June 12, 2014 YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 75¢ Shooting suspect apprehended BY MAT PELLEGRINO According to the arrest report, the fe- the suspect to leave motion and ran out to his vehicle parked the scene. Hale shot at the man twice Gulf Breeze News male victim was at home with another the premises. Both in the front of the house to retrieve a cell outside of the front door, but missed the [email protected] individual when Navarre resident Nor- the suspect and phone to call police. The accident report man both time. man “Norm” Hale, 41, arrived at the vic- the victim agreed stated that the female victim believed According to the report, one of the A local man is behind bars for First tim’s home and began to violently knock to talk in another Hale was deceased from his gunshot bullets hit a vehicle in the driveway and Degree Attempted Murder after he alleg- on the door. room at which time wounds at the time. the other round struck a living room win- edly shot at two people several times at a According to the arrest report, Hale Hale ired a weap- Before the man could ind a cell dow of a home located across the street. home in Navarre. had called the female in the home earlier on at the victim, ac- phone to call for help, Hale woke up and Deputies with the Santa Rosa County Hale Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s deputies on the phone and stated he was going to cording to a press the female in the home began screaming. Sheriff’s Ofice arrived at the distur- got a call about a weapons complaint come to the house, but the female told release from the The man ran back inside, at which time bance shortly after. Deputies were origi- around 1:30 a.m. last Friday near Ortega Hale not to come to the house. sheriff’s ofice. After he shot, Halehe witnessedired Hale ire two shots at the nally dispatched to what was deemed a Drive, and responded to ind the suspect When the victim heard Hale at the a self-inlicted gunshot to his head.female. Hale then went after the man in burglary in progress with shots ired on and one of the victims covered in blood. door, she answered the door and asked The man in the home heard the com- the home with his gun, and the man led See Bond Page 7A » Resident: County Ranchettes flood prone declined offer in One of subdivision’s first residents said 2005 to alleviate cries to county for help have gone ignored flooding BY MAT PELLEGRINO BY MAT PELLEGRINO Gulf Breeze News Gulf Breeze News [email protected] [email protected] Back in 2005, a Whisper Bay subdivision neighbor Several residents in The Ranch- gave the county an offer they couldn’t refuse — but in ettes say that they’ve asked for help the end, it was declined. and have received nothing in turn That offer? The chance to alleviate looding in both from the county. Whisper Bay and The Ranchettes subdivisions at a cost One of the subdivision’s irst of only $50,000. residents, Shirley McInturff-Shir- The $50,000 ley said she has seen the worst of would have See the worst in the neighborhood ever bought the county Resident Page 2A » since it was built. The Rosa Del Villa Drive resident said that over the years, the more developed the subdivision became, the worst the Cyclist critically looding became. Now, the resident plans to collect signatures for a petition to get the injured on 98 county to step forward and address one of the biggest ongoing issues in BY NICK GUNTER the south end. Gulf Breeze News “I was calling the county weeks [email protected] before this lood happened trying to A bicyclist is in critical condition at Baptist Hospital get them to come out and ix this. after being struck by a vehicle Saturday on Highway 98 I kept calling the county because westbound near Kitty Hawk Drive. I knew water was going to come Around 5:30 p.m. on June 7, John Cristalli, 67, of Gulf through the door,” the resident said. Breeze was biking westbound on Hwy 98 when a car “I got 16 to 18 inches of rain in my Submitted Photo driven by Christo- Shirley McInturff-Shirley stands in front of her home after a flood back in 1975. McInturff-Shirley See pher Wilson, 36, Resident Page 3A » was one of the first Breezers to reside in The Ranchettes. See No of Gulf Breeze, Page 3A » County, GBN hosting emergency City replacing meters Yesterday, the City of Gulf customers will be notiied of flood meeting June 19 at TPCC Breeze began replacing and water shutoffs in advance. upgrading water meters in the Anyone having special Gulf Breeze Commissioner Lane Lynchard, and County Engineer Roger Blaylock will be HMGP projects, totaling almost $4.5 million, city. Work will be done by needs for water should notify in conjunction with the Gulf Breeze News, is on hand to hear residents’ concerns and to dis- have been completed in the south end of the workers wearing blue shirts the Water Department at (850) hosting a public meeting Thursday, June 19 at cuss their plans to alleviate recurring incidents. county since 2011. There is also an ongoing marked with the logo “PVI 934-5110. If you have a gas the Tiger Point Community Center to discuss Lynchard said construction is currently un- HMGP project to alleviate looding in Settlers Meter Team”. Trucks marked meter at your location, it will the recent loods in the unincorporated Gulf derway to alleviate looding in Ramblewood Colony, currently in Phase 1. with the same logo will be used be upgraded at the same time, Breeze area, the status of repairs and the steps through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grants “The county has over 40 repair projects to during meter swap outs. with no interruption in service. that are being taken to mitigate the risk of fu- Program (HMGP), at a cost of approximatelypublic roads and drainage systems from the Meter replacement is antici- Please pardon any inconve- ture loods. $872,000. Under the HMGP process, FEMA April loods,” Lynchard said, including repairs pated to take approximately 30 nience during this upgrade to Lynchard, County Administrator Hunter funds 75 percent of the cost and the county is to the two washouts in Villa Venyce and on minutes. Commercial meter your service. Walker, Public Works Director Avis Whitieldresponsible for a 25 percent match. Six other Highway 399. Classiieds . 7C Mailing Statement Crossword Puzzle...3B FRI 06/13 SAT 06/14 SUN 06/15 on Opinion Page END T-STORMS T-STORMS T-STORMS Lifestyles ..........1B WEEK .....2B THREE SECTIONS, Movie Listings 20 PAGES hi 85/lo 75 hi 84/lo 76 hi 84/lo 75 Schools............8A Weather-plus VOL. 13, NO. 24 rain: 40% rain: 40% rain: 30% ..........1-7C Sports JUNE12, 2014 GULF BREEZE NEWS (850) 932-8986 www.gulfbreezenews.com 2A June 12, 2014 GULF BREEZE NEWS Resident was willing to make sale » Continued from Page 1A roughly 30 acres of wetlands, Here was their opportunity to spend less which in turn they could have Calendar of Meetings utilized as a holding area for than what it costs to buy a house to solve this water — water that swallowed problem, and didn’t do it. They were worried that both The Ranchettes and Whis- THURSDAY, JUNE 12 per Bay following the April 29 (Ruhvusch) was going to make too much money, GBA Chamber Monthly Breakfast, 7 a.m. storm. not that they couldn’t afford it. - 8:30 a.m., Andrews Research & Education Whisper Bay resident Mike Institute Robertson said he witnessed – Mike Robertson Commissioner Regular, 9 a.m. - SRC irst hand when the county de- Whisper Bay subdivision resident on county’s Administrative Center, Board Room clined to purchase the land. missed opportunity in 2005 Zoning Board, 6 p.m., SRC Administrative The resident stated a county Center, Board Room representative told the man they were going to purchase the land from was going to “make too Gulf Breeze county commis- That’s when the three county “They told me (in 2005) that MONDAY, JUNE 16 much money”, which is why sioner at the time to help allevi- oficials brainstormed buying if they could obtain those wet- GBA Chamber Executive Board Meeting, they didn’t want to purchase the ate the looding in the neighbor- the property from Ruhvusch. lands, it would do a good job 4 p.m. - 5 p.m., GBA Chamber property. hood. In turn, Broxson asked “The county turned it down not of running the water out of the City Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Gulf According to Robertson, his the county to dig a ditch by the because they thought it was going neighborhood,” Robertson said. Breeze City Hall, Council Chambers neighbor Blaine Ruhvusch had neighborhood to force any water to cost too much money, but that The resident said the fact that the acreage, which was all wet- away from the neighborhood. they thought he (Ruhvusch) was the county is only making tem- TUESDAY, JUNE 17 land north of Rose Lawn Ceme- But Robertson said the problem going to make too much money,” porary ixes, and that lood wa- FAC Flood Insurance Workshop, 9 a.m., tery. Robertson said Ruhvusch only brought more water onto Robertson said. “Broxson said it ters and tempers from residents SRC Administrative Center, Board Room purchased the wetlands prop- his property and street in the as clear as day when I was stand- will not recede.