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Good morning!
A ‘Community Convoy’ is being organized to support a Fort Walton Beach firefighter and honor his wife who was lost to childbirth complications. Flock cameras are drawing questions from Okaloosa commissioners and citizens, D.R. Horton has secured a parks agreement for a 1,222-home subdivision in north Okaloosa, and the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds will receive new kitchens and restrooms in a $1.9 million project.
- Plus, try today’s WordroW puzzle.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Flock cameras draw questions from Okaloosa commissioners, citizens
Little black poles topped with cameras have been popping up along Okaloosa County roadways, and residents want to know what they are.
- The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners addressed those questions Tuesday during an informational presentation about license plate reader technology being used by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office through a contract with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company.
“I’ve had several inquiries from citizens about what are these little black poles with the camera that are popping up in all the right of ways,” Chairman Trey Goodwin said. “What are these things?”
The answer: 28 cameras currently operate on 26 county-maintained roadways, permitted through the sheriff’s office contract with Flock Safety. The permits were approved at the staff level without coming before the board for discussion.
“They were as much a surprise to me as I think some of the people that were asking questions about it,” Goodwin said.
Deputy County Administrator Jason Autrey explained the sheriff’s office uses the technology as a “manpower multiplier” to track vehicles during investigations. When deputies have a license plate they’re trying to locate, they can query the database to identify where the vehicle has traveled.
- The sheriff’s office has used the system to recover stolen vehicles, locate missing persons, track down kidnapping victims and identify shooting suspects, Autrey said.
Goodwin emphasized that citizens he’s spoken with generally support law enforcement having access to investigative tools. Their primary concern, he said, is the data being housed by an unknown private entity rather than a government server.
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GAMES
WordroW: January 8, 2026
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
Can you guess today’s 5-letter word in six tries?
WordroW is Get The Coast’s daily word puzzle featuring local words, places, and phrases from our community. You have six guesses to find the mystery word – green letters are correct and in the right spot, yellow letters are in the word but wrong position, and gray letters aren’t in the word at all.
BUSINESS
D.R. Horton secures parks agreement for 1,222-home subdivision in north Okaloosa
A development agreement between Okaloosa County and D.R. Horton will allow the national homebuilder to proceed with its Independence subdivision in north Okaloosa County without providing a 5-acre park in each of the project’s 10 phases.
- Commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 6 to approve the 15-year agreement, which establishes how the builder will meet parks and recreation requirements for the 1,222-home project on approximately 612 acres north of Old Spanish Trail, west of Brookwood Lane and east of Clint Mason Road.
Two phases of the development have already received approval. The agreement clears the way for phase three and establishes the framework for the remaining phases.
Under typical county rules, each development phase treated as an individual project would require a minimum 5-acre park, which would total 50 acres across 10 phases. The agreement instead allows D.R. Horton to provide 22.1 acres of parkland distributed across the development while posting surety bonds guaranteeing completion of each phase.
The developer is providing about 16 acres more parkland than would be required under a formal phased development order but about 28 acres less than would be required if each phase were treated as a standalone project.
Growth Management Director Kristen Shell said the agreement does not constitute approval of the overall development, which received land use approval several years ago through an overlay district adopted into the county’s land development code.
- “We are not approving the entire development here today,” Shell told commissioners. “The ask is to approve this development agreement, which gives us a path forward on how they provide that parks and recreation component only.”
GAMES
This week’s mini local crossword
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
A weekly crossword featuring local headlines, history, and hot topics. Test your knowledge of our community, and the stories locals are talking about.
PARKS+REC
New kitchens, restrooms coming to Northwest Florida Fairgrounds in $1.9 million project
Local quilt shows, antique sales and fish fries will soon have access to upgraded facilities at the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds — now officially known as the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Rigdon Center — after Okaloosa County commissioners unanimously approved a construction contract for a new concession and restroom building.
- The project carries a total cost of $1,892,910 – a figure corrected during the Jan. 6 meeting after Tourism Director Jennifer Adams discovered a clerical error in the agenda packet that omitted approximately $21,000 for kitchen hood equipment.
Joy Gordon Construction will handle the work under a $1,505,553 contract, with the county directly purchasing materials including the metal building, concrete, air conditioning units and kitchen equipment to save on taxes and markups.
“This is a great addition to our Phase 1 project,” said Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey. “This will add a huge component to making the facility very functional.”
The 3,244-square-foot structure will house two catering kitchens that can operate independently or together, a concession kitchen for all-day food and drink sales during events, and additional restrooms accessible from both indoor event halls and outdoor areas.
Commissioner Sherri Cox asked directly whether Okaloosa County taxpayers would shoulder any of the cost.
“It’s all 100% bed tax tourism dollars,” Coffey confirmed.
GIVING BACK
‘Community Convoy’ planned to support FWB firefighter, honor wife lost to childbirth complications
A convoy of vehicles will roll through Fort Walton Beach on Saturday, Jan. 17, in support of Fort Walton Beach Firefighter David Leonard and his newborn daughter, Marlow.
- Leonard’s wife, Crysta, passed away last month from complications after giving birth to Marlow.
The event begins at 9 a.m. at The Block (113 Eglin Parkway SE) with live music, breakfast and a donation drop-off point.
At 11 a.m., participants will depart in a convoy north on Eglin Parkway, west on Hollywood Boulevard past Fire Station No. 6, then north on Beal Parkway to Emerald Coast Harley-Davidson (788 Beal Parkway NW).
More live music, free food and vendors will be available at Emerald Coast Harley-Davidson starting around 11:30 a.m.
- No registration is required, and all motor vehicles are welcome.
The event is sponsored by The Block, Emerald Coast Harley-Davidson, Fast Signs of Fort Walton Beach/Destin and Motorcycle Riding Events of America, with coordination from the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department.
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