Editorial Archive

I’ve got one question. Who is responsible for the timing of the traffic lights? Whoever it is needs to be fired or find another company that is able to adjust the timing. It took me 30 minutes to travel 1 mile through Navarre the last 2 nights.

The Florida Supreme Court voted unanimously last week to uphold a lower court’s ruling that Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser Greg Brown was within his powers to levy taxes against leased property and improvements on Navarre Beach, something Brown had been doing since 2001.

This week is Sunshine Week, which makes it an ideal time to reiterate the importance of open government and why my office is diligently working to improve government transparency and accountability. Since taking office, I have been committed to building upon Florida’s Sunshine Law and seeking new ways to promote openness.

The Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Navarre Press are reviving a popular workshop series called “Jump Start Your Business.” It will be held Tuesday, March 18 at 11:30 a.m. at the chamber. The ad in this week’s paper has all the great information you need to RSVP. The Marine Sanctuary, The Sea Turtle Conservation Center, The Marine Science Station, The Butterfly House and the Navarre Chamber Foundation are all groups of volunteers that make ecological tourism happen in and around Navarre. They fund and facilitate children’s camps, artificial reefs, educational programs and fundraising for many nonprofits including their own. If you have read other news accounts, you would think that our ecotourism theme just happened by accident, but that is not the case. It has been the vision of many leaders including Brenda Stokes of Holley Hill Pottery fame. She isn’t as active with all of the groups but her vision and leadership has been carried with us. The artificial reefs are growing faster than our neighbor’s reefs and have been the theme of many articles in Navarre Press. If you have an “All Access” subscription – you can go back and read about how all of our ecotourism came into being. We have beautiful beaches and beautiful sunrises and sunsets and it draws people of all walks of life to our area. Please help our tourists and locals alike remember that it is bad form to leave cans, plastic bottles and trash on the beach when they are heading back to their cars. I had pictures sent to me Tuesday of a terrible disgrace of trash left on the beach from Monday. If you think it is none of your business that someone else left trash – you are wrong. If you come across it, please pick it up. There is a Great American Cleanup next month – but we shouldn’t need a date on the calendar to clean up after ourselves or remind others to do the same.

The Navarre Krewe of Jesters would like to thank everyone who worked with us to make the 28th annual Navarre Beach Mardi Gras Parade a huge success. This was the largest parade we have ever presented, and it promises to be even bigger – and earlier – next year.  We have been contacted by additional krewes in the area who have expressed interest in entering floats in the 2015 parade already.

Take a long-range view of the new courthouse location

Sandi,

I completely agree that volcanos and solar storms have far more to do with Earth’s climate than do the activities of humans.

Bills were introduced last week in the Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives, which would decriminalize the use of cannabidol (CBD), a non-euphoric ingredient found in some marijuana plants, for treatment of children suffering from violent seizures associated with severe epilepsy.

The U.S House of Representatives late last week approved a resolution, sponsored by Jeff Miller that  requires Escambia County to convey Navarre Beach to Santa Rosa County, as well as provides an opportunity for both counties to offer fee simple titles to leaseholders on Santa Rosa Island. Now the issue must be considered by the Senate, and if approved there, then signed by the president.

It seems like a distant memory, but only last week much of north Florida was paralyzed by roadways and bridges covered with a light coating of ice. Temperatures in Navarre and across the panhandle were below freezing for more than 48 consecutive hours. Law enforcement officials for safety reasons closed bridges, state routes and even Interstate-10 for nearly 72 hours. The combination of cold temperatures and the lack of vehicles moving across the frozen pavement essentially meant road conditions would not improve until the temperature climbed above freezing. The sand used in Florida to provide traction on slick roadways does nothing to melt the ice. In other parts of the country where winter is synonymous with ice and snow, states and local jurisdictions use specialized snowplow trucks and spread salt to eat through the ice and keep roads clear.