Cousin Charged in Murder of Gulf Medical Founder
Cousin Charged in Murder of Gulf Medical Founder
Friends and family of Gulf Medical Founder Stephen Lee Jernigan packed the chapel during his funeral last Friday. Many expressed a desire to see justice for the murder which cut short Jernigan’s extraordinary life at 70 years of age. Jernigan’s cousin, 53-year-old Robert Patrick Jernigan, known as “Bobby,” was booked July 20 into Santa Rosa … read more
County Faces Lawsuit after Trio Amends $15-20M Award
County Faces Lawsuit after Trio Amends $15-20M Award
A vote changing July 13 bid rankings was not not published on the July 27 county commission meeting agenda. However, H. Miller Caldwell III, managing partner of Caldwell Associates Architects, showed up after being tipped off ahead of time by a county commissioner. The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners on July 13 directed … read more
Commissioner Kerry Smith Doubles Down on Calling Local Vet a “Coward”
Commissioner Kerry Smith Doubles Down on Calling Local Vet a “Coward”
A Persian Gulf Veteran and District 1 resident, who had not previously met Santa Rosa County District 2 Commissioner Kerry Smith, was perplexed by an insulting email reply from Smith, who doubled down yesterday on calling Senior Chief Geoff Ross, USN, Ret., a “coward.” “I answered Mr. Ross on my very public county email with … read more
Council Members Call Mayor’s Special Meeting a “Witch-hunt”
Council Members Call Mayor’s Special Meeting a “Witch-hunt”
Milton City Council Members Jeff Snow and Roxanne Meiss labeled a special meeting called for this evening by Mayor Heather Lindsay a witch-hunt. Snow went on to deem Lindsay’s behavior “unprofessional” and “disgraceful.” The actions that led up to tonight’s meeting started with Scott Collins, the top candidate to replace retiring City Manager Randy Jorgensen, … read more
Commissioner Smith Addressed Male Veteran as a Female and Erroneously Called Him “Cowardly”
Commissioner Smith Addressed Male Veteran as a Female and Erroneously Called Him “Cowardly”
During public forum at the July 13 Santa Rosa County Commission meeting, Senior Chief Geoff Ross, USN, Ret., a Persian Gulf War veteran, spoke out about emails he received from Santa Rosa County District 2 Commissioner Kerry Smith, accusing the elected official of erroneously calling him (cowardly) for quitting a political race, which Ross actually … read more
School Superintendent Calls Some Local Book Challenges “Legitimate”
School Superintendent Calls Some Local Book Challenges “Legitimate”
Santa Rosa County Schools’ Instructional Technology Specialist Ruth Witter, pictured at the podium during Monday’s school board meeting, provided an update, including details on how materials are selected for the Santa Rosa County Schools library system. “When we go to our vendors, we are shopping from a place, we are selecting from a place that … read more
Eglin to Host Delisting of Threatened Fish Species
Eglin to Host Delisting of Threatened Fish Species
The Okaloosa darter population, which once numbered fewer than 10,000, has grown to more than 600,000. Photo by Bill Tate/FWS. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on June 27 announced the removal of the Okaloosa darter from the federal list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, and an August 2 ceremony has been planned to celebrate … read more
SRSO: Foul Play Suspected in Death of Gulf Medical Founder
SRSO: Foul Play Suspected in Death of Gulf Medical Founder
Homicide Investigation on Schnoor Rd. Yesterday evening, 7/19/2023, deputies with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 1800 block of Schnoor Rd. in reference to a death investigation. Upon arriving at the scene, deputies located the victim, Stephen Lee Jernigan, 70 years old, deceased. Detectives with our Major Crimes Unit are continuing … read more
Top Candidate Withdraws Bid for Milton City Manager Position
Top Candidate Withdraws Bid for Milton City Manager Position
Last Tuesday Councilman Jeff Snow recommended the City of Milton negotiate a contract with Scott Collins to serve as its new City Manager. Since Snow’s motion received unanimous Council support, he was “shocked” to discover Collins notified certain city officials on Saturday that he was withdrawing his name from consideration. He briefly recanted yesterday afternoon … read more
OPINION: Time to Cleanup and Fairly Enforce County’s Municipal Code
OPINION: Time to Cleanup and Fairly Enforce County’s Municipal Code
Santa Rosa County’s Municipal Code is a group of ordinances used for governing, and some of the ordinances not only need revisions but also enforcement. An effort is already underway to revise the county’s Land Development Code, commonly referred to as the LDC, the governing document which guides development and was last revised in 2021. … read more
