A W A R D ● W I N N I 11BB N G 50¢ YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER October 19, 2006 City founder Eloise Benson Court, dies at 92 BY VICI PAPAJOHN Parade, Pep Rally... Gulf Breeze News Pages C1, C4, C8, D1, D4 [email protected] Inside in Gulf Breeze lost its “found- ing mother” last week, and for many it was a very personal loss indeed. “Eloise and Mark never had PAGE any children of their own,” Dr. 1B Herb Sadler remembered dur- ■ Talented ing Benson’s funeral service, youths compete “But they loved many children Benson in Emerald along the way as if they were Coast Idol their own.” And the Gulf Breeze United Methodist ■ Turtle friendly Church, founded by Benson and six others over lights are costly 50 years ago, was full of church and community Paul Stefon/Gulf Breeze News members that reflected the extended family that Gulf Breeze Police cruisers sit outside the Texaco station in Gulf Breeze proper as officers respond to a report ■ Bubba’s Beach she had loved and encouraged over the years. of a burglary Saturday night. “Eloise loved children,” Sadler remembered, “and Eloise loved my son, Bert. When he got his very first job selling burglar bars in Gulf Breeze, he found his first customers in Eloise and Mark. WEEKEND They did not need those bars, but they loved Bert Weather enough to buy what they did not need. He is a Thursday 10/19 Robber strikes very successful salesman today, due in part to that first success.” Scat. T-Storms Stories filled the flower-scented air of the O high 83 church sanctuary during the viewing and funeral, low 63O stories about Benson’s amazing life and her lega- cy. Benson and her young husband Mark X. trav- FRIDAY 10/20 GB gas station SEE BENSON, Page 2A6 Partly Cloudy STAFF REPORTS items from the store. As the clerk began Gulf Breeze Police were unable to O high 76 Gulf Breeze News checking the items into the register, the locate the suspect, described as a clean- low 57O [email protected] suspect told the clerk, “This is a rob- shaven, white male approximately six bery” and had a hand underneath his feet tall with short light brown hair and City gives away On Saturday, Oct. 14, Gulf Breeze shirt, giving the appearance of a small weighing around 170 pounds. The sus- SATURDAY 10/14 Police responded to a reported robbery handgun. The suspect demanded pect was last seen wearing blue jeans free trees Sat. money, was given an undisclosed and a white shirt with maroon sleeves. Partly Cloudy called in by employees of the Texaco amount of cash and fled on foot in the Anyone with additional information is BY BRADLEY “B.J.” DAVIS, JR. O station located at 220 Gulf Breeze high 77 Parkway. Lt. Rick Hawthorne said at direction of Duncan Avenue. Witnesses encouraged to contact the Gulf Breeze Gulf Breeze News low 64O approximately 7:40 p.m. a white male claim to have seen an unfamiliar red police Department by phone at (850) [email protected] approached the counter with several 90's model Chevrolet sedan on Duncan 934-5121 or Crime Stoppers at (850) Avenue around the time of the robbery. 437-STOP (7867). Residents of Gulf Breeze will have an oppor- SUNDAY 10/15 tunity to spruce up their yards with a free tree Scat T-Storms giveaway this Saturday at the Shoreline recre- O County may ban sex offenders from parks high 75 ation center. Beginning at 7 a.m., residents with- effort. On Oct. 13, a registered sexual low 55O BY FRANKLIN HAYES in the city limits and with property identification Gulf Breeze News “There just does offender was arrested after allegedly are encouraged to come to the center for their [email protected] not seem to be a per- asking a child at Navarre Park to go choice of two trees. The varieties include Crepe fect solution for home with him. Thomas Vandegrifft Myrtle, Live Oak, Eastern Redbud, Bald Cypress Santa Rosa County may impose an how to handle [sex- was charged with luring and enticing and Red Maple. The trees were made available INSIDE ordinance banning sexual offenders ual offenders],” a child, a third degree felony. through a hurricane recovery grant penned by from county parks. At a county com- Goodin said. “I wish According to a press release from the city employee Jessica James. She said with the Classifieds 5 D mission meeting Thursday, Oct. 12, there was. This is Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. extensive advertisement of the giveaway through Community 4,5,7,8A Commissioner Gordon Goodin of just one measure we Vandegrifft 29, some women and their young chil- articles, direct mailing and reverse 9-1-1, the Crossword/Movies 6B Navarre asked staff to develop an can take to get the dren were playing at the park when trees should move quickly. ordinance after his motion passed dialogue going and get the awareness one of the women observed “The giveaway is scheduled from 7 a.m. until Editorial 6A without objection. Goodin said such up in the community. We want to Vandegrifft speaking to her 4-year-old 1 p.m., but I don’t see it lasting more than a cou- Entertainment 5-7 B an ordinance would be complex to make it so undesirable to these folks son. The woman then yelled to her ple of hours,” said James. The grant totaling Island News 1,2B develop but would be well worth the that they stay away from [parks].” SEE COUNTY, Page 2A6 $45,830 will provide the city a total of 2,344 School News 1-5 D trees, a third of which will be given away Saturday. Sports 1-8 C Midway FD After those 586 trees are given away, residents Talk of the Town 5A Improvements make Rec will have another opportunity for a giveaway in B TV Listings 7 to clarify SEE TREES, Page 2A6 Women in Business 8 D impact fees center parking lot safer BY BRADLEY “B.J.” DAVIS, JR. Gulf Breeze BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News “Mailing Statement is Special to Gulf Breeze News [email protected] on Editorial Page” [email protected] Emerging Leaders Some of the assets Gulf FOUR SECTIONS Impact fees charged for new Breeze residents most cherish plan spring Market VOL. 5, NO. 38 construction of both commer- are its parks and recreation facil- BY BRADLEY “B.J.” DAVIS, JR. OCTOBER 19, 2006 cial and residential units in Gulf ities, which are currently under- going some much-needed repair. Gulf Breeze News Breeze are definitely making an [email protected] impact on the Midway Fire After Hurricanes Ivan and Dept. budget. The department Dennis, much of the city parks Gulf Breeze Emerging Leaders (GBEL) are has collected $117,474 in the sustained direct storm damage beginning to take the helm of community pro- last 12 months, which is just as well as damage incurred by jects, namely the first ever Gulf Breeze City over $25,000 than they had equipment used to bring the city Market scheduled for next spring. The auxiliary home! expected, as reflected in their back to its pre-hurricane state. A group of the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of annual budget report. final repair is the resurfacing of Commerce consists of about a dozen core mem- the parking lot of Shoreline Park Reports from the monthly bers who meet each month to discuss next year’s North. Franklin Hayes/Gulf Breeze News your meeting last week show the event as well as current community involvement. “The resurfacing of the park- Construction on the recreation center park- square footage of commercial “We formed Gulf Breeze Emerging Leaders to ing lot in front of the recreation ing lot is schedule to be completed by this help connect the young professionals of the area development has added up to center is supported by FEMA week. 123,520 sq ft since last October, with the chamber, community leaders and each due to the damage and wear another two weeks,” said Pulley. compared with 35,826 sq ft dur- other,” said Robert Koonce of State Farm. caused by the trucks hauling the debris Another feature with the resurfacing “Oftentimes, the young professionals are not ing the previous 12 months. The in and out of the park,” said Director of project is an added entrance/exit for well represented in the chamber and GBEL impact fee is 33-cents a square Parks and Recreation Ron Pulley. Pulley vehicles located just south of the recre- enables them to have a place to participate and, foot for commercial develop- said the cost of the resurfacing was just ation center building. This new opening more importantly, a platform to contribute.” Call 932-8986 today Call 932-8986 today ment. over $229,000 and is expected to be to the parking lot from Shoreline Drive As it stands now, the group is planning the The impact fees are for new completed in a couple of weeks. will provide a more streamlined flow of event for one of the last two weekends in April. homes or commercial buildings “The contractor tells me that it’s pos- traffic and, according to Pulley, a safer As soon as a date is established, members of the Enjoy your community paper community your Enjoy impacting the fire department sible that they could be finished by [this] mailed directly to mailed directly flow as well. SEE MIDWAY FIRE SEE MARKET , Page 2A6 weekend.