The Santa Rosa County School District has devised a temporary, cost-neutral transportation plan to help families navigate the split grade-level transition to Soundside High School, Superintendent Karen Barber told the school board April 2.

The Santa Rosa County School Board voted April 2 to table a proposed student ID card policy after members raised concerns about child safety, data security and the burden the cards could place on low-income families.

Florida’s native and beneficial bat species typically roost in trees, caves or other natural spaces, but are sometimes attracted to buildings and other human-made structures, including buildings still undergoing construction. With bat maternity season starting soon, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding the public April 15 is the last day to legally exclude bats from buildings without a permit, until Aug. 15.

A Pace man was arrested for allegedly hitting, choking and threatening his girlfriend.

Kayden Lee Socha, 21, is charged with battery with domestic violence, misdemeanor battery, felony battery by strangulation, resisting an officer and intimidation.

An armed man who authorities said took his ex-girlfriend hostage at her Holt home was found dead inside the residence Thursday morning from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

A teacher at Rhodes Elementary noticed something was wrong with a third grader — the child couldn’t see clearly. A school counselor tracked down the mother, who said she had already taken all three of her kids to the eye doctor. She had the prescriptions. She just didn’t have the money to fill them.

The “Precautionary Boil Water Notice” has been rescinded/canceled for the customers in the following areas:

The Santa Rosa County School Board is set to consider an updated school choice plan for the 2026-27 school year at its Thursday meeting, a document outlining how families across the district’s roughly 31,000 students may request transfers and access alternative education options.

Authorities are investigating the discovery of a deceased man who was found underneath the Garcon Point Bridge on Monday, according to a social media post from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.