ARBOR DAY

Trees On The Coast is planting native trees to support wildlife habitats

In Florida, we celebrate Arbor Day on the 3rd Friday of January, whereas National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April.

“This is actually a great time to plant trees,” said Bobby Wagner, Director of Trees on the Coast. “We do hit a little bit of 30 degree weather like we are seeing this week but we are getting into a great root-creation season.”

To celebrate Arbor Day, Trees on the Coast is working with the City of Destin, and will be donating and planting $3,000 worth trees at the Kell-Aire Nature Walk.

Wagner and his team will plant 17 sand live oaks that are roughly 7-8ft tall.

“They’re almost getting into the mature phase so they shouldn’t take long to transplant and start becoming a big tree in the area,” he said.

Trees On The Coast is working toward getting the county recognized as a community wildlife habitat. Wagner says that Florida’s Arbor Day was the perfect platform to kick-off their endeavors to help turn these small, localized pieces of land into registered community habitats.

As for future habitats, he says that Trees On The Coast’s goal is to put 100 trees in the ground each year.

“Most of these trees are around the $300 price point,” he said. “Each year we are looking to spend between $30,000-$50,000 to plant trees in the local community, from Walton to Okaloosa County.”

COMMUNITY

Don Anchors to be recognized for pro bono work at Florida’s Supreme Court

The Florida Bar will recognize 20 lawyers for their work on behalf of low-income and disadvantaged clients at a January 20 ceremony at the Supreme Court of Florida.

• Okaloosa County’s own C. LeDon Anchors is one of the twenty, and is a senior partner at Anchors, Smith, & Grimsley.

Established in 1981, The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Awards are intended to encourage lawyers to volunteer free legal services to those who cannot afford legal fees. 

• The awards recognize pro bono service in each of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits. 
• They are presented annually in conjunction with the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service and other service awards, which are given by the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

For more that 40 years, Don Anchors has served as the attorney for the Emerald Coast Board of Realtors and for South Walton Utility Company, Inc. For the past 15 years, he has served as counsel for American Classifieds, LLC and counsel for the Okaloosa Gas District. 

During his professional career, Anchors has served as either lead or co-counsel for some of the largest family law cases in Okaloosa County history. His probate career covers the gamut from small estates and ancillary proceedings to multi-million dollar estates.

But for 56 years, he has offered pro bono services to the community.

• According to The Florida Bar, Anchors is is currently working to help a family that believes its grandmother was duped into signing a will that left everything to the nurse who had been caring for her. 

In addition to his pro bono work, Anchors founded the first legal aid organization in Okaloosa County and served as its first president.

Anchors told Get The Coast that being recognized for his work does two main things:

• It helps make other attorneys aware of the importance of offering pro bono services.
• Helps make the public more aware that these types of services are available.

“I’m convinced that the legal system is the best way to resolve a dispute,” he said. “I want to help make sure that everyone who needs legal help has access to it.”

And while the almost 82-year-old attorney does have plans to cut back a bit, he tells Get The Coast that he doesn’t intend to stop completely.

“I’m just glad to be a part of it,” said Anchors.

GIVING BACK

One Hopeful Place outfitted with military grade tent to quarantine individuals at the shelter

One Hopeful Place in Fort Walton Beach is the primary shelter in Okaloosa County serving unaccompanied individuals and veterans experiencing homelessness. 

• The non-profit operates a 50-bed shelter for men and a 11-bed shelter for women. 
• During inclement winter weather, defined as 40 degrees or below, OHP provides temporary shelter for all those experiencing homelessness. 

When COVID first started, individuals at the shelter were housed in an area that is now offices for OHP staff. For well over a year now, there hasn’t been a positive case at the shelter. 

Now, One Hopeful Place has had to make an adjustment to how they operate with positive cases because they don’t have space inside the building for quarantining. This means that a COVID-positive person would have to leave the shelter. 

• It also means that One Hopeful Place would incur additional costs associated with putting an individual in a hotel room. 

“We had an individual that tested positive and would have to leave the shelter for 10 days,” said Robin Donlon, Board Member at One Hopeful Place. “That bothered me, so I reached out to UTS Systems in Fort Walton Beach because they make military grade, weatherproof tents. They were actually the company who provided the first tent when One Hopeful Place started, before we had the building.”

On Thursday afternoon, UTS Systems installed a 20ft x 34ft “expeditionary military shelter” next to One Hopeful Place’s main building. 

“We don’t usually call it a tent just because it’s so big,” said Tom Eggers, UTS Systems. “It’s the same shelter that the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and other installations are using in the field.”

According to Eggers, the tent (as we will call it) can house approximately 16 individuals and is outfitted with military medical service lights, hard flooring and with 2 space heaters, will be more than enough to keep people warm. 

“They are a blessing,” said Donna Morgan, Director of One Hopeful Place. “Not only will be able to provide shelter here at One Hopeful Place, but they will still have access to the same things we provide in the main building. It really is going to make it better for everyone.”

Click here to see more pics of the tent

EDUCATION

Fort Walton Machining launches hands-on machining program at Edwins Elementary

Fort Walton Machining kicked-off their new partnership with Edwins Elementary School by designing and creating a sign for the new entryway. 

• Fort Walton Machining assembles and manufactures custom-designed, precision machined parts.

According to the Okaloosa County School District, Fort Walton Machining is currently involved in the District’s Middle and High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. This will be the first Elementary program they are involved in with the Okaloosa County School District.

At the sign unveiling, Principal Kathleen Armstrong presented Tim McDonald, Director of Operations at FWM, with a plaque for their involvement and dedication to the community, and expressed her excitement about their partnership. 

• Superintendent Marcus Chambers added, “you’ve been a huge supporter of Okaloosa Schools in general and to do this at the elementary level, where we really want to start with kids, is a big deal.”

The program will begin in February with 5th graders, providing hands-on experience in activities related to machining, such as 3D printing, to help spark inspiration and grow passions in the industry. This will be the first of its kind in the Okaloosa County School District.  

Armstrong, and the representatives at Fort Walton Beach Machining, have put a lot of thought into making this work and meeting the needs of all involved, according to the OCSD.

“Creating the supply to fill the need is important,” said Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Jeff Palmer. “One of the goals of our CTE programs is to meet the need of local employers by giving students the skills they need to enter the workforce immediately after high school graduation with industry certifications allowing them to apply for and fill positions above entry-level. We look forward to seeing great things come from this partnership!”

SCHOOLS

Mental health a big focus for Okaloosa School District in 2022

At last Thursday’s workshop, Okaloosa Superintendent of Schools Marcus Chambers gave the board an update as it pertains to mental health throughout the district.

According to Chambers, each year the OCSD is increasing the number of mental health counselors available to students. 

“Going into the 2nd semester and into next school year, we’ll be looking at a more comprehensive mental health program,” said Chambers. “One of those components is going to be a professional development that is being created and worked on as we speak.”

Chambers says that it’s extremely important to make connections with students who might be struggling.

“They might be struggling for various reasons, so as educators, being able to see some of these students who are struggling and really making those connections with those students is important,” he added. “That’ll be a big push as we go into next year.”

In addition to the professional development, the district will also be creating a mental health campaign that will consist of videos and posters centered around mental health.

• Chambers says that one of the goals with the campaign is to help remove any stigma surrounding mental health.

“There are people that we come across each and every day that we don’t necessarily realize they’re struggling,” he said. 

During the workshop, Chambers also touched on suicide prevention and student behavior.

“Every secondary school in Okaloosa County will be a Hope Squad school by the end of this year,” he added. “Next year, every elementary school will be a Hope Squad school, as well. If we save one life, then this whole program has already been successful.”

On student behavior, Chambers noted that the district has seen an increase in different behaviors in schools over the past two years.

“Nowadays, students are struggling with even more outside factors and so the way that we handle behaviors, we have to take a different approach,” he said. “We’ll continue looking at our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in schools. That doesn’t mean taking away consequences. That doesn’t mean being less in-tune with what’s going on, but we have to be able to teach the behaviors that we expect and then hold students accountable to those expectations.”

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Boeing set to expand in Fort Walton Beach with $2,550,000 project

On Monday, One Okaloosa EDC announced that Boeing Global Services has selected Fort Walton Beach for a competitive expansion project.  

• The anticipated $2,550,000 project involves a 20,000 SF expansion to the company’s existing facility located at 20 Hill Avenue in the Fort Walton Beach Commerce & Technology Park. 

In addition, Boeing’s current position as one of Okaloosa County’s largest private sector employers will be further reinforced with the creation of 12 new positions at an average salary of $70,000 per year plus benefits (168% of Okaloosa County’s average wage).  

This was previously code-named Project Blue Waves until final decisions were made.

“Boeing is proud to partner with Okaloosa County and the City of Fort Walton Beach as we continue to support our U.S. and international defense customers,” said Hank Sanders, Boeing Global Services Director for Support Equipment & Special Operations Forces. 

According to Sanders, Boeing employees at the Fort Walton Beach siteprovide a spectrum of support solutions to ensure that their customers can meet their mission requirements. 

• “This expansion is both a testament to the expertise of our employees and further development of the area’s aviation and aerospace industry,” he said.

According to One Okaloosa, Boeing Global Services in Fort Walton Beach are focused on modifying, testing, repairing and servicing aircraft for customers in the U.S., including the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, as well as customers around the globe. 

• Additionally, there is a maintenance repair and overhaul facility that services avionics, wiring and hydraulic systems for a variety of aircraft. The engineering capability is extensive and concentrates on military aircraft sustainment. 

Boeing employees in Fort Walton Beach also support technical manual development for Boeing and non-Boeing platforms, such as the C-130, F-15, F/A-18, CH-47 and elements of the U.S. national defense system. 

“The City of Fort Walton Beach is proud to be home to two Boeing facilities employing more than 500 talented individuals in our local area,” said Mayor Dick Rynearson, City of Fort Walton Beach. “Today’s expansion announcement is welcome news, as it further solidifies the company’s long-standing commitment to our community.”

As a high wage project in a targeted growth sector, the project qualified for – and was subsequently awarded – Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions (EDATE) from both the City of Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa County.  

• The total ten year value of the exemptions on new taxable value resulting from the expansion is estimated to be $108,197 (Fort Walton Beach) and $77,709 (Okaloosa County), respectively.

“Boeing is a world class company, and the fact that they have chosen to undertake this important expansion project in Okaloosa County is a testament to our community’s continued ability to provide them with the top-notch talent and infrastructure they require,” stated Chairman Mel Ponder, Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners. “We welcome Boeing’s growth in Fort Walton Beach and appreciate the vital role they play in supporting our nation’s warfighters.”

Construction is expected to begin in March 2022 with completion in March 2023, while hiring of the 12 new positions will occur within the next two years.