Nelson, SRC at impasse over pass

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and the Santa Rosa County (Fla.) Commission appear to have reached an impasse over a proposal to reopen Navarre Pass by building a connector from Santa Rosa Sound to the Gulf of Mexico. Commissioners say they won’t vote to reopen the pass – closed by Hurricane Betsy two months after a pass was first opened in 1965 - without support of Eglin Air Force Base, which claims it would threaten its military mission. Nelson has taken a stand against the pass, and is using it to block passage of a federal bill that would allow private ownership Navarre Beach land. Homeowners pay lease fees. (Source: NW Florida Daily News 12/19/17)