Tag: News

Eric Sines heads out on the Santa Rosa Sound on his paddleboard, the water calm, the sun shining and the wind blowing lightly on a Wednesday morning in Navarre.

The conditions are perfect, according to Eric, who is doing a photo shoot on this day along with an interview ahead of his rapidly approaching big moment, that being the opportunity to represent Santa Rosa County and the state of Florida in the Special Olympics USA Games next month in Orlando.

The Board of County Commissioners held a 5-0 vote to approve a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between Santa Rosa County and the city of Milton.

The vote occurred at their regular meeting on the morning of Thursday, April 28.

The Gulf Breeze Zoo has experienced a baby boom in recent months and is excited to spotlight the recent births of a male orangutan and a female reticulated giraffe at the park.

Satu, whose name means fairy tale, marks the second orangutan birth at the Zoo in less than six months.  The baby is doing exceptionally well under the gentle care of his experienced mom. He and Sara can often be viewed from the boardwalk overlooking the orangutan island.

Dan Stewart, the attorney representing Philip Hayes, released the following phone call on May 2. Hayes has been charged with torturing or inflicting pain, serious physical injury or death on an animal, as well as the inhuman slaughter of livestock for an incident on April 12 involving the death of a mule on Deaton Bridge Road in Milton. The phone call is one made by Hayes to the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office requesting guidance on what to do with the mule. The SRSO released a statement saying Hayes was never cleared to shoot the animal.

The highly anticipated Navarre Park remodel has completed its first phase of upgrades. Santa Rosa County held a ribbon cutting Saturday, April 30 and all five commissioners came out to celebrate, along with Florida House Representative Alex Andrade and people involved in the improvements.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has arrested two suspects in connection to an attempted murder on Newcastle Drive near Fort Walton Beach April 13th. 21-year old Shea Jones of Fort Walton Beach and 16-year old Natorian Hinson-Brown of Navarre are now charged with attempted murder and firing a weapon into an occupied dwelling or conveyance.

The Board of County Commissioners heard a request to develop an RV park. The hearing came during the Special Rezoning Meeting that occurred on Thursday, April 28. Ultimately, the board voted to table the decision until more information can be received.

The Board of County Commissioners held a 5-0 vote to approve a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between Santa Rosa County and the city of Milton. The vote occurred at their regular meeting on the morning of Thursday, April 28. They moved the matter to the regular agenda of April 28 after also discussing the matter at the April 25 commission meeting. On Thursday, five members of the community expressed their opinion on the matter—every one of them was against approval of the MOA.

Santa Rosa County School District is attempting to fill in the gaps and help students with economic struggles.

Recent data from the school district and United Way reveal that many students in the county are living either in poverty or meet the definition of homelessness, and SRC schools have programs to help.