The Milton Fire Department entered Tuesday night, Jan. 13, without full staffing but began Jan. 14 with three new firefighters and fully staffed A and C shifts.
During the City Council’s work session, Fire Chief John Reble said the department had vacant positions during the latter half of 2025. He told council members the department was able to hire new firefighters who recently completed training at Northwest Florida State College’s fire academy, as well as one firefighter from George Stone Technical College.
Dayna Hood, a teacher at Milton High School, was due for professional development training Friday morning, Jan. 16. That plan was delayed when she was called back to Milton High for a big surprise.
Hood was selected as the district teacher of the year for 2027.
In 2026, Santa Rosa County plans to continue pursuing the expansion of Chumuckla Highway (County Road 197), a major infrastructure project the county hopes can become reality in the next few years.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson delivered a forceful rebuttal Thursday after county commissioners invited him to address allegations raised at their Dec. 11 meeting.
“After hearing Rickie Cotton come up here and spew lies, it really got to me,” Johnson said from the podium. “Rickie Cotton is a liar.”
Commander, Navy Installations Command, Vice Adm. Scott Gray, announced in a message Jan.1 that Naval Air Station Whiting Field was the Navy’s top pick in the small installation category for the CNIC 2026 Installation Excellence Award program.
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.
2026 will serve as an opportunity for many Floridians to elect new leaders or reaffirm their satisfaction with those already representing them in local, state and federal offices.
In Santa Rosa County, primary elections are set for Aug. 18, with early voting from Aug. 3 to Aug. 15. The general election will be held Nov. 3, with early voting from Oct. 19 to Oct. 31.
