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 […]
Testing along Navarre Beach last week showed high concentrations of karenia brevis (k. brevis), the organism commonly referred to as red tide, bringing with it concerns for fish kills and respiratory irritation. Elevated levels along the beach have persisted since mid-October. Read the full article in the Dec. 6 issue of Navarre Press. Click here to […]
As lifeguard season along Navarre Beach closed out Oct. 28, records show that the guards have been busier than in the past. Rescues along Navarre Beach more than tripled since last season, and the number of people visiting guarded areas has nearly tripled since 2016 with almost 303,000 visitors between March 3 and Oct. 28 […]
More than playing with bones, the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station made another first last week as fifth graders visiting the station got hands on with a real-life manatee skeleton. The activity is led by high school dual enrollment students, and station Director Charlene Mauro said the activity is the first time fifth graders have […]
From tiny beach mice to soaring osprey to the famous sea oats, the natural splendor of Navarre Beach will be on display in a guided tour this month. Robin Otto, a member of the Navarre Beach Neighborhood Watch, helped to spearhead the idea. Read the full article in the Oct. […]
Navarre Beach’s super reefs are almost completely installed. The reef builder, Walter Marine of Orange Beach, Alabama, placed roughly 12 of the 40,000-pound, 15-foot-tall structures along the sandy bottom. A boat-mounted crane and GPS were used to position the “tetrahedrons” based on a pre-approved grid system. There are still hundreds of smaller structures waiting to be […]
In an attempt to better protect natural sand dunes, the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation has agreed to donate $1,200 of signage to Santa Rosa County. The signs will replace a handful of metal stake boards posted along the northern edge of the beach’s sand dunes. Read the full article in the Sept. […]
Rough, high seas halted deployment of hundreds of reef modules along Navarre Beach, but the project is still on schedule according to representatives with deployment company Reef Maker, Walter Marine of Orange Beach, Alabama. Company founder David Walter said they are getting back to work after Tropical Storm Gordon put things on hold. Read the […]
After two years of dwindling nest numbers, shorebirds along Navarre Beach produced nearly 100 chicks that reached fledgling status. Audubon Florida Panhandle Shorebird Program Manager Caroline Stahala said this has been a good year for black skimmers and least terns, both listed as threatened species by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Read […]
Lei Lei is much like any other loggerhead sea turtle. She cruises the waters of the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Navarre Beach, munching on shellfish. But there is something unusual about Lei Lei. Read the full article in the Sept. 6 issue of Navarre Press. Visit www.navarrepress.com/subscribe to view subscription options. […]
Did you see the picture of the cat in the article about cat health last week? That feline looks scared to death – and I do too when I go to the vet. I don’t know where the thermometer is going to go next and I sure don’t like where they take my temperature. That’s […]
In a case of situational irony, angler Shawn Wilson hooked a shark off Navarre Beach Aug. 15 as visitors were gathered to watch the classic killer shark film “Jaws” as part of the Toes in the Sand movie nights at the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier. Wilson lived in the Navarre area for several years before moving […]
Construction of additional picnic pavilions and parking facilities in the Navarre Beach Marine Park will get underway shortly after Labor Day, according to Santa Rosa County Grants and Special Programs Director Sheila Fitzgerald. The planned improvements are funded largely by a roughly $2 million Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) grant through the Florida Department of […]
From the moment that the last grain of sand was piped from the last dredge onto Navarre Beach during the 2016 renourishment project, the shore has been shrinking. But County Engineer Roger Blaylock said there is no reason to worry. This is all just part of the process. Read the full article in the Aug. […]
A project to deploy deep water “nearshore” artificial reefs has been tentatively scheduled to begin the week of Aug. 13. Orange Beach, Alabama contractor Walter Marine will install the reef modules. The contractor has also installed several artificial reef projects for the county in the past including the snorkel reef in the Navarre Beach Marine […]
Since sea turtle nesting season began May 1, Navarre Beach has only seen three turtle nests, a far cry from the nearly record-breaking 19 nests that were found last year. The nesting number is also lower than the average for the past decade. Read the full article in the Aug. 2 issue of Navarre Press. Click […]
Water rescues along Navarre Beach are on the rise and rip currents are the leading cause said head lifeguard Charles Marek. Marek, who has been a lifeguard on Navarre Beach for roughly six years, said the lifeguards are averaging about 25 rescues a day when yellow or red flags are flying. Read the full article […]
The Navarre Beach Board of Fire Commissioners voted to finalize a proposal for the Navarre Beach Fire Department to take over supervision, staffing and management of the lifeguard program along Navarre Beach. Currently the Navarre Beach Utility manages the program for Santa Rosa County. Read the full article in the July 19 issue of Navarre […]
Up until this month, when a sea turtle larger than two feet wide got hooked off the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, there was virtually no way to safely rescue the animal. Cathy Holmes, Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Patrol member and founder of the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center (NBSTCC), explained that rescuers were limited […]
Local surfer Brenda Stokes will be honored with the Lifesaving Award later this month after she successfully pulled a man caught in a rip current safely to shore aboard her surf board in late June. Stokes said she was on the beach that morning training a visitor to the county how to surf, but when […]
Training for an emergency was the top priority for lifeguards and Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s deputies Friday morning on Navarre Beach. First responders had a chance to familiarize themselves with a helicopter from ShandsCair that will be on hand if emergency transport is needed. Read the full article in the July 5 issue of Navarre […]
Navarre Beach residents are working with their recently formed Neighborhood Watch group and law enforcement in an effort to make the area safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. A meeting last week was spurred by multiple complaints of speeding on White Sands Boulevard and by a March incident in which beach resident Larry Hoffman was seriously […]
In partnership with the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Office, the UF/IFAS Extension Office has launched the Navarre Beach Ambassador program. Volunteers were trained and sent out last Monday onto the beach for their first day of interacting with guests, sharing information and conducting surveys for the tourism office. Read the full article in the […]
Locals and visitors alike got a view of the Navarre Beach Snorkel Reef from above Saturday during the first of the summer’s Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary Clear Bottom Kayak tours. Local volunteers Dana Taylor and Michelle Whikehart spotted dolphins and large sea turtles through the glass-like bottom of their kayak. As seen in the June […]
Lifeguards on Navarre Beach are surveying the waters later into the day and farther along the beach. Since June 4, the lifeguards have been staying on the beach until 6 p.m. Previously, lifeguards were on the beach until only 5 p.m. each day during the late spring, summer and fall. Read the full article in […]
The numbers are in, and Navarre Beach Fire Department annual funding needs far exceed their initial increase request by $313,687, according to a study by Government Services Group Inc (GSG). The department in February had requested that the Board of County Commissioners approve a $109,000 increase, split between the Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) rates […]
He is six feet tall, brightly colored, made completely of garbage and he is coming to a restaurant near you. Skip the Straw is a sculpture created by Holley Navarre Middle School students in the Junior Audubon Society. Skip’s purpose is a simple one: Teach people to skip single-use plastic straws that endanger local wildlife. […]
It has been roughly six months since the previous operators of “the longest pier in the Gulf of Mexico” walked out early on their contract with Santa Rosa County, leaving the 2017 bid winner, Growing Santa Rosa Enterprises (GSRE), to jump in early. In those first few weeks, the operators faced quite a few challenges […]
Local angler Ricky Wilkerson had to have a little help bringing in a more than 3-foot-long redfish May 23 on the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier. Wilkerson had to release the fish because it exceeded the allowable length for the species. SandDollars Manager Cherie Velez said redfish, mahi mahi and kingfish have been common catches on […]
Jim Holmes, Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Patrol permitted personnel, assisted in the rescue of three turtles hooked from the Navarre Beach fishing pier Monday, May 28. In all, four were rescued that day. All four were transferred to the Gulfarium C.A.R.E. center for medical care. As seen in the May 31 issue of Navarre Press. Click […]