News Archive

Beginning in 2018, the DEA and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office partnered in an investigation into a Drug Trafficking Organization responsible for distributing kilogram amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl within Okaloosa County.

Named Operation Songbird, the years long investigation utilized numerous investigative techniques to identify members of the Drug Trafficking Organization and locations utilized by the Drug Trafficking Organization.

On Aug. 28, former reality competition contestant Colby Swift, 23, was arrested for DUI and cocaine possession in Navarre. Swift was featured in the 17^th season of American Idol, where he made it to the Hollywood round.

According to his arrest report, Swift was pulled over by a deputy who believed him to be impaired under the influence of alcohol. When the deputy approached the vehicle, he detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from Colby’s person. The report states the deputy also observed Swift as having bloodshot and watery eyes and said he was using a vehicle to maintain balance.

White-tailed deer fawning is in full swing in the Florida Panhandle and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wants people to keep a few things in mind.

Sometimes people assume a fawn found by itself has been abandoned, and they try to “rescue” it. But instead of trying to rescue it, FWC advises that you leave it alone.

Kerry Smith will be the next Santa Rosa County commissioner for District 2.

Smith narrowly won a four-way Republican primary election that came down to machine and manual recounts Saturday.

A crowd of around 25 braved rain clouds to witness the ribbon cutting for the Tom King Bayou pedestrian bridge on Wednesday, Aug. 24.

Santa Rosa County Commissioner Colten Wright, left, and County Judge Tony Giraud review “cured” ballots during the Canvassing Board’s meeting Thursday. 

Almost 48 hours after polls closed Tuesday, it’s still unclear who won Santa Rosa County’s District 2 Board of County Commissioners seat. 

Neighbors of the proposed Jubilee project northeast of Pace still have questions about the master-planned community, and some are spreading misinformation, developer Ron Reeser told the Press Gazette Aug. 24. “We’re going to keep trying to educate people about the benefits of a CDD for the entire area,” said Reeser, managing partner of The Eagle […]

News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Twenty felons across Florida were being arrested Thursday on allegations that they voted illegally during the 2020 elections, Gov. Ron De-Santis said.

The arrests came just days before Tuesday’s primary elections, and DeSantis and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Acting Commissioner Mark Glass said more arrests are expected. DeSantis pointed to a new state office created to probe election wrongdoing.

Escambia County is holding up progress on the District One Medical Examiner’s Office relocation to Santa Rosa County, according to Santa Rosa County’s attorney. 

Of the counties – Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties – in the District One coverage area, Escambia, which has opposed moving the office to Santa Rosa County, has been noted as a holdout on approving funding to allow for the construction of the new office.