12th Annual Evening of Comedy A W benefitting A R D ● W I N N I Saturday, July 29 ● 6 p.m - 10 p.m Featuring HENRY CHO N ● G Hilton Garden Inn ● Pensacola Beach Dinner Silent Auction Live Auction ● Entertainment Tickets $75 / Info: 438-9714 50¢ YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER July 27, 2006 School County wins Navarre budget in the tight for State! 2006-2007 Gulf Breeze News Beach taxation battle Florida Press Association BY VICI PAPAJOHN earlier rulings in favor of the owners do owe taxes, and now includes Santa Rosa County “Best Overall Graphic Design” BY B.J. DAVIS Gulf Breeze News county. the issue is dead as the Supreme taxes totaling $8.8 million and Gulf Breeze News [email protected] The county will net $19.2 Court refused to take jurisdic- more than $10.3 due to Santa [email protected] million dollars in past-due taxa- tion Rosa County Schools. Though Navarre Beach prop- tion, according to Santa Rosa “Now property owners will Santa Rosa County Property The Santa Rosa School erties have been appraised and Inside in PAGE County Property Appraiser pay taxes and interest on past- Appraiser Greg Brown began District (SRSD) announced its 1B assessed since 2001, the county Greg Brown, approximately 90 due taxes,” says Brown, “and assessing real property tentative budget for the 2006- now has the all-clear from percent of which has already the issue is settled. The county improvements on Navarre 07 school year at its July 20 Florida courts to enforce taxa- been paid. wins.” Beach in 2001 in his first year in school board meeting, and the tion. After a four-year battle, the Both the Circuit Court and The total $19.2 million office. Property owners filed budget is tight as the district Florida Supreme Court refused the Appellant Court ruled that assessed Navarre Beach prop- suit, and over the past four receives the third-lowest fund- to take jurisdiction and reverse the Navarre Beach property erty owners from 2001 to 2005 See TAX, Page 2A6 ing in the state. ■ Santa Rosa Past years' trends show that increases and decreases in Yacht Club opens statewide averages of per-stu- soon Gallagher: no special session dent funding parallel SRSD ■ Man found dead funding. However, officials BY LISA NEWELL Tom Gallagher said there are two potential say it's difficult to immediately at Ft. Pickens Gulf Breeze News Gallagher, remedies to the problem, which stems from determine if that trend will ■ Bubba’s Beach [email protected] candidate insurance companies being unable to find continue this year as SRSD for Florida reinsurance. predicts an enrollment governor and the state’s current Chief The first solution is to activate a com- increase of only 20 students. Financial Officer, met with members of the mercial Joint Underwriting Association. Last year, SRSD experienced Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce’s board “The reason we don’t have a market is the an influx of nearly 400 stu- of directors and Santa Rosa County companies can’t afford the risk,” Gallagher dents, quite possibly from hur- WEEKEND Commissioner John Broxson Friday night said. “Now it’s being put back on through ricane evacuees. Weather during a campaign stop in Gulf Breeze. the JUA. That’s the negative with doing "Currently the state is show- THURSDAY 7/27 Over dinner, he discussed the growing that.” ing an increase while we're insurance problem affecting many business- A second solution Gallagher proposed is projecting a decrease [in FTE]. Scat.T-Storms es in our area. that companies that write windstorm poli- O It's really tough projecting. We high 88 Matt Salvator, local insurance agent, told cies can pass the risk along to the policy- will probably just have to wait low 77O Gallagher that if another storm hits the state holders, but “that places a tremendous lia- and see how many children this year, the shortage of affordable insur- bility on policyholders,” Gallagher said. show up for school," said FRIDAY 7/28 ance “is going to get worse.” However some local businesses don’t Assistant Superintendent of Scat.T-Storms However, Gallagher said it’s unlikely that want to wait months or years for a solution. Finance Doug Dillon. O Gov. Bush will call a special session to “We’re drowning out here, and they want Lisa Newell/Gulf Breeze News According to the tentative high 89 address the issue. to throw peanuts,” Tina Pagan of Lou’s budget, district projections O State of Florida CFO Tom Gallagher met low 76 “You’ve got to have a solution that you Marine said. “How about a life preserver?” with members of the Gulf Breeze Area show a decrease in FTE per- have some kind of consensus,” before call- Pagan was one of the attendees at a Chamber of Commerce last Friday to centage growth from 2.52% in ing a special session, Gallagher said. As of discuss solutions for solving area insur- 2005-06 to 0.79% for 2006-07, SATURDAY 7/29 now, there is no simple solution in sight. See INSURANCE , Page 2A6 ance problems. Scat.T-Storms See SCHOOL , Page 2A6 high 90O low 77O GB’s 98-year-old Nelsen has‘good genes’ BP station SUNDAY 7/30 BY FRANKLIN HAYES years. temporarily Scat.T-Storms Gulf Breeze News Nelsen is originally from O [email protected] Temesvár, Hungary and immi- high 88 closed O grated with her family to low 77 The phrase: “you must have Chicago in 1911 when she was A Stop Work Order was very good genes” would have 3 years old. While living in the placed on the Gulf Breeze BP evoked looks of confusion in windy city, she bore witness to station on the corner of 1908. Ninety-eight years later, copious advances in technolo- Shoreline Drive and Hwy. 98 people have a better scientific gy, services and science. INSIDE after an employee attempted to comprehension of the world One of Nelsen’s fondest make a Worker's around them and understand memories is of the neighbor- Compensation claim and Classifieds 4-6 D the statement is not referring to hood lamplighter, a utility found the owner of the store one’s newest pair of designer worker responsible for lighting Community 3, 5A had not made payments for the blue jeans. and extinguishing the city’s gas service. Crossword/Movies 5B Emily Nelsen has great powered street lamps in the "It's the owner's responsibil- Editorial 6A genes. early twentieth century. ity to make the payments," Nelsen celebrated her 98th “I remember my aunt didn’t Entertainment 4,5B said BP stations district man- birthday July 15 and is regard- want them to take out the gas ager Patsy Kirkland. Island News 1,2B ed as the eldest resident at Bay lines in her home; she wasn’t According to Kirkland, the School News 5-7 C Breeze Nursing and Retirement sure how long electricity would Gulf Breeze BP was one of Center’s Assisted Living facili- last,” Nelsen said jokingly. “I Sports 1-3, 5C five locations, including four ty. Longevity is nothing new to missed the lamplighters, but the in Pensacola, closed as a result Talk of the Town 5A Nelsen as her father lived to be electric lights worked much of default in Worker's Comp TV LISTINGS 3B 102. better.” payments. Currently, the loca- “We also had an aunt who After marrying in 1934, tions are undergoing a com- lived to be 104,” explained Nelsen moved with her family “Mailing Statement is plete change in management. Nelsen’s daughter Christine. to Omaha, Neb. during the on Editorial Page” Steve Mott with Mott Oil The retired comptometer great depression and also Company out of operator attributes her extended remembers a different era of FOUR SECTIONS Bessemer, AL will be taking senescence to constant physical transportation. over the stores. VOL. 5, NO. 27 activity, saying that she “We had a lot of fun riding Franklin Hayes/Gulf Breeze News Emily Nelson, who turned 98 July 15, had an aunt who lived to be 104 and "We're trying to get [the JULY 27, 2006 enjoyed swimming, boating, the streetcars. We would her father lived to be 102. stores] open as soon as possi- and dancing in her younger See NELSEN 6 , Page 2A6 ble," said Mott. GULF BREEZE NEWS (850) 932-8986 www.gulfbreezenews.com 2A July 27, 2006 GULF BREEZE NEWS Hwy. 98 intersections to get turn lanes TAX: $19.2 million BY FRANKLIN HAYES locations so this is an alterna- Gulf Breeze News tive I suppose,” said earned for county [email protected] Commissioner Broxson. The commissioner also added that Continued from page 1A people of the county as far as I Several intersections along he would continue to pursue a am concerned” Brown says. U.S. 98 should be getting a traffic light at Soundside Drive. years, First District Courts have “Proportionately, property own- facelift by the end of 2007. The area surrounding the heard the arguments from both ers on the mainland pay a great Recently, the Santa Rosa Board intersection includes three sides, ending last week with the deal more tax than the beach of County Commissioners churches, Concord Supreme Court refusal. leaseholders. The leaseholders (BOCC) approved a grant pro- Presbyterian, Gulf Breeze Charles Pack, chairman of have a 99-year lease with auto- gram that will give county gov- United Methodist Community the Navarre Beach Against matic renewal and then they are ernment state funding to con- Life Center and Good Shepherd Illegal Taxation Committee entitled to additional 99-year struct additional turn lanes on Lutheran, and resident Betty (NBAITC), said "There was no renewals in perpetuity.