Santa Rosa Press Gazette

01/24/2025

The weight is over! It's district weightlifting meet time in 3A.

The District 1-3A girls weightlifting meet is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Pace. It was originally scheduled for Wednesday but had to be moved due to the hist ...

01/24/2025

Despite retirees continuing to reduce the size of the labor force and a slight bump in the number of Floridians out of work, the state’s unemployment rate held steady in December.

Tallahassee - Despite retirees continuing to reduce the size of the labor force and a slight bump in the number of Floridians out of work, the state’s unemp ...

01/24/2025

WINTER WEATHER UPDATE:

Roads
• Hamilton Bridge Road in Milton has reopened between Windham Road and the Pea Ridge Connector.
• All Santa Rosa County roads and bridges are considered passable with some hazards. Patchy ice is still possible in shaded areas.
• Public works crews will continue to monitor the roadways until conditions have improved. With higher temps (10 hours of above-freezing temperatures) and abundant sunshine, more melting of ice/snow will happen on Friday and road conditions are expected to improve drastically. Motorists should still exercise caution in shaded areas.
• Report road issues at www.santarosa.fl.gov/FormCenter/Public-Works-7/Citizen-Work-Request-48.
• Any road closures can be viewed at www.santarosa.fl.gov/293/Current-Road-Bridge-Closures.
• For updates on major roadways controlled by the state, visit FL511.com.

County Offices and Other Constitutional Officers
• All Santa Rosa County offices resumed normal operating hours Friday., Jan. 24.
• The Santa Rosa County Tax Collector is closed Friday, Jan. 24
• The following offices are open Friday, Jan. 24:
• Santa Rosa County Clerk of Courts
• Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser
• Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections

Early Voting
• Early Voting will resume and both early voting locations will be open on Friday, Jan. 24. Early voting hours will be extended from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25

There are two sites for Early Voting in Santa Rosa County:
• Main Supervisor of Elections Office in Milton; 6495 Caroline St. Ste F, Milton FL 32570
• South Santa Rosa Service Center (Annex) in Gulf Breeze; 5841 Gulf Breeze Pkwy, Gulf Breeze, FL 32570

Please visit www.votesantarosa.gov or call 850-983-1900 if you have any questions.

I-10 Update
Information provided by the Florida Department of Transportation:
• I-10 is now reopened in both directions (eastbound and westbound) from Mile Marker 70 (State Road 285) to the Alabama/Florida State Line.
• For real-time traffic updates, check https://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/traffic/live_traffic_feed.html or FL511.com.

Cold Weather Shelter
• The cold weather shelter for the homeless and/or heatless at Ferris Hill Baptist Church, 6848 Chaffin St. in Milton, will be open 24 hours from Friday, Jan. 24 until 10 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26.
• No one will be admitted after 8:30 p.m. each night unless brought in by law enforcement. Only service animals (with verification of rabies vaccination) are permitted to stay with guests.
• Volunteers are still needed for Saturday, Jan. 25 and Sunday, Jan. 26. Shifts are in two-hour increments and there will always be at least two volunteers present at all times. To see available shifts and to sign up to volunteer, visit https://m.signupgenius.com/ #!/showSignUp/10C0F44A5AC2DA1FDC16-54474634-cold.
• Santa Rosa County's cold weather shelter is operated by Ferris Hill Baptist Church, utilizing volunteer resources and donations. It opens each night weather is forecasted to drop below 40 degrees, typically November through March. The shelter is for people who are homeless or cannot maintain heat in their homes, can care for themselves, and are not at risk to themselves or others. No one will be admitted to the shelter who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, unable to walk unaided or disoriented.

Weather update from the National Weather Service in Mobile:
• Lows on Friday night are expected to drop into the 20s in northern areas of Santa Rosa County and low to mid 30s closer to the coast.

5 P's of Cold Weather Safety:
• Protect People: Remember to dress in layers and wear a hat and gloves. It is important to try to stay out of the wind and to stay dry. Also, remember to check on young children and elderly family and neighbors who are the most sensitive to cold weather. If the temperature cannot be maintained at a home, make temporary arrangements to stay elsewhere, including with friends and family.
• Protect Pets: If cold weather is in the forecast, be sure to bring outdoor pets inside or give them a warm shelter to stay in.
• Protect Exposed Pipes: Cover pipes and outdoor faucets. On occasion, outdoor faucets may need to be allowed to slowly drip to prevent freezing and breaking.
• Protect Plants: Cover cold-sensitive plants to protect them from dangerous temperatures or bring potted plants inside.
• Practice Fire Safety: Use safe heating sources indoors. Do not use fuel-burning devices such as grills; they release carbon monoxide, which is a deadly gas. Also, make sure to use space heaters according to their instructions and be attentive to open flames.

For current weather events, visit www.weather.gov/mob. For information on preparing for disasters, visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/emergency. Follow Santa Rosa County Emergency Management on Facebook for weather updates.

01/24/2025

Register now for Terrezza Optical’s annual Doctors with a Heart program, which provides low-income, uninsured patients free eye exams and eyeglasses on Feb. 14. Program openings are on a first-come-first-served basis, and patients are encouraged to call as soon as possible to begin the process. Participating locations include Milton (850.623.03190), Palafox (850.434.2060), Fairfield (850.456.5059) and Baptist Hospital (850.407.9474) in Pensacola and Foley (251.943.5115) and Fairhope (251.383.2052) in Southeast Alabama. To find the office nearest you, visit https://terrezzaoptical.com/locations/.

01/24/2025

Maj. Gen. Justin Hoffman, Deputy Commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, attended a delivery milestone on Dec 13, 2024, in Marietta, Georgia for the command’s final MC-130J Commando II. The fly-away ceremony commemorated the final stage of Lockheed Martin’s aircraft production for the MC-130J program and last handover to the Air Force.

Marietta, GA – Maj. Gen. Justin Hoffman, Deputy Commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, attended a delivery milestone on Dec 13, 2024, in Mariett ...

01/24/2025

Hurlburt Field cagers knocked down 16 free throws in the fourth quarter Jan. 10 to top Eglin 76-68 in men’s basketball action in Aderholt Fitness Center.

Hurlburt Field - Hurlburt Field cagers knocked down 16 free throws in the fourth quarter Jan. 10 to top Eglin 76-68 in men’s basketball action in Aderholt F ...

01/24/2025

Taegan Baggett went to state for the first time last season for weightlifting. She’s hoping to make another run at it this year and has put in extra work outside of school to help that cause....

Taegan Baggett went to state for the first time last season for weightlifting. She’s hoping to make another run at it this year and has put in extra work ou ...

01/23/2025

01/23/2025

UPDATE: County Road Conditions
Thursday, Jan. 23, 4:15 p.m.

All Santa Rosa County roads and bridges are considered passable with some hazards. Black ice conditions can be expected overnight and early Friday morning anywhere that water/moisture still remains on roadways.

Quintette Road from West Whitley Lane to the west end of Quintette Road is still seeing issues with large patches of ice. Extreme caution should be taken if traveling on this portion of the road.

Motorists should consider that all bridges in Santa Rosa County will very likely have black ice after dark.

Public works crews will continue to monitor the roadways until conditions have improved. With higher temps (10 hours of above-freezing temperatures) and abundant sunshine, more melting of ice/snow will happen on Friday and road conditions are expected to improve drastically. Motorists should still exercise caution in shaded areas.

Report road issues at www.santarosa.fl.gov/FormCenter/Public-Works-7/Citizen-Work-Request-48.

Any road closures can be viewed at www.santarosa.fl.gov/293/Current-Road-Bridge-Closures.

I-10 opened to east and westbound traffic

Information provided by the Florida Department of Transportation:

Effective 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan 23, a portion of EASTBOUND Interstate 10 (I-10) has reopened to traffic from Mile Marker 70 (State Road 285) to the Alabama/Florida State Line.

This means that I-10 is now reopened in both directions (eastbound and westbound) from Mile Marker 70 (State Road 285) to the Alabama/Florida State Line.

For real-time traffic updates, check https://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/traffic/live_traffic_feed.html or FL511.com.

01/23/2025

The news we have all been waiting for...I-10 is open both directions from mile marker 1 to mile marker 70. Thank you to the Northwest Florida Department of Transportation for working so hard to make it happen.

01/23/2025

With a vast majority of our population looking at screens every day, it is important to know how to effectively market to those eyes. That’s where Sandpaper Marketing can help you find customers.

Did you know that 97% of Americans now own a cellphone, and 90% of those people own a smartphone? With a vast majority of our population looking at screens ...

01/23/2025

Congratulations to this week's Team Bruce Baker, MBA - REMAX Infinity PHS Athlete of the Week, Lilah Seifert

01/23/2025

Vehicles moving slowly west as I-10 opens westbound only from Exit 70 (Defuniak Springs) towards Alabama line.

01/23/2025

Congratulations to this week's Team Bruce Baker, MBA - REMAX Infinity MHS Athlete of the Week, Dana Tolleson!

01/23/2025

After President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 issued an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis jumped on the idea.

Tallahassee - After President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 issued an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf America, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ...

01/23/2025

I-10 UPDATE: Good news! Effective at 2 p.m. today, a portion of Westbound I-10 traffic will reopen to traffic from Mile Marker 70 to the Alabama/Florida state line.

01/23/2025

Congratulations to this week's Chick-fil-A The Ridge PHS Student of the Week, Tucker Ricks!

01/23/2025

Early Voting will resume and both early voting locations will be open on Friday, Jan. 24. Early voting hours will be extended from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25

There are two sites for Early Voting in Santa Rosa County:
• Main Supervisor of Elections Office in Milton; 6495 Caroline St. Ste F, Milton FL 32570
• South Santa Rosa Service Center (Annex) in Gulf Breeze; 5841 Gulf Breeze Pkwy, Gulf Breeze, FL 32570

Please visit www.votesantarosa.gov or call 850-983-1900 if you have any questions.

It is our goal to provide you with statistics, links to related election sites, answer questions, make available forms necessary to register to vote, request vote-by-mail ballots, poll worker applications, and as much historical information as possible.