News Archive

Santa Rosa County Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree has asked the Board of County Commissioners to buy 13 acres adjacent to the Northwest Florida Industrial Park @ I-10 to provide room for expansion.

The Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) announced the award of $273,000 to local educational institutions, non-profits, and governments to support action projects to help restore and protect area waters. Nine recipients received awards ranging from $11,000 to $47,000 at the 2023 PPBEP Community Grant Symposium on Sept. 22 at the Bayview Community Center in Pensacola.

The Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County (DOH-Santa Rosa) and Santa Rosa Animal Control will host a drive-through rabies vaccination clinic for dogs and cats, Friday, October 13, from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Santa Rosa County Animal Services at 4451 Pine Forest Road in Milton.   

According to the District One Medical Examiner’s Office, which covers the four westernmost counties in Florida, northwest Florida has the highest number of overdoses per capita in the state. A large part of the issue is the flow of illegal narcotics. To combat this, Santa Rosa County and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office have stepped in to take down a drug house, literally. On Wednesday, Sept. 20, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office held a news conference/demolition event at 5912 Congress St.

Navarre residents who live on or near El Paseo St. will soon be getting some new neighbors. Plans have been approved by Santa Rosa County Planning and Zoning for a new 14 unit apartment complex at 8530 El Paseo St., which is at the intersection of El Paseo and Prado St. The County approved site plans for the apartment complex Aug. 22.

Noncompliance with established policies and procedures, contradictory policies and procedures, lack of disclosure of conflicts of interests and insufficient background checks for important positions within the company were just some of the findings of the forensic audit of Holley Navarre Water System.  

From 2010 to 2020, Midway CDP (census designated place) saw a 21.4% increase in population going from 16,115 residents to 19,567 residents. It’s estimated even more people live in the Midway area now.

With a growth in population comes the stress on available resources, including first responders. Midway Fire District is no exception.

The wheels of progress move slowly, but for Holley Navarre Water System, they are moving.

At their Sept. 19 meeting, the HNWS board of directors approved a bid to construct Phase 1A of the Eglin RIBs Project, otherwise known as the Eglin Reuse Project. The approved bid came from L&K Contracting Company for $4.8 million.

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday said state regulators did not adequately justify approval of a settlement that increased base electric rates for Florida Power & Light and ordered a new explanation. Justices, in a 4-2 opinion, sent a battle about the settlement back to the Florida Public Service Commission, saying regulators in a 2021 decision did not meet a legal requirement of showing why the agreement “is in the public interest and results in rates that are fair, just and reasonable.”

Cake baking has been around for a long time. We love it for our special occasions, graduations, birthdays, and weddings, but Jessica Tatham, a Gulf Breeze local, is taking baking and decorating to the next level. She specializes in designing custom cakes for any event that needs a sweet centerpiece.

With over ten years’ experience, Tatham started working behind the counter at Publix; she learned the basic techniques from her friend while the grocery chain was short-staffed.