News Archive

For the 44th year in a row, McGuire’s Irish Pub will host its St. Patrick’s Day 5K. This year’s will be on March 13.

But it may look and feel a lot different from previous runs, thanks to safety conditions imposed by the pandemic.

On Friday morning, the beach road, aka J Earle Bowden Way, Highway 399 opened to passenger vehicles for the first time since Hurricane Sally.

Peggy Self, a tourist from Indiana who has been staying on Navarre Beach for two weeks, was walking her dog when park officials opened the gate to traffic at 8 a.m. She said one Jeep and two cars were waiting at the gate to be the first to enjoy the scenic route. The drivers and passengers smiled as they drove through, Self said.

The Santa Rosa County Zoning Board unanimously voted Thursday night to deny a request for a variance that would have allowed a new gas station to be built at 8006 Navarre Parkway.

In letters dated three days apart last month, two regulatory agencies offered complementary responses to a proposed change to the Santa Rosa County Comprehensive Plan that would permit more open-pit mining near East Milton water wells.

The wells, which are supplied by a sand-and-gravel aquifer, provide water to tens of thousands of county residents and businesses.

Following resolutions approved Feb. 4, the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners now has rules in place to govern public comment at board meetings.

The matter, first brought up at the Jan. 7 board meeting, initially was strongly opposed by some commissioners and citizens, who argued that it violated First Amendment rights.

Santa Rosa County commissioners will not vote Feb. 25 on whether to repeal key wellfield protections as anticipated. Instead, county staff discussed the matter to the board at the Feb. 9 work session.

Shawn Ward, the county planning and zoning director, confirmed the agenda change Thursday.

A 13-year-old Milton boy was flown to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola with serious injuries after being struck by a car on Mulat Road, according to a Florida Highway Patrol media release.

The Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution Feb. 4 to support proposed legislation that would strengthen resolve for the Second Amendment in the state of Florida.

The resolution was unanimously approved after nearly two hours of debate, mostly over the wording of the resolution.

UPDATE Thursday, 1:39 p.m.: Gulf Islands National Seashore officials will reopen the J. Earle Bowden Way, Highway 399 at 8 a.m. tomorrow to passenger vehicles, according to a press release sent out Thursday afternoon. Opal Beach day use loop D pavilions, restrooms and parking lot will also reopen. Temporary repairs to the road are sufficiently complete to safely reopen the road until the project to implement permanent repairs gets underway later this year.

Here’s the latest from Commission Chair Dave Piech on some hot topics in Santa Rosa County.