SCHOOL

Niceville’s Charlie Marello named 2024 ‘Principal of the Year’

Niceville High School Principal Charlie Marello was recognized as the Okaloosa County School District’s 2024 Secondary Principal of the Year at the school board’s regular meeting Monday.

• Superintendent Marcus Chambers praised Marello’s leadership and dedication to the students and staff at Niceville High.

“He embodies energy and enthusiasm. He’s someone who absolutely cares about the students at the school to the point where you walk down the halls, he knows the students by name,” Chambers said. “I think if there are four nighttime events, you might see him at four nighttime events. This is someone who cares about Niceville and cares about this school district.”

Marello has prioritized improving student learning and emphasized shared leadership among staff since becoming principal at Niceville.

• “Building and maintaining a strong school culture that emphasizes the overall wellbeing of our stakeholders breeds student success,” Marello wrote. “As the instructional leader at Niceville High School, improving student learning is my number one priority. I have consistently communicated the importance of shared leadership and emphasize the role that everyone plays in determining the success of Niceville High School.”

Marello thanked his wife, Allison, who previously taught English at Niceville High for 18 years in room 622.

“She taught 9th and 11th grade English and then I got promoted and wrecked all of that,” said Marello while speaking to the board. “Always appreciate that sacrifice that she made so I could be the head Eagle.”

He also thanked his administrative team and fellow principals across the District for their support. He also expressed gratitude to Chambers for recruiting him to work for the district following 15 years in Walton County.

• “That was about two hours of commuting. That was a quality of life thing that was suffering there,” Marello said of his previous role as principal at Emerald Coast Middle School in Walton County. “So when Mr. Chambers gave me a call that a potential job opening was happening in Okaloosa County, it was time for me to come home and I will always appreciate you reaching out and making that happen for me.”

POLITICS

Destin City Council unanimously appoints John Stephens to fill vacant seat

The Destin City Council on Monday unanimously appointed local businessman John Stephens to fill the council seat left vacant by Matthew Sweetser’s resignation last week.

• Sweetser announced his resignation last week, citing health issues. His term was set to expire in November 2026.

According to the city charter, if a vacancy on the council occurs with less than one year left in the term, the remaining council members must appoint someone to fill the seat until the next election. They could take applications or go ahead and nominate someone who meets the requirements.

• The charter also states that whoever is elected to complete Sweetser’s term in 2024 would only be eligible to serve one additional four-year term after that.

At Monday’s meeting, the council heard from two residents interested in the appointment — Stephens and former Destin Mayor Captain Gary Jarvis via letter — before selecting Stephens in a unanimous 6-0 vote.

Stephens is the owner of “Luther’s Pontoon, Waverunner, & Kayak Rentals” and has been involved in the business since 2005. He told the council he regularly attends city meetings and serves on numerous city committees and boards.

• “I’m passionate about helping the city of Destin shine,” Stephens said. “It’s time to get to work now, not eight months from now. So this interim seat needs to be filled by someone that wants to help our city either for the two, four, six or eight years, whatever it is.”

Former council-member Rodney Braden spoke before the council saying that while he does plan to run for re-election in November, he didn’t think it would be fair for someone appointed now to have the advantage of incumbency in November’s election.

“I’ve had several people call and want me to put my name in the hat for the seat, but I plan on running in November,” Braden said. “I just think it gives whoever an unfair advantage if they’re appointed to that seat.”

Jarvis, a former Destin mayor, also threw his name in for consideration and city staff read a letter he submitted.

In making the motion to appoint Stephens, Council member Kevin Schmidt said he would bring energy and passion to the role.

• “I think he’ll do an amazing job. He’s showing nothing but energy and passion for this city and everybody in it,” Schmidt said. “And if he can get up here on this seat and start taking action and helping us to continue pushing forward on some things, I am all about it.”

As of Tuesday, Stephens is one of only two candidates who have pre-filed. 

GIVING BACK

White-Wilson Community Foundation calls for grant applications

The White-Wilson Community Foundation (WWCF) is currently accepting grant applications from not-for-profit and qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations seeking to advance community health, increase access to care or provide health-related educational services to the area. 

• The grant application is available on the organization’s website at WhiteWilsonCommunityFoundation.org/giving.
• The deadline to apply for funds is March 29, 2024.

The WWCF is seeking partnerships to ultimately help increase access to health care for underserved men, women and children in the community.

“We are excited to begin receiving grant applications once again,” said Teresa Halverson, Chair of the Board of Directors. “After the success of our fundraising efforts in 2023, we are ready to hit the ground running to support current and welcome new health programs for locals in need.” 

Grants are made possible through the WWCF’s fundraiser, The Little Black Dress Party, which raised over $223,000 in 2023 for community health.

“For this grant cycle, we will be able to give on a bigger scale than ever before,” Halverson continued. “We are proud to be able to provide this great opportunity, and we plan to work toward strengthening and building partnerships in order to better support the health and wellness to our community.”

Halverson noted the WWCF is seeking new and creative programs that will have life-changing impacts for residents. Applicants can be local organizations or those located anywhere in the U.S. The only stipulation is that funds must go to serving residents of Okaloosa, Santa Rosa or Walton County.

For more information about The White-Wilson Community Foundation, its grant program or how to apply, visit WhiteWilsonCommunityFoundation.org or call 850-863-8204.

SCHOOL

FWBHS Theatre brings Percy Jackson to life with “The Lightning Thief” musical

The Fort Walton Beach High School Theatre Department will present “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” Feb. 15-18.

• Based on the popular Percy Jackson book series by Rick Riordan, the musical follows 12-year-old Percy Jackson as he discovers he is a demigod — half human, half Greek god — and accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt.

• To prevent a war between the gods, Percy embarks on a quest to find the missing bolt.

The FWBHS production will take place at the school’s auditorium at 400 Hollywood Blvd. SE. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Feb. 15-17 and 2 p.m. Feb. 18.

Directed by the school’s theatre department, the musical incorporates catchy songs and energetic choreography to bring Percy’s adventure to life on stage.

FWBHS’ Thespian Troupe 4967 recently earned a superior rating at the district competition for its one-act production. The troupe will represent its district at the 2024 Florida State Thespian Festival in March after judges selected the FWBHS production for top honors in all categories.

• Nearly 8,000 students from across Florida will participate in the weeklong state festival.

Single tickets for “The Lightning Thief” are $18 and can be purchased online by clicking here.

TRAFFIC

Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office makes 278 traffic stops in Destin over the past month

The Destin City Council held its regular meeting Monday, where Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jason Fulghum provided an update on recent traffic enforcement within city limits.

• Fulghum told the council that through the department’s participation in a state grant-funded speed enforcement program over the past month, deputies made 278 traffic stops within Destin. 
• About 36% resulted in citations.

The sheriff’s office obtained the overtime traffic enforcement grant late last year to combat Destin’s ranking in the top 25% of cities statewide for per-capita speeding. The grant allows targeted enforcement along the city’s problem areas without any additional costs to the city or Okaloosa County.

“That’s why we went out and got a grant so that we could pay overtime to guys to sit down there and do it because that’s the fiscally responsible way to approach it,” Fulghum told the council in December about the decision to apply for extra funding. “It’s not costing the city a dime. It’s not costing the county a dime. The federal government, through the state, is paying for that enforcement.”

Fulghum said the sheriff’s office must submit paperwork by the end of February to seek approval for renewing the grant in 2025. That application requires a support letter from the Destin council.

• He sent the Destin city manager the previous year’s letter Monday but noticed one tweak needed to align with the grant’s specified purpose of combating speeding and aggressive driving. The current letter only cites aggressive driving.

Councilman Jim Bagby motioned to authorize Destin Mayor Bobby Wagner to sign an updated letter without further review so Fulghum can meet the approaching application deadline.

“I’ll forward that letter to the Mayor tomorrow,” Fulghum told the council after the unanimous approval.

The Sheriff’s Office data shows around 69% of all traffic enforcement in District 3, which covers Destin, takes place within city limits or in unincorporated parts of the area. Deputies also monitor drivers headed to and from Okaloosa Island, which sees heavy beach traffic in the summer months.

BUSINESS

Artesano Boutique relocates to new space in Downtown Fort Walton Beach

Despite heavy construction underway just steps outside its doors, Artesano Boutique recently relocated to a new storefront in the heart of downtown Fort Walton Beach.

• Owner Nikki Via moved her curated gift shop specializing in local Panhandle artists to 184 Brooks St. SE Bldg 1 after 13 years at its former location on Highway 98. The relocation places the shop in the midst of the downtown district, nestled between popular establishments like Taste Tapas Bar and Dragonfly Yoga.

“I was actively looking for a new location. When this became available, I was very excited,” Via said. “I love the Brooks Street side of downtown and I just think this is a better fit for me and my business.”

The boutique offers a wide range of locally made items from over 40 different artists and artisans in mediums like pottery, painting, jewelry and more. Prices start around $15.

• “You can come in and find something for anybody, on any budget,” Via said, noting they have “great gifts starting at $15 and on up.”

The shop provides a consistent retail space for creators to sell their wares without having to handle their own sales platforms.

“It’s not feasible for everyone to have open studio space or build a website,” Via said. “And a lot of people want to focus on making their craft, so for them to be able to make their product and drop it off, they don’t have to worry about packaging, sales tax, or anything else. I’ll take care of all of it.”

To transform the new 1,000-square-foot space, Via said they “really wanted to focus on opening this space up, making it feel more open, and take advantage of the big windows and the natural light.”

“Now that I’m in this space, I realize how dark our old location was with not having the windows and that shotgun-style layout,” Via said. “It really was a one-way-in-one-way-out kind of thing whereas this new space is more intimate but it’s well spaced and it has natural light. So we’ve just really been enjoying this different space and layout design.”

The boutique also gains access to a shared courtyard with the neighboring Dragonfly Yoga. Via said Artesano plans to host live music there during a reopening celebration on Feb. 17 from 4-7pm.

• There will be food and drinks available as she welcomes the entire community to check out her new location.

The relocation comes amid significant investment in the downtown district, most visibly in the form of heavy construction. The downtown Landing Park is undergoing large-scale renovations that will add an amphitheater, splash pad, renovated dock and more.

• Work is also underway on the Brooks Bridge replacement project spanning Santa Rosa Sound to connect downtown with Okaloosa Island. Sections of Brooks Street running through downtown are closed, with traffic diverted to other routes.

“It’s going to be well worth it. I have been downtown for a long time prior to actually owning my business. I have worked downtown for over 20 years. So I’ve seen the ebb and flow of businesses and it’s exciting,” Via said. “This is the first time in 20 years that I’ve been down here, where I feel like it’s being invested in. I feel like for so many years there was a lot of perception that it was only certain types of shops. It’s exciting to see that this is actually going to be a thriving walkable downtown with the amphitheater, new bars and restaurants and stores. I’m excited for that to be completed.”

Via said she has already seen an uptick in pedestrian traffic from the nearby restaurants and the yoga studio. She said the boutique’s hours will remain the same for now: Tuesday through Sunday during the winter offseason, expanding to seven days a week in the summer.

The business owner and 20-year downtown worker said she wants to be nowhere else but the emerging downtown district.

• “This is where I shop. This is where I eat. This is where I bring my kids. This is the only walkable area. It’s our only downtown, aside from Pensacola,” Via said. “When I visit a town I like to go to their downtown area. I like a coffee shop, parks and walking around. This is where I want to be in downtown Fort Walton Beach.”

Click here to see more pictures of her new store