News Archive

The father of a 1-year-old who was found drowned in a Navarre Beach canal Sunday night is responsible for her death, according to his Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office arrest report. Through “culpable negligence,” he failed to supervise his daughter, the report said.

Although his daughter, Makennah Potter, who turned 1 last week, was found in the evening, the failure of supervision took place between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. that afternoon.

Thunderstorms will likely move into the area again today and a low pressure area over the Bay of Campeche has a 50% chance of forming into a tropical depression in the next five days.

Forecasters warn that even if a tropical depression doesn’t form, the system could bring heavy rainfall to the area. The risk of rip currents is also likely to increase.

When guests step out onto the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, they probably don’t realize how much work goes into keeping it safe and family friendly.

And that safety extends to the welfare of the marine animals that call the area around the pier home. 

A 1-year-old child was pulled from the canal adjacent to 7372 Grand Navarre Boulevard Sunday evening, according to Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Chief Danny Fureigh. The little girl’s death marks the second child drowning death in Navarre in just over a week.

Emergency officials were called to that home just after 8 p.m. A concerned neighbor pulled the body of the toddler out of the canal at about 8:30 p.m.

The Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office has been called and is handling the investigation.

Drivers will encounter nighttime lane restrictions on the Pensacola Bay Bridge Thursday evening, June 10 through Friday morning, June 18 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Construction crews will be performing repairs needed to restore four lanes of traffic for the entire bridge. Drivers should anticipate travel delays while the work is underway.

As a grieving Kentucky family prepares to bury their 5-year-old son, Navarre residents continue to keep them in their thoughts and prayers. Zaten Gabriel Clark, son of Travis and Christina Clark, died Saturday night after he fell from the play structure at a floating water park and drowned.

Services will be held at Smith Funeral Home in Morgantown, Kentucky, one week to the day that Zaten died. He was pulled from the Santa Rosa Sound by Holley-Navarre Fire District rescuers just before 7:30 p.m., which was less than 20 minutes after they were first notified.