Editorial Archive

I am proud that I graduated from the University of West Florida and earned a bachelor’s degree, not because it means I’m “smart” or because I had the socioeconomic status necessary to pursue higher education.

To paraphrase John Goodman as Walter Sobchak in the Coen Brothers’ 1998 crime comedy “The Big Lebowski”: “Just because we’re taxpayers doesn’t mean we’re saps.”

We give credit where credit is due. We therefore agree on the merits with Commissioner Rob Williamson’s July 6 statement on policymaking, when he told constituents in Tiger Point that government cannot be run like a business. And this is very true.

The following Santa Rosa County offices will be closed Tuesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. Normal hours of operation will resume Wednesday, July 5.  The Central Landfill will be open Tuesday, July 4 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Santa Rosa County 9-1-1 Dispatch, Lifeguard Ambulance Service and fire departments are open daily. For […]

Of the $2,398,948 collected last fiscal year in bed tax dollars in Santa Rosa County, the Tourist Development Office set aside $75,000 to use as grant money for local events that help promote tourism. A criterion was set that had to be met in order to qualify for the grant money.

I’ve been thinking about the Navarre Beach sign this week and the passion behind those that want to keep a part of history of our area and those that are reluctant to speak up about their thoughts on the subject.

In Monday’s county commission meeting, Commissioner and Chairman Rob Williamson put the other commissioners difficult position when he removed the signs from the causeway in the middle of the night Thursday. Quite clearly he undermined the board as expressed by both Lane Lynchard and Sam Parker. He failed to defend county staff for following through with what the board asked of them. He never apologized nor did he fully admit to the severity of what he had done. He villainized the board in an attempt to come out a hero amid the illegalities of his actions.

The term “snowflake” is the hot buzzword of the hour. It is usually applied to the young, naïvely-preening men and women who whine about appropriated burritos and that pesky protected speech. Sometimes this whining leads to mob action, as it did in Portland this past week. There, a Category Five Twitter storm shut down a small restaurant for the heinous crime of cooking up Mexican grub while sporting white skin. Here in Navarre, a similar mob whipped up a rare blizzard that blew a legally-installed temporary beach sign out to sea, or into “storage,” or something. This screeching snowflake circus found the perfect ringleader in Santa Rosa County Commissioner Rob Williamson, who performed the courageous act of Sunshine State sign removal in the smack-dab dead of night. Williamson’s gallantry was apparently so well-planned that the genius French-cuffed savior of Santa Rosa forgot to bring a hammer.

We have been part of many professional boards in our 17 years of existence, and we have never seen anything like this. The cover-ups, deceit and outright lies leave us wondering what will become of HNWS when it all comes to light.

It is the common refrain when new construction comes to Navarre. The idea that this or that might be built near my castle is an insult. We have heard it discussed before with officials on everything from signage for apartments, a wildlife refuge to private schools.