News Archive

The state may – or may not – move the Fisher-Hamilton Building or incorporate traffic-calming and aesthetically appealing design details when it widens U.S. Highway 90 through downtown Milton, a Florida Department of Transportation official said last week.

The problem is becoming…unbearable.

“I’m quite tired of hearing FWC tell you as a citizen or me as a citizen that you’ve got to rattle pans, or put up fences, or put your garbage out after a certain time or pay for an expensive bear can” to keep Florida black bears from snooping around people’s homes, Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Bob Cole said Monday.

Santa Rosa County will move the Florida First Judicial Circuit Court into a $42-million new facility this summer, but it hasn’t decided what the future holds for the 95-year-old downtown Milton courthouse.

“My preference would be to sell it to the public and hope they can do something useful with it,” Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Bob Cole said last week.

Milton Mayor Heather Lindsay vetoed a proposal to lower residency requirements for her office after the city council’s July 12 regular meeting.

The Milton City Charter currently requires candidates for mayor to have lived in the city for at least three years.

On July 9, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrested six alleged online sexual predators. One of the six arrested is a Milton resident.

Jordan Scott Towery, 28, was arrested after he solicited sexual activity from an undercover officer, who was posing as a 14 year old girl. According to the arrest report, Towery drove to a predetermined location in Okaloosa County to meet the juvenile. Instead of being greeted by an underage girl, Towery was greeted by deputies with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

The Florida Department of Health is reporting a “probable” case of Monkeypox in Santa Rosa County. The department is waiting on confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control. Overall, as of Saturday, the department reported 180 confirmed and probable cases in Florida. According to the department, Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by a virus […]

Milton Mayor Heather Lindsay vetoed a proposal to lower residency requirements for her office after the city council’s July 12 regular meeting.

The Milton City Charter currently requires candidates for mayor to have lived in the city for at least three years. But, despite the mayor’s veto threat, the city council voted 6-2 for a ballot referendum asking voters to change the requirement to just one year, the same residency requirement for city council candidates.

Nothing is official, but the Milton City Council was expected on Tuesday to approve applying for a $700,000 Community Development Block Grant to make major improvements to parts of Broad Street.

The Milton City Council will begin building the 2023 budget at a workshop at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at City Hall.

The key question: should the council leave the property tax rate – the millage rate – unchanged and reap an additional $170,000, or should it “roll back” the rate to keep tax bills the same as last year’s?

Heavy rainfall and localized flash flooding, particularly of low lying and urban areas, is possible beginning late today, Tues., July 12, with the threat increasing through Sunday morning, according to the US National Weather Service in Mobile.

Two to four inches of rainfall are possible north of I-10 with those closer to the coast receiving four to six inches of rainfall. Storms could train over the area increasing the threat of flash flooding.