Dec 11, 2023
Authorities searching for Navarre hit and run suspect
Florida Highway Patrol are on the lookout for the driver of a black sedan who’s suspected of a hit-and-run Friday, Dec. 8. The black sedan was being driven down Navarre Parkway in front of Publix (10040 Navarre Parkway) when the driver allegedly struck a pedestrian.
Dec 8, 2023
Two life sentences for 2020 double homicide in Navarre
On December 5, 2023, Santa Rosa Circuit Court Judge Clifton Drake sentenced Courtney William Howell to two consecutive life sentences in prison in Florida’s Department of Corrections for two counts of Second Degree Murder. Courtney Howell had previously entered a guilty plea to the charges on September 8, 2023.
Dec 8, 2023
Contractor arrested for taking $15K payment without doing work
A Pensacola contractor has been arrested for larceny of over $15,000 after not performing work on a Gulf Breeze woman’s home.
Jesse Wayne LaCoste, 30, owner of LaCoste Construction Group, was arrested on Nov. 30 after Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies investigated him for two years for not completing work he was contracted to do in 2020 and 2021.
Dec 7, 2023
A miraculous recovery: Airman defies the odds
Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla. – A year after a terrible car accident impacting four Airmen from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, Airman 1st Class Matthew Sharp’s journey of recovery is a story of hope and determination.
Dec 6, 2023
Hurlburt engineers hold bivouac on Tyndall
Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. – The 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron embarked on a mission to enhance its operational readiness through a 96-hour bivouac field training exercise at the Tyndall Air Force Base Silver Flag training site, starting Nov. 6, 2023.
Dec 6, 2023
Costa Enterprises McDonald’s transfers Bluewater Bay, Niceville locations to new owners
The Costa Family of Costa Enterprises McDonald’s has announced their Bluewater Bay and Niceville restaurants will be transferring to new owners, Tim and Stacey Hughes, beginning December 15, 2023.
Dec 5, 2023
Cold weather shelter open Wednesday, Dec. 6
The cold weather shelter for the homeless and/or heatless will open on the night of Wednesday, Dec. 6 at Ferris Hill Baptist Church, 6848 Chaffin St. in Milton. Those who would like to stay at the shelter must arrive between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Only service animals (with verification of rabies vaccination) are permitted to stay with guests. No one will be admitted after 8:30 p.m. unless brought in by law enforcement. The shelter closes at 7 a.m. each morning.
Dec 5, 2023
Santa Rosa County Christmas and New Year holiday closures
The following Santa Rosa County offices will be closed Monday, Dec. 25 and Tuesday, Dec. 26 for Christmas:
Dec 4, 2023
Florida’s Republican chair has denied a woman’s rape allegation in a case roiling state politics
By Terry Spencer –
The head of the Florida Republican Party, whose wife is a founder of one of the nation’s most prominent conservative groups, has been accused of rape, leading Gov. Ron DeSantis to call for his resignation, roiling the state’s conservative politics and creating accusations of hypocrisy from Democrats and LBGTQ+ activists.
Dec 4, 2023
Rio Bravo, other stores in Tiger Point, sustain smoke, water damage after fire
A Mexican restaurant in Tiger Point remains closed following a fire early morning, Wednesday, Nov. 27. The blaze began sometime before 12:35 a.m., Nov. 27, at Rio Bravo Mexican Grill, located at 3755 Gulf Breeze Parkway.