MARDI GRAS

2022 Mardi Gras Parade and Downtown Party

The City of Fort Walton Beach is gearing up for their 2nd Annual Mardi Gras Parade and Downtown Throwdown on Sunday, February 13, 2022, at the corner of Ferry Road SE and First Street SE from 1-5 p.m. 

Hear live music from Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe, as well as DJ Zoran, on Ferry Road between First Street and Miracle Strip Parkway. 

• The event is free and and the parade kicks off at 1 p.m., with music being played until 5 p.m.

The parade route starts at First Street and Eglin Parkway with floats lining up on First Street between Eglin Parkway and Perry Avenue. The parade will travel up Eglin Parkway, right on Perry Avenue, slight right on Ferry Road, ending at First Street. 

Watch a video recap of the last one

GIVING BACK

Harris Insurance raises over $4,000 for Food For Thought through referral program

Two years ago, Harris Insurance in Fort Walton Beach launched HI Cares, their official referral program that helped the local insurance company amplify their giving efforts. 

• For every quote request they receive through this link, they make a $10 donation to their Charity of the Year.
• Food For Thought was the local organization for 2021.

“We are so happy to announce that our Community Referral Program raised a grand total of $4,380 in 2021,” said Natalie Harris Schmidt, Harris Insurance. “Food For Thought has been a staple in helping fight against childhood hunger.”

Harris Insurance more than doubled the amount they raised in 2020, and now in two short years, have raised over $6000 through the new program. 

• Harris Insurance has given over $118,000 through many different programs, charities, and partnerships since the company’s formation. 

“Now, more than ever, we need to continue helping out our community and Food for Thought is the hands and feet that allows us to make a direct impact in the lives of students in Northwest Florida,” said Natalie Schmidt, Business Development Director & Licensed Agent. “Giving back is so important not only for us as a business, but individually as well. It beings me great joy to continue our partnership with Food for Thought for the third consecutive year as we kick off 2022!”

About the Community Outreach Program:

When you refer someone to Harris Insurance and they get a quote through HI Cares, the effort results in a count towards a $10 donation to their partnering charity. 

“The donation is never contingent on the sale of a policy,” added Schmidt. “We truly want to welcome you to evaluate your insurance needs with us and if we cannot beat what you currently have, we’ll tell you.”

In total, 638 quotes and $6,380 in donations have been made.

Want to help contribute? Simply click this link for a quote

REAL ESTATE

“If you wait to buy, the price of the home will only increase on new construction.”

As contractors face their own challenges in a booming housing market, buyers also face their own challenges when it comes to new construction.

Jason Carducci, a local contractor, as well as the President of the Building Industry Association of Okaloosa and Walton County, explains the seller’s market we are currently in right now.

• “It’s a seller’s market,” Carducci states. “The demand is really high. The inventory is really low. So I say, if you’re looking at buying a new home, don’t wait, because if you wait, the pricing is only going to go up.”

As the price of material continues to rise, the price of the homes rise too. Carducci says this is one reason why many contractors aren’t doing pre-sales anymore.

“I listed some houses out in Niceville and people squawked at the price,” he explained. “A month later I get letters saying my material is going up 30%, so that previous price is irrelevant now. If you wait in the new market to buy, you’re probably going to have a higher price than you did two months before, I can almost guarantee you.”

Carducci explains that because the supply chain has been shortened, it is much more difficult for contractors to get the material and products they need. Due to this, they are having to buy other, more expensive, options.

• And in the case of new home buyers wanting to pick-out options, that might not be an option.

“If there is a specific product you want to buy, be prepared to have other options ready,” says Carducci. “Contractors won’t be able to wait four or five months at a time for certain products to get delivered. They won’t wait and there’s going to be someone behind you that wants the house and they’re going to pay for it.”

PUBLIC SAFETY

Firefighters training on old buildings in FWB before demolition

Throughout this entire week, the Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District has been training using old buildings on Beal Parkway in Fort Walton Beach.

• Step One Automotive Group purchased the old Fisherman’s Square buildings that are next to their headquarters back in July 2021.

Demolition of the buildings has already started, but Step One reached out to OCWFCD to see if they wanted to utilize the buildings for training before being completely torn down.

“Step One Automotive reached out and gave us the opportunity to train on some buildings,” said Paul Smith, OCWFCD Battalion Chief. “So we took the opportunity to run some of our crew through it.”

According to Smith, when an engine company pulls up to a scene, the officer gets out and does a 360 of the building to see if there are any kind of hazards, victims or fire that they can see from the outside.

• The backup guy, which is the firefighter, pulls a hand line to the front door and waits for the officer to show up. Before entering, they take a few seconds to talk about what they’re going to do.

Smith says that in their training, they treat every scenario like there is a victim inside.

“We go in there aggressively, do some form of a search pattern and try to find where this victim is,” he said. “We have blacked out their mask to simulate smoke. So they go in there blind, do their search, find the victim and then pull them out.”

Smith says that utilizing unfamiliar buildings is beneficial for their training because the crew doesn’t know the layout of the building.

“A lot of our training facilities that we practice in, the crew knows the layout of the building,” he explained. “Whereas this building from Step One, we didn’t have a clue on the layout. So they go in and literally they are blind. They don’t know the layout of it and can very easily get lost.”

Oh, and the dummy they have to rescue….it’s 180lbs!

“When you have all of your gear on and you’re ten minutes into an evolution and have to pick up 180lbs of dead weight, it’s pretty tough, pretty challenging,” he said.

THINGS TO DO

Events happening…

February 11, 2022 – Galentine Art Night – View

February 11, 2022 – Aletha’s Legacy Pop Up Shop at Maxine Orange Studio Gallery – View

February 12, 2022 – Downtown FWB Farmers’ Market – View

February 12, 2022 – Women’s Climbing Circle – View

February 12, 2022 – Step One Automotive and Maserati Pensacola are Hosting the Krewe of SWAT Annual Charity Food Drive – View

February 12, 2022 – Kids Valentine’s Planting Workshop – View

February 12, 2022 – Tailgate Party & Giveaway – View

February 12, 2022 – Improv Comedy at Timber Creek ( Family Friendly ) – View

February 12, 2022 – 2022 Super Butt Rub – Destin Rotary Club – View

February 12, 2022 – Step One Automotive is a Proud Sponsor of A Football Fan’s Red Carpet Love Affair – View

February 12, 2022 – Daddy Daughter Dance – View

February 12, 2022 – Chef B.K. Presents a KNIGHT of Fine Dining: Valentine’s Edition – View

February 12, 2022 – Improv Comedy Night at Timber Creek – View

February 13, 2022 – Fort Walton Beach Mardi Gras Parade – View

February 14, 2022 – Valentine Wine Dinner at Twisted Grape Cafe & Wine Bar – View

February 15, 2022 – Friends of the Destin Library to Host Independent Film Series – View

February 17, 2022 – City of Destin to Discuss Proposed Flood Ordinance – View

February 17, 2022 – Blue Dog + Bourbon – View

February 18, 2022 – Wine and Fries Powered by Step One Automotive Group – View