News Archive

(By Jim Turner) Former Rep. Joel Rudman became the third appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis to resign this month from a Northwest Florida college or university board of trustees while awaiting Senate confirmation. Meanwhile, the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee on Tuesday refused to back another DeSantis appointee, University of West Florida trustee Adam Kissel.

The Santa Rosa County Environmental Department is partnering with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to hold a Waste Tire Amnesty Day at the Central Landfill from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, 2025. A maximum of eight (8) tires per Santa Rosa County resident will be accepted at the Central Landfill, 6337 Da Lisa Road in Milton, free of charge with a photo ID as proof of residency. Tires from commercial shops and vendors will not be accepted. Residents can drop off tires during regular operating hours.

The Florida State Senate recently passed a bill which will ban fluoride in drinking water supplies across the Sunshine State. The proposed ban, included in the “Florida Farm Bill,” would prevent adding substances to public water supplies which aren’t about “water quality.”

The Air Force will conduct munitions testing in the Gulf of America April 24 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Navarre resident and former State Representative Dr. Joel Rudman’s chances of staying on the Pensacola State College Board of Trustees have taken a hit after he was unanimously voted down by the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education during an April 15 hearing. Appointed by Gov. DeSantis, Rudman still needs to go before the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee before a vote is taken on the Senate floor, which will decide whether he maintains a seat on the board of trustees. The Ethics and Elections Committee meets Tuesday, April 22.

Due to an increase in bear populations, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is seeking public feedback on proposed changes to bear hunting regulations in Florida. To help them with this, please complete a short comment tool to share your thoughts on this topic.

Whether it’s working on planes or educating middle school students, Frank Veres feels at home. Veres, who served for 21 years in the U.S. Air Force, recently was named rookie teacher of the year at Holley Navarre Middle School. He is in his second year of teaching.

At the special zoning meeting on March 27, commissioners rejected District 3 Commissioner Rhett Rowell’s proposal to extend the Rural Protection Zone. At the following regular meeting on April 7, Rowell said he was taken aback by the 180 the board had done.

The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners is excited to offer the R.I.S.E – Readiness Internship for Skills and Experience program summer 2025, from Tuesday, June 10 to Friday, Aug. 1. The internship is open to all residents of Santa Rosa County aged between 16 and 20 years old. To qualify, students must be a resident of Santa Rosa County at the time of application and for the duration of program participation (proof of address is required).

If you were on the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier April 5, then you caught a whale of a sight.

Two North Atlantic right whales, dubbed “Koala” and “Curlew,” were spotted just off the pier and have been seen numerous times along the Gulf Coast, with sightings from Southwest Florida to Alabama. Most sightings have taken place since January.