An inmate at Santa Rosa County Jail died Sunday, Nov. 26.

According to Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the inmate died during a use of force incident. The inmate was from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and was being housed at their facility.

The cold weather shelter for the homeless and/or heatless will open on the nights of Monday, Nov. 27 through Wednesday, Nov. 29 at Ferris Hill Baptist Church, 6848 Chaffin St. in Milton. Those who would like to stay at the shelter must arrive between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Only service animals (with verification of rabies vaccination) are permitted to stay with guests. No one will be admitted after 8:30 p.m. unless brought in by law enforcement. The shelter closes at 7 a.m. each morning.

Officials for three Santa Rosa County fire districts are scrambling to learn as much as they can about a plan to change how they’re funded.

A Thanksgiving Food Drive was held at the Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 20 in Milton.

More than 6,000 people visited the Santa Rosa Band of the Lower Muscogee’s annual Creek Fest celebration the weekend of Nov. 18-19 to enjoy a celebration of Native American heritage and the opening of the band’s new cultural center.

Donna Tucker has announced that she will retire as the Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce president and CEO effective Dec. 29.

“It has truly been an honor and an amazing experience,” she said in a letter to the chamber’s membership. “The engagement, leadership, vision and support I have seen for our chamber during my tenure has been amazing; we have accomplished so much and established an organization I pray will serve our members and community for many generations to come.”

Hurlburt Field – U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Travis J. Hackett, a member of the 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron, has an inspiring story that intertwines his love for baseball and his dedication to serving his country.

The University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences West Florida Research and Education Center, Feeding the Gulf Coast and the Waterfront Rescue Mission distributed meals to 500 Milton-area families – as many as 3,000 people – last week as part of the national Farm-City celebration.

According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, their study on the state of Florida veteran population (2020) shows that Santa Rosa County has 22,295 veterans. In 2020, the state total population of veterans was 1.5 million.

City Manager Scott Collins told Milton’s city council last week the city needs a “total operational rebuild.”

For several years before Collins’ arrival in October, bitter divisions in the community have influenced city politics, resulting in many long, chaotic and often confrontational meetings. Such meetings became so regular that an area radio talk show host began airing embarrassing clips from Milton meetings in a segment spoofing the “Days of Our Lives” television soap opera.