Crosspoint Church will open its Pace campus on Sunday, Aug. 9, marking the first Santa Rosa County location for a church with roots in Okaloosa and Walton counties.

A gymnastics coach and social media content creator from Navarre who had moved to Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty Monday, July 20, in federal court to multiple charges related to the production, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material, as well as money laundering.

Theresa Mitchell, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce and distribute child sexual abuse material, two counts of production of child sexual abuse material, one count of receipt of child sexual abuse material, one count of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

A Santa Rosa County woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison on July 27 after pleading guilty to multiple charges related to stealing more than $1 million from a local electrical company.

A Santa Rosa County man was sentenced to five years in state prison for torturing a kitten to death in December 2025, according to a news release from the state attorney’s office.

One of Santa Rosa County’s oldest schools is getting a breath of new life as the Santa Rosa County School Board approved a $34 million phase one project which will see middle and high school students move into a new two-story building by 2029.

Santa Rosa County commissioners on July 23 recognized the Navarre Rotary Club for its work to prevent drownings on local beaches, adopting a proclamation marking July 19-25 as National Drowning Prevention Week.

A man who fled deputies serving felony warrants and swam into the Blackwater River was found dead July 22, according to a news release from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.

Santa Rosa County commissioners will begin to direct staff to begin drafting ordinances to curb parking issues seen throughout the county; from vehicles parking on beach dunes to RV’s parked on county right-of-way.

Santa Rosa County commissioners agreed on July 21 to move forward with the county adopting new stormwater standards, saying the shift will improve how local drainage and stormwater projects are designed.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect current information.

The former nominee to be the Town of Jay’s next town manager was arrested after what the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office says was one of multiple arrests in a sex offender compliance sweep.