News Archive

What many West Navarre Intermediate School students thought was a presentation about fishing turned into a coronation for one youth Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Lilyanne Fine, 10, was among the crowd watching and listening to a PowerPoint presentation from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on fishing competitions when she saw a picture of herself in the PowerPoint.

Santa Rosa County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Jason English recently announced the return of $2,003,074.43 in operational revenue surplus to the Santa Rosa County Commission for fiscal year 2025-26.

Beginning Monday, Nov. 9, Laredo Street will be closed between Presidio Street and Granada Street for work, including ditch regrading, as part of the Laredo Street sidewalk project.

The closure is expected to remain in place through Friday, November 13, weather permitting. Residents will still have access to their homes during the closure.

For the first time since September, the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners’ meeting will return to its normal schedule following Hurricane Isaias.

The board will host a planning meeting on Nov. 10, followed by a regular meeting Nov. 12.

Here are three things you need to know ahead of the meetings this week.

Dean Light, the commissioner-elect for Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners District 4, will be sworn in Nov. 17 at a meeting in Milton.

Light was elected in August, following a primary matchup with incumbent Ray Eddington. Eddington will finish out his term this month.

Nearly 90 years after Amelia Earhart disappeared while attempting to fly around the world, the mystery of what happened to the pioneering aviator continues to draw researchers to some of the most remote places on Earth.

For William Wilson, a University of West Florida maritime archaeologist and faculty research associate, the opportunity to investigate one of those places firsthand meant traveling thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean to search for evidence of Earhart’s missing aircraft.

With oversized paws, energetic personalities and plenty of stripes, three Bengal tiger cubs have found a new home at Gulf Breeze Zoo. The siblings are quickly adapting to their surroundings while serving as ambassadors for a species facing growing threats in the wild.

Navarre Beach lifeguards went to work in early March and ended their season Oct. 31. For the eighth year in a row, there was not a single drowning.

The 2026 season saw a beach attendance of 2,498,767 people. According to Navarre Beach Lifeguards, preventive actions taken amounted to 2,296,453. Lifeguards also responded to 728 minor medical incidents and 82 major medical incidents.

Voters in the Holley-Navarre Fire District and Navarre Beach Fire Rescue District went to the polls in October and on Nov. 3 to decide who would serve on their respective fire commissions.

(By Ana Goñi-Lessan) Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Wednesday he’ll convene a special legislative session in the next two months to install the large property tax cut approved by voters Tuesday evening.

At a press conference in the state Capitol, DeSantis said he would work with the Legislature on the timing of the session, but it would be before his second term ends in early January.