News Archive

At 8 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, students and teachers evacuated Hobbs Middle School. A fire alarm had gone off due to a small fire in a bathroom at the school.  According to Santa Rosa District Schools public information officer Dr. Tonya Shepherd, firefighters arrived shortly after the fire alarm went off. They put out the fire at around 8:50 a.m., which was reportedly small and contained, and students returned to class at approximately 10:45 a.m.

Lucille Silva Dixon believes she’s on a mission from God. “A vision from God inspired me to pursue teaching,” Dixon told the Press Gazette.

A Milton man was arrested Monday night in connection with the shooting death of Johnny Gene Davis, 31, in early January.

Colten Wright, chairman of the Santa Rosa County Commission, said last week that, sooner or later, property next to State Road 87 will be developed for commercial uses.

Some folks in Navarre worry about “Florida’s Most Relaxing Place” becoming another Destin; some in East Milton are pointing to Pace as a cautionary tale of development run amok.

Florida Sen. Doug Broxson, recently appointed Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, once lived in Milton. City officials hope that connection will work in their favor during the coming budget process.

The City of Milton will unveil a historical marker at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, at Jernigan’s Landing remembering the Lumberton Incident, the violent murder in 1837 of a Creek man by settlers in what is now Milton.

Amazon expanded to Milton Nov. 9, 2022, and opened a delivery station at the Santa Rosa County Industrial Park in East Milton off U.S. Highway 90.

In January, Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the new Amazon distribution center, welcoming the company to the community.

The facility is more than 80,000 square feet and was previously a call center for Navy Federal Credit Union. Amazon completely remodeled the building’s interior to accommodate a conveyance system, sort zones, route staging areas, a multi-faith room, mothers’ room, breakroom, training room and office space.

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office arrested Deputy David Daniels Tuesday, Jan. 24, on a felony lewd and lascivious charge. On Monday, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office was informed that a report of misconduct had been made against Daniels to the Department of Children and Families. Immediately after receiving the report, the Sheriff’s Office’s Major Crimes detectives began to investigate the reported incident.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted education throughout the United States. Students, teachers, parents, and administrators had to adjust to lockdowns, online learning and other disruptions to students, even after reopening schools. Despite these challenges, the Florida Department of Education announced Jan. 13 that high school graduation rates for the 2021-2022 school year not only met pre-pandemic levels, they exceeded them across the state. Santa Rosa County was no exception.