Community Archive

Navarre Beach rang in the New Year with a couple of polar plunges, with the Pirate Plunge being held on the Gulf Of Mexico and the Penguin Plunge’n Paddle being held on Santa Rosa Sound. Both events raise money for charity. This year’s festivities saw hundreds brave the cold water.

Community Health Northwest Florida, a nonprofit healthcare organization which serves Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, has instituted a new program to promote healthy pregnancies for medically underserved people.

Announced in July of last year, the Baby Bucks program is designed to provide educational materials and supplies to expectant mothers, as well as incentivize them to keep up with their prenatal checkups.

You may have heard the expression, ‘It takes a village.’ At Navarre High School, the saying is true, as various members of the school community contribute to the overall school environment. This includes volunteers.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will temporarily prohibit possession and harvest of Suwannee bass for no less than 24 months in the Wakulla River and its tributaries, effective immediately. This restriction includes the river’s headwaters at Wakulla Springs and extends to its convergence with the St. Marks River, near the town of St. Marks.

A church in Navarre has found their new home. Founded in 2017 as a plant of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA), COMPASS Community Church has met for services at several locations over the years. First in the homes of its congregants, then at the Holley by the Sea recreation center’s Beach House, and finally, at the old Pet Stylers building in Soundview Plaza (8540 Navarre Parkway). On Jan. 5, 2025, the church will hold its first Sunday service at Gulf Pointe Latin School, a Christian school located at 7624 East Bay Blvd. in Navarre. According to Michael Bannon, the church’s pastor since its inception, the move was expected.

Over a decade ago, Timothy “Christian” Knutson met his wife, Sandra, overseas when he was in the military. They soon fell in love, married, and now have two children, an eight-year-old son named JC, and a five-year-old daughter named Elise. While this may seem like a happy ever after story, the past five years have been a nightmare for the family. In that time, doctors discovered that Sandra, 35, has an enlarged heart due to a heart valve disease. The disease causes the heart to have to work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body, leading her to fatigue more easily.

The Santa Rosa County Master Gardeners are sharing their expertise on a variety of topics in monthly lectures at the Navarre Library now through December.

On Dec. 9, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary of National Significance Act, directing the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to formally enroll the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) into the National Estuary Program and designate Pensacola and Perdido Bays as “Estuaries of National Significance.”

Santa Rosa County District Schools have appointed Brad Berry and Jennifer Netro as the new assistant principals at Holley Navarre Middle School and Woodlawn Beach Middle School, respectively. Netro will begin her time at WBMS Jan. 6, 2025, and Berry will start work at HNMS Jan. 7, 2025.

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.  On Monday, Dec. 9, citizens within the first Congressional district will get the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates at a campaign forum hosted by Republican Executive Committees of Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties. The event will be held at Emerald Waterfront (formerly known as The Grillehouse) on Highway 98 in Navarre (8491 Navarre Parkway) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.