WEATHER

Winter Weather Advisory today

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Okaloosa County today, as conditions are expected to continue to deteriorate across inland counties through the overnight hours.

• Here is the winter weather forecast from NWS, Okaloosa Public Safety and important safety information regarding pets.

A HARD FREEZE WARNING and WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect for Okaloosa County and the surrounding area Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. Low temperatures will range from 12 to 20 degrees across most of the region (except mid-20s along beaches and barrier islands). Exposed pipes and unprotected outdoor plumbing can burst in these temperatures.

Cold Weather Shelters: With freezing temperatures approaching, the Cold Night Shelters opened on Monday for several nights.

• 1564 N. Beal Extension, Fort Walton Beach – 850-376-5386
• Crestview Area Shelter for the homeless – 120 Duggan Dr, Crestview – 850-398-5670

Pets: Officials also remind residents not to leave pets outdoors in the severe cold, as animals can freeze, become lost or killed. Pets should not be left alone in vehicles either, as cars can turn into refrigerators during winter storms.

BEACH

Okaloosa seeks to reopen ‘Redneck Beach’ in partnership with Eglin AFB after 2020 closure

The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners will consider a proposal to reopen the popular East Pass Beach Area, affectionately known as “redneck beach”, at the foot of the Destin bridge that was closed by Eglin Air Force Base in 2020, during their regular meeting on Tuesday, January 16.

• The board will review a letter of intent to Eglin Air Force Base requesting permission for the county to invest in infrastructure improvements and assume management of the beach area, which has a history of public use spanning over 50 years.

The area in question is a stretch of beach near the west end of the Destin bridge on Okaloosa Island that was swapped from state ownership to Eglin AFB in the 1990s. According to the board’s agenda item, a 1988 Congressional act approving the land swap provided for continued public use as it existed at that time.

“For 30+ years, this use by the public was honored by the AFB, until the recent closure in 2020,” the agenda states.

Eglin AFB closed public access in May 2020, citing issues with trash, public safety, environmental impacts and a lack of infrastructure to support visitors. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic further strained resources.

The county and City of Destin had also recognized growing problems prior to the closure. In February 2020, the county commission voted unanimously to meet with Eglin AFB about assuming management of the area and addressing issues through infrastructure investments. 

• “Although the area was owned and operated by the military, its usage was not really by the military and was almost 100% civilian usage. With no real infrastructure or resources for oversight, it proved difficult for the military to manage,” the board’s agenda explains.

Nearly 4 years later, post COVID and with new leadership at Eglin AFB willing to revisit the closure, the county now intends to follow through on those previous efforts and re-engage with military partners.

If approved, the letter of intent would be the first step toward the county developing a master plan for improvements such as parking, boardwalks, trash cans, and bathrooms. The county proposes hiring lifeguards, park rangers and providing other services to maintain the area for public recreation.

An October 2023 meeting between officials laid groundwork for the proposal. Commissioner Mel Ponder, Destin Council Member Teresa Hebert and county staff met with Eglin AFB to discuss reopening and improving access.

The take-away from the meeting and the other efforts to date is that this is a project that could be a win-win project for Eglin and the community, which in turn leads to the required letter of intent to Eglin to start this process, according to the county. 

The site also has potential to serve as a trailhead for the county’s developing 12-foot wide pedestrian and bike path network.

• “With Beasley Park on one end and a park area at the foot of the Destin bridge on the other end, it will allow families from either side of the trail to drive, park, and safely ride their bikes on the trail, walk at a park, visit the beach, and have lunch,” the agenda says.

If commissioners approve sending the letter of intent, the next steps would involve negotiating a formal agreement giving the county oversight of the beach area. A future agreement would come forward that would have specific costs for infrastructure, ongoing manpower requirements (and similar expenses), complete with identified funding sources.

The board will consider the item during its 1:30 p.m. meeting on Tuesday at the county administration building in Shalimar.

Here are some of the types of proposed improvements we could see:

• Bathrooms 
• Barriers to environmental Area
• Trash Removal/Control/Policing 
• Law enforcement/Park Ranger presence/ substation
• Lifeguards 
• Defined walkways/boardwalks 
• Landscaping
• County Maintenance 
• Cameras in parking area/other
• Improved Parking (paved ADA) 
• Fencing where necessary
• Separation from military rec area 
• Turtle safe lighting
• Educational information
• Turn Lanes
• Mini Shelters
• Safety and Beach Signage
• Organized Parking (+ADA) 
• Entrance Sign

THINGS TO DO

Annual ‘I Love Destin’ 5K race returns to benefit Destin Middle School students

The I Love Destin 5K returns for its second year on Feb. 11 to raise money for students at Destin Middle School.

• The 5K race will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Destin Middle School. After runners take off from the track, the course winds through the Regatta Bay neighborhood before looping back to finish at the school.

The Destin Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association organizes the family-friendly event. Proceeds will go toward new classroom technology for the school.

Participants can sign up online for $30 before Jan. 28 to receive a race T-shirt. On-site registration on race day also will be available. The entry fee covers participation, shirt for early registrants, post-race refreshments and activities.

From 6:30-8:30 a.m., runners can pick up packets at the school, located at 4608 Legendary Marina Drive. DestinFM will provide music, the school will host a silent auction, and awards will be presented to top finishers. Food trucks also will be on site.

Online registration is open at www.ILoveDestin5k.itsyourrace.com. For more details, runners can follow the I Love Destin 5K Facebook page.

MILITARY

Eglin AFB looks to lease 98 acres for mixed-use technology and research park development

Eglin Air Force Base will host an industry day on Feb. 7 to explore potential growth opportunities for a mixed-use technology and research park on base grounds.

• The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Research Engineering and Education Facility at 1350 North Poquito Road, in Shalimar, Florida. 

The Air Force is soliciting private and public interest in the development of a 98-acre parcel of non-excess, underutilized land surrounding the Research Engineering Education Facility at Eglin through the lease of all or a part of the parcel for purposes of financing, permitting, developing, constructing, owning, maintaining, and operating commercial buildings by a private sector developer and/or a public entity.

• Potential developments include hotels, business parks, solar arrays, sports complexes and wastewater facilities.

The industry day forum will allow private sector developers, public entities and the surrounding community to learn more about the opportunities available.

The Air Force must receive fair market value in lease payments or in-kind considerations. A draft Request for Lease Proposals is expected to be posted to SAM.gov by Jan. 18, with submissions due March 29 at 5 p.m.

Interested parties are encouraged to attend the event to exchange ideas, provide comments and ask questions. Registration is open by emailing EglinAFB.EUL@Specprosvcs.com.

ART+CULTURE

Giant 15-foot lionfish mural comes to life on Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center

A larger-than-life lionfish is coming to life on the side of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, thanks to the work of local artist Harley Van Hyning.

• The 15-foot by 15-foot mural, commissioned by the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Department, depicts a lionfish from a side profile perspective. 

For Van Hyning, a Fort Walton Beach native, the opportunity to create public art for his hometown holds deep personal significance.

“I was born at Eglin Air Force Base and have grown up here,” he said. “Especially with where I’m at now with the community and all the great friendships here, it’s a great place to be.”

Van Hyning first explored his passion for art as a child under the tutelage of his mother. He continued art classes through high school and college at the University of West Florida. Over the years, the water, especially our Gulf of Mexico, Choctawhatchee Bay, and Santa Rosa Sound, has been a constant inspiration for his creative pursuits.

• “I grew up on the beach as a kid. I would surf fish and fish in the Sound every weekend when it was warm,” he said. “Now painting fish and doing this as a living, it’s like my life revolves around the water every day, all day.”

In recent years, Van Hyning’s “Gnarly Fish Prints” studio has become renowned locally for gyotaku: a traditional Japanese art form of fish printing. The meticulous process involves making a direct rubbing of the actual fish to transfer its form and colors onto the canvas. 

Van Hyning often coordinates with local fishermen where he paints the fish as they hit the docks, and then covers the fish with the canvas to transfer the paint. His elaborate gyotaku rubbings capture not only the unique contours of various marine species, but also their vivid colors and textures. 

• Lionfish, an invasive predator threatening Florida’s native ecosystems, have been a frequent subject for him, as he has done several lionfish pieces of art.

Van Hyning’s ties with the Tourist Development Department have led to various commissions, including T-shirt designs for the Emerald Coast Open lionfish tournament, as a sponsor. A painting of lionfish that he had painted was also turned into a sticker that the TDD uses in their promotional material.

• When it came time for the Tourist Development Department to see a mural painted on the convention center, he was a natural choice.

Still, tackling a wall mural has pushed Van Hyning outside his normal comfort zone, as he has only ever done one other mural before. Rather than printing a fish, he’s been tasked with freehanding one larger than life across a textured concrete facade.

• “This is the first mural that I’ve done outside,” he said with a laugh. “So this is definitely getting out of my comfort zone — especially the scale of this.”

Van Hyning carefully considered how to best showcase a lionfish on the large wall space when drafting his initial concept sketch. Seeking an intriguing but approachable perspective, he landed on a side profile view that highlights the species’ distinctive stripes and fan-like fins. 

“I chose this perspective initially due to it being on the front of the building off of Highway 98. Obviously it’s to draw eyes to the building,” Van Hyning explained. “Some of the head-on perspectives with lionfish with the fins out just aren’t so appealing and had a scary look. Whereas this perspective is a little softer.”

With the general pose and placement decided and the sketch complete, Van Hyning utilized Photoshop to mock up the mural design to scale. Careful proportions ensure the details will translate properly on the 30-foot wall canvas. He settled into a grid system using the building’s existing grooves and lines. 

• From there, it was onto outlining with painter’s tape and laying down the first sweep of background color.

The lionfish itself has come alive through Van Hyning’s sure hand, fin stripes and details materializing across the wall as he moves down the mural section by section. Staying true to his artistic passion, he’s taking care to render the fish as accurately as possible.

• “It’s a very technical fish,” he said. “There’s so much going on, especially the bottom fins.”

As a point of civic pride, Van Hyning is thrilled to contribute his talent toward the area’s public arts scene.

“I never would have thought of painting a mural like this in my life,” he said. “Being a part of the community and having the relationship and rapport that I have with the TDD to work locally and do something like this … I’m very grateful for the opportunity and the relationships.”

That sentiment is shared by Alex Fogg, Coastal Resource Manager for Okaloosa County. As founder of the Emerald Coast Open lionfish tournament, he’s been at the forefront of liofnish research to understand their impacts and now promoting the species through tourism. This mural represents a new milestone.

• “Five, six, even seven years ago, when we were really starting to ramp up these coastal projects and starting to showcase lionfish as a tourism product, I would have never thought in a million years that we would put a lionfish on the side of the convention center,” Fogg said. “But here we are today and it’s really cool.”

The concept for a mural began when the county wanted to add some art to the side of the Convention Center. Various marine themes were considered, but lionfish stood out as a signature of local ecologies and events. Combined with Van Hyning’s history of depictions, the concept clicked into place.

Now, situated along the heavily trafficked Highway 98 on Okaloosa Island, Fogg expects the mural to be seen by millions of visitors annually. He believes it puts Destin-Fort Walton Beach in a league above other beach destinations.

• “Other destinations showcase sea turtles, dolphins, stingrays or sharks on the side of their buildings but I’m pretty sure that no one else has a lionfish,” he said. “This mural is something that we’re going to be able to highlight and talk about when we’re talking about tourism all around the destination and abroad.”

For this year’s Emerald Coast Open competitors, the mural will provide an epic welcome. Fogg hopes its completion will galvanize even more excitement leading up to the tournament.

“We have the Emerald Coast Open kickoff event here in a few weeks and this mural will be complete as people drive by this on the way to that event,” he said. “Hopefully when this is done we’ll be able to share this with a bunch of people here locally and I hope it turns into something bigger with some more murals around the county.”

For Tourism Director Jennifer Adams, this is not only a great way to work with a local artist, but also a segue into education.

• “We are very excited to not only showcase our talented, local artists, but to highlight one of the many species in our water,” she said. “People have always been intrigued by Lionfish and this mural will help with educating our visitors about this amazing yet invasive creature.”

With sunny skies overhead this weekend, Van Hyning is working to put the finishing touches on the lionfish. Mindful of the painting’s visibility, he wants to ensure his work makes the best impression on all who view it.

• “With it being visible on Highway 98, there’s a little bit of pressure,” he remarked between brush strokes atop the boom lift. “But I’m super honored and it’s an awesome opportunity to be able to paint something like this.”

Now part of the coastal backdrop along Highway 98, Van Hyning’s giant lionfish adds a new dimension of local artistry and ecologic symbolism to Destin-Fort Walton Beach.

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