News Archive

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.

After more than 90 minutes of often tense – and sometimes angry – debate, Commissioner James Calkins’ motion to approve his proposed “All Lives Matter” ordinance banning abortion clinics in Santa Rosa County died without a second.

Instead, the commission unanimously approved Sam Parker’s motion to ask staff to study developing a Land Development Code amendment prohibiting abortion.

An Aug. 16 lightning storm lit up phones at the Holley-Navarre Fire District.

According to HNFD Fire Chief Ron Norton, HNFD responded to four calls within a 45-minute window — all of which had something to do with lightning strikes.

58 votes and .2 percent of the vote.

That is all that separates Kerry Smith from Jeff Ates in the Santa Rosa County Commission District 2 seat.

That .2 per cent of the vote is significant as an automatic recount is triggered when vote-getters are not separated by more than .5 percent of the vote.

With 41 of 41 precincts reporting and early voting mail ballots counted, the primary election preliminary results are in.