SPONSORED BY
Good morning, and Happy Spring Break!
A $10 million beach renourishment project in Destin will begin soon. Okaloosa’s Pineview School construction enters the final stretch with an August opening on the horizon, 7 Brew is opening a second Fort Walton Beach location on Beal Parkway, check out 7 must-try dessert spots in Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Niceville baseball completes an in-season sweep of Choctaw with a 7-1 win, and Okaloosa County School District will open an Employee Health Clinic in Fort Walton Beach.
- Plus, try today’s Wordrow puzzle, and our new jigsaw puzzle
BUSINESS
7 Brew drops second Fort Walton Beach location on Beal Parkway
Coffee lovers on the north side of town have something to celebrate.
7 Brew, the Arkansas-born drive-thru coffee chain with a growing presence on the Emerald Coast, officially dropped its second Fort Walton Beach stand on March 4 at 799 Beal Parkway. Unlike the first Fort Walton Beach location, which was a retrofit of an existing building, this stand was built in Arkansas and shipped in three pieces, following the company’s standard modular approach.
- “Our first Fort Walton Beach store is always packed,” said Emma Dewitt, director of field marketing for 7 Crew Enterprises. “It felt like the right time to continue growing in that market and make 7 Brew a little more accessible for our customers.”
The new location will add approximately 50 jobs to the Fort Walton Beach area.
Two former secret menu favorites recently earned permanent spots on the lineup: the Cookie Butter Breve, featuring toasted marshmallow, hazelnut and white chocolate, and the Banana Bread Mocha, a banana-hazelnut-chocolate coffee with a chocolate milk base.
SPONSORED
You can bank with us
If you live, work, worship or attend school within our field of membership, you can bank with us. See more ways to qualify for membership at eglinfcu.org/join.
Eglin Federal Credit Union — where members matter most. Insured by NCUA
GAMES
WordroW: March 13, 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’s Pineview School construction enters final stretch with August opening on horizon
With less than six months until its scheduled opening, Pineview School is taking shape rapidly as construction crews work daily to finish the 1,200-student K-8 campus in north Crestview, officials told the Okaloosa County School Board during a workshop Monday.
- Assistant Superintendent Grant Meyer said most of the buildings on the campus are dried in, with interior work including flooring, painting and casework underway in some classroom wings. The cafeteria and kitchen are ahead of schedule, and the media center at the front of the building is progressing, he said.
“It is getting real,” Meyer told board members. “because we have less than six months before we need to open.”
Meyer said crews will continue working through weekends and over spring break to stay on schedule, with plans to push through the summer. The first delivery of furniture could arrive as soon as April in one completed classroom wing, with additional deliveries phased through the summer and into the fall.
PROMOTED BY ORIGIN BANK
Local People, Real Connections
Your banker should get to know you, and our team of local trusted advisors in Fort Walton Beach is ready to learn your story.
Origin Bank has been proud to support our customers and communities through everyday business and unexpected change.
GUIDES
7 must-try dessert spots in Destin-Fort Walton Beach
When the beach day winds down and you’re ready for something sweet, Destin–Fort Walton Beach has a variety of dessert spots that are guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Whether you’re craving homemade ice cream after dinner, a nostalgic snoball by the water, or an over-the-top cookie, these seven spots are absolutely worth the sugar rush.
Jamie Kamber, editor of Destin Snapshots and local photographer, has you covered as we enter Spring Break season!
SPORTS
Niceville baseball completes in-season sweep of Choctaw with 7-1 win
Our sports coverage is sponsored by Bayer & Curtis Orthodontics and Emerald Coast Fellowship of Christian Athletes
On a misty Wednesday night in Niceville, the Eagles used a balanced offensive attack to defeat Choctaw 7-1 and complete an in-season sweep of the Indians.
- The two teams first met on Feb. 13, when Niceville won 7-4 at Choctaw. This time, the Eagles handled business on their home field.
“It’s everything,” Niceville head coach Justin Bruce said of the rivalry matchup. “Coach Weber does an amazing job with those guys, gets them to play hard, they’re a gritty team, they’ll give you everything they’ve got.”
Niceville struck first in the opening inning when Ryder Hodgkinson lined an RBI single to bring home Remington Crum, putting the Eagles up 1-0.
The score held until the third, when Choctaw answered. Eagles pitcher Ethan Thomas walked Carter Marracco, who advanced to third on an error. Seth Young then singled to drive in Marracco and tie the game at 1-1.
SCHOOL
Okaloosa County School District to open Employee Health Clinic in Fort Walton Beach
The Okaloosa County School District is launching a new Employee Health Clinic next month as part of its push to control healthcare costs and expand benefits for staff.
The clinic, located at the Okaloosa Technical College Fort Walton Beach Campus on Lewis Turner Boulevard, will officially open following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 2 at 1:45 p.m. The facility will be operated in partnership with Marathon Health, a national provider of employer-based primary care services.
District employees and their dependents enrolled in the OCSD health plan will have access to free medical services and no-cost pharmaceuticals through the clinic. The facility is designed to improve access to both preventative care and chronic condition management.
COASTAL RESOURCES
$10 million beach renourishment project in Destin to begin soon
A long-awaited beach renourishment project will begin the week of March 23 in Destin to restore approximately 150,600 cubic yards of sand lost to erosion from Hurricane Sally in 2020.
- The $10 million project is largely funded through federal disaster recovery assistance, with $9 million coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and $1 million from Okaloosa County tourism beach restoration reserve funds.
Immediately following Hurricane Sally, Okaloosa County staff met with FEMA staff onsite to conduct visual estimates of beach erosion and begin the process of receiving federal restoration funds.
“We are thrilled that this project is finally beginning,” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin. “While we didn’t receive a direct hit from Hurricane Sally, the storm’s impacts were certainly felt in Okaloosa County. This is a great step toward protecting our upland structures and restoring lost sand for the enjoyment of the residents and visitors.”
The project encompasses two areas of west Destin beaches, located between the South Bay by the Gulf Condos and the jetty, with a small gap separating the two sections. Mobilization of equipment will begin the week of March 23, with actual dredging starting in April.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Friday. 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!
p.s. What did you think of this morning’s newsletter? Hit the reply button and let me know!
Jared
Published with ♥ by Get The Coast.
Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here.
124 Eglin Parkway SE Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548