The rain stopped and the sun started to shine moments after a groundbreaking wrapped up on a stadium for the Pensacola State women’s soccer team.
It’s symbolic in that even brighter days are ahead for a program that has enjoyed a wealth of success in its first two years of existence.

The cold weather shelter for the homeless and/or heatless will open on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Ferris Hill Baptist Church, 6848 Chaffin St. in Milton. Those who would like to stay at the shelter must arrive between 6:30 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.

With Kerry Smith acting as the new Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, he laid out a new set of rules for the meetings.

The UF/IFAS Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners hosted a demonstration on how to plant, harvest, and process sugarcane from home.

Residential Horticulture Agent Josh Criss hosted the class alongside Master Gardener and volunteer Francis Andrews. Together they shared their combined knowledge of how to have sugarcane become a part of your garden or landscaping.

Drivers may encounter intermittent U.S. 90 lane closures, between Avalon Boulevard and Stewart Street through Thursday, Dec. 12, from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., for milling and paving operations.

During the biannual local RESTORE council meeting on Dec.3 the county reviewed projects that have been successfully completed and funds awarded for projects to begin.

At the Empowering Women in Business Networking Group conference on Dec. 6 Heather Hyde, former project manager with Jacobs Engineering, talked about her efforts to protect local waterways and marine life through oysters.

With the resignation of Matt Gaetz, there is a special election on the horizon to decide who will represent northwest Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives. As of Dec. 5, there are 13 candidates vying for the seat, including State Rep. Dr. Joel Rudman, Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis, and 2024 Democratic candidate for U.S. House district 1, Jennifer Gay Valimont. 

Santa Rosa County Public Safety urges residents to be prepared for the cold weather that will settle in late Thursday (Dec. 5) night through Friday (Dec. 6) morning by remembering the 5 P’s of cold weather safety.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced more than $2.1 million in additional funding for military-supporting infrastructure through the Defense Reinvestment Grant Program. This program provides grants to support infrastructure projects and economic growth in Florida’s military communities.