Opinion Archive

Santa Rosa County has an aptly named department for maintaining and repairing county roads and bridges – called ‘Roads and Bridges.’ They have a budget that includes among other things maintenance of county bridges.

Baseball and softball in this area seems to be in a great place.
Most of the teams are highly ranked in the region and state and the competitiveness that has been evident is no joke.

I learned yesterday that a good friend has died. June had not been well for the last several years, nonetheless, her death came as a surprise and has evoked bittersweet emotions.

Happy Birthday, Navarre! Last week was Navarre’s 100-year birthday according to county records and plat maps. The Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce held a birthday party last week complete with birthday cake and blowing out the candles. Thankfully there were only three candles, a 1, and two zeroes.  I felt privileged to be able to blow out one of the zeroes. Cindy Davidson with Centennial Bank blew out the number 1 – which is very appropriate since the bank is Centennial, and we are celebrating 100 years.  Her company also is a sponsor – also very appropriate.  Frankie Gibbs, who has been working on the centennial for more than two years also blew out a zero. We have some exciting plans for the paper in the coming months leading up to the Gala on June 21. Can’t wait to hear when the tickets are going to be on sale. You will definitely see an announcement in Navarre Press.

It is well known that Navarre Beach is a tourist driven destination for families. We have in years past presented ourselves as “family oriented” with activities offered for both adults and children. We are the quieter, more tamed beach than our neighbors to the east and west. The party crowd usually goes to Destin or Pensacola Beach.

Nine weeks is all that remains in the school athletic season if you count the softball state championship week. For most teams, the year will be over long before that.

I was hired for my first ministry position by a pastor with 40 years of experience. “You don’t serve people,” he sagely said to me, “you serve God, and people are served in the process.” He advised against living in a parsonage and instead purchasing a home to build equity. “You will never get rich in ministry,” he counseled, “but God will provide for your needs.” Now, nearing his years of experience, I can attest to the wisdom of his counsel. Nonetheless, there was a financial situation in that ministry that had me scratching my head in amusement.

Word to the wise with all our spring chores out in the yard. If you are blowing anything with a blower, wear eye protection. If you are cutting limbs above you or next to you, wear eye protection. My brother was out blowing leaves one evening recently. He wasn’t wearing even sunglasses – because it was evening. The next morning, he woke up and his left eye was glued shut from eye gunk. He went to the urgent care, and they told him he had scratched his eye and it was healing. Turns out, it was probably from blowing leaves without eye protection.

We attended the March 21 meeting of the Land Development Taskforce and were pleasantly surprised by what we heard and saw.

Back in February, we put the county commissioners on blast for selecting a “builder heavy” taskforce. They listened and backed off on some of the choices they made in favor of a more balanced approach. But we were still left with three builders in the end.

I’ve never been one to complain about athletes transferring. I don’t care if coaches jump from one job to another. Sure, you hate to see it, but it’s part of sports in 2025. The days of staying in one place are long gone in college athletics.