Mississippi man arrested in Fort Walton Beach for impersonating police officer

A Lucedale, Mississippi man was arrested Monday in Fort Walton Beach after allegedly posing as a police officer, according to the Fort Walton Beach Police Department.

Nicholas O'Bryant, 39, was taken into custody on charges related to the impersonation. Fort Walton Beach police did not immediately release additional details about the circumstances of the arrest or what led officers to suspect O'Bryant of impersonating law enforcement.

Impersonating a police officer is a felony in Florida. The investigation remains ongoing.

ECUA Lifts Boil Water Notice for Most of Escambia County

The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has lifted a precautionary boil water notice for most of mainland Escambia County and all of Perdido Key following Hurricane Isaias, officials announced Tuesday.

The advisory remains in effect for Pensacola Beach, which is expected to be lifted by Wednesday pending confirmation that water quality meets applicable requirements.

However, residents at specific addresses across multiple streets must continue following boil water precautions until ECUA announces the notice has been lifted for their locations. The affected areas span St. Regis Drive, Conifer Road, Springhill Drive, Valley Drive, Edendale Lane, and numerous other streets throughout the county. (see below)

"Some mainland addresses remain under the precautionary boil water notice," ECUA stated in the release. "Customers at the addresses listed below must continue following the boil water notice until ECUA announces that it has been lifted for their location."

Affected customers will receive door hanger notifications informing them of their status. ECUA emphasized the importance of continued vigilance in areas still under the advisory.

"Customers whose addresses remain on the list should continue to follow boil water precautions until ECUA issues an official notice lifting the advisory for their location," the authority stated.

The utility authority is working to restore normal water service and ensure system safety following the hurricane's impact. Residents can monitor progress through multiple channels.

"ECUA will provide updates as additional areas are cleared," officials said. The authority is encouraging customers to visit ECUA.fl.gov and follow ECUA's social media channels on Facebook (@ECUA.Official) and Instagram (@ecua_fl) for the latest information.

ECUA expressed gratitude for community cooperation during the recovery period. "ECUA appreciates the community's patience and cooperation as crews continue working to restore normal water service and ensure the safety of the water system following Hurricane Isaias," the release concluded.

Residents uncertain about their status should check the official ECUA website or contact the utility directly for clarification on their specific address.

Mainland addresses still under the precautionary boil water notice: St. Regis Drive  101–114 St. Regis Drive  116, 118, 122 and 124 St. Regis Drive  201–215 St. Regis Drive  217, 219 and 221 St. Regis Drive Conifer Road  1720, 1744, 1750, 1753 and 1759 Conifer Road Springhill Drive  5316 Springhill Drive  5323–5324 Springhill Drive  5331–5332 Springhill Drive  5343–5344 Springhill Drive  5355–5356 Springhill Drive  5367–5368 Springhill Drive  5380 Springhill Drive  5389–5390 Springhill Drive  5400 Springhill Drive Valley Drive  748, 754, 760, 766, 772, 778 and 786 Valley Drive Edendale Lane  9900 Edendale Lane  9912–9913 Edendale Lane  9921–9922 Edendale Lane  9931–9932 Edendale Lane  10004–10005 Edendale Lane  10014–10015 Edendale Lane  10024–10025 Edendale Lane  10106–10107 Edendale Lane  10116–10117 Edendale Lane  10126–10127 Edendale Lane  10204–10205 Edendale Lane  10208–10209 Edendale Lane  10218–10219 Edendale Lane  10221, 10300, 10310, 10315, 10320, 10327 and 10333 Edendale Lane Other affected streets  1099 W. Ten Mile Road  1001, 1003, 1005 and 1007 Webster Drive  401–402 Edison Drive S. Madison Drive  703, 705 and 707 S. Madison Drive  800–806 S. Madison Drive  808 and 810 S. Madison Drive  812–837 S. Madison Drive  839 and 901 S. Madison Drive McCutchen Place  2205, 2210, 2215, 2220, 2225, 2230, 2235, 2240, 2245 and 2250 McCutchen Place Piedmont Road  3700, 3705, 3710, 3715, 3720, 3725, 3730, 3735, 3740, 3745, 3750, 3755, 3765, 3775, 3780, 3785, 3790 and 3795 Piedmont Road Sandpiper Street  9701 and 9617 Sandpiper Street Wyatt Street  2252, 2256, 2264, 2268, 2272, 2276, 2280, 2284, 2289, 2292, 2295–2296, 2299–2300, 2303, 2237, 2340–2341 and 2345 Wyatt Street Oakstream Avenue  2100–2109, 2111–2115, 2117, 2119–2132 and 2134–2135 Oakstream Avenue Oakstream Circle  7306–7308 Oakstream Circle Gunter Road  7300, 7304–7305, 7310, 7314, 7317 and 7320–7321 Gunter Road Cliffbrook Avenue  2149, 2151, 2155, 2159–2169, 2173, 2176 and 2178 Cliffbrook Avenue Pineview Circle  2136 and 2138–2149 Pineview Circle Croydon Road  4040 and 4110 Croydon Road

Santa Rosa Damage Assessment Underway as County Seeks FEMA Individual Assistance

MILTON, Fla. — Santa Rosa County is about halfway through its assessment of Hurricane Isaias damage as officials work to determine whether the county can qualify for FEMA Individual Assistance.

County Administrator Brad Baker said Tuesday that preliminary assessments have identified roughly 30 destroyed homes, more than 100 homes with major damage and 161 with minor damage.

The assessment was approximately 50% complete when Baker spoke with NewsRadio 92.3 Tuesday morning.

The numbers are being provided to the Florida Division of Emergency Management as they're collected.

Baker said both state and county damage thresholds must be met before the governor can seek the federal declaration necessary to make FEMA Individual Assistance available to residents.

“We're knocking our area out so we can give them all the numbers that they need and then hopefully the governor can advocate on our behalf for a disaster declaration,” Baker said.

FEMA Individual Assistance has not been approved for local hurricane victims.

Residents are being encouraged to report damage to their primary residences through their county's damage-reporting system. Those reports help officials document the scope of the disaster.

Commercial damage is assessed through a separate process.

Baker said he's confident the county will qualify for public assistance, which helps governments recover eligible disaster expenses, but Individual Assistance requires separate thresholds.