News Archive

Ten people allegedly tied to an illegal commercial fishing operation involving the poaching of fish, shrimp and turtles along Florida’s Gulf Coast have been arrested, Attorney General James Uthmeier and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Monday.

Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners will return to two meetings this week as commissioners will hold meetings at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, and Thursday, Oct. 8.
Public comment is expected to be dominated by the proposed Navarre Beach Boardwalk, for which the county will host a public workshop at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 in Milton.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is monitoring a growing disturbance off Mexico’s eastern coastline that has a 70 percent chance of forming into a named system within a week and bringing large rains to Florida.

“There’s something in the Gulf, but they think the (wind) sheer is going to get it, right?” DeSantis said during an event on infrastructure improvements in Indian River County on Monday.

Eight additional harvest days have been added to the 2026 Gulf private recreational red snapper season, allowing harvest to remain open continuously from Oct. 9 through Oct. 22.

These additional days will align recreational red snapper fishing opportunities across Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

Santa Rosa County may experience heavy rainfall resulting in flash flooding, as multiple rounds of showers and storms are expected to impact the area through the weekend. According to the U.S. National Weather Service Mobile Office, our area is under a marginal risk for flash flooding today, Friday, Oct. 2, and a slight risk for flash flooding Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4.

The Holley-Navarre Fire District’s fire marshal, Joe Early, called it a career Friday, Sept. 25, marking 16 years as a member of the district’s staff.

Prior to his time with HNFD, Early served as a firefighter with Okaloosa Island Fire Department, working his way up from firefighter to assistant chief. A Fort Walton Beach native, Early spent 29 years with Okaloosa Island.

It took less than two hours of deliberation for a Fort Walton Beach jury to find former Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran not guilty in connection with the 2024 shooting death of Senior Airman Roger Fortson.

One of the men vying to be the next governor of Florida stopped by Fort Walton Beach Wednesday, Sept. 30, to rally support and answer citizens’ questions.

Byron Donalds, the Republican Party of Florida’s nominee, spent most of the campaign event focusing on affordability.

Another bear hunt is in the works for December.

Last year, a bear hunt was held in four specified hunting zones. The zones were within four of the seven Bear Management Units across the state. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which approved and regulated the hunt, approximately 52 black bears were harvested, or killed.

UPDATE: A pursuit involving a U-Haul pickup driver sent multiple deputies to the hospital and led to an arrest Tuesday, Sept. 29, in Midway.