News Archive

Snow women in sparkling snowflake tutus, Santa in camouflage and reindeer antlered dogs lined up in 40-degree weather Saturday to dash for a cause in the Jingle Bell Run at Holley Navarre Fire Station 45.

With overnight lows predicted to hover in the 40s this weekend, Northwest Florida residents might be feeling a bit chillier than usual. But those temperatures, which will rise into the 60s during the day, are more than 10 degrees warmer than they were in the beginning of the week. Pensacola recorded a low of 30 degrees on Dec. 1, according to Jack Cullen, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mobile.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

After months of evaluation, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced Friday that a ferry service along the busted Pensacola Bay Bridge route is not feasible.

Games, pep rallies, signing days and even photos with the homecoming court. If there is something going on at Navarre High School, Brian Noack is usually there.

For more than a decade he’s been the principal of the school and now he’s moving on, taking over as the Santa Rosa County Director of High Schools starting Dec. 1.

Residents of the Inn at Summerwind Resort’s eastern tower evacuated around 4 p.m. Nov. 19 due to a roof fire, visible from the beach below.

The blaze broke out on the northeastern corner of the roof sending a pillar of smoke over the beach. Petra Francis of Navarre Properties, whose office is located in the tower, said work crews have been making repairs to the roof area after Hurricane Sally caused damage in September.