News Archive

Santa Rosa County District Schools will host a groundbreaking for a new Pace K-8 school on Mon., Oct. 4, 11 a.m. at 3354 Wallace Lake Rd. in Pace.

The number of new COVID0-19 cases in Santa Rosa County increased slightly from 811 cases the week before to 827 this past week. The number of new vaccinations dropped by nearly 300 in the same time frame, down to 721 from 1,088.

A 38-year-old Navarre woman died Saturday night, hours after being struck head-on by a driver who was arrested for driving while intoxicated. The accident happened late Saturday morning on Beverly Parkway in Pensacola.

The victim’s name has not been released. The driver of the other vehicle, Randall McBride, was arrested and is being secured at a hospital until he recovers from his injuries. He is being charged with DUI and reckless driving with serious bodily injury.

A 25-foot sailboat that’s been leaning in shallow water right off the Navarre Park beach is under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Spokeswoman Bekah Nelson said law enforcement was aware of it, calling it an “open and active investigation.”

Seven turtles with a history of being hooked at local piers were driven four hours to St. George Island last week and released.

An international fishing blog has named Navarre as the No. 2 fall fishing destination, in part due to the Navarre Fishing Rodeo, which takes place Oct. 2 and 3.

Many county offices, including the Clerk of Courts, have been affected by a statewide network outage. Phone lines are still working. To reach a county department, use the online county phone directory.
Other constitutional officers that may be affected by this outage can be reached at the following numbers:

• Clerk of Court – 850-981-5554
• Property Appraiser – 850-983-1880 (north office) or 850-983-1912 (south office)
• Supervisor of Elections – 850-983-1900
• Tax Collector – 850-983-1800

In a span of seven days, nearly 8 inches of rain fell in the Navarre area. That total includes almost an inch on Sunday, an inch and a half on Friday and more than three and a half inches Thursday.

That was the day the stormwater system in the Ortega Drive neighborhood became officially overwhelmed.

The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County (DOH-Okaloosa) is notifying the public of a red tide bloom near James Lee Beach in Destin. Some people may have mild and short-lived respiratory symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation similar to cold symptoms, according to Thursday’s press release.

Although no solid date has been given, Santa Rosa County officials have been told that recycling will likely resume the first two weeks of October. Service was discontinued temporarily after a July 15 fire at Emerald Coast Utilities Authority’s recycling facility.

That is where Santa Rosa County’s recyclables are taken for Waste Pro’s customers in unincorporated portions of the county.