The falling out between Santa Rosa County and the City of Gulf Breeze over sharing tourism tax money worsened into a criminal complaint filed by Clerk of the Court Don Spencer in December.

According to the National Fire Protection Association website, “At age 65, people are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires compared to the population at large.” Furthermore, according to the United States Fire Administration, older adults especially have an increased relative risk of injury or death in a fire. In 2013, the USFA reported that older adults comprised about 14 percent of the total U.S. population and that 36 percent of all fire deaths were from individuals of that demographic. Additionally, the USFA reported that “older adults had a 2.5 times greater risk of dying in a fire than the total population.” Perhaps even more shocking than the previously given stats, at age 85 and older, USFA reported that adult Americans were 3.6 times more likely to be involved in fire-caused fatalities.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ recently released report indicates red-light cameras at intersections increase accidents cumulatively by nearly 15 percent. This finding is in direct opposition to the reasons provided for placing red-light cameras into service.

The mystery of why $180,000 in lease fees from 14 Navarre Beach condominium units weren’t paid to the county since the 1980s has government officials and the homeowners searching for answers.