politics Archive

Paul Renner, the former speaker of the Florida House and current gubernatorial candidate, made a campaign stop in Pace on June 1, pitching himself as the candidate best positioned to lower property taxes, rein in utility costs and take on out-of-state-interests.

Incumbent County Commissioner Kerry Smith didn’t qualify for the 2026 ballot based on petitions and now must pay $5,460.06 to stay in the race for Commission District 2.
Smith, along with fellow District 2 candidates Michael Rinaldi and Shawn Kay, failed to garner the required number of petitions by the May 11 deadline.

The Santa Rosa County Commission voted to approve a contract for school zone speed cameras, brushing aside privacy concerns raised during public comment over AI-powered surveillance tied to the deal.

The contract, requested jointly by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Rosa County District Schools, is with Maryland-based company Altumint, a speed camera provider that will install enforcement cameras in 15 school zones across the county.

Four years after narrowly losing to Kerry Smith for the District 2 Santa Rosa County Commission seat, Jeff Ates IV is back. This go round, he is facing seven other candidates, including Smith.
Ates is a lifelong East Milton resident and ran a dirt pit in the area for around 25 years. The pit has supplied dirt and other earthworks for projects across Santa Rosa County. He also managed hunting land in the 1980s and 1990s and currently consults for North American IPS, LLC.

State Rep. Nathan Boyles, R-Baker, is wrapping up what he calls his first full legislative session in Tallahassee, and the freshman Republican said the biggest adjustment has been learning how to move policy in a chamber with far more colleagues — and competing interests — than the Okaloosa County Commission he came from.

Matthew Taylor, a candidate for Florida commissioner of agriculture who goes by “Matt the Welder” on social media, made a campaign stop in Pace on March 23, where he said the political establishment, including his own party, is working to keep him off the ballot.

Doug Chico didn’t plan to run for Congress. The 35-year-old Navy veteran and sixth-generation Northwest Florida native said he’d rather spend more time with his family. But a local surveillance camera rollout last fall set him on a path to challenge incumbent Rep. Jimmy Patronis in the August Republican primary for Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

The race for Florida’s 1st Congressional District is heating up ahead of the November 2026 general election as Gulf Breeze resident and Democratic nominee Gay Valimont announced her intention to run for a third time, hoping to unseat incumbent Rep. Jimmy Patronis.

Santa Rosa County officials say they are bracing for tough budget decisions as they update a long‑range strategic plan that will guide infrastructure, growth and county services over the next decade. Rising costs, slowing revenue growth and uncertainty from state legislation could strain future funding, leaders warned.

As the U.S. House of Representatives and the rest of the nation wrapped up 2025, Santa Rosa Press Gazette spoke with Jimmy Patronis, the Republican representative of Florida’s 1st Congressional District, about his expectations and legislative priorities for 2026.