As beach season winds to a close and the number of visits to the 1,545-foot long Navarre Pier become less crowded, the pier has moved to its winter hours.
The three-day WWII AirPower Expo at the New Orleans, La. Lakefont Airport ended Sunday but left a lifetime of memories for those in attendance. This event was a must-see for those that enjoy history, vintage aircraft, air shows, and veterans eager to share their stories. One such veteran was Mervin T. Medine, 94, from Baton Rouge who was there even though he lost his wife of 73 years, Dorothy, earlier that very week. During WWII, Medine was a machine gun sergeant with the 104th Infantry Division, also known as the Timberwolves. “I was in France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany…” and more as his voice trailed off. His son, Bruce, explained that he was hard of hearing. “He was very near to the Battle of the Bulge, said Bruce about his father. Medine was awarded both the Bronze Star and the Silver Star. The citation for his Silver Star states that it was “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving with the 104th Infantry Division during World War II.”
The latest headache for the City of Gulf Breeze over its ownership of Tiger Point Golf Club is that the Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser’s Office says the facility is no longer exempt from ad valorem taxes.
Watching the election results from the comfort of his home, Holley-Navarre Fire Chief Ron Norton heaved a big sigh of relief with the unofficial results Tuesday night from the Supervisor of Elections Office. The citizens of the fire district, with the exception of Holley, spoke loudly in support of an increase in the fire-assessment fees with 62.44 percent of the district voting in favor of it. The community of Holley, where a new fire station is planned, voted the assessment down with 50.12 percent casting ‘no’ votes.
While the Navarre community was deliberating support for a hike in fire taxes for a Holley-Navarre Fire District strapped for personnel, Holley-Navarre Water System scrambles to keep pace with growing water and sewer needs, U.S. Highway 98’s excess of 5,000 cars and Navarre High School is bursting at the seams, an outside agency has determined South Santa Rosa County needs four low-income housing developments.
Design and permitting of Deepwater Horizon oil spill funded improvement projects for Navarre Beach Park are coming to a close as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) prepares to put the roughly $2.8 million project out for bid in January.
The developer of two proposed affordable living complexes on the 17-acre parcel between Ortega Street and Elks Way has tabled them for now to pursue another South Santa Rosa project on land that has more favorable zoning.
A Florida Department of Law Enforcement officer involved in the investigation of online child sexual predators was arrested Tuesday, Nov. 1 on three counts of molestation and two counts of sexual battery of three different children.
Austin Epstein wasn’t in any shape to run just a couple of weeks ago. Navarre’s No. 1 cross country runner injured his foot, battling a heel problem that forced him to sit out the county meet in Milton in mid-October.