News Archive

During the Oct. 26 meeting, District 5 Commissioner Colten Wright expressed his idea that staff add the resume of any appointee that comes before the board.

Wright’s reasoning is to provide transparency for Santa Rosa citizens, giving them the opportunity to see the prospective appointee’s qualifications to represent them on a volunteer board.

Many Santa Rosa citizens remember the Navarre Beach RV park that the county commissioners denied in July 2021, and during the Oct. 28 rezoning meeting, the board denied another request to build an RV park, this time in Milton.

James Calkins of District 3, Sam Parker of District 1 and Bob Cole of District 2 denied the RV park that was to be located off Golden Ranch Road near Jakes Bayou in Milton. District 4 Commissioner Dave Piech and District 5 Commissioner Colten Wright opposed the motion, voting in favor of the applicant.

In Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, paramedics and EMTs are getting financial reminders of how valuable they are to the communities they serve.

Last month, Lifeguard Ambulance, which provides service in Santa Rosa County, announced hiring and retention bonuses for their medical staff. Paramedics got $15,000, while EMTs were awarded $2,500 bonuses.

Motorists driving through Gulf Breeze and Navarre on U.S. Highway 98 face an everchanging landscape. New developments are coming to the area and construction is well underway on a handful of them. Other lots don’t look any different but have been discussed as possible locations for a Comfort Inn and a large apartment complex in Navarre.  

Here are some of the changes coming to the area.

In addition to Indigo Townhomes, which open for rentals this month, Gulf Breeze is expected to have a new 222-unit apartment complex ready for move-in in the first half of 2022.

Many Santa Rosa residents and county officials have witnessed an increase in development over the past year as more people want to live in the county.

Due to the increase in development and associated cost when developers fill out paperwork, $1,746,009.73 will be refunded to the Board of County Commissioners by the clerk of court.

Midway Baptist Church appealed their previously denied variance to the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 28., asking to replace their hurricane-damaged privacy fence with a chain-link fence and landscape buffer.

The commissioners approved the church’s appeal by a 4-1 vote, District 4 Commissioner Dave Piech opposed.