Santa Rosa County hosted a CivicCon event on Aug. 12. The event was held by CivicCon, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the community “a better place to live, play, work, and invest through smart planning and by driving unparalleled and continuing com-munity engagement,” according to their website. The county was responsible for hosting the event, and provided a space for the meeting after the organization reached out express-ing interest in a Santa Rosa County event.

Between June and July, Holley-Navarre Fire Department responded to 11 separate gas leaks – each caused by fiber optic boring activity. The fiber lines, most owned by Live Oak Fiber, inadvertently struck underground gas lines maintained by Okaloosa Gas District, prompting repeated shelter-in-place orders for local residents.

In January 2017, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office received an over-$12,000 donation to purchase a new K-9 unit. The unit’s police dog, Ziggy, worked with the county until 2022, when he retired with his handler. Now, after three years of retirement, Ziggy has been diagnosed with two different types of cancer: carcinoma in his front nasal cavity, and a transitional-cell carcinoma on his bladder.

STOA Architects, Inc. shared updates on the Navarre Beach Boardwalk Project and new Navarre Beach welcome center with the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners during their biweekly commission committee meeting July 21. The project and plans presented to the board feature an elevated beach walkway, a main boardwalk complex with spaces for around eight vendors or local artisans, a food truck plaza and an open pavilion.

On July 4, President Donald Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, an 870-page piece of legislation designed to make the tax provisions Trump enacted in 2017 with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent.

The Soundside Conservation Project, a movement for Santa Rosa County to purchase a 27-acre plot of land in Gulf Breeze off Soundside Drive and designate it for conservation, has been approved by a unanimous vote of Santa Rosa County Commissioners July 10. The land encompasses 4 acres of uplands and 23 acres of “high quality wetlands” according to an appraisal of the property. The wetlands feed into a creek that empties into the Santa Rosa Sound. 

First responders have a difficult job. They are often the difference between life and death, a stressful profession in which it’s necessary to keep yourself mentally healthy. For Santa Rosa County’s Lifeguard Ambulance Service, this is where therapy dog Langley comes in.

The Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners reviewed the county’s current funds and revenue at their draft budget meeting on June 23. The board weighed opportunities to limit current construction projects taking place within the county and pull funding to supplement other parts of the budget. The balanced budget must be delivered by July 15, with the final budget hearing in September.

“It was time,” University of West Florida President Dr. Martha Saunders said when asked about her decision to resign from her role.

Florida Power and Light has been working throughout Santa Rosa County to harden the power grid ahead of hurricane season.

“We are planning for storm season year-round,” vice president and general manager of FPL’s Northwest Florida region, JT Young, told the Gazette. “Year-round, we’re in the process of either preparing for the storm by strengthening our grid…or we’re responding to storms, which can occur outside storm season as well.”