Santa Rosa County

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a list of vetoes last week as he signed the state’s budget into law. One of the local programs affected by the cuts is the newly established Santa Rosa County Veterans Court. The program has lost a full-time position and is running on a “shoestring” to keep serving veterans.

A week after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the project, the Santa Rosa County Commission has worked out a plan for raising the money to buying for conservation 27 acres of land on Santa Rosa Sound.

Residents have until July 15 to comment on the Cost Feasible portion of the 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan being developed by the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization.

The Santa Rosa County Commission has set rates for new and existing Municipal Service Benefit Units (MSBU) in the areas of fire protection, street lighting, stormwater maintenance, and road paving.

While Municipal Service Taxing Units (MSTUs) for road improvements and public safety were rejected, commissioners unanimously approved an MSBU for stormwater maintenance.

After residents of Avalon Estates successfully lobbied Santa Rosa commissioners to halt construction of an access road on county-owned property at the end of their Ibis Road cul de sac, the long-debated issue of whether such a road could be built appears to be headed to court.

Santa Rosa County has approved the spending of more than $385,000 to pay for design of a new toll system on the Navarre Beach Bridge and a rate study to determine the amount.

Santa Rosa commissioners have compromised on an 11-member task force to revisit certain areas of the county's Land Development Code.

Santa Rosa County commissioners are forming a task force to revise the Land Development Code, with a focus on sediment and erosion control, clear-cutting, and alternative subdivisions.

Santa Rosa County commissioners have approved an ordinance to assess impact fees on new construction to support transportation and infrastructure projects.