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.
