Navarre Beach resident Paul Albuquerque takes his dog Olas most everywhere he goes. The Bassett Hound and Australian Shepherd mix often accompanies Albuquerque and his wife at the beach, the park and even when they go out to eat.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) Florida Park Service finalized an agreement last week to seek sponsors for seven state trails, including the Blackwater Heritage Trail in Santa Rosa County.

Lake Mary, Fla. (AP) – A wildlife officer fatally shot several bears that exhibited dangerous behavior during an investigation of an attack in a central Florida neighborhood.

Charlene Mauro, project director of the Marine Science Station, saw a need in the community for an event welcoming families with autism spectral disorders and started Autism OdysSea, first held in 2013. About 150 children and their families, totaling 450 people, attended the second annual event held April 12.

Bariatric surgeon Patrick Gatmaitan, M.D., recently performed the first robotic sleeve gastrectomy in the region at Baptist Hospital. The da Vinci® S HD Surgical System has been in use at Baptist Hospital since 2007 and will now be utilized for weight-loss surgery as a compliment to the Baptist Bariatric Surgery Program.