Turtles in Focus

Two photos taken by Navarre resident Jeff Waldorff have been selected to appear in Sea Turtle Conservancy’s annual Sea Turtle Calendar contest for 2025. The photos showcase a sea turtle eating a jellyfish and two hatchlings making their way to the water. Waldorff is known for his nature photography.

Navarre resident makes Broadway debut in ‘MJ’

Julius Raymond Weems IV, 10, is starring on Broadway in the role of Marlon Jackson in “MJ,” a musical based on the life of Michael Jackson. Weems and his family have moved to New York for Weems’s career, but maintain a residence in Navarre. The ten-year-old’s acting career began less than a year ago with the help of acting coach Jossie Harris, an actress and dancer known as one of the “Fly Girls” on the 1990s sketch comedy show, “In Living Color.”

Navarre family gets home renovated through Make-a-Wish project

Kye and Selena Keenam have been taking care of their grandson, Sawyer Johns, since 2019. Johns, 7, has Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), a condition which causes seizures and developmental delays. Johns has also suffered from other health issues, which have left him in need of constant care from an in-home nurse. His primary nurse, Crystal Chastain, contacted Make-a-Wish about his story and Johns now has a brand new room and bathroom because of it. Multiple local businesses helped with the remodel, including Off the Walls Murals.

Bay Pines HOA community park plan to go before zoning board

The Bay Pines Circle Neighborhood Homeowners Association is planning to create a community park at the entrance to their neighborhood. To do so, they need to get county approval to rezone the property from single family residential to a passive park. If allowed, the park would be a greenspace with an area for residents to lounge.

Adventure of a lifetime

Concord Presbyterian Church of Gulf Breeze pastor and Navarre resident Jon Becker spent two weeks on a sailing trip from Key West to New York City. The trip featured multiple mast breaks, interactions with dolphins, and a freak storm, in which Becker feared for his life. “I remember taking my wallet and my phone and (putting it) in my shorts and zipped it (up). I thought at least they will be able to identify me. We were all thinking thoughts like that.”

No education without representation

A student on the school board? Several Santa Rosa County students called for some form of student representation at the June 13 school board meeting. “A student advisor (or representative) is not just an advisor to the school board but a liaison to the student body,” said Riley Perantoni, a Gulf Breeze teen. Similar leadership positions are held by students in Leon, Broward, and Miami Dade counties. School board member Linda Sanborn expressed interest in creating a student advisory committee instead of a board representative.

Junior Lifeguard program

The Junior Lifeguard Program is marking its fourth year in 2024. The youth camp, which gives children ages nine to 15 training in lifeguarding skills and water safety, has been a large success. Multiple former Junior lifeguards have become Navarre Beach Lifeguards once they became old enough (at least 16 years old). Navarre Beach Lifeguards, such as Zachary Miller, volunteer as counselors for the program.

Hurlburt Field Airpark opens to public

For the first time in roughly 20 years, Hurlburt Field Airpark is open to the public. 1st Special Operations Wing (1SOW) commander Col. Patrick Dierig, AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, and others celebrated the reopening with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The ceremony, which featured multiple speakers and a delayed enlistment swearing-in ceremony, marked the end of a months long process to set up fencing around the airpark and refurbish the park’s displays and aircraft. Col. Dierig said he hopes the airpark can help tell the story of northwest Florida’s military history.

Tiger King back in Santa Rosa County Jail

The star of Netflix’s “Tiger King,” Joseph Maldanado Passage, 61, was transferred to Santa Rosa County Jail March 27 and is on hold for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Known as “Exotic Joe,” Maldanado-Passage was convicted of charges stemming from a murder-for-hire plot concocted against Florida animal right activist Carole Baskin and for killing and selling tigers across state lines. In 2018, Maldanado-Passage was arrested in Santa Rosa County and eventually sentenced to 22 years. The sentence was reduced to 21 years in 2022.

Need for speed

Navarre High School’s Construction Academy got to test their electric race car at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola ahead of future competition against other schools. Sponsored by Florida Power and Light, the electric car program is led by Navarre High teacher James Fox. The project of building a race car that runs on electricity took two months and lots of work. Going around the track, student Jack Moffa averaged about a minute per lap, hitting speeds of 30 miles per hour. Near the end of the hour long run at the track, the car lost battery power and slowed to a halt. The kit for the car cost $7,000 and Navarre was chosen to represent Santa Rosa County in a competition in April.