With the growth of Santa Rosa County’s human population comes an influx of pets, such as cats and dogs.

To keep pets, and their owners, in check, the county has leash laws enforced by Santa Rosa County Animal Services. The leash laws pertain to various areas of the county, namely in population centers such as Navarre, Midway, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pace and Jay.  

A bill recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis will require teenagers earning their learner’s permit to complete a six-hour driver’s safety course, in addition to a driving rules knowledge test.

The current safety course, known as Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education, is four hours in length.

Navarre Beach is often thought of as a vacation destination, somewhere to put your feet up after a long journey. For Kyndal Ray Edwards, that journey has been longer than most.

Edwards, known for his “The Walking Testimony” social media account, has been traveling the United States on foot since 2022, covering more than 8,200 miles. Multiple coastlines, mountain ranges, deserts, highways, backroads and 20 pairs of shoes later, he arrived in Navarre June 18, 2025.

While Blackwater River State Park welcomes visitors, those same visitors often leave behind more than footprints.

Using a Guy Harvey Foundation grant, Santa Rosa County 4-H went onto the river earlier this month to help clean up trash and other man-made debris. The foundation enabled them to rent canoes from Adventures Unlimited.

As smoke engulfed a home’s garage on Holley Court in Navarre May 28, firefighters pulled a rottweiler out from the haze.

Thanks to a specialized mask on board Holley Navarre Fire District Engine 41, the animal was given oxygen, hauled off in an ambulance and able to be given treatment. The dog, named “Sydney,” has reportedly left St. Francis Animal Hospital after a multi-day stay.

The idea of multiplication can be found throughout biblical scripture, whether it pertains to spiritual growth, familial growth, blessings, tithing or miracles such as the feeding of the 5,000 by Jesus.

Easter is a time of death and renewal.

For the Catholic Church, this symbolism of Easter was especially poignant this year as Pope Francis, the Bishop of Rome, died at 88 years old Monday, April 21.

In the American South, food takes a place on the cultural mantel piece along with rocking chairs and banjo music. Even in today’s South, where people are more transient and familial connections to the past are often forgotten, you can still find hole-in-the-wall restaurants serving family recipes of gumbo, fried fish, slaw or barbecue. Chances are if you take a seat at one of these places, you might find yourself sharing a meal with John T. Edge.

Students from 16 schools in Santa Rosa County descended upon Pace High School’s football field for the inaugural north end edition of the Zack Butler Memorial Sports Ability Games Thursday, April 3. Named for a physical education teacher and coach who lost his battle with cancer in 2022, the Sports Ability Games are designed to expand the field of opportunity for special needs students in athletics.

Northwest Florida has a new representative in Washington, D.C. Jimmy Patronis, the Republican nominee for U.S. House District 1, defeated Democratic candidate Gay Valimont Tuesday, April 1 to replace Matt Gaetz.