The proposed Navarre Beach boardwalk is currently out for bid.

The project, which is officially called the Navarre Beach Event Hall and Boardwalk Complex, has been in discussion for years, but plans picked up steam in 2025. Now, in 2026, the county appears to be moving forward with the project despite growing opposition.

Holley-Navarre Fire District got what it asked for.

On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Navarre voters supported a fire assessment increase. According to the Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections, the ballot measure received 3,727 “yes” votes to 2,839 “no” votes. Percentage-wise, the vote was 56.76 percent to 43.24 percent.

Navarre Beach wastewater treatment plant filters, sifts, dilutes and cleans around 250,000 gallons of wastewater per day.

After leaving a house, condominium or business on Navarre Beach, wastewater travels to 1411 Utility Drive, where it is treated until finally being pumped into Santa Rosa Sound. The county-owned facility is permitted to dispense up to 700,000 gallons per day into the waterway.

The Breeze Cinema 8 in Gulf Breeze, The Ridge Cinema 8 in Pace and Marquis Cinema 10 in Crestview have been under the ownership of the Offerdahl family since their inception.

Their company, which operates as Ashbrie Cinemas, recently made a rebranding effort with updated logos, site upgrades and a new marketing campaign.

A church may be moving into the old bottled water delivery buildings off East Bay Boulevard in Midway.

According to documents submitted to Santa Rosa County Development Services, the Vietnamese Christian Church of Northwest Florida is exploring a move to the two existing structures on the 1.38-acre property.

Navarre Beach Fire Rescue requested $300,000 from the Santa Rosa County Commission to offset operational and personnel costs.

Earlier this summer, the district’s fire commission board approved pursuing the funding as a way of handling its present financial crisis.

Soundside High School opened its doors to students Aug. 10. This first day marked the first time classes were taught at the new three-story high school.

A discussion of two roadway projects in Northwest Florida touched off a heated exchange between multiple county commissioners during the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization’s (TPO) Aug. 12 board meeting.

The discussion started with Steve Stroberger, a member of the Escambia County Commission, asking the board if it could move Sorrento Road improvements in Escambia to the No. 4 spot on the previously approved non-Strategic Intermodal System (non-SIS) priority list. The fourth spot is currently held by a U.S. 90 expansion project in Milton. Sorrento Road, which is part of Gulf Beach Highway in Perdido, is the fifth-place priority.

The Library of Congress’ 2026 National Book Festival will feature a familiar face to many in Northwest Florida.

UWF President Emerita and Professor Emerita of anthropology and archaeology Judith Bense’s new book, “Early Spanish Florida: Unearthing the History of America’s Oldest Colony,” has been selected for the festival’s “Great Reads from Great Places” list.

Last week, nearly 35 children gathered at Navarre United Methodist Church for an introduction to musical instruments, church production capabilities and worship ministry.

The church hosted its second annual Echo Worship Camp. The camp began as an idea to get youth more involved in the church and spark a passion for worship. Children’s Ministry Director Christine Gersic and Worship Director Jamel Boast organized both the 2025 and 2026 editions of Echo Worship Camp.