During its first budget hearing on July 24, the Okaloosa County School Board unanimously approved a tentative total millage rate of 5.48 for the School District’s 2023-24 budget year.
Although the tentative rate is 1.8% lower than the existing rate, district officials expect to receive more property tax revenue in the new budget year because of higher property values.

A narcotics search warrant executed on July 13 at a home in Crestview resulted in one arrest and the seizure of methamphetamine, fentanyl, crack cocaine and cash, according to Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office officials.
The S.O.’s Multi-Agency Drug Task Force and Special Response Team went to a residence at 821 S. Brett St. and ordered out the occupants, officials said in a July 24 news release. The home is just east of the South Main Street/State Road 85 intersection.

At its special meeting on July 24, the Crestview City Council unanimously agreed to set a proposed millage rate of 6.85 for fiscal year 2023-24, which starts on Oct. 1.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police in Chattanooga, Tennessee, say a car accident involving Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis happened when traffic slowed down and caused four cars in his motorcade to hit each other. DeSantis’ 2024 Republican presidential campaign confirms he was involved in the accident on Tuesday while traveling to Tennessee campaign events and says he […]

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Cybercrimes investigators have charged a Crestview man with 30 counts of possession of child pornography, as well as three counts of possession of bestiality, all felonies.
Zeplinn Burrow, 27, of the 600 block of Industrial Drive, was arrested on July 21 following an investigation that began in February 2022 when the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children received a tip in reference to an individual uploading a suspected sexual child abuse video.

At a special meeting on July 24, the Okaloosa County Commission unanimously approved setting a tentative countywide millage rate of 3.83 mills for fiscal year 2023-24.
Going forward, the commission cannot increase the tentative rate but can lower it before the board’s two public budget hearings in September.

As more housing units are built in and near fast-growing Crestview, the construction of more stores and other businesses follows.

“Supply and demand is the direct connection between residential (project) approvals and commercial approvals,” Crestview City Manager Tim Bolduc said at the City Council’s budget retreat workshop at the Robert L.F. Sikes Public Library on July 6. “It is not a chicken and the egg question. It’s: Without the chicken, you ain’t getting the egg. So, without the residential, you’re not getting the commercial.”

The Okaloosa County Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Medical Services Division was recently recognized by the America Heart Association on achieving Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold status for 2023.

This is the ninth consecutive Mission Lifeline Gold award and 10th year with Mission Lifeline recognition. Okaloosa EMS achieved Silver status in 2014.

A new data management system in the works for all public safety and judicial service agencies in Okaloosa County is a much-needed project, county Clerk of Court and Comptroller JD Peacock said at the County Commission’s July 18 meeting.

Almost $13 million worth of upgrades are in the works for a portion of County Road 2 in north Okaloosa County.

On July 18, the County Commission approved a contract with Marianna-based Anderson Columbia Co. Inc. to improve the 9.4-mile stretch of CR 2 between State Road 85 near Laurel Hill and SR 189 in Blackman and upgrade the Big Horse Creek and Yellow River (Mack Tyner) bridges.