Escambia and Okaloosa Counties are receiving $12.5 million in state funding for beach renourishment projects – $8.5 million for Pensacola Beach restoration and $3.8 million to dredge Destin’s harbor and East Pass. A request submitted by Santa Rosa County for Navarre Beach restoration received a lower score and no funding allocation.

Much like the rest of the Florida Panhandle last week, local lost and found pet pages and social media were flooded with posts of found cats and dogs that were separated from their homes as a result of the torrential flooding the area experienced.

With warmer temperatures and water standing in yards and fields, northwest Florida residents will want to be on the look-out for snakes. Santa Rosa County, as part of its Flooding Update #8, referenced the fact that snakes, insects and other wildlife are moving to survive as water levels change and that residents should monitor the area when outside, especially when with pets or children.

A local social media post April 24 showed a picture of an alligator reportedly in a roadside ditch along Edgewood Drive north of Marlin Street. According to a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the best policy is to keep your distance and leave the alligator alone.