New board members elected

At Holley Navarre Water System’s annual membership meeting on Jan. 16, two board members were voted in. Incumbent director Mark Miller and newcomer Rob Low were selected out a field of four. In addition to the election of board members, the water system’s membership also voted against a change to the utility’s articles of incorporation. The change would have provided a lower threshold for altering the utility’s bylaws to “at least 5% of the members of the corporation” participating in a vote. As it stands now, a change to the bylaws requires approval by the “majority of membership.” The total membership of HNWS is 14,000.

Incorporation decided (for now)

In 2024, a new chapter was written in the long fight of whether Navarre should maintain its status as an unincorporated community or become a city. Throughout the year, pro-incorporation community members, namely the organization Preserve Navarre, attempted to get the issue of incorporation on the ballot. In previous years, similar ballot measures had failed to pass.

The sheriffs of four counties in Florida’s 1st Congressional District have endorsed Jimmy Patronis in his run for Congress. Sheriff Chip Simmons of Escambia, Sheriff Bob Johnson of Santa Rosa, Sheriff Eric Aden of Okaloosa, and Sheriff Michael Adkinson Jr. of Walton County announced their support for the Florida Chief Financial Officer’s campaign on Dec. 20.