Out and About
I have had the privilege of serving on the Navarre Chamber Foundation Board for the past 20 years with amazing, talented, and compassionate people. They also have a lot of energy, and we truly care about our community.
Most of us have worked together for more than a decade at the same events year after year. We make it look easy – when it really isn’t.
We recently had our annual meeting and went over the highlights for 2022 and they are notable, especially when you see them on the same sheet of paper.
Some of the highlights include: six Kayak Tours with 115 participants; Take a Kid Fishing with 200 participants; Run for the Reef with 475 participants, up 86 from 2021 – 21% from outside state; 51% from outside of Santa Rosa County. The event netted $12,677; Jingle Bell Run had 243 participants, netting $5,235; the Ian Lockwood Scholarship Education Grants presented $1,000 each to one male and one female Navarre High senior; Keifer Huhman Scholarship Education Grant to one Navarre High JROTC grad $500;
Navarre CERT donation for their continued extraordinary support to the community $500;
And contributions due to a $9,500 donation from the Navarre Fishing Rodeo included donations to the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Center of $3,500, Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary (Reefs) received $3,500, and the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station, $2,500.
We applied for and were awarded Grants and Sponsorships from: the Santa Rosa County Tourism Development Council, Fish Florida, FWC Lionfish Tournament Assistance, Ocean Conservancy, Walmart, and Cox Communications. The foundation has been awarded the GuideStar 2022 Platinum Seal of Transparency. If you are interested in being part of the little foundation that could and did and still does work hard to benefit our community, please visit https://navarrechamberfoundation.org/.
The Holley Navarre Water System board election is Jan. 16. We received two responses to our question-and-answer survey sent to all candidates.
You can read those on the Eye on Government page in this issue. This is an important time in the history of HNWS to be on the board. After the termination of Dallas Peavey last year, there is much investigation to be done for any possible wrongdoing or fraud. A complaint has been made also against board President and interim CEO Joe Campbell for misconduct. These issues have to be resolved.
We are excited that the new Santa Rosa County Courthouse on Avalon Boulevard in Milton is finally going to open. We have been reporting on the new courthouse for some time wondering when it will ever open. We got the word and the first day of business will be Jan. 17.
The building will house the First Judicial Circuit court offices and the offices of Don Spencer, Clerk of Court and Comptroller. So, if you have been summoned for a case, appearance or jury duty on that date, go to the Avalon Boulevard location.
Quote of the Week: “Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.” William Gaddis, American Novelist, Dec. 29, 1922 – Dec. 16, 1998