Wildlife tourism, from hunting and fishing to bird and dolphin watching, is a $19 billion-a-year business along the Gulf of Mexico, and states spending their settlement money from the 2010 BP oil spill should focus on restoring ecologically sensitive areas that keep guides, hotels and others working, a study says.
The South End Tourist Development Committee, which makes bed tax funding recommendations to the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council (TDC), voted to support a well-presented $125,000 request from the Marine Science Station on Wednesday, but ignored a $145,000 request from Commissioner Bob Cole for the Agri-Plex in East Milton due to a lack of supporting documentation.
A Navarre man was arrested last Monday after his neighbor called officers in reference to a domestic disturbance involving a minor. Ronald Wagner, 38, was arrested for battery and false imprisonment of a child under 13 after becoming violent with the victim.
Residents lashed out at Santa Rosa County commissioners July 11 over the board’s inconsistent use of a public solicitation process when leasing county-owned property. The reaction came after Hunter Walker, county administrator, placed a discussion on the agenda for soliciting proposals for the design of an air-conditioned storage facility to replace the Santa Rosa County warehouse, which was leased to a local nonprofit organization last year.
All five Santa Rosa commissioners agree the time has come to replace what has been called the worst courthouse in Florida. The board even seems to be in unison that the best way to fund building a new judicial facility would be placing a vote to enact a temporary local one-cent sales tax on the November 2014 ballot. The biggest question remaining at the end of a public workshop held to address the matter July 11 was where the new courthouse should be located.
With more leeway in this year’s tentative budget, the Midway Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners chose to implement pay raises at Tuesday night’s meeting.
A 20-year-old Navarre man who applied for employment with the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office was arrested for having a sexual relationship with a juvenile, after a background check revealed evidence of the relationship.
The water at the shore of Navarre Park is still testing high in bacteria levels, and health department officials are saying that the heavy rainfall in the area is likely the largest contributing factor.
Seven people, including four Navarre residents, have been arrested in connection to a prescription drug trafficking operation led by a Fort Walton Beach nurse. The Okaloosa County Multi-Agency Drug Task Force (DTF) has concluded a joint investigation with the Drug Enforcement Agency which led to multiple warrants.
Police shot and killed a large dog last Tuesday after a woman released the dog while officers were attempting to search a Navarre house for suspected drug trafficking. According to Santa Rosa Sheriffs Office Public Information Officer Richard Aloy, SRSO deputies along with agents from the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration attempted to serve an outstanding warrant at a home on Toledo Street in Navarre when the incident occurred.
