News Archive

One of the nation’s largest homebuilders is moving into the Florida Panhandle.

PulteGroup, an Atlanta-based development company, is opening a new division to support company growth and meet the strong demand for new homes across Florida.

Holley-Navarre Fire District got what it asked for.

On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Navarre voters supported a fire assessment increase. According to the Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections, the ballot measure received 3,727 “yes” votes to 2,839 “no” votes. Percentage-wise, the vote was 56.76 percent to 43.24 percent.

Navarre Beach wastewater treatment plant filters, sifts, dilutes and cleans around 250,000 gallons of wastewater per day.

After leaving a house, condominium or business on Navarre Beach, wastewater travels to 1411 Utility Drive, where it is treated until finally being pumped into Santa Rosa Sound. The county-owned facility is permitted to dispense up to 700,000 gallons per day into the waterway.

A proposal to build a 150-foot cell tower behind the Walmart in Tiger Point drew a recommendation of denial from the Santa Rosa County Zoning Board on Aug. 13 after residents said the project would worsen flooding problems in their neighborhoods.

With U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis taking 71 percent of the vote districtwide in the Aug. 18 Florida primary, the first-term congressman from Panama City will face off against Democratic challenger Gay Valimont in the November general election.

(By Gray Rohrer) U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds fended off challenges from 10 other Republicans in Tuesday’s primary to carry his party’s nomination for governor into the general election.

He’ll face former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, a former Republican who switched parties and easily defeated five other Democrats.

Santa Rosa County voters flipped one seat on the Santa Rosa County School Board during the Florida primary on Aug. 18, with the race over who will hold that seat moving to the November general election.

Santa Rosa County voters ousted both sitting commissioners on the ballot during the Florida primary on Aug. 18, completing a turnover of four of the board’s five seats in four years.

(Article by Gray Rohrer) Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday released a redraft of the ballot summary of Amendment 3, the large property tax cut measure pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A Leon County judge last week ordered the ballot summary and title of the proposal to be rewritten, as the originals were misleading and filled with political rhetoric. The new version swaps out the florid rhetoric with staid, straightforward wording.

Military leaders, elected representatives and transportation officials gathered for Air Force Special Operations Command’s traffic roundtable at the Freedom Tech Center in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Aug. 17.

The roundtable served as a platform for key representatives to discuss ongoing efforts to reduce congestion along U.S. Highway 98. Attendees reviewed progress made since the first roundtable in 2023 and explored future projects to improve traffic flow along the busy highway.