The National Hurricane Center considers a major hurricane as a Category 3 storm or higher. A Category 3 storm has winds between 111 and 129 mph. A Category 4 storm has winds between 130 and 156 mph. Fort Walton Beach remains east of the current projected path

There were 28 more deaths reported, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 3,447. The state Department of Health reported that 14,354 coronavirus patients are presently under hospital care.

Tropical Depression 3 formed Monday afternoon, the first day of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. The depression is expected to become the third named storm of the young season: Cristobal.

The Florida Department of Health has issued its Wednesday, April 1, moring report containing the number of coronavirus cases in Florida and out local Northwest Florida area.Total cases: 6,955, an increase of 214 since Tuesday night;s reportHospitalized: 890Deaths: 87 deaths, two more since Tuesday nightMost residents continue to stay in an isolated state. Children are doing school work at home and many workers are either out of work or working from home.Bay County reported two more cases overnight in Panama City and Gulf County reported their first case in this pandemic in Wewahitchka. Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties did not have nay new cases overnight.On Monday an 87-year-old man living in Okaloosa County has died of coronavirus.A 3-year-old also tested positive according to the FDOH Tuesday evening report.

The Florida Department of Health has issued the Monday, March 30 morning report with the latest coronavirus numbers in the state and in Northwest Florida.Total cases: 5,473, an increase of 1,227 since Sunday morningFlorida residents: 5,276Non-Florida residents: 197

The Florida Department of Health’s Friday, March 27, morning update said that 416 more coronavirus cases have been confirmed overnight bringing the total number in Florida to 2,900 cases. Six more people died overnight in Florida bringing the statewide total to 35.An infant was diagnosed on Thursday in Santa Rosa County and is the youngest case confirmed in the state.

According to the new data, the number of new Northwest Florida cases continues to increase slowly. — Okaloosa climbed overnight from, 14 to 16. — Walton climbed from 10 to 12. — Santa Rosa increased from 6 to 7.— Bay County has 2 more confirmed cases for a total of 3.Restrictions have been placed on activity across the panhandle, but officials have stopped short of issuing a lockdown.

COVID-19 claimed several more lives in Florida on Tuesday, including Tony-winning writer Terrence McNally, as the number of COVID-19 cases kept rising.The Florida Department of Health reported Tuesday evening that 1,467 people have tested positive for the disease in Florida. The number of deaths from COVID-19 reached 20.

Total florida case of cornovirus are at 1,227 as of Tuesday March 24, 2020 according to the florida department of health There have been 17 deaths reported by the agency In local counties - Escambia has 10 cases Santa Rosa - 4 cases Okaloosa County  has 14 cases Walton County - 10 cases  and Bay County has 1 case  

Renee said Tonya loved Rod Stewart and KISS and was trying to make a better life for herself when she was killed. More than anything, Renee said, Tonya loved her then-18-month-old son, Timothy Davidson Jr., who family members affectionately referred to as “Timbo” when he was a child. "My mom, she never got to raise me, never got to be a part of my life," Davidson said after the arrest. "(Wells) got to live his life the last 35 years. He got to have a family. He got to be around his children ... and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone what he did. He wasn't going to ever just say what he did on his own." “Nothing could ever make up for losing my mom, but at least now we know what happened to her."

Tonya Ethridge McKinley was 23 years old and had an 18-month-old son waiting for her at home when she was killed in the early-morning hours of Jan. 1, 1985, in Pensacola.She was last seen alive around 1:30 a.m. at Darryl’s Bar & Grille in Pensacola, and in the early-morning hours of New Year’s Day her body was found in an empty lot at the corner of Peacock Drive and Creighton Road, just one block off Scenic Highway. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted.

As of Wednesday March 18, 2020 total number of Florida residents with the virus is 289, Non florida residents test and isolated in Florida is 25 bring the total Florida number to 314. 7 people in Florida have died from the disease Governor Ron DeSantis March 18 made several announcements to keep Florida’s students, instructional staff and faculty safe. He announced that all remaining assessments for school readiness and voluntary prekindergarten and all testing requirements for K-12 will be cancelled for the 2019-2020 school year.

Private labs have now diagnosed 43 of the state’s coronavirus cases, an indication that testing is ramping up.

The Florida Department of Health has announced 30 new positive cases of coronavirus. Many of the new cases are in Broward County where the Florida National Guard has called up all of it's medical professionals to form Task Force - Medical to help with the virus there.Ages of people infected with the virus range from 19 to 84. The total number of deaths so far is 4.The total number of positive cases as reported by FDOH is 136. No new cases in Northwest Florida have been reported as of Monday, March 16, 2020.

I'm Nick Tomecek in the Newsroom. This is your Sunday March 15, 2020 coronavirus update. Florida Department of Health confirmed 39 new coronavirus cases in the state, increasing the number of cases to 106. Four Florida residents have died from COVID-19. Many of the newest cases involved residents in Broward counties. In Southwest Florida, there are two new reports in Collier County and one in Lee County. The Florida Department of Health said Saturday that the fourth death from Covid-19 was a person who previously tested positive for coronavirus in Lee County. The person was 77. According to the Florida Department of Health, this was not a travel-related case. Also Saturday, Florida announced Saturday that it has asked the federal government for permission to continue serving free and reduced-cost breakfasts and lunches to 2 million low-income children while schools are closed because of the new coronavirus.

The Florida Department of Health has confirmed 25 new individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in Florida. All are being cared for and isolated. One Orange County resident tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling and has died in California. No new cases have been reported in Northwest Florida.

The USS Alabama is an ideal museum to visit.The 80-year-old ship has interactive exhibits, stunning open views of the water and of course is a giant World War II battleship that can be explored.It is located on the Mobile Bay about a two-hour drive west of the Fort Walton Beach area. It can be seen as you drive on Interstate 10 toward Mobile.Visitors are greeted by static aircraft displays at the entrance to the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park.The ship is hard to miss and is securely moored so visitors should not worry about floating away on their tour. A gift shop to purchase souvenirs and tickets is adjacent to the vessel.Some lucky guests can stay overnight, sleeping on the actual bunks used by World War II sailors.The Overnight Adventure is open to Boy Scout troops, Girl Scout troops and church groups.The history of the battleship is as remarkable as its presence on the bay.

On Aug. 22, 2019, employees of the Walmart on Pensacola Boulevard spotted a dog in distress inside of a car in the store’s parking lot. The dog was showing signs of overheating.The employees immediately opened the car's doors, but by that point, the dog stopped breathing and died.Investigators later determined the canine had an internal temperature exceeding 109.9 degrees at the time of death and succumbed to heatstroke.

Locally an Okaloosa woman is said to be improving after having contracted the virus. The number of confirmed cases in Florida is at 26 with the number of deaths remaining at 2. No new cases have been confirmed in the panhandle as of Thursday morning.Local school districts are monitoring the spread of the virus as most are headed into spring break beginning today through next week. Districts are warning students who travel outside of the country during the break to quarantine themselves for 14 days upon their return.

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has tested negative for coronavirus.Gaetz reported the test results Tuesday afternoon, one day after he learned he had been exposed to someone later identified as a carrier of the disease.“I've just been informed that my COVID-19 lab result was negative,” Gaetz reported via Twitter. “In an abundance of caution, I will remain under self-quarantine at the advice of medical professionals through Thursday at 2pm. I continue to feel fine and show no symptoms.”

Oversupply concerns around the world are making a major impact on crude oil, and in turn could mean the lowest gas prices locally since 2016.Just two weeks ago, crude oil was being traded for $53 per barrel - Sunday night that price had dropped to $33 per barrel. The drop in price is a result of concerns regarding outbreaks of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, across the world.Those concerns have led to less demand for jet fuel and gasoline, causing the price of crude oil to plummet.

Listen to the latest numbers statewide and local news related to coronavirus.

The affected individual is "elderly with severe underlying conditions," DeSantis said. "He had been doing international travel. He's not in shape to fully answer all the questions, so there's an investigation ongoing, but that is a presumptive positive. It has not been confirmed by the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)."Still, DeSantis said the Department of Health will be releasing more information on the case, but it is assumed the infection will be confirmed by the CDC.

A Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office captain was demoted to a lieutenant following allegations he sexually harassed a subordinate.The Sheriff’s Office launched an internal affairs investigation into the conduct of then-Capt. Scott Haines in late 2019 after a female employee accused Haines of making sexual advances toward her and showing her a sex toy he kept in his office. Haines admitted to the incident involving the sex toy, but denied claims that he made sexual advances toward the subordinate.

MILTON—A 70-year-old Milton woman was killed in a head-on collision Monday afternoon.Nancy Lou Graham was struck by a 2018 Jeep Cherokee as she was traveling east on Berryhill Road, near Preservation Boulevard. Graham was driving a 2014 Kia Sportage

After his 21-year-old daughter, Jolisa, died in a car accident, Joseph Roadcap struggled with his grief . He lived that way for a while until he usedc his daughter's life insurance money to purchase a property on Grove Street in Garcon Pointe, where wildlife like glass lizards, bald eagles and black bears are common sights. For the last year, Roadcap has been living in a house on the land and renting out the back portion of his property, which he turned into a Christian Airbnb campground with two small pre-built cabins, a bathhouse and a tent site. But now what Roadcap calls his daughter's legacy may be in jeopardy. Zoning code for his property, currently designated as residential, only allows for one secondary structure and his request last week to rezone to an active park designation was denied by Santa Rosa County Commissioners. Only one cabin can be reopened after building inspectors ensure it's up to code and Roadcap must wait a year before reapplying for the rezoning again, which could allow the second cabin, bathhouse and tent site to reopen, said Shawn Ward, planning and zoning director.