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Good morning!
Fort Walton Beach is seeking artists to paint patriotic fire hydrants as part of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration. The Okaloosa School Board has voted to close Mary Esther and Longwood elementary schools, Destin Mayor Wagner outlines infrastructure progress and challenges residents to get involved in his State of the City address, a fire destroys Rent-A-Center and damages adjacent businesses at a Fort Walton Beach shopping center, Choctaw baseball is off to a strong start with no-hitters and run rules, and Okaloosa County seeks applicants for its Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. Michelle Melancon is our Athlete of the Week for delivering wherever Niceville girls soccer needs her, and get an inside look at how Cali Hlavac balances business and creativity.
HOW I WORK
How Cali Hlavac balances business ownership, event leadership, and nonstop creativity
“How I Work” is brought to you by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce. Join the most influential organization in Okaloosa. Learn more here.
Cali Hlavac moved to the Emerald Coast 12 years ago after filming a beach wedding and never looked back. Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, what started as a creative career in wedding videography evolved into a dynamic mix of entrepreneurship, marketing, and event leadership across Destin.
- Today, Cali wears multiple hats — owner of To Do in Destin, founder of Sassy Tangerine Creative, owner of Coastal Protein & Energy, Event Director for the Destin Seafood Festival and Billy Bowlegs, and Director of Operations for the Destin Songwriter Festival.
Her days range from opening a protein café at sunrise to coordinating large-scale festivals, shooting content for local businesses, and building brands across the Emerald Coast.
Click here to read our interview with Cali, brought to you by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber
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GAMES
WordroW: February 25, 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.
SCHOOL
Okaloosa School Board votes to close Mary Esther, Longwood elementary schools
The Okaloosa County School Board voted unanimously Monday night to close Mary Esther Elementary and Longwood Elementary schools at the end of this school year.
- Board members approved closure resolutions for both schools, along with a rezoning plan that will send students to six other south county elementary schools — Edwins, Elliott Point, Florosa, Kenwood, Shalimar and Wright — beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
Superintendent Marcus Chambers reiterated that south county elementary enrollment has declined 19.3% over the past decade, with both schools exceeding that figure. The district has cut more than $22 million over the past two years and faces another $12 million in adjustments this year.
The Longwood property, originally conveyed by the federal government, will revert to the U.S. Air Force under the terms of a 1970 Quitclaim Deed.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Wherever Niceville girls soccer needs her, Michelle Melancon delivers
Athlete of the Week is brought to you by Okaloosa Gas District – supporting the athletes who make our community stronger.
Michelle Melancon, this week’s Athlete of the Week presented by Okaloosa Gas, has been around the Niceville soccer program for almost as long as she can remember. Her older siblings played at Niceville and in club under coach Kelly Fernandez.
- Now a senior, Melancon has stepped into her own — and then some. She’s been the Lady Eagles’ most dynamic postseason performer, netting a hat trick in a 6-0 win over Navarre, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory over defending state champion Bartram Trail, and adding another goal Monday in a 4-0 semifinal win over Lakewood Ranch that punched Niceville’s ticket to the Class 6A state championship game Wednesday at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.
Off the field, Melancon volunteers with VIP Pal Soccer, a program that helps children with disabilities learn to play the game. She was named VIP Pal Buddy of the Year last year, and her brother is one of the program’s coaches.
In the classroom, science has always been her strength. She took AP Biology last year and loved it, and plans to major in kinesiology at Mississippi College.
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BUSINESS
Mayor Wagner outlines infrastructure progress, challenges residents to get involved in SOTC address
Mayor Bobby Wagner used his annual State of the City address last week to outline a slate of infrastructure projects nearing completion and issue a challenge to residents: do more for the community.
- “Ask not what Destin can do for you, but what you can do for Destin,” Wagner told an audience gathered Feb. 17 for the address, riffing on the famous Kennedy line.
Wagner, who confirmed he will seek reelection, ticked through a list of projects nearing completion and spotlighted city staff. Here are some of the highlights:
- The Crosstown Connector has cleared its final council vote and is now in the hands of construction crews, with a ribbon cutting estimated for the summer of 2027.
- Tarpon Beach, a joint project with Okaloosa County, is expected to be completed in May.
- The $12 million Norriego Point park is complete with ADA-compliant boardwalks and public restrooms.
- Once Clement Taylor Park wraps up, every playground in Destin will have been refurbished.
- City Manager Larry Jones and department directors identified $600,000 in internal savings.
- The city is leveraging every general fund dollar at a five-to-one ratio through grants, partnerships and nonprofit collaborations.
- The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office responded to nearly 40,000 calls in Destin last year.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Fire destroys Rent-A-Center, damages adjacent businesses at FWB shopping center
A commercial structure fire Monday evening destroyed a Rent-A-Center store and caused smoke damage to several adjacent businesses – including Queen of Flavor – at the Choctaw Plaza shopping center on Racetrack Road NW.
The Fort Walton Beach Fire Department received a 911 call around 8 p.m. on Feb. 23. Firefighters arrived minutes later to find heavy smoke and flames showing from the Rent-A-Center furniture store on the west side of the shopping center at 119 Racetrack Road NW.
Due to the size of the building and the extent of fire involvement, the incident was quickly elevated to a three-alarm response to bring in additional manpower.
SPORTS
No-hitters, run rules and resilience: Choctaw baseball off to strong start
Coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last spring, Choctaw baseball has picked up right where it left off, jumping out to a 4-1 start that has head coach David Weber feeling good about the direction of his program.
- Last season, the Indians made the Sweet 16 before falling to Arnold, which went on to reach the Final Four. It was Choctaw’s first playoff appearance since 2022 and just its third in the past 10 years.
Despite losing key seniors from that run, Choctaw has looked sharp early this season. The Indians’ only loss came against Niceville, which enters the year undefeated and made the Elite 8 a season ago. Weber believes that game served as a turning point.
BUSINESS
Okaloosa County seeking applicant for Affordable Housing Advisory Committee
Okaloosa County is accepting applications from citizens interested in serving on the Okaloosa County/Fort Walton Beach Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.
The Board of County Commissioners, with the mutual approval of the Fort Walton Beach City Council, will appoint one citizen to the committee. The appointee will serve a three-year term beginning immediately upon appointment.
AMERICA 250
Fort Walton Beach seeking artists to paint patriotic fire hydrants for nation’s 250th birthday
The City of Fort Walton Beach is looking for a local artist to turn 25 fire hydrants into works of patriotic public art in celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
- The Fort Walton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency is accepting designs and bid proposals for its Patriotic Fire Hydrant Painting Project, which aims to enhance city streets by repainting the hydrants in designs that reflect the community’s patriotic spirit.
Artists interested in the project should submit at least five unique designs. If selected, the artist will be responsible for painting all 25 hydrants, including prepping each one by removing dirt, rust, chipped paint and any surrounding vegetation.
The selected artist must also provide all necessary materials, tools, paints and protective coatings appropriate for outdoor metal surfaces. Each hydrant must be finished with a weather-resistant, clear protective seal. The artist will also be required to maintain a clean and safe work area and submit before-and-after photographs of each hydrant, including location details, to the CRA administrator.
Proposals must be received by the CRA no later than 7 a.m. on March 16. They can be submitted by email to cradept@fwb.org or delivered as a hard copy to the CRA Office at 105 Miracle Strip Parkway SW in Fort Walton Beach.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Wednesday! Help us shape the future of local news and make a meaningful impact on your community. Click here to learn how you can support us!
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Jared
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