News Archive

Gulf Breeze residents frustrated with the state of their flood-damaged homes gathered for a town hall meeting Monday night at the Gulf Breeze Community Center.

Floodwaters do more than damage homes and businesses and make roads and streets look like ponds or rivers. The power of the rushing water can damage roads and also the utility lines under them.

Joey Bryant and Scott Rayner, representing the new Navarre Beach Fishing pier management team, updated commissioners at the board’s May 5 committee meeting. They discussed obstacles encountered after taking over operations Jan. 1, including one partner’s ongoing delays opening the restaurant.

Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser Greg Brown announced May 6 that his staff had inspected nearly 500 homes and businesses that have been affected by flooding with an estimated $8.1 million in damage. Brown noted the estimates do not include cars or personal belongings.

Gov. Rick Scott submitted a letter May 5 to President Barack Obama requesting that he issue a major disaster declaration for Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. The state’s two senators quickly responded by adding their support to the governor’s request.

CARE of Santa Rosa County, Citizens for Animal Rights Enforcement, is a group of local residents that are working toward one goal: making the lives of animals better. Leading the group is Navarre resident Melissa Millier, who said that she started CARE in November as a way to get more involved with the local animal shelter.

In celebration of National Parks Week, Gulf Islands National Seashore Superintendent Dan Brown is hitting the water for eight straight days paddling the entire length of the Florida District from Perdido Key to the East Pass in Destin. The “End to End Seashore Paddle” is 58 miles.

A local social media post April 24 showed a picture of an alligator reportedly in a roadside ditch along Edgewood Drive north of Marlin Street. According to a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the best policy is to keep your distance and leave the alligator alone.

Dominic Oviedo has been deployed overseas four times, fighting foreign enemies while serving in the United States Air Force, but the hardest separation from his children began stateside in January due to personal domestic problems.

Local residents often see military aircraft along the Emerald Coast, but for the next 10 days, they may see some that don’t look too familiar. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is hosting Emerald Warrior, an annual joint training exercise that started April 28 and runs through May 9.