Santa Rosa County, Florida

SANTA ROSA COUNTY , FLOR IDA Santa Rosa County has three incorporated municipalities. In the north is Jay, a small town of about 600 people. In the center is the city of Milton, also the county seat, with a population of 10,000. In the south is Gulf Breeze, a city of approximately 6,000 people. There are also two other census-designated places (CDP), Navarre and Pace, both with a population around 30,000. Santa Rosa’s administration offices are in Milton, but library service centers are set up throughout the county. This allows local government to be located “a little bit of everywhere” to better serve the community. Santa Rosa’s government is responsible for everything from planning and zoning to animal control and shelter. It also works with local nonprofit groups coordinating recreation programming at all 67 parks. A large aspect of local administration is always public safety, which encompasses many areas. Schebler clarifies, “It is more than just law enforcement, it includes emergency management, fire and EMS. Over the last year we’ve obviously experienced the pandemic, but we’ve also had wildfires, hurricanes, tropical storms, and tornadoes. The county has 15 independent fire districts, which includes our municipalities as well as contracted private ambulance services. Along with these essential services, Santa Rosa requires a sustainable housing market. Its current inventory is “relatively low” since houses sell quickly. Over the past year, the county has approved construction permits for over 2,000 new single family residential homes to help increase its housing supply. New subdivision developments are also under review. Schebler shares, “One new area in Pea Ridge will provide over 1,100 homes including townhouses. We don’t have a large inventory of urban type housing, so it’s exciting to have this project.” One remaining challenge is North America’s