Wednesday, October 14, 6 p.m. - Updates Highlighted

Santa Rosa County Offices

• The Santa Rosa County Libraries remain closed this week. An update will be sent on the expected reopening at a later time.
• Santa Rosa County residents can dispose of vegetative debris at no cost at the Central Landfill, 6337 Da Lisa Road in Milton, Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Keep household garbage separate. Regular household garbage collection will continue according to schedules established by residential waste service providers. Household trash, including spoiled food, should be placed in regular garbage containers and never mixed with storm debris. Please remove all spoiled food and clean out refrigerators and freezers before disposal. 
• The Jay Transfer Station is for regular operating hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Cash only will be accepted at this time.
• The Aviation Advisory Board meeting for Wednesday, October 21 has been canceled.
• The Civil Service Board hearing scheduled for Wednesday, October 28 has been continued to a later date.
• The Local Mitigation Strategy Committee Meeting for October 15 will be rescheduled to November.
• The Navarre Beach Boardwalk Workshop, scheduled for Monday, October 19, will be rescheduled. The rescheduled date will be sent out once it's finalized.
• The Board of County Commissioners Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 20 will be a Regular meeting.
• The October 22 Special Rezoning Meeting will be rescheduled to Tuesday, November 10.
• The Building Code Board of Adjustment meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 14 will be rescheduled to November. The rescheduled date will be sent out once it's finalized.
• The Santa Rosa County Courthouse and all Clerk of Court offices will be closed through Friday, October 16, and reopen on Monday, October 19. Any domestic violence injunction hearing will be continued to next Wednesday, October 21, unless notified otherwise.
• The Tax Collector's office will reopen on Thursday, October 15.
• The Property Appraiser's office will reopen on Thursday, October 15.

Increased 911 Call Volume During and After Hurricane Isaias

The impact of Hurricane Isaias on our 911 center was significant. On the day Isaias made landfall, Oct. 9, our dispatchers handled 1,122 calls — more than three times the 332 calls received on the same day last year. The following day, call volume increased to 1,241 calls, compared to 459 the previous year. These numbers reflect the extraordinary demands placed on our emergency response system as residents faced the immediate impacts of the storm and began navigating the aftermath.

Current Damage Assessment Numbers

As of Wednesday, October 14, over 80 structures are considered destroyed. Around 300 have major damage and over 600 have minor damage. Over 2,000 structures were affected. Assessments are ongoing.

Residents are asked to report property damage through the Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser's website. Search for your property by either name or street address at https://srcpa.gov/search and use the "Report Damage" button found under the "Owner Information section on your parcel page. If searching by street address, use abbreviations: Dr for Drive, St for Street, Blvd for Boulevard, etc.

Navarre Beach Utilities

The precautionary boil water notice for Navarre Beach has been rescinded, and the water is safe to drink.

Water Utilities with Boil Water Notice

The following water utility companies have a boil water notice in place for ALL customers:

• City of Milton Water
• Town of Jay
• Bagdad Garcon Point Water

The following water utility companies do not have a boil water notice in place:

• City of Gulf Breeze Water
• Pace Water System
• East Milton Water
• Fair Point Water
• Holley Navarre Water System
• Navarre Beach Water
• Moore Creek Mt Carmel Water
• Point Baker Water
• Midway Water

Navarre Pier

The Navarre Pier sustained damage and will be closed until further notice.

Road Closures

Crews are working as quickly as possible to clear roadways. Current road closures can be found online at https://santarosa.fl.gov/293/Current-Road-Bridge-Closures.

County Parks

All county parks are closed until further notice due to damage. Residents are asked to not visit the park or allow children to play on damaged equipment and structures.

Citizen Information Line

The Santa Rosa County Citizen Information Line, 850-983-INFO (4636), is available for questions. Do NOT call 911 to report downed trees or power lines. These calls tie up lines meant for emergency calls. Citizens should report downed



Debris Monitoring

As part of Santa Rosa County's storm debris recovery operations, Tetra Tech is prioritizing hiring residents from Santa Rosa County and surrounding communities to serve as debris monitors. Approximately 250 local residents have been trained, with more than 100 currently working. 

Additional applications are being processed as operations expand, with staffing expected to reach approximately 600 monitors. Tetra Tech provides training to prepare locally hired debris monitors to support storm debris removal operations. These temporary positions offer opportunities to earn up to $1,700 per week while contributing directly to the recovery of Santa Rosa County and surrounding communities.

Debris monitors play an important role in documenting debris removal activities, helping ensure work is performed in accordance with applicable requirements and supporting Santa Rosa County's recovery efforts. Hiring locally also brings valuable knowledge of the community to the operation.

Debris Pickup

The first pass of debris pickup began on Wednesday, October 14, on publicly maintained roads. There will be multiple passes for debris removal. Santa Rosa County has an estimated 1.5 million cubic yards. The estimated cost of removal is $23 million.

Residents should place storm-generated debris along the public right-of-way, generally the area between the street and the sidewalk, ditch, utility pole, or easement. Proper placement and separation of debris will help collection crews work safely and efficiently. There is no size restriction. Keep piles consolidated by debris types (vegetative and C&D) and take care not to let any piles spill over into the street.

If you hire a contractor to cut or remove fallen trees, the contractor is responsible for hauling away all debris. Debris from contractor-performed work should not be placed on the right-of-way for county debris pickup.

Residents should follow these guidelines when preparing debris for collection:

• Separate debris by type. Place vegetative debris, such as tree limbs, branches, leaves, and shrubbery, in a separate pile from construction and demolition debris, such as damaged building materials like fencing and sheds. These materials will be collected separately.
• Do not bag storm debris. Only loose debris will be collected. Bagged debris should not be placed along the public right-of-way.
• Keep debris away from utilities and obstructions. Do not place debris near drainage ditches, storm drains, mailboxes, water meters, fire hydrants, low-hanging tree limbs, power lines, transformers, or other utilities. Keep roadways clear for emergency vehicles and other traffic.
• Leave remaining debris for subsequent collection passes. Only storm debris placed along the public right-of-way is currently eligible for collection. If debris is not removed during the initial pass, keep remaining materials properly separated and accessible for subsequent collection.
• Keep household garbage separate. Regular household garbage collection will continue according to schedules established by residential waste service providers. Household trash, including spoiled food, should be placed in regular garbage containers and never mixed with storm debris.

Replacement of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who lost food due to Hurricane Isaias can request the replacement of their SNAP benefits.

Households:

• Must be a current SNAP recipient.
• Must complete the request by Monday, October 19, 2026.
• Must reside in Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, or Washington counties to make the request.

Current SNAP households may be eligible to receive replacement benefits up to their previously approved monthly SNAP benefit amount.

To request the replacement of your SNAP benefits, please log into your MyACCESS Portal. On your dashboard, choose the option to submit an Individual Replacement Request in the green banner. Households in Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, and Washington counties are not required to submit documentation verifying the loss of food.

Please continue to monitor this site for SNAP updates: www.myflfamilies.com/isaias



Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE)

BRACE is coordinating with national disaster relief organizations, local community partners, and our Long-Term Recovery Groups to connect Escambia and Santa Rosa County residents with much-needed assistance. Through Crisis Cleanup, residents can be connected with volunteer organizations that may be able to assist with:

• Roof tarping
• Tree removal
• Debris cleanup
• Mucking out flooded homes
• Other storm cleanup needs

CALL CRISIS CLEANUP: 1-800-451-1954

Florida Department of Health

The Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County (DOH-Santa Rosa) will open only the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) office and the Vital Statistics office in Milton, Florida, with limited operating hours on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. 

• WIC Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. to Noon
• Vital Statistics Office Hours: 8 a.m. to Noon

Hours and services for Thursday and Friday will be shared in a separate update.

For more information, please call DOH-Santa Rosa at 850-983-5200.

Illegal Contractors

Below are a few things to know before working with a contractor:

• Use licensed, insured contractors. Verify licenses at MyFloridaLicense.com and report unlicensed activity to 1-866-532-1440. The Disaster Contractors Network (DCNOnline.org) can help you find repair contractors.
• Florida's price gouging law is in effect during the state of emergency. It covers essential goods and services, including food, ice, water, fuel, lodging, lumber, and repairs. Price increases must reflect your own higher costs or broader market trends. Report gouging to 1-866-966-7226.
• Insurance: photograph damage before cleanup, and keep receipts and records of lost business days. Florida Department of Financial Services Insurance Helpline: 1-877-693-5236. Claims guidance: MyFloridaCFO.com/division/ica/isaias. An in-person Insurance Assistance Hub opened Oct. 12 at the Morgan Sports Center, 4200 Indian Bayou Trail, Destin.
• Report property damage to the Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser: search your property at srcpa.gov/search, then use "Report Damage" on the parcel page.

Mosquitos

Heavy rain can leave standing water in yards, kayaks, containers, tires, gutters, and other places around our homes. Even small amounts of water can provide mosquitoes with a place to breed. As mosquito activity increases, taking steps to prevent bites and reduce mosquito breeding becomes especially important.

• SPRAY to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
• COVER your skin and containers that hold water.
• DRAIN standing water whenever it is safe to do so.

These simple actions can help reduce mosquitoes around your home and lower the opportunity for mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue to spread.

Santa Rosa County Mosquito Control has resumed spraying operations.

Funding and Free Help for local businesses

• Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan: one-year, zero-interest loans of up to $100,000 (up to $150,000 for agriculture and aquaculture) to bridge the gap until insurance or longer-term funding comes through. For businesses established before the storm with up to 100 employees, physical damage or economic injury from Isaias, and owners with credit scores of 600 or higher. Owners personally guarantee the loan, and it must be repaid. Short-term rentals are not eligible. Apply by Nov. 25, 2026, or until funds run out.
• Apply: FloridaJobs.org/DisasterRecovery/EBL
• Have ready: owner ID (front and back), most recent business and personal tax returns, proof of employees (W-2s, 1099s, or Form 941), and a voided check.
• Questions: 1-833-832-4494 or EmergencyBridgeLoan@Commerce.fl.gov
• Florida SBDC at UWF: free, confidential consulting on recovery planning and financing options. 850-474-2528 | sbdc@uwf.edu
• State Private Sector Hotline: 850-815-4925, daily 7 a.m.-7 p.m., or ESF18@em.myflorida.com. Email that address for details on the state's daily private-sector briefings.
• Facing layoffs or a temporary closure? CareerSource EscaRosa's Rapid Response team can help you and your employees.
• Not available yet: SBA disaster loans; FEMA individual assistance, including Disaster Unemployment Assistance; and IRS or Florida Department of Revenue deadline relief. The current federal declaration covers government response costs only. We'll let you know if any of these open.

Loan Program for Florida Farmers Impacted by Hurricane Isaias

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced that Florida farmers, ranchers, and growers impacted by Hurricane Isaias can now apply for interest-free loans. Eligible agriculture and aquaculture producers can apply for loans of up to $500,000 to restore, repair, or replace essential physical property, including fences, equipment, greenhouses, and other buildings, or to remove debris or restock aquaculture.

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/mrxubkh7

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