News Archive

In case you missed District 4 Commissioner Dave Piech’s monthly Zoom meeting on Monday, here are the top discussion points:

• Santa Rosa County asked Triumph Gulf Coast Inc., a nonprofit corporation that allocates funds for economic damages from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, for $15 million to buy nearly 200 acres of land near the Northwest Florida Industrial Park at I-10 to spur economic development. County staff have completed the first of three phases for approval.

The Navarre Beach Leaseholders and Residents Association held their monthly meeting at Juana’s on Saturday morning. District 4 Commissioner Dave Piech attended the meeting to give updates on the Turner House, traffic signals on the island, and FEMA relief funds for Hurricane Sally debris cleanup.

When Bart Daughtey and his wife go to the beach, they choose the most isolated stretch of sand they can find. Usually, that’s Beach Access 33A, which is in the middle of the Gulf Island National Seashore about midway between Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach.

That’s where, about two weeks ago, they discovered the remains of a raft, constructed out of bamboo and rope. They found it not long after Hurricane Ida kicked up other treasures from the Gulf of Mexico, including the old Jet Ski that washed up near the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier.

UPDATE: The bridge has been cleared as of 10 a.m.

INITIAL REPORT: An 18-wheeler has become lodged on the guard rail of the Blackwater Bridge at Caroline Street (HWY 90).  Law enforcement is on the scene.  Traffic is reduced to one lane only.  Expect significant delays.  Please seek alternate routes, if possible. 

The U.S. Coast Guard ended the search Sunday for a 9-year-old boy who’d gone missing from a Panama City beach Saturday evening. His body was discovered by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission diver, according to a Coast Guard press release.

A tractor trailer jackknifed on the Black Water Bridge on Interstate 10 Sunday afternoon, causing an accident that caused the westbound lanes to be closed for about an hour. The truck, driven by an Orlando man, rear-ended a vehicle in front of it, whose driver had swerved to avoid large debris in the road. It then slid west in the roadway, hitting the bridge concrete barrier.

In the eye of hurricane season, you need hardy trees that can withstand the strong winds that come with the storms – and which can topple trees.

That’s why University of Florida tree scientists Ryan Klein and Andrew Koeser study the variables that can lead to tree failure and how to make tree risk assessments more accurate and reproducible.

The Coast Guard and partner agencies are searching for a 9-year-old boy who went missing while swimming near Panama City, Florida Saturday.

The boy was last seen wearing green shorts.

The Board of County Commissioners voted to support Gov. Ron DeSantis’ stance that COVID-19 vaccinations for government employees should be optional.

District 2 Commissioner Bob Cole told the commissioners that he felt Santa Rosa County should not support mandatory vaccinations for county employees, labeling it as a freedom to choose.

Motorists traveling along the Navarre Beach Causeway are still being urged to slow to 20 miles per hour to protect nesting birds. But instead of protecting the hundreds of black skimmers that were there this spring and summer, they’re saving one little new life.