Karen Barber has been re-elected as the superintendent of Santa Rosa County schools.
Barber received 16,710 votes, or 49% of the vote, to defeat David Godwin and Brenda Stephens. Godwin received 12,905 votes, or 38%, and Stephens received 4,328 votes or 12.75% of the vote.
This story will be updated with more information.
Preserve Navarre announced Aug. 11 that a non-binding straw vote will be held on Navarre’s incorporation on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The vote will be overseen by Honest Ballot LLC, a third-party company out of Queens, New York with a satellite office in West Palm Beach, Florida. Wes Siler, who is leading Preserve Navarre’s incorporation efforts, said Preserve Navarre has paid the company $10,000, owes another $6,000, and then will stay out of the way and let the people of Navarre cast their ballots.
“If [the vote is] against incorporation, then we won’t pursue it further as a group,” Siler said of the results of the vote. “But if it’s in favor, then we will provide our bill to the state and move forward.”
The vote would simply be to get an idea of how the majority of residents feel about incorporation. Anything beyond 50% would move the idea of incorporation forward. After going through the legislature, an official vote would still be needed.
The text of the amendment on Oct. 12 will say “Shall proposed legislation, a sample city charter and a feasibility study be presented to the Florida Legislature, seeking the municipal incorporation of Navarre, FL? Yes or No?”
Much of the press conference, which was held outside the Santa Rosa County Courthouse in Milton, was focused on the lack of traction with the Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners. Preserve Navarre spoke in front of the commissioners three times in the last few months, and ultimately failed to secure enough votes to have a non-binding vote added to November’s official ballot, which will also include the presidential election.
“Fake news wants to claim that we failed to get a vote because of that charade,” Siler said. “What actually happened, and I want to be very clear, is that the county failed you. It failed all of Navarre. All they had to do was allow a vote.”
Siler said Preserve Navarre had followed all of the steps the county had asked for, including having a third-party review their feasibility study.
“If the county won’t do their job, then we will do it for them,” he said.
The vote will be for precincts 26, 29, 34, 35, 38 and 40.
The three voting precincts will be at Andy D’s (8649 Gulf Blvd), St. Sylvester Church (6464 Gulf Breeze Parkway) and Central Navarre (8510 Navarre Parkway W).
Absentee ballots are also available. Absentee ballots can be requested from Sept. 15-Oct. 4.
A Milton man accused of holding a woman against her will and threatening a mass shooting died in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement at Yellowstone National Park on the Fourth of July.
The park posted on its social media pages that Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, 28, of Milton, Florida was identified as the suspect in the incident. Law enforcement confronted Fussner after he shot a semi-automatic rifle toward a dining facility at Canyon Village in the central part of the park, according to a press release from Yellowstone National Park.
Just after midnight on July 4, Yellowstone’s 911 dispatch center received a report that a woman had been held against her will by a man, later identified as Fussner, at a residence in Canyon Village. She also told law enforcement rangers that Fussner threatened to kill her and others, including plans to allegedly carry out a mass shooting at July 4 events outside the park.
Responding law enforcement rangers located Fussner’s vehicle unoccupied in the Canyon area. The preliminary investigation indicated Fussner was likely armed and dangerous.
With the individual at large, law enforcement rangers were strategically deployed to protect areas with park visitors and employees while searching for Fussner, and the park’s 911 dispatch center notified surrounding jurisdictions. By the early hours of July 4, over 20 NPS law enforcement rangers, including the park’s special response team, were working to protect people and locate Fussner.
At approximately 8 a.m., law enforcement rangers posted near Canyon Lodge, which houses employee and public dining rooms, encountered Fussner. Fussner reportedly walked toward the service entrance of the facility while firing a semi-automatic rifle. The building was occupied by approximately 200 people at the time. Several law enforcement rangers engaged Fussner. During an exchange of gunfire, Fussner was shot by law enforcement rangers.
In addition, one law enforcement ranger was shot in a lower extremity. Additional rangers with emergency medical training rendered aid to both the injured law enforcement ranger and Fussner. Fussner died at the scene. The injured law enforcement ranger was transported to an area hospital in stable condition and has since been released. No other physical injuries were reported.
Fussner was an employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a private business authorized to operate in Yellowstone.
The FBI, with support from the NPS, Xanterra and other partners, is providing victim/witness support to anyone who was involved in the incident.
NPS policy for a law enforcement involved shooting calls for involved law enforcement rangers to be placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation of the incident. Consistent with Department of the Interior and NPS policies, the NPS will release available body worn camera footage of the incident within 30 days.
“Thanks to the heroic actions of our law enforcement rangers, many lives were saved here last Thursday,” said Superintendent Cam Sholly. “These rangers immediately confronted this shooter and took decisive action to ensure he was no longer a threat to public safety. We are working now to provide maximum support to those involved and their families. We appreciate the support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and many other partners as we continue to manage through the aftermath of this incident.”
The investigation into this incident, including the actions of the National Park Service (NPS) law enforcement rangers, is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and will be reviewed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming.
