On Friday, the Florida Department of Education issued grades for schools and districts based on the Florida Standards Assessment test scoring. The Santa Rosa County School District placed fourth overall in the state, and all of Navarre schools were ‘A’ rated.
The data for last year’s real estate sales and transactions have been released for 2015, and the news looks good for Santa Rosa County. According to these numbers supplied by the Clerk of Court public records, the county as a whole this past year saw total sales for property exceeding $1 billion. This historic high for real estate sales set an all-time record for the county, boasting total sales of about $1,016,353,862. With steady housing market increases year-to-year averaging 14.8 percent (2012-2015), Santa Rosa County citizens can only hope this trend continues, bringing new growth, families and economic opportunity to the local area.
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.
The right to vote, one of the most important features of American history and culture, has been a revered and even coveted privilege amongst the American people. The action of a cast ballot has helped to create and shape the United States of America since its inception. Hand-in-hand with our other constitutional rights, the right to vote has helped assure freedom to America and its citizens. However, this right, like so many others, only goes as far as the people are willing to exercise it.
The I-10 corridor flows through Santa Rosa County, and unfortunately, that means illegal drugs may as well. The proximity of the corridor and other criteria led to Santa Rosa County being added to the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. There are 32 such programs across the United States, including Hawaii, and in the case of Santa Rosa County, the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office requested to be part of it.
For the third time in recent months Santa Rosa County and the City of Gulf Breeze are at odds, this time over a share of tourist development funds that exceed $100,000 annually.
The Santa Rosa County BOCC recently raised the tax on a gallon of gas. It was raised because of the dwindling road tax revenue. The dwindling road tax revenue is a product of some vehicles using less gas because newer vehicles are getting better mandated fuel mileage. Some vehicles accomplish this by being a hybrid (gas & electric) and others do it by being totally electric. So this gas tax is being unfairly collected from the gas only vehicles. The tax is for road improvements. Don’t hybrids and electric vehicles use these same roads? Are not these same vehicles bought and owned by the more affluent of the county’s populous?
The real estate management company that operates Santa Rosa Mall is planning an exterior facelift, new restaurants, redesigned retail space and the addition of residential development on a 10-acre parcel within the property’s footprint.
