Police Department into allegations Walsh had inappropriately touched a 13 year […]

Every year, Santa Rosa County recognizes a family for their contributions to farming in the county.

This year, Jimmie Jones and family were selected as the 2022 Outstanding Farm Family of the Year for Santa Rosa County. They were recognized at the Farm Tour on Wed., Oct. 5.

On Thurs., Oct. 13, Preserve Navarre held a meeting, or rather a town hall, to discuss the Navarre Town Center project. There were around 110 people on hand for the town hall.

The Town Center project, which is being shepherded along by Bob Benaquis, owner of TC’s Front Porch, is a development which will extend from Presidio St. to Prado St. with the northern boundary of E Esplanade St. and a southern boundary of Highway 98.

Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections Tappie Villane offered impatient voters this advice: Cast ballots Sunday, Oct. 30, at one of six early voting sites.

“If you want a day when you know there are no lines, go on Sunday,” she said. “There won’t be anybody there.”

U.S. Highway 98 will be closed to through traffic on Oct. 29-30 to reinstall the Hurlburt Field pedestrian bridge. At 5 p.m. on Oct. 29, Highway 98 will be reduced to two lanes and at 10 p.m., Highway 98 will be closed.

The highway will remain closed until 8 a.m. on Oct. 30, when it will be reopened to two lanes. At 10 a.m., Highway 98 will be fully reopened.

Charges against Marcus Spanevelo, the ex-boyfriend of Cassie Carli, have been dropped.

Spanevelo, who is the main person of interest in the disappearance and death of Carli, was set to go on trial next week on charges of tampering with evidence and obstructing a criminal investigation.

University of West Florida’s Haas Center has been recognized by the US Economic Development Administration with a University Center designation.

According to UWF, the center aims to bolster Florida veteran and minority entrepreneurs by building wealth in sustainable businesses in the financial, professional, scientific services, manufacturing and transportation sectors. The project is one of only two such EDA University Centers in the state, the other being Florida A&M University. There are over 70 EDA University Centers around the country.

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.