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Good morning!
Okaloosa Commissioners have banned red light and speed cameras on county roads. Niceville head football coach Richard Morgan has resigned after one season, two students and one adult were injured in a stabbing at Walton Middle School with the suspect now in custody, the new Brooks Bridge will feature a 12-foot shared path with seating areas, Choctaw beach volleyball is building a strong culture under its new coach, and the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office has issued more than 380 spring break citations with weeks still remaining. Also, Cambell Toolan is our Athlete of the Week for her dedication to Lady Bulldog softball.
- Plus, try yesterday’s WordroW puzzle along with today’s
PUBLIC SAFETY
Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office tops 380 spring break citations with weeks still to go
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies have issued 382 citations so far this spring break — and the season still has three weeks left.
Among the enforcement highlights: Deputies recently caught an underage group with a truck bed full of alcohol that OCSO said “looked more like it was stocking a small convenience store than a beach weekend.” Rather than confiscating it, deputies made the group pour out the supply themselves, can by can.
Okaloosa County maintains a zero-tolerance policy for underage possession of alcohol. The sheriff’s office has made clear it intends to keep that pace up through the end of the season.
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GAMES
WordroW: March 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.
PUBLIC SAFETY
2 students, 1 adult injured in stabbing at Walton Middle School; suspect in custody
A seventh grade student at Walton Middle School has been arrested for the stabbing attack on two fellow students and a paraprofessional Tuesday morning, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
Here’s what we know:
- The suspect was dropped off at the school at approximately 7:17 a.m. during early drop-off hours. Roughly 40 to 50 students were on campus at the time.
- The suspect entered a bathroom, emerged two minutes and 40 seconds later wearing a balaclava (mask) and armed with what Sheriff Michael Adkinson described as a “sharp implement,” and attacked three people in a hallway.
- The suspect fled and was taken into custody within seven minutes by DeFuniak Springs Police Department officers and WCSO Chief Deputy Dustin Cosson.
- One student was airlifted to Pensacola. A second student and the paraprofessional were taken to HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital. Two victims are in serious or critical condition.
- The suspect is being interviewed at the WCSO. Charges will be determined in consultation with the state attorney’s office.
- There is no further danger to the public. A follow-up press conference is planned for Wednesday.
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
For Cambell Toolan, being a Lady Bulldog has always been the plan — one pitch at a time
Athlete of the Week is brought to you by Okaloosa Gas District – supporting the athletes who make our community stronger.
Before every game this season, the Crestview softball lineup is announced and each player runs out to greet head coach John Toolan. When Cambell Toolan’s name is called, she hugs her dad and tells him she loves him.
- Cambell is a senior pitcher for the Lady Bulldogs and the daughter of the man coaching her. She had opportunities to play elsewhere but wanted to stay at Crestview and help build the program.
“Why would you want to go somewhere where it’s already been done before?” Cambell said. “I want to go somewhere and do something for the first time.”
This season, it’s starting to come together. Cambell has pitched 58-plus innings as the team’s primary arm while posting 8 hits and 11 RBIs at the plate. She’s signed with Northwest Florida State College, but right now her focus is finishing her senior season strong alongside her dad.
“I’ve always wanted to be a Lady Bulldog,” she said. “Be the team that changes things.”
SPORTS
Choctaw beach volleyball building strong culture under new coach
When Ciara Reistad came to Choctaw to lead the beach volleyball program, she inherited a team that had lost six seniors from its starting lineup. With only three seniors on this year’s roster and a relatively new program, a new culture needed to be built.
- So far, Reistad has done a tremendous job doing just that.
The Lady Indians picked up a win over Destin on March 5, which marked Reistad’s first victory as head coach. Choctaw also played Pace and Crestview — both strong programs — to competitive battles that were much closer than the final scores indicated.
“It’s very exciting. We had two really hard-fought games against Pace and Crestview,” Reistad said. “We lost six seniors last year who were in our starting lineup, so this year we were kind of an unknown on how we were going to do. But our returning girls have improved so much, so I’m just proud of the way that they’ve been playing — not just how they’re playing, but with their attitude and communication and the things that we can control.”
Seniors Arabella Delay, Victoria Walazk and Isabel Gutierrez have been key to setting that culture. All three serve as team captains this year.
TRAFFIC
New Brooks Bridge to feature 12-foot shared path with seating areas
Construction is underway on the barrier wall that will separate vehicle traffic from pedestrian and bicyclist traffic on the new westbound Brooks Bridge approach on Okaloosa Island.
The rebar visible in recent photos forms the framework for the future barrier wall. To the left of the barrier wall, a 12-foot shared use path will feature shaded seating areas for pedestrians and bicyclists to enjoy panoramic vistas of the Santa Rosa Sound.
The $171-million Brooks Bridge replacement project includes constructing two new, parallel bridge structures that will increase capacity to six travel lanes. The current bridge, which opened in 1966, has four lanes.
The Florida Department of Transportation is overseeing the project.
SPORTS
Niceville head football coach Richard Morgan resigns after one season
Niceville Head Football Coach Richard Morgan has resigned, principal Charlie Marello announced Tuesday afternoon.
- “We are grateful to Coach Morgan for his time, leadership and dedication poured into our student athletes at NHS,” Marello said in a statement to Get The Coast. “We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”
Morgan was hired last April to replace Grant Thompson, who resigned after serving as head coach from 2019 to 2024. Thompson went 63-11 in six years with the Eagles, leading them to two Final Four appearances, including his final season in 2024.
Morgan arrived at Niceville with an impressive résumé, having won two state championships at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, and another in 2019 at Marietta High School in Georgia — the program’s first state title since 1967. However, Morgan went 20-36 over the remainder of his tenure at Marietta before resigning in 2024.
In his one season leading the Eagles, Morgan went 6-5 in what became a tale of two halves.
TRAFFIC
Okaloosa Commissioners ban red light, speed cameras on county roads
Red light cameras and school zone speed cameras are now banned on Okaloosa County roadways after Commissioners voted Tuesday to adopt a resolution citing constitutional due process concerns.
- Chairman Trey Goodwin, who requested the item be placed on the agenda, said the action was prompted by a March 4 ruling from Broward County Judge Steven DeLuca finding that Florida’s red light camera statute violates constitutional due process protections.
“I think Judge DeLuca’s order is well reasoned and well written,” Goodwin said. “Until the legislature fixes the statute, it’s not even a policy issue. It’s a fundamental due process rights issue.”
The county does not currently have red light cameras or school zone speed cameras on county-maintained roads, according to the county’s public information office. However, Goodwin noted that staff has received requests from cities seeking to place cameras on county right-of-ways.
The resolution applies only to county-owned and county-maintained roads. Cities retain authority over their own roads, and state roads remain under state jurisdiction. This also does not impact the Flock Cameras.
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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