County declares state of emergency

Santa Rosa County declared a Local State of Emergency at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 9.

Declaring a local state of emergency allows the county to make formal requests to the state and FEMA for assistance. To help track the damage in the county, residents can email Santa Rosa County Emergency Management with information on damage from the storm at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .Please provide your name, contact number, address of the location of damage, brief description of the damage and photos if available. Residents without email service can report damage by calling 850-983-5372 or 9-1-1 if emergency assistance from first responders is required.

Midway Fire District estimates $1.5 million in damage to about 30 homes in the Midway district. The figure does not include damage to home contents or an estimated 40 vehicles with some level of flood damage.

The county asks that residents avoid driving Sunday if at all possible because roads that are currently clear may flood quickly with today's rain forecast. No streets are currently closed. 

Sand is available at Tiger Point Park in Gulf Breeze. Bring your own shovel to fill your bags. Sand bags may be purchased at home improvement stores or picked up at the Midway Fire Station at 1322 College Pkwy.

The county reported that lightning struck a home on the 1900 block of Morella Drive in Navarre, but no fire was reported. Firefighters responded to a commercial structure fire at 2:04 p.m. today at Southern Raceway in Milton. Reportedly, the fire was caused by lightning. Gulf Power estimates that 1,000 customers are without power in the county. 

More information will be provided as it becomes available.