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
Calkins Wins Unanimous Board Support to “Kill” Shark Fishing Restrictions on Navarre Beach
Calkins Wins Unanimous Board Support to “Kill” Shark Fishing Restrictions on Navarre Beach
Santa Rosa County District 3 Commissioner James Calkins on Monday received unanimous support from fellow board members to “kill” a staff-led effort to impose certain fishing restrictions on Navarre Beach. Dozens of local anglers, including Santa Rosa County Tax Collector Stan Colie Nichols, pictured at the podium, showed up during public forum to ask the … read more
OPINION: Cook Made the Right Call to Put Brakes on Fishing Restrictions
OPINION: Cook Made the Right Call to Put Brakes on Fishing Restrictions
Proposed fishing restrictions were quietly moving forward under the guise of “designated swimming areas” This afternoon the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners issued a news release, putting the brakes on plans by staff to restrict certain fishing for eight months out of each year on MOST of the Gulf of Mexico shoreline along … read more
Local Aviator Celebrates 30 Years as Air Boss of the 2023 Pensacola Beach Air Show
Local Aviator Celebrates 30 Years as Air Boss of the 2023 Pensacola Beach Air Show
The Santa Rosa Island Authority is thrilled to announce that local naval aviator and retired Marine Corps Major Paul Entrekin is celebrating his 30th season as Air Boss of the Pensacola Beach Air Show this year. Have you ever wondered who controls the schedule for all the aerial acts, mass formations, high-speed jet demonstrations and … read more
County Commissioners Take No Action on Resolution to Remove Porn from Schools
County Commissioners Take No Action on Resolution to Remove Porn from Schools
Local Dad Ryan Fowler covered his son’s ears while a citizen during today’s Santa Rosa County Commission public forum read sexually explicit material she wants removed from access by Santa Rosa County School students. Santa Rosa County District 3 Commissioner James Calkins this morning asked fellow board members to consider a resolution asking Santa Rosa … read more
