As the sunken boat in the Santa Rosa Sound near Juana’s on Navarre Beach continues to sink ever so slowly, the effort to remove the boat continues to move slowly as well.

Don Richards, president of United Peninsula Association, which represents roughly two dozen homeowners associations, appeared before county commissioners with a possible cost-saving measure last Tuesday.  Richards was joined by City of Gulf Breeze officials to recommend the switch to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs at county-owned facilities for cost savings.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff Wendell Hall has requested an additional $904,700 for capital purchases from County Commissioners, mostly to replace aging patrol vehicles.  Clerk of Court Don Spencer made a similar, albeit smaller, request, in seeking a one-time allocation of $84,697 to fund step raises for employees.  Commissioners are expected to approve both funding requests through the Capital Reserve Fund at the December 12meeting.

Just as it was for an online survey about the subject, public opinion was split among a small group gathered at the Navarre community center public meeting on Monday evening. However, there was one thing that nearly all of the approximately 20 people in attendance agreed upon — a committee comprised of citizens will be formed to further look into the matter.