Florida Power and Light (FPL) has announced new rates are on the horizon for customers. The company, which supplies much of the electricity to homes and businesses in northwest Florida, plans to file a formal request to set new rates once its current base rate agreement concludes at the end of 2025. The agreement is with the Florida Public Service Commission.

The Next Generation Aircrew Protection team performed innovative vapor purge testing on an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship at Hurlburt Field, Florida, from June 24 to December 6, 2024.

The 96th Test Wing and local emergency response agencies participated in a large-scale aircraft accident response exercise Dec. 11.

The holidays are a time for giving and you might have received a gifted holiday plant or two during the season, or maybe just purchased one for yourself. But often they are left to wither and are seen as just temporary decoration.

Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office made a Facebook post on Dec. 28 announcing the launch of their new chaplain unit. One man pictured in the photo of the post, caused a community uproar.

Recreational and commercial blue crab traps in all waters from Franklin County to the Florida/Alabama state line must be removed from the water before Jan. 5, the first day of a 10-day trap closure. This closure will give groups authorized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) the opportunity to identify and retrieve lost and abandoned blue crab traps from the water.

A crowd gathered at Milton Historic Cemetery on Dec.14 for the fourth annual Wreaths Across America ceremony. The event honors the nation’s fallen heroes and their families by laying wreaths and saying each veteran’s name out loud.

Tallahassee- The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and our division of the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reflect on our many accomplishments in 2024. This year has been exceptional as we celebrated FHP’s 85th anniversary, marking a significant milestone in our long-standing commitment to road safety.

Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser Greg Brown II wants residents to mark their calendars. From Jan. 1, 2025, to March 1, 2025, residents can file for a homestead exemption. Two other exemptions, one for persons 65 and over and the other for deployed servicemembers, has a five-month filing window from Jan. 1, 2025, to June 1, 2025.

Live trees are a festive and fragrant holiday decoration for many families during the Christmas holidays, and Santa Rosa County Public Works offers an environmentally friendly option for disposal. Residents who would like to “treecycle” their tree for mulch may drop off their clean Christmas trees in the designated areas listed below by Jan. 20: