SCHOOLS

Okaloosa School District to launch a new parent, student and teacher portals in Fall 2022

The Okaloosa County School District is in the process of updating their Student Information Software to the new FOCUS Portal. FOCUS will be designed to create easier accessibility for teachers, students, and parents alike.

The district has recognized the importance and need for change in order to keep up with evolving technology and has decided to transition to the Focus SIS for a positive change. In addition to staying up to date with technology, the new SIS will benefit the district in many ways including:

• A more precise workload for district users. 
• Effective training. 
• Minimized need for additional third-party systems.
• Online registration. 
• Digital course requests. 
• Convenient ways to communicate with parents and students.
• More access to tracking student progress.

The new program, FOCUS, will officially go live in the Fall of 2022.  

“Until now our district has operated with a few different systems that are no longer meeting our needs or the needs of our students and parents,” states Hilary DeMers, the Digital Media and Communications Specialist for the District. 

Next year, students and parents will be able to:

• View class schedules.
• Register for classes.
• Communicate with teachers.
• Access discipline notifications.
• And check attendance and grades.

“Focus provides a separate portal for parents and students, both of which provide real-time attendance and grade data. Parent portal is a tool designed to enhance your communication and involvement in your child’s education,” explains DeMers. 

The upgraded systems will streamline the district’s education services while at the same time putting more information in the hands of parents than ever before. 

“Parents who are registering new students for the new 2022-2023 school year will be asked to create a parent portal account, but won’t have access to the features until September,” says DeMers.

Information on how to register for your Parent Portal account will be provided soon.

MILITARY

Eglin Air Force Base returns to no masks indoors

Due to the decrease in COVID-19 cases across Eglin Air Force Base and local communities, Brig. Gen. Scott Cain, the 96th Test Wing commander, directs Health Protection Condition Bravo.

• In addition, mask wear is not required indoors with the exception of the hospital in accordance with new DOD policy.

Healthcare professionals will continue to comply with mask-wear guidance. Patients, visitors and all others entering base healthcare facilities will continue to wear masks while in these facilities to reduce transmission of COVID-19.

All Eglin AFB personnel will continue to exercise diligence in personal hygiene and public health risk mitigation measures. These measures include:

• Strict hygiene.
• Regular cleaning of workplace common areas.
• Gatherings are limited to 50 persons unless approved 
• Wear masks in accordance with current guidance.
• Physical distancing – maintaining at least a six-foot distance between individuals.
• Stay at home when experiencing symptoms or illness, notify your supervision, and contact your primary care manager.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Okaloosa Sheriff’s Investigator discusses commitment to solving cold cases

On Tuesday, Investigator Micheal Smith discussed the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office’s commitment to solving cold cases, and insists that the focus on bringing justice never wanes. 

• In his discussion, Smith addresses two cold cases, both of which are several years old. The first of these cold cases is the murder of Paris Matthews.

Paris Matthews was murdered in 2013 after answering a knock on his door in Fort Walton Beach. Matthews was shot in his doorway, and died quickly thereafter says Smith.

“We gathered hundreds of interviews and thousands of pieces of evidence, but none of this was pointing us in a clear line as to who was responsible for his murder,” states Smith. “The leads just dried up.”

Smith then continues to discuss his second cold case, concerning the murder of Jimmy Lee Dodd in Fort Walton Beach. This one is personal to Dodd as he was the investigator on call the morning Dodd was killed.

“Mr. Dodd was in his home asleep with his girlfriend and something woke him to bring him out of the house. We believe possibly a telephone call or something like that,” explains Smith. “Something caused him to come out early in the morning, before he would normally be waking up, and he was shot dead in his driveway.”

In both of these cold cases, the individuals were deliberately targeted. The reason as to why, has yet to have been uncovered, according to Smith.

• “There is nothing that cops like better than catching bad guys but we cannot do this without you,” he says. “We are as passionate as we can be about these cases. We never stop looking. But without direct evidence from witnesses, it’s difficult for us to get across that threshold of probable cause where we can make an arrest in these cases.”

Smith encourages anyone who may have information on either case to please step forward. You can contact the agency at 850-651-7400 or contact Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at 850-863-TIPS.

MEDICAL

Fort Walton Beach Medical Center rebrands to “Fort Walton-Destin Hospital”

Fort Walton Beach Medical Center is one of more than 450 HCA Florida Healthcare affiliated sites of care across the state uniting as HCA Florida Healthcare. 

• Now, as part of a statewide rebranding, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center will be known as HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.

For the first time in Florida’s history, more than 450 HCA Florida Healthcare affiliated sites of care across the state will unite under a shared brand on March 3rd. 

• According to HCA Florida, this transformation will create a leading collaborative healthcare network in the state.

“Our Florida colleagues and physicians have always been united in their commitment to serving our patients and caring like family,” said Chuck Hall, national group president at HCA Healthcare. “Over the past two years, we’ve come together in ways that better serve our communities and our colleagues, proving that our connectedness is our strength.”

HCA Florida Healthcare connects approximately 11,000 staff physicians, 77,000 colleagues, 49 hospitals and more than 450 physician practices, freestanding emergency rooms and urgent care centers. 

• HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital (as it will now be known as) has served the local community for nearly 50 years. 

In the past five years, the hospital, and connected sites of care, have served more than 740,000 patients and invested in the community through the expansion of needed healthcare services, including:

• The addition of freestanding ERs in Destin and Navarre.
• A 10-bed expansion to the only acute inpatient care rehab facility in Northwest Florida.
• An expansion of our main emergency room and addition of a roof-top emergency flight helipad.
• A new parking garage.
• And a multi-phase project that encompasses building a new two-story patient tower with the capability of expanding vertically to four floors, bringing total capacity to 309 beds.

“This transition reflects our mission and our commitment to all we serve as we continue to work together to deliver high-quality care for patients across the Sunshine State,” said Hall.

To kickoff their rebranding, the Fort Walton-Destin Hospital will be sponsoring the FWB Chamber’s First Friday Coffee on March 4th at the First Baptist Church in Fort Walton Beach.

PUBLIC SAFETY

License plate reader spots stolen vehicle in Niceville

Two weeks ago I reported on the new license plate readers from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. As you can imagine, there were mixed reviews on the new public safety technology, mainly centered around privacy.

• Yesterday, these license plater readers helped locate a stolen vehicle that led to the arrest of two suspects.

Around 8:00a.m. on Wednesday, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a stolen vehicle. The vehicle information, including the license plate, was entered into the Florida and National databases as stolen.

Shortly after 2:00p.m., Niceville Police Officers were alerted that the stolen vehicle had passed by a license plate reader in the City. With this information, officers were able to locate the vehicle and all of the occupants.

• The juvenile driver of the vehicle was arrested along with a passenger that had an outstanding warrant through the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

“Without the technology of the license plate readers, it is very likely that the vehicle would not have been recovered and returned to the owner, especially less that 7 hours after the report was made,” wrote the Niceville PD in a press release. “Situations like this are the reason we decided to install the license plate readers.”

As for the privacy concerns, the Niceville PD addressed the topic:

• “The license plate readers are not in place to track your every movement as we have read on social media,” wrote Niceville PD. “The license plate readers do not have the ability to tell on you for speeding or running a stop light and you will not be mailed a ticket if you do so in the proximity of a license plate reader.”

According to the PD, the new system is installed to catch criminals, locate missing persons, and aide investigations such as the homicide that occurred last month.

To read more on the new system, click here.

SPRING BREAK

Destin Mayor talks Spring Break safety

On Wednesday, Destin Mayor Gary Jarvis talked about the flag warning system along our beaches ahead of Spring Break.

“We’re looking forward to you coming to visit us, but one of the things that we have great concerns over is your safety,” he said. “When you come and visit our beaches, ‘know before you go.’“

Mayor Jarvis is referring to the beach flag warning system that will tell you the conditions in the Gulf of Mexico.

• Double Red – Water closed to the public
• Red Flag – High Hazard
• Yellow Flag – Medium Hazard
• Green Flag – Low Hazard
• Purple Flag – Dangerous Marine Life

Another thing that visitors need to be aware of are rip currents. Rip currents are powerful currents of water moving away from shore. Even the strongest swimmers can be swept out to sea.

According to Okaloosa County, between 2002-2021, 191 people have died in rip currents in the Gulf of Mexico. A majority of these deaths are out-of-state residents vacationing at the beach.

• If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore until the current weakens, then swim in. 
• If you feel you can’t reach shore, relax, face the shore, and call or wave for help.
• If at all possible, only swim at beaches with lifeguards.
• Remember to relax. Rip currents don’t pull you under.

“We want your vacation time to be enjoyable, but more importantly, safe,” he said.