Santa Rosa Schools Plan Wednesday Reopening; Several Campuses Damaged by Isaias

MILTON, Fla. — Santa Rosa County public schools are preparing to reopen Wednesday, although officials say individual campuses could remain closed if they cannot safely accommodate students.

Superintendent Karen Barber said the district was directed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education to work toward a Wednesday reopening.

Several campuses suffered damage during Hurricane Isaias.

Milton High School sustained significant damage to its gymnasium, including a partially removed roof. Hobbs Middle School sustained damage to a multipurpose room, while Gulf Breeze High School was damaged along its main hallway.

Jay High School and Jay Elementary also sustained storm damage, and some schools experienced water intrusion.

The challenge extends beyond school buildings.

Santa Rosa County transports approximately 16,000 students, and some normal bus routes may remain obstructed by debris. County crews are making additional passes along school-bus routes, and the district says alternate routes may be necessary.

Barber has asked parents to supervise children traveling between their homes and bus stops because storm debris and other hazards remain.

DeSantis said Monday that the state expects most Panhandle schools to be operating Wednesday.

Escambia County has not yet announced whether all of its campuses will reopen Wednesday. Superintendent Keith Leonard said Monday the district was evaluating power, building damage and bus-route safety and could consider shared campuses or other temporary arrangements if individual schools cannot reopen with the rest of the district.

ECUA Lifts Boil Water Notice for Most of Escambia County, Perdido Key

The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has lifted its precautionary boil water notice for most of mainland Escambia County and all of Perdido Key, according to a Tuesday announcement from the utility.

However, some addresses remain under the precautionary notice. Customers still affected will be notified by door hanger, ECUA said. Pensacola Beach also remains under the precautionary boil water notice, though the utility expects that restriction to be lifted by Wednesday, October 14.

ECUA did not immediately detail which specific addresses remain under the notice or the reason for the initial precautionary measure. Affected customers are urged to watch for door hanger notifications or contact ECUA for status updates on their service area.

Florida Democratic Party Targets Big Tech Spending in State Legislative Races

The Florida Democratic Party is calling out what it describes as a coordinated effort by tech billionaire Scott Banister to defeat Democratic state legislative candidates through a newly formed political committee. According to a statement released Tuesday, First Amendment LLC — funded entirely by Banister, a PayPal co-founder and major investor in artificial intelligence companies and data center infrastructure — plans to spend more than half a million dollars opposing Democrats in Florida's state races.

Democratic leaders framed the spending as retaliation against their opposition to large-scale AI data centers and surveillance technology expansion in Florida. Party Chair Nikki Fried characterized the effort as part of a larger Republican strategy to allow tech companies to build data centers across the state without adequate public input or oversight. "Florida Republicans are handing our neighborhoods over to Big Tech for massive data centers and turning our streets into a Flock-powered surveillance state," Fried said in the statement.

Democratic lawmakers including Senate leader-designate Tracie Davis and House leader-designate Christine Hunschofsky pledged to maintain their opposition to data center development without stricter environmental and utility rate protections. Senator Brian Nathan specifically called for a moratorium on new data center projects, citing concerns about pollution, rising utility costs, and community impact.

The political spending represents an escalation in a debate that has increasingly divided Florida lawmakers over how aggressively the state should pursue data center and AI infrastructure investment. The Democratic Party's statement suggests the issue will be a significant point of contention in the coming legislative elections.