Pearl Harbor: ‘We can’t forget our history’
Man accused of killing convenience store clerk extradited to Florida
A man who fled to Georgia after allegedly shooting a clerk at a Milton Tom Thumb store has been extradited to Santa Rosa County.
Hakeem D. Peterson was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail Dec. 4.
Jingle Bell Run brings joy for good cause
2020 marked by weather extremes; snow unlikely
Tourism sees strong shoulder season
The numbers are in, and it was a strong October for tourism, according to Santa Rosa County data.
October’s tourist development tax collections were up by nearly 27% from last year, about $340,000 compared to about $268,000 for the past two Octobers. October is the most recent month of data available.
Voters approved the sales tax, now what?
Santa Rosa County voters handed local officials $45 million of revenue when they approved extending the half cent local option sales tax for another five years.
Now those officials must decide what they’re going to do with cash as it starts to roll in. In a lot of ways, the answer is the same as it was for the last five years of sales tax revenue, said County Administrator Dan Schebler.
Blackwater inmate kills cellmate to secure death penalty
A circuit court judge sentenced a Blackwater Correctional inmate to death Nov. 24 after he strangled his cellmate to death in hopes of receiving the death penalty.
Thomas Fletcher, 53, was serving a life sentence in Blackwater State Prison for a prior murder in 2018 when he strangled Kenneth Davis to death in their cell in the early morning hours. Fletcher confessed to the crime and plead guilty, waiving his rights to hearings in the hopes that he would secure death.
Second waste hauler approved for county
Waste Pro’s monopoly of Santa Rosa County trash collection ended before it could begin as county commissioners Nov. 24 unanimously approved another hauler’s permit appeal.
Waste Pro was set to take over as the only collector in Santa Rosa County Jan. 1 thanks to a contract with the county, but with the approval, Adams Sanitation will be scooping up about 3,000 of their roughly 26,000 would-be customers.
Property appraiser’s office to change hands
The story of 20 years of service line the walls of Gregory Brown senior’s office at the Santa Rosa County Property Appraisers.
Achievements share the walls of his office with photos of his family, including pictures of his son, Gregory Brown, Jr., who will take over as property appraiser in January from a no-contest election.