Amid calls from health care professionals to shut down the shorelines due to COVID-19 fears, Santa Rosa County officials announced Friday morning that all public beach areas will close at midnight. Restaurants that have not already done so are being directed to move entirely to to-go ordering. No on-premises dining will be allowed.The closure includes […]
In yet another setback for the county, a derelict and crumbling home, known locally as the “Turner House,” at the western end of Gulf Boulevard has been ruled structurally sound. District 4 County Commissioner Dave Piech confirmed that the ruling ends their latest attempt to get the nuisance gulf-front home demolished. Read the full article […]
Thousands of pounds of garbage, such as fishing line and plastics, are left or washed up on Navarre Beach each year. Much of this debris can be harmful and even deadly to local wildlife such as endangered sea turtles, fish and nesting shore birds. But a troop of volunteers, armed with trash grabbers, are taking […]
After months of prep work, workers began placing new deck boards Jan. 15 on the longest pier in the Gulf of Mexico. Now the contractor, RJ Gorman Marine Construction LLC of Panama City, has 90 days to complete the work on site under the terms of a $1.12 million contract with Santa Rosa County to […]
Santa Rosa County has placed new educational signage at the Navarre Beach Marine Park Gulf Side Sea Oat Circle pavilion complex depicting the gulf side snorkel reef’s location, local marine wildlife and habitat resources. In addition, a free-to-use binocular viewer has been added to the bird observation overlook, with educational signage on local nesting shorebirds. […]
Navarre Beach’s two wheelchair accessible beach mats, called mobi mats, have been missing from the beach since Sept. 13. They had to be removed after state officials warned they were a violation of construction regulations. County Administrator Dan Schebler said legal concerns regarding the mats were brought to the county’s attention by the Florida Department […]
While lifeguards will remain on Navarre Beach for the coming weeks, they wrapped up the official 2019 summer season Sept. 2. That milestone came with a big announcement: No drownings. Read the full article in the Sept. 12 issue of Navarre Press. Visit navarrepress.com/subscribe to view subscription options – or click here sign up […]
Of the discarded items gathered off Navarre Beach each month by volunteers, plastic toys are a common problem. Purchased for family fun in the sun, the items can get lost or even intentionally left behind in the sand. Read the full article in the Aug. 22 issue of Navarre Press. Visit navarrepress.com/subscribe to view […]
Walk over the boardwalks of Navarre Beach last week and the scene resembles Christmas Eve, with waves of flickering lights. After sundown, hundreds of visitors took to the shoreline with flashlights, head lamps and cellphones to light their way. While strolling moonlit beaches is part of vacationing, the bright lights pose a risk to wildlife, […]
Fourth of July visitors to Navarre Beach had an unpleasant surprise in the women’s public restrooms. The only ADA accessible stall of the bathroom was temporarily closed after a pile of human feces was found on the floor that afternoon. When the county was informed of the issue, it was stated that the problem would […]
Navarre Beach has had seven loggerhead sea turtle nests since the season started in May, said Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center founder Cathy Holmes. The season is off to a wobbly start but is an improvement over last year, when nesting numbers hit an all-time low. Read the full article in the July […]
If the worst happens on Navarre Beach during the busy summer season, first responders at all stages of the process want to be prepared. With that in mind, agencies came together early June 26 for joint training exercises. Read the full article in the July 4 issue of Navarre Press. Visit navarrepress.com/subscribe to view […]
The long-sought after Navarre dog beach concept may be on the horizon after Monday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting. County staff have put forward a draft ordinance change to allow, among other things, a section of Navarre Beach sound side to go to the dogs, at least between the hours of 4 p.m. and 8 […]
County and state officials cut the ribbon Tuesday on new ADA-friendly pavilions, restroom facilities with showers, parking spaces and other much-anticipated enhancements in Navarre Beach Marine Park. The ribbon cutting marked the end of a multimillion-dollar project with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to bring updated amenities to the marine park. Read the full […]
With the nesting season for Navarre Beach’s shorebirds moving along, Audubon Florida is in need of volunteers for its bird stewardship program. Shorebird Program Manager Caroline Stahala said these volunteers act as bird babysitters, keeping an eye out for the handful of colonies that call this beach home. Read the full article in the […]
Navarre Beach lifeguards and fire rescue personnel were out in full force June 13, scanning the shoreline with binoculars. The rescue wave runner trolled the shore back and forth as a search helicopter flew overhead. Read the full article in the June 20 issue of Navarre Press. Visit navarrepress.com/subscribe to view subscription options – […]
For five days, 20 high school students of the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station dived reefs, snorkeled and learned from field experts on issues of marine biology and conservancy in Key Largo as part of an annual field trip. Station Director Charlene Mauro said the students begin learning to dive in August, then spend the […]
Glove-clad volunteers lined up along the Navarre Beach bridge April 24 intent on protecting the beach’s feathered residents. The nesting birds are back, and local expert Caroline Stahala of Audubon Florida said threatened least terns and black skimmers will be settling into their nesting colonies soon. Read the full article in the May 2 […]
Rescuers followed the protocols April 24 on the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, but sometimes the sea turtles do not cooperate. That was part of the problem when a visitor accidentally snagged the flipper of a 200-pound Loggerhead sea turtle off the pier. Read the full article in the May 2 issue of Navarre Press. Visit […]
An endangered sea turtle hooked April 13 on Navarre Beach Fishing Pier is set to make a full recovery. This was the first rescue of the upcoming sea turtle nesting season, which officially starts May 1. Read the full article in the April 25 issue of Navarre Press. Visit https://navarrepress.com/subscribe/ to view subscription options – […]
The Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce will kick off its 12th Annual Free Summer Concert Series May 30 at the Sand Crab Pavilion in Navarre Beach Park, just east of the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier. Co-hosted by the Okaloosa Gas District, Navarre Press, Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Office and Chamber Foundation, the summer […]
National conservation organization Turtleman Foundation has awarded a $6,500 grant to the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center (NBSTCC) to purchase a new all-terrain vehicle. The center will use the UTV (utility task vehicle) in its conservation efforts for sea turtle nesting surveys, sea turtle strandings, research and education, said Animal Care Team member Alex […]
Navarre Beach Marine Science Station students once again took home the trophy from the 2019 Regional SeaPerch ROV (remotely operated vehicle) Challenge. Team Octobots consists of documenter Ovella Hines (not pictured) and vehicle builders/operators Tiara Winbery and Miguel Homar, pictured here with their ROV. Read the full article in the March 21 issue of Navarre […]
Navarre Beach’s new crop of lifeguards have already been presented with a challenge from their new supervisor: no drownings. Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Chief Danny Fureigh threw down the challenge for their first season but promised to support the guards to achieve it. Read the full article in the March 14 issue of Navarre Press. […]
The brown and white seabirds are a common sight along the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, shuffling along the railing or dive-bombing the water. Pelicans frequent piers along the Gulf Coast because their favorite food, fish, is usually plentiful there, said Caroline Stahala, Audubon Western Florida Panhandle shorebird manager. Read the full article in the March […]
Volunteers of Navarre Beach’s month Trash Bash pulled more than 300 pounds of marine debris from the coastline Feb. 24, but mother nature may be to blame for a big chunk of that junk. Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center volunteer Nicole Stephens organizes Trash Bash. Read the full article in the March 7 issue […]
Navarre Beach’s multiuse path could be seeing a makeover, but just what that will look like is up for debate before the Tourist Development Council (TDC) this week. County Tourist Development Director Julie White has proposed redoing “islands” along the path that runs parallel to Gulf Boulevard for nearly the entire length of Navarre Beach. […]
While not the caliber of facilities initially proposed for pit stops along the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, the Gulf front pier has been outfitted with a temporary Americans with Disabilities Act compliant toilet for guests. Pier management firm Growing Santa Rosa Enterprises head Kenneth Fountain said a permanent solution will be installed. Read the full […]
In roughly nine weeks, a new set of lifeguards will take to the shores of Navarre Beach to protect the ever-growing number of visitors who flock to the Gulf during tourist season. Sunday, people hoping to join this team showed their stuff in a rigorous physical tryout set by […]
Winter beachgoers at Navarre Beach Marine Park may have noticed black silt fencing, work crews and heavy machinery since early November along their coastline. The work underway is part of new visitor amenities coming to the park, coordinated and paid for by roughly $3 million in Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) grants through the Florida […]