Latest ROSA BEACH Stories

By Nate Kelly, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Aug. 2--A proposed dam on the Little Choctawhatchee River in Alabama may increase the water quality in the bay, since Dothan's waste and effl uent streams would no longer be channeled into the river, according to Dr. Jeffrey Wilcox, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish Taxa Coordinator. "The water quality will be improved greatly," said Barbara Gibson, executive director of Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed...

By Sean Boone, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 26--"It looked like a very dangerous situation for anyone concerned," said beachgoer and local resident Glenda Moore. Moore was one of several witnesses to a breach of Draper Lake on July 17 that swept several children into the Gulf of Mexico. "Just the power of the water -- it's something that concerns me because of the safety (and not enough warnings posted)." According to Moore, several children had to be assisted to shore after...

By Deborah Wheeler, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 19--While many businesses are struggling in the current woeful economy, business at Fired Up in Seaside has been nonstop. "It's like this from February through Labor Day," said owner Jim Radford "Last year was the biggest in terms of revenue and this year is better." The key to Radford's right to brag, he believes, is "fun.""We decided we would have a lot of fun with this when we bought it," he said. "That makes it like having a...

By Nate Kelly, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 19--After a heavy rain, does part of your yard become submerged with water? If so, the answer to the problem may not be more engineering but instead a beautiful rain garden. Members of the South Walton Community Council discussed the concept of using rain gardens to solve drainage problems at their meeting on July 15. "Rain gardens can be used in connection with stormwater problems," said Anita Page, executive director of the SWCC....

By Sean Boone, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 19--LIBERTY -- The Victory Baptist Church is not only a place of worship to many in the north DeFuniak Springs community of Liberty, but is documented as the reason the town got its name. According to records from the Walton County Public Library, the church building was built in 1916 as a junior high school and was named Liberty after builders praised the education system in America. On the morning of July 9, the building caught...

By Nate Kelly, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 12--Whether it's a matter of more people on the beach or more rescue personnel patrolling the beach, this year is seeing twice as many water rescues as compared to last year's numbers. "The weather plays a big part of it," said Deputy Chief Sean Hughes of the South Walton Fire District. "The surf and wave action was particularly volatile during the spring; this moved the sandbar confi guration and created a lot of rip currents," said...

By Sean Boone, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 12--Private beach owners will now be responsible for items left on their property at night. The Walton County Board of Commissioners voted on Tuesday to approve an ordinance that would allow Walton County Sheriff's deputies to tag and ultimately remove items left on private beaches that do not have permits. A Remove It Or Lose It program was started last year by the county to cut down on items left on the beach such as chairs,...

By Nate Kelly, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 5--Last weekend's damaging thunderstorms were formed by a rare cold front, said Ken Gould, meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Tallahassee. "The pattern is winter like, with cold air aloft (in the upper atmosphere), allowing for quick and intense thunderstorm development," said Gould. "This time of year, usually the only fronts that come in are from sea breezes, which tend to cause one thunderstorm...

By Sean Boone, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 5--Each election year, self-proclaimed republican and democrat candidates cast their strategies and beliefs in a pond of voters and hope and pray for a bite. Media pundits would have us believe it is voters in one of two camps, the "conservative right" or the "liberal left", who make up the majority of voters and will ultimately decide who the next president will be. But is that an accurate portrayal, or is there a "silent majority"...

By Robbyn Brooks and Sean Boone, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 5--Lightning strikes sent fi refighters on at least three calls in our area. Two strikes sparked fires that caused signifi -- cant damage. "It all blew up at one time," said Destin Fire Control District Chief Tuffy Dixon. About 9 a.m. fi re departments took off for Armadillo Trail in Bluewater Bay. Crews from Niceville Fire Department, North Bay Fire Department, Destin Fire Control District and East Niceville Fire...