It was March 6, 2024, when Joy Zuraff returned home from the park with her 5-year-old daughter, Kenlee. The afternoon had been ordinary — swings, sunshine, a brief escape from the medical stress that had shadowed their lives. Then Zuraff’s phone rang. A friend told her the Department of Children and Families planned to stop by, take a quick look at Kenlee and close the case.
What happened next would upend her family’s life.
The City of Milton has appointed Jacob Hullett as the City’s new Planning Director. He will replace Tim Milstead.
A lifelong Santa Rosa County resident, Hullett was born and raised in the Milton area and is a graduate of Milton High School.
In addition to Monday, Jan. 26, and Tuesday, Jan. 27, the cold weather shelter for the homeless and/or heatless will be open on the nights of Wednesday, Jan. 28, Thursday, Jan. 29, and Friday, Jan. 30 at Ferris Hill Baptist Church, 6848 Chaffin St. in Milton.
Santa Rosa County is in preliminary talks with the U.S. Navy to acquire a 694-acre airfield adjacent to the Northwest Florida Industrial Park at I-10.
The airfield, known as Santa Rosa Outlying Field, is still in use by the Navy. If you’ve driven on Highway 87 South near Interstate 10 exit 31, then you’ve likely seen orange and white helicopters flying.
Kimberly McChesney, a former Gulf Breeze Elementary School assistant principal, has been placed in a new role within the district after an investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing related to events at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
McChesney, who was placed on administrative leave in August 2025 after her son, Matthew McChesney, was arrested in July on a charge of possession of child pornography, has been reassigned to the Blended Academy. She will serve as assistant principal of the school, which offers a hybrid model of online education and in-person support.
The Milton Fire Department entered Tuesday night, Jan. 13, without full staffing but began Jan. 14 with three new firefighters and fully staffed A and C shifts.
During the City Council’s work session, Fire Chief John Reble said the department had vacant positions during the latter half of 2025. He told council members the department was able to hire new firefighters who recently completed training at Northwest Florida State College’s fire academy, as well as one firefighter from George Stone Technical College.
The Milton Police Department has arrested a suspect in connection with an animal cruelty investigation involving a dog at So Pawsh Dog Grooming in Milton located at 6056 Doctor’s Park Rd, Milton, FL 32570.
Kerree J. Patterson, 37, is charged with animal cruelty.
An alleged burglary Friday, Jan. 16, led to the arrest of four people in Milton.
The burglary plot was foiled by a neighbor, who noticed the alleged burglars in action and alerted the homeowner. Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office soon responded and the suspects were apprehended after initially attempting to flee.
Due to network repairs, January utility bills for the City of Milton have not yet been issued. Additionally, some customers did not receive a mailed December utility bill; those charges are available in the billing system
