Out and About Archive

For all the teachers and educators in this county who work hard every day to make a difference in children’s lives, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you.

Reading is a fundamental skill that isn’t easy for all children to acquire. We celebrate those efforts and that skill during Literacy Week.

Usually, January is a slow time for news but this year has certainly proved to be unusual.

Everyone’s keeping a close eye on Pensacola Bay Bridge reconstruction. If repairs continue on schedule, we’re only about two months away from returning to normalcy.

As you will read in this week’s edition, county officials started out the year with some fireworks.

The fallout from the firing of attorney Roy Andrews late last year continues to be a hot topic with some county officials, while others seem ready to move on.

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. I feel like I more than made up for being on vacation for two weeks in 2019 over Christmas and New Year’s.

The office renovations have been slower than expected but apparently from what I’m told, that is to be expected.

I started writing my column about the lessons I’ve learned from cleaning out my office, including filing cabinets after 20 years of accumulating “stuff,” but I’ve decided that will be more appropriate for the new year.

Let’s just say halfway through I thought about calling the whole thing off.

It’s been a busy week in Santa Rosa County and that’s not even including folks getting ready for Christmas.

Last week, county commissioners narrowly voted to repeal protections that help keep the wells in south Santa Rosa County safe.

We had a big weekend in Navarre with the annual the Navarre Beach Area Chamber Foundation Jingle Bell Run, the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Christmas parade and Christmas in the Park.

The area lost one of its founding members this week when Ira Mae Bruce passed away.

Her family had been in the area since the 1800s, and she served on multiple boards, including the Board of County Commissioners, where she was the first female elected to that position and only one of two. Seems to me there needs to be a third or fourth but not because of their gender.

The one thing every business needs is customers, and they are in short supply in Gulf Breeze. Editor Wendy Victora Rudman spent time there last week and talked to a number of business owners struggling to survive. They are not asking for charity, just business. Do it for yourself, not them. It is important to Santa Rosa County and to all of us that we remain vital before and after the bridge reopens.

This weekend is full of fun times in Navarre. It begins with the Navarre Beach Area Chamber Foundation Jingle Bell run at 8 a.m. on Saturday Morning at the Fire Station behind McDonalds. This is a fun family run and pet-friendly as well. There are more participants registered this year than in any year past – but there is still room for you. You can show up at packet pickup at the fire station Friday afternoon or at the fire station at 7 a.m. – 7:45 a.m. Saturday morning. You will get an awesome long-sleeved T-shirt. If they run out of this year’s shirts – they may have previous year’s shirts to share. The Navarre Beach Area Chamber’s Christmas in the Park brought to you by Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood store begins at 10 a.m. with Merry Market – with local arts and crafts vendors.  At 11 a.m. the reindeer games begin – where the children play for prizes.  School choirs will begin singing at 11 a.m. and continue singing until the 5 p.m. lighting of the tree. The Christmas Parade begins at 2 p.m. from the Navarre Library and Navarre Senior Center Parking lots and ends at Navarre Park where you will find Mrs. Claus’s bakery, the lighting of the tree and more. You are sure to see Santa and Mrs. Claus and the Grinch if you go to the park after the Christmas Parade.