Max Williams worked with the Santa Rosa County school district for 45 years.

For many, 1980 may not feel that long ago. Blondie’s “Call Me” was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and “Star Wars: Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back” was the top grossing movie of the year. Shoulder pads, big hair, and acid wash jeans were trendy, and department stores like Macy’s and JC Penney still held shoppers in their grasp.

Within the first half hour of the Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners meeting, Chairman Kerry Smith made clear he wanted to remove a member of the zoning board. The member in question is Commissioner Ray Eddington’s District 4 representative, Gene Sullivan. Smith accused Sullivan of getting into a verbal altercation with a zoning applicant following the special zoning meeting of May 22.

Governor Ron DeSantis made headlines when he appointed five new members to the UWF board of trustees in January. The appointees—Paul Bailey, Gates Garcia, Adam Kissel, Chris Young and Scott Yenor—were contested by locals, students and staff at the university, prompting a grassroots movement, protests and several Senate Appropriations Committee meetings. While several picks remained uncontested, two of them, Yenor and Kissel, prompted controversy.

The scenario: A category 4 hurricane has struck Santa Rosa County and now it is all hands on deck for the aftermath.

In preparation for the 2025 hurricane season, Santa Rosa County Emergency Management gathered its partners needed in a crisis and held their annual hurricane exercise.

It’s that time of the year again: summer is in full swing in the south! During the summer, many churches hold their vacation bible schools, and several in Milton and Pace are doing so. Some include: