News Archive

East Bay Boulevard is closed at 6244 until further notice due to the road being compromised.

“The road is sinking in that location,” said Santa Rosa County Public Information Officer Sarah Whitfield. “The ground is probably just incredibly wet.”

Motorists should avoid the intersection of Reef Street and Masters Boulevard in Navarre due to high water over the roadway. The detour is Cove Road to Summit Drive to PGA Boulevard to Masters Boulevard.

About 2 to 4 inches of rain have already fallen across southern Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties and an additional 1-inches is possible, according to the National Weather Service’s flash flood warning issued at 8:20 a.m. Monday morning.

There are already reports of standing water on roadways including State Road 87.

“We’ve got a lot of heavy standing water all the way up 87,” a dispatcher reported over the public safety scanner. “Slow down. Use caution.”

More money is coming to Santa Rosa County, and the county commissioners tentatively decided where the money should be spent.

During the Sept. 28 commission meeting, Grants and Special Programs Director Lani Birchett presented the commissioners with potential expenditure categories for American Rescue Plan Act funding that Santa Rosa will receive after May 19, 2022.

The number of new COVID cases in Santa Rosa County continues to drop, with just 360 new cases reported last week, according to the Florida Department of Health. The positivity rate is at 10.9%, compared to a high of 30% during the peak of the recent wave.

The weekly report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission indicated Friday that red tide, although affecting our neighbors to the east, has not been observed in Santa Rosa County.

It has been observed in small to medium concentrations in or offshore of Okaloosa, Walton and Bay counties, the latest report said.

Preserve Navarre Director Wes Siler provided a study to the Board of County Commissioners last week illustrating that Navarre citizens may be open to incorporation.

East Bay K-8 is finishing up construction and filling in the missing pieces of their new school.

An acquisition of a 2,115-acre parcel within the Coastal Headwaters Longleaf Forest Forever (CHLFF) project in Santa Rosa County has been approved by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet.

Allegiant Airlines announced Friday morning that it would be offering new nonstop service to Minneapolis and Las Vegas out of Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. The Minneapolis route begins Friday, Oct. 1, while the Las Vegas service takes off Oct. 7.

The new flights will be offered twice a week.