Happy 2024! We are looking forward to the new year. We have two additional team members joining us within the first eight days of the new year, and we interviewed a very good candidate for Crestview today. One of our new team members will be “newsworthy” because of her history with Santa Rosa Press Gazette. You can “read all about it” next week. Can you tell I’m excited about having more help? The week between Christmas and New Year’s we have been getting computers and offices ready for our new team, clearing out a storage unit – one of three. Yes, we are the culprits keeping all the storage units in business.
I recently heard a sermon from my home church, First Baptist Orlando, that 100% inspired this column. I love Christmas for many reasons, but first and foremost because we are celebrating and recognizing the significance of the birth of Jesus. How does the world celebrate Christmas? By giving gifts and acts of kindness to one another to demonstrate our love for others.
If you are still looking for that perfect Christmas gift, you should check out all our photos at www.yourcommunityphotos.com. We have tons of photos that covered sports, local events, naturalization ceremonies and beautiful shots of Navarre, the beach, and sunsets. All of them are frame-worthy. You can order the photo on metal, canvas or print.
Last Saturday was a complete washout for many of the events scheduled across Northwest Florida with very heavy rain across the area, but all was not lost. The Merry Market went on as scheduled with a change of venue to get it out of the rain. The Navarre Christmas Parade, “Cheers to 50 years” was cancelled with no rain date scheduled. And the Navarre Jingle Bell Run was able to be rescheduled to this Saturday, Dec. 9 at 8 a.m. same location (Holley Navarre Fire District Station 45 behind McDonalds).
If you miss an issue of Navarre Press, you miss a lot. This week is no exception. We have a story on the Mariott Residence at the foot of the Navarre Beach Bridge where Tommy Sno Balls is located now – only in a larger footprint. There is a fundraiser gala scheduled for January 26, 2024, for Set Free Refuge. Read all about it on page 3A.
Sometimes we focus on what we don’t have, or situations we aren’t in, and we lose sight of what we do have and where we are. I know I have a lot to be thankful for – at all times – even when I’m wrapped up in the day-to-day busy-ness of life. I gathered these versus to remind me of what true thanksgiving is and what my gratitude should be focused on. I hope you enjoy them during this time that we take a break from our routines and focus on being thankful for all of our many blessings – or as we set out to purposefully be a blessing to others.
We want to send some love out to Santa Rosa County Animal Services. They are being recognized for saving more than 90% of the dogs and cats that entered the shelter last year. We think that is an amazing number of saves – animals that got adopted rather than euthanized. We see them working hard to find those dogs and cats their forever homes. The staff there truly cares about the animals, and we celebrate you!
Here is a cheat sheet of the newest – and maybe not officially announced developments and/or businesses planned for Navarre and Navarre Beach. I don’t know if you have heard, but 1. There is going to be a “luxury” high end, million-dollar RV Park on Navarre Beach….according to a few of our county commissioners. Actually, it is a regular ole’ RV park, but some think that RVs are luxury items and cost a million dollars or more.
I’m really- very – disappointed in the county commissioner’s decision to amend the lease on Navarre Beach for an RV Park. The commissioners, Parker, Calkins, and Wright seemingly put feelings ahead of facts. They definitely put themselves in the developers’ shoes and not in the shoes of our tax-paying beach residents that already live or own property on Navarre Beach. And what happened to the “rule” that you defer to the county commissioner that is “responsible” for the district the property in question is in? Eddington voted NO.
I attempted to order the book, “Son of Hamas” from Amazon this week but it isn’t available. I don’t know if they sold out or if it is out of print. I downloaded the audio book instead.
