City Hosting Public Meeting on Former Baptist Hospital Demolition

Pensacola, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- The City of Pensacola wants residents to come out with questions about the demolition of the former Baptist Hospital. A public information session is set for March 5th at the Fricker Center. City staff and engineers will be on hand to discuss the demolition process, project timeline, and environmental precautions. For more information, visit formerbaptistdemolition.com.

Santa Rosa Commissioners Vote Down Boardroom Renovations 3-2 Over Budget Concerns

Santa Rosa County, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Santa Rosa County Commissioners voted down proposed boardroom renovations Thursday on a 3-2 vote despite eight years of planning and delays.

The $147,000 project would have installed drop ceilings, improved acoustics and upgraded lighting in the 31-year-old facility. Commissioners Bobby Burkett, Ray Edgington and Rhett Rowell voted against it. Commissioners Kerry Smith and Colten Wright voted in favor.

"We've gone through this like this for several years like it is now, so we can continue going with it for another year or so," Burkett said. "There's just too many unknowns, too many variables right now for me to be comfortable going forward with this."

Smith gave a passionate defense of the project, noting discussions began in 2018 under four different county administrators. He suggested if the board won't spend on the boardroom, they should cut the entire $3.3 million dollar facilities maintenance budget.

County Administrator Brad Baker told commissioners not to worry about staff feelings. "We bring it because it's in the budget, and it's now for y'all to approve," Baker said.

Santa Rosa Chairman Asks Prayers for First Responders After Six-Year-Old's Death

Santa Rosa County, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Colten Wright opened Thursday's meeting with a somber request for prayers for deputies and first responders dealing with the death of 6-year-old Valerie Oliva.

"A brutal murder of a six-year-old girl," Wright said. "And I talked to a deputy about it yesterday, and just keep our deputies and everyone in public safety and first responders in your prayers. What they saw and what they had to deal with was pretty atrocious."

Forty-year-old April Oliva is charged with murdering her daughter Tuesday night at their Nowling Drive home in Milton. According to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, Oliva allegedly stabbed Valerie over 20 times before stabbing herself in the neck and stomach.

Oliva's father discovered both on the kitchen floor covered in blood after Oliva's sister called him around 11 PM Tuesday. Authorities pronounced Valerie dead at the scene.

Oliva remains hospitalized from self-inflicted wounds and made her first court appearance Thursday afternoon via video from her hospital bed. Judge Matt Gordon appointed her a public defender and scheduled a pre-trial detention hearing for Monday at 2:30 PM.

Wright made his comments after the invocation by Associate Pastor Paula Roane of Navarre United Methodist Church.