TRAVEL

Okaloosa to host TSA PreCheck Enrollment ‘pop-up’ event in Shalimar

IDEMIA is holding a pre-check enrollment event at the Okaloosa County Administration Building at 1250 N Eglin Parkway in Shalimar from March 4th-21st and March 22nd.

• IDEMIA, a TSA enrollment services provider, will have a mobile enrollment station set up in the parking lot of the admin building in Shalimar. Interested travelers can make appointments online at TSAenrollmentbyIDEMIA.tsa.dhs.gov.

To enroll, applicants need to bring a U.S. passport or certified birth certificate along with another government-issued photo ID. Names must match on all documents. The enrollment process involves filling out a form, which can be done online ahead of time, and providing fingerprints on site.

Once approved, TSA PreCheck members can use expedited screening lanes at 200+ airports nationwide for five years. PreCheck lanes allow travelers to keep shoes, light jackets and belts on and leave laptops and liquids in carry-on bags.

• Most PreCheck passengers wait five minutes or less to be screened.

The upcoming enrollment event at the Okaloosa County Administration Building will have the following schedule:

• March 4th-21st – 9a.m.-12p.m. and 1-5p.m.
• March 22nd – 9a.m.-12p.m.
• Closed Saturdays and Sundays

SCHOOL

Fort Walton Beach High School hosts inaugural ‘Viking Voyage’ career day with 78 local businesses

Fort Walton Beach High School hosted its first annual Viking Voyage Career Fair on Friday, bringing together 78 local businesses and organizations to introduce students to career opportunities in the community.

The event, held from 9 a.m. to noon in the school gymnasium, aimed to connect students with potential employers and give them insight into jobs and fields they may not have previously considered. 

• It marked an expansion of the school’s existing career week programming, which already had students working on resumes and taking career interest inventories leading up to the fair.

“For Viking Voyage, we work collaboratively with all the stakeholders in our community to bring the jobs and the opportunities to the students because once they graduate, they are either going to a four-year college or directly into the workforce,” said Dr. Linda Dugan, a professional school counselor at Fort Walton Beach High School. “It introduces them to the different fields that they’ve never seen or heard of in our community.”

Vendors at the Career Day represented a wide range of industries and employers, hailing from across the region between Niceville and Navarre. Fort Walton Beach High School teachers and counselors said the broad spectrum of options reflected their goal of showing students the multitude of opportunities open to them, whether they choose to pursue a four-year college degree, vocational training or immediately enter the workforce after graduation.

“The goal here is so that our community can meet our kids. These are the students they’re going to hire,” said Lindsey Smith, Fort Walton Beach High School Principal. “We need these community businesses and organizations to meet them, to know them and to tell them what they need them to do so that they can be ready to be in the workforce in our community.”

Both Dugan and Smith said they were struck by the level of energy and engagement evident throughout the career fair. Students actively interacted with vendors at booths around the gym rather than idling along the perimeter, asking questions about what steps they would need to take to prepare for specific careers and industries.

“That’s what it’s all about, putting them face to face,” Dugan said. “In the beginning, one of our counselors provided the teachers with an interest-inventory at the beginning of the week. And every day we were doing career-interest things to get them excited about the opportunity today.”

School leaders also emphasized the importance of showing students that they can find fulfilling careers without leaving the local community, supporting the school district’s focus on developing a strong local workforce. Smith noted that over 30% of the faculty at Fort Walton Beach High School are themselves alumni, evidence that homegrown talent can plant professional roots close to where they grew up.

• “We want to keep the talent here. We are a family,” Smith said. “And when you’re looking at the community around us, why not homegrow your talent?”

Several of the vendors present were also products of the Okaloosa County School District, with many being alumni of the high school. Many highlighted how their own paths led them back to the area after pursuing higher education and early career opportunities elsewhere.

Whitney Smith, an attorney at Fleet, Smith & Freeman in Shalimar, emphasized having an open mind about career trajectories, noting that her route to becoming a lawyer was nonlinear and somewhat unexpected. She encouraged students to consider options apart from the traditional pathways they may have in mind.

“I had several students ask about law school this morning,” Smith said. “I think bringing awareness to different career fields is important. You might think attorneys go to court every day. I hardly ever go to court. We deal with something totally different [in my practice].”

As a small business owner, Smith also discussed the importance of community events like the career fair in helping match students with eventual job opportunities. She said the level of turnout and engagement was a positive sign for employers like herself who may be vying to bring aboard local talent down the line.

• “We’re local business owners and all three of the attorneys in my office all grew up here. A lot of our staff grew up here and so it’s just part of giving back and being involved,” Smith said.

Other vendors remarked on the full-circle nature of returning to their old high school to provide career advice, noting how special it felt to potentially inspire students the way they themselves were once inspired within the same halls and classrooms.

“A ‘homecoming’ is always exciting,” Smith said in reference to the many alumni business owners participating. “The other side of that is to let our kids see successful people that came out of these halls. They walk these halls every day and I think sometimes they forget what’s next. We have to be talking about what’s next and for them to actually see it and talk to people who were in their same spot is so powerful.”

Fort Walton Beach High School leaders said the inaugural Viking Voyage Career Fair represented a first step in what they hope will become an annual tradition. Both Dugan and Smith mentioned conversations already underway about how to grow the event in 2025, from inviting more businesses to opening it up to students from nearby middle and elementary schools.

“We’ve already talked about who else we can invite. We’ve already talked about how we could grow it,” Smith said. “I know you can feel the energy in this room, but I think everyone’s excited. I’ve been talking with kids as they walk out of the gym as I’ve been very interested to know how they feel. They are on fire about our community, and you can’t ask for anything better.”

GIVING BACK

5th Annual Shrimp & Grits Festival raises $75,000 for The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast 

The 5th Annual Shrimp & Grits Festival held on Saturday, February 24th, 2024, at Brotula’s Seafood House & Steamer was another huge success.

• The event raised a record-breaking $75,000 and welcomed more than 1,500 attendees in support of all local club kids.

“We are truly blessed to live in a Community that continuously comes together to support the next generation and invest in the youth of our region,” Tyler Jarvis, CoFounder/Operating Partner, Bald & The Beard Restaurant Group. “We must continue to seek out opportunities to speak light into the next generation and provide them with the tools to be successful in today’s society.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, and influence through its programs focused on academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles.

• “We are extremely thankful to Brotula’s Seafood House & Steamer, all of our sponsors, cook teams, and all who attended for making this year’s event better than ever,” Shervin Rassa, Chief Executive Officer, The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast. “Every cent raised through this event will make an impact on the over 5,000 youth we serve on an annual basis. Our team is already working on next year’s event, we look forward to an amazing sixth year.”

Attendees experienced classic Southern dishes, great drinks, and live entertainment. Local restaurants and chefs competed on the Destin Harbor for the best Shrimp & Grits on the Emerald Coast.

Award winners are as follows:

• People’s Choice 1st Place: Boathouse Oyster Bar
• People’s Choice 2nd Place: Knife’s Edge Private Chef and Catering
• People’s Choice 3rd Place: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast
• Judge’s Choice Best Shrimp: Ruby Slipper Destin
• Judge’s Choice Most Creative: Sura Korean Steakhouse
• Judge’s Choice Best Grits: Boathouse Oyster Bar
• Judge’s Choice 1st Place: Fudpucker’s Beachside Bar & Grill
• Judge’s Choice 2nd Place: Brotula’s Seafood House & Steamer
• Judge’s Choice 3rd Place: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast

TRAFFIC

Okaloosa Traffic Advisory

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Okaloosa County as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

• Brooks Bridge Replacement Project – Drivers may encounter the following traffic disruptions Sunday, March 3 through Thursday, March 7, between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. for utility work and construction activities:
  • U.S. 98 east and westbound alternating and intermittent lane closures between Ferry Road and Pier Road.
  • Santa Rosa Boulevard east and westbound alternating lane closures from east of Amberjack Drive to Ross Marler Park

• Mid-Bay Bridge Rehabilitation Project – Drivers may encounter intermittent north and southbound lane closures on the Mid-Bay Bridge, Sunday, March 3 through Thursday, March 7, from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. for construction activities.

• Mary Esther Boulevard (State Road (S.R.) 393) Resurfacing from U.S. 98 to Beal Parkway (S.R. 189) – Drivers may encounter intermittent north and southbound lane closures on Mary Esther Boulevard for paving operations, median construction, and to lower manholes at the following locations and times:
  • Sunday, March 3 through Thursday, March 7, from U.S. 98 to Hollywood Boulevard, between 7 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.
  • Sunday, March 3 through Thursday, March 7, from Hollywood Boulevard to Beal Parkway, between 7 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

• S.R. 85 Improvements from S.R. 123 to Hospital Drive – Drivers may encounter intermittent S.R. 85 northbound inside lane closures, from north of S.R. 123 to Shoal River Bridge, Monday, March 4 through Thursday, March 7, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. for crews to install high tension cable barrier within the median.

• S.R. 85 Resurfacing from north of Commerce Drive to Bill Lundy Road – Drivers may encounter intermittent S.R. 85 southbound single-lane closures, from Butler Road to Friendship Lane, Monday, March 4 through Thursday, March 7, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for shoulder grading and sod work. Additionally, drivers may encounter intermittent S.R. 85 north and southbound single-lane closures for milling and paving operations between:
  • Airport Road and Butler Road, Monday, March 4 through Thursday, March 7, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Commerce Drive and Butler Road, Sunday, March 3 through Thursday, March 7, from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
  • Butler Road and Bill Lundy Road, Sunday, March 3 through Thursday, March 7, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

• S.R. 285 Resurfacing from S.R. 20 to S.R. 293 – Drivers may experience intermittent S.R. 285 north and southbound lane closures, between John Sims Parkway (S.R. 20) and S.R. 293, Sunday, March 3 through Thursday, March 7, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for crews to place thermoplastic striping.

• U.S. 98 Resurfacing from Josie Road to Florida Place Southeast – Drivers may encounter intermittent U.S. 98 east and westbound lane closures, between Josie Road in Mary Esther and Florida Place Southeast in Fort Walton Beach, Sunday, March 3 through Thursday, March 7, between 8 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. for milling and paving operations.

• Interstate 10 (I-10)/P.J. Adams Parkway Interchange – I-10 east and westbound drivers will encounter intermittent lane closures, between mile markers 51 and 53, Sunday, March 3 through Wednesday, March 6 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Construction crews will be paving the travel lanes, striping, and installing barrier walls.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Local trauma doctor discusses Spring Break injuries, urges safety on beaches and waterways 

As tourists flock to the beaches and waterways of Destin-Fort Walton Beach for spring break, trauma medical staff in the local area highlight major safety concerns they see every season.

Dr. Matthew Johnson, medical director of the trauma center at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, said one of the most common causes of spinal cord injuries they treat is from individuals diving off boats into the shallow waters around Crab Island in Destin.

• “The water is so shallow at Crab Island but we see cases where people will dive-in head first. We end up with a lot of quadriplegic patients,” Dr. Johnson said. “I implore people to think before they dive. The consequences are life changing.”

Beyond diving risks, Dr. Johnson warned that ignoring beach warning flags and swimming in rough Gulf waters with powerful rip currents leads to numerous drownings. He asked tourists to always check flag advisories and refrain from trying to swim across fast-moving currents, such as around the Destin bridge channel.

“The current there is very strong. We get many drowning victims when people jump off boats and try to make it to Crab Island, or try and swim from the beach near the Coast Guard Station,” he said. “You cannot fight that current, no matter how good of a swimmer you are. Same goes for rip currents.”

Overall, Dr. Johnson attributed many of the most serious spring break trauma cases to intoxication paired with reckless choices in the water. “Have fun but please think about your choices,” he advised. “A bad decision can ruin your life or end it.”

And sadly, in many cases each year, the trauma team at Fort Walton-Destin Hospital sees the after-effects of these accidents.

• “It’s heartbreaking for us as medical providers to watch,” he said. “I wish we could prevent it.”

Dr. Johnson described the emotional toll of dealing with paralyzed patients after their injury. Often, friends and family go home while the patient remains at a rehab facility. He says severe depression and trauma is common.

“We have to prescribe antidepressants because they can’t walk again or move their arms. It’s debilitating to watch,” he said. “These people came here to celebrate or enjoy a vacation. Now their life is radically altered.”

Randi Lippy, the hospital’s Trauma Outreach & Injury Prevention Coordinator, added that support for recovering trauma patients continues long after they leave the ER, especially through their Trauma Survivor Network program.

• “It’s so vital to support our patients after their journey,” she said. “Their journey doesn’t end at their acute phase of care. It continues on and the Trauma Survivor Network comes in and offers support beyond. It’s especially important for our tourist population.”

Lippy says that when a patient leaves, they have access to support groups for our patients through the program. There’s a virtual support group that’s offered once a month, along with a six week series called Next Steps. 

By spotlighting the trauma injuries they see each year, hospital staff hope visitors (and locals) heed their warnings and make safety the top priority.

“I want people to make better and safer decisions when they’re on the water,” added Johnson. “If they could come here and experience what we experience on a daily basis during our busy season, they would definitely change their minds in terms of their actions and what they decide to do.”