Sea turtles, tropical fish, octopus and other marine creatures inhabiting the artificial reef at Navarre Beach Marine Park will soon star in worldwide broadcasts. The effort to install a live-feed underwater camera in the Gulf of Mexico just cleared another hurdle.
Labor Day weekend was at capacity for rentals on Navarre Beach and the traffic was what one would come to expect for a busy holiday weekend. Two incidents during the weekend dampened what were otherwise festive spirits for tourists and residents alike when they learned of two separate deaths of tourists from Louisiana who were visiting Navarre Beach to relax and enjoy their Labor Day weekend.
There’s a new partnership on Navarre Beach. The Francis M. Weston Audubon Society and the Northwest Florida Marine Education and Discovery of Gulf Ecosystems (NWFL Marine Edge) have teamed up to place a naturalist educator on station at the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station (NBMSS).
Holley Navarre Primary School (HNPS) reported that the school was in lockdown for approximately thirty minutes around noon Sept. 2. School staff said an irate parent in the front office caused them to initiate safety protocols that resulted in the 30 minute lockdown procedure. On the same morning, police were dispatched due to a “suspicious trespasser” over the police scanner.
Just 11 provisional votes decided whether or not there would be a recount in the tight race between two seated county commissioners. In the end, Bob Cole received enough provisional votes to eliminate the need for a recount against fellow commissioner Jim Melvin, who also had to seek the District 2 seat after redistricting in 2010.
William “B.J.” Price III is the new principal at West Navarre Primary School (WNPS). However, serving as a leader in the local school district is nothing new to his family. His dad, Bill Price, also rose through the ranks, retiring as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Instruction.
Monday night I told my daughters they had to go vote the next day. At first, they said they were too busy, they had to work, and they didn’t know who they would vote for. “I’m not just going to vote for who you tell me to vote for,” proclaimed both of them in separate conversations. Wow. I was super proud they said that. I pointed them to the voter’s guide that we produced and gave them a synopsis of each candidate and my perceived strengths and weaknesses with the condition that it was just my opinion – a very educated opinion nonetheless. I even told one of my daughters that she might consider a candidate and she flatly said, “Sounds to me like they don’t have enough experience,” totally discounting me. Both of them voted and I know this because my oldest daughter texted me that she saw her sister’s signature and said the following, “So, I went to vote and I asked them if they’ve had a lot of youngsters and they said that they’ve actually had hardly anyone.” When I shared her text with Shana in the newsroom she said, “Well, we know she is not a “youngster” if she actually said, ‘youngster.’” It will be a late night tonight as we await the results and we have already decided what kind of pizza to order.
If voter turnout had a voice it would cry “wah, wah, wah” …to be read as a diminuendo, which is the opposite of crescendo. Endless road signs, a steady stream of smiling faces in the mailbox and many energetic handshakes have filled (or cluttered, depending on your viewpoint) our lives in the last several weeks. And for what?
It’s been a banner year for tourism, both locally and statewide. An additional one-cent county bed tax, levied for Navarre Beach renourishment, also started in June. That added kick has boosted local tourism revenues, which have gradually recovered following the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Navarre Beach leaseholders should see annual lease fees reduced to $1 soon. Commissioners plans to discuss the reduction Sept. 8. Additionally, federal legislation aimed to give Santa Rosa Island leaseholders fee simple ownership is gaining momentum.
