Santa Rosa Sheriff On Sex Offender Arrest, Immigration Director Visit, Causeway Enforcement and More
- Jun 15
- 2 min read
Santa Rosa County, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson joined Pensacola's Morning News Monday morning to discuss a wide-ranging number of topics — including a head-shaking arrest at Milton High School's graduation ceremony, a visit from Florida's top immigration official, and details on how deputies enforce the Navarre Causeway speed limit during bird nesting season.
Sex Offender Arrested at Graduation
A 50-year-old registered sex offender was arrested at Milton High School's graduation ceremony after showing up despite being legally prohibited from coming within 1,000 feet of a school. Johnson says a member of the public recognized the man in the packed stadium and alerted a deputy working the off-duty detail. Johnson says the man apparently thought he could go unnoticed in the crowd — and was wrong.
Florida Immigration Director Visit
Florida immigration director Anthony Coker — described by Johnson as the Tom Homan of Florida — visited Santa Rosa County this week to thank the agency for its cooperation record with ICE and to discuss upcoming federal grant opportunities for equipment. Johnson says the county already has a strong track record of assisting federal immigration enforcement and receives additional federal compensation for certain ICE assistance work.
Registration Loophole Closed
A vehicle registration loophole that allowed people in the country illegally to obtain valid Florida tags without a driver's license has been closed. Johnson says his deputies were encountering the problem on traffic stops — people who had entered the country illegally were driving with valid Florida registrations but no insurance. The new law requires a valid driver's license to obtain a Florida tag.
Navarre Causeway Enforcement
The 20 mile per hour speed limit on the Navarre Causeway is in effect for black skimmer nesting season — and Johnson says deputies are writing tickets. The enforcement method takes advantage of the causeway's geography — deputies sit between the two Navarre Beach bridges running radar and then pull drivers over after the second bridge outside the bird nesting zone to issue citations. Johnson says the reduced speed zone is only about a half mile long and is no significant inconvenience — and says the birds are worth protecting.
Frivolous Calls
Johnson closed with some perspective on the lighter side of law enforcement — prompted by a viral video of an argument at a Bayou Minette ice cream shop. He says the kind of petty dispute in that video is far more common than most people realize and that if deputies never had to respond to arguments over nothing they would have a lot of time off. He cited a recent call where a resident summoned law enforcement because his neighbor's pecan tree was dropping pecans in his yard. Johnson says he is never surprised anymore — just when he thinks he has seen everything something new comes along.
