Milton Chief Financial Officer Curtis Krebs has been placed on paid administrative leave as the city reviews concerns that surfaced during its annual audit, City Manager Ed Spears announced June 9 during a regularly scheduled Milton City Council meeting.

Several Santa Rosa County residents urged the Santa Rosa County Commission on June 9 to take a public stand against bringing artificial intelligence data centers to the area, warning that the facilities could strain the region’s electricity, water and natural resources.

The Santa Rosa County Commission has a packed agenda for this week, where board members will hear from the public on the renewal of the half-cent sales tax, advocate for improvements to NAS Whiting Field and look to enhance Benny Russell Park and the West Florida Railroad Museum.
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As Gov. Ron DeSantis’s push for property tax cuts heads to the November ballot, local leaders across Okaloosa County are preparing for tightened budgets over the next several years as Rep. Nathan Boyles defends his no vote on the house floor.

Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Colten Wright says that a proposed amendment on the November ballot that would eliminate property taxes on certain homesteaded properties would guarantee cuts to public safety, infrastructure and other core county services.

Santa Rosa County District Schools is asking parents of incoming kindergarteners to register their children as soon as possible for the 2026-27 school year.

Milton Police Chief Jennifer Frank told City Council members the department has secured $25,000 worth of tactical equipment at no cost to the city while expanding community programming that includes women’s self-defense classes, high school emergency management training and an inaugural Citizen Police Academy.

Sgt. Curtis Meltzer has spent four summers on Santa Rosa County’s waterways. He’s seen propeller strikes, drunk boaters and kids swimming underwater at boat ramps as boaters sit idle nearby. His message heading into another busy season is simple: know what you’re doing before you put the boat in gear.

While it may not look like much from the outside, a one-story building off Stewart Street stocks canned food and shelves of peanut butter for students in need across Santa Rosa County.

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.