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Good morning!
Destin City Councilmember Torey Geile has resigned with the city now seeking applicants to fill the vacancy. Fort Walton Beach High School lacrosse is making program history with its first-ever home district playoff game, Destin’s ‘The Pancakery’ marks 15 years with renovated locations and a franchising push, Okaloosa County will cut the ribbon on its new Agriculture Extension Office in Fort Walton Beach, and South Walton softball is surging at 12-2 behind six seniors and the Kreinus sisters.
SPORTS
FWBHS lacrosse is growing, competing and making program history
Over the five seasons before this year, the Fort Walton Beach High School boys lacrosse team won a total of 11 games. During two of those seasons, they didn’t win at all, going a combined 0-23 in 2022-23 and 2023-24. The program, founded roughly eight years ago, was at a crossroads, and there were real questions about whether enough interest existed to keep it going.
- On Thursday night, the Vikings will host West Florida in the first home district tournament playoff game in program history. The 6 p.m. faceoff is the latest milestone in a turnaround that head coach Frank Graziano and his staff have built almost from scratch.
“At one time this was a program that they were seriously looking at wondering if there really was an interest,” Graziano said. “And the players were the ones that said yes. They said ‘we’re here’ and we’re going to take this field and we’re going to go for a win.”
Graziano took over ahead of the 2024-25 season and immediately saw results. The Vikings went 2-9 that year, breaking a two-year winless drought. The first win, he said, felt like the team had won the Super Bowl.
This season, Fort Walton Beach has gone 5-8 overall and 5-1 in district play, finishing second in the district standings and earning the right to host a district playoff game. It is the most successful season in program history.
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GAMES
WordroW: April 9, 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.
BUSINESS
The Pancakery marks 15 years with renovated locations, new merchandise and franchising push
The Pancakery, a breakfast and brunch restaurant with locations in Destin and Panama City Beach, is celebrating its 15th anniversary with renovated interiors, new branded merchandise and an entrance into franchising.
- Co-owners Daryl Battaglia and Ricky Lehrmann opened the original Destin location in March 2011, building the concept around gourmet pancakes, handcrafted crepes, omelettes and brunch staples in a family-friendly setting.
The two have been friends for nearly 40 years, having met at age 8 in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, where they played basketball together and even ran a small candy and baseball card operation at school. They remained close through school and college — with a brief stint in a rock band in between — before eventually settling on the Emerald Coast and opening The Pancakery together.
The brand expanded to Panama City Beach in 2017. Both locations have since become regular destinations for residents and vacationers along the Emerald Coast.
To mark the anniversary, The Pancakery has redesigned the interiors of both restaurants with what the company describes as an updated coastal aesthetic, while keeping the casual, welcoming feel the brand is known for.
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Gulfarium’s TurtleFest returns April 18 with all-inclusive celebration supporting sea turtle rescue
The Gulfarium Adventure Park will host its third annual “CARE on the Coast TurtleFest” on April 18, offering an all-inclusive afternoon of live music, local food, animal encounters and family entertainment — all in support of the facility’s sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
- The event, presented by Valparaiso Coca-Cola, runs from 3:30 to 7 p.m., with VIP ticket holders gaining early access at 3 p.m.
“Every ticket that we sell is more that goes to the CARE Center,” said Mary Fomby, Marketing Manager for Gulfarium. “Everything that we raise through this event goes back to rescuing sea turtles in our area.”
This family-friendly festival will be an unforgettable evening, where you’ll enjoy entertainment, unlimited food & drink, fun activities for all ages, meet-and-greets with your favorite Gulfarium residents and opportunities to make a real difference in the lives of endangered sea turtles!
GAMES
Jigsaw – “Meet me at the mall”
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
Ready for this week’s Jigsaw puzzle?
Each week, we use local pictures from around Okaloosa County as part of our puzzles. They’ll include current dated photos to historical ones. Do you recognize this place?
BUSINESS
Okaloosa County to cut ribbon on new Agriculture Extension Office in Fort Walton Beach
Nearly two years after breaking ground, Okaloosa County will open its new UF/IFAS Extension facility in Fort Walton Beach, named for the horticulture agent whose career defined it.
- A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Sheila Dunning Extension Building is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, at 8:30 a.m. at 1954 Lewis Turner Blvd., in front of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Rigdon Center, formerly the NWF Fairgrounds. The public is invited to attend and tour the facility after the ceremony.
The new 3,000-square-foot building replaces a storm-damaged structure in south Okaloosa County and will house the county’s University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension programs. Services and programming will cover agriculture, coastal sciences, commercial horticulture, family and consumer sciences, residential horticulture, and 4-H youth development.
Residents can also access soil testing, free tax preparation, plant clinics, lawn care assistance, water quality help, and 4-H clubs.
SPORTS
Behind six seniors and the Kreinus sisters, South Walton softball is surging at 12-2
Coach Raiven Bryant knows what it takes to win.
The former Niceville shortstop played a key role in the Eagles’ 2017 and 2018 state runner-up campaigns. Now in her third year leading the South Walton softball program, Bryant has the Lady Seahawks playing at a level this program hasn’t seen before.
South Walton is 12-2 on the season, with its only losses coming against Fort Walton Beach — the defending 4A state champion — and North Bay Haven, the defending 2A state runner-up.
- “I think that we’ve got something really special happening here,” Bryant said. “We’ve got a group of six seniors, they know what it takes to win, they’ve worked hard, they’ve built their program off their own backs. It’s really special, it’s really exciting to see the growth of our game and the growth of this program.”
At the heart of the Lady Seahawks’ surge are the Kreinus sisters, Tatum and Zoey, who have anchored the lineup all season.
PROMOTED BY MUSICAL ECHOES
Musical Echoes celebrates 25 years with free Native flute festival at The Landing
Musical Echoes is marking a quarter century with its 25th Anniversary Native Flute Festival, running April 24-26 at The Landing in Fort Walton Beach. The three-day celebration features performers, concerts, Native American flute music, dance and cultural exhibits — all with Santa Rosa Sound as the backdrop.
The festival is free and open to the public, with events running from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.
POLITICS
Destin City Councilmember Torey Geile resigns; city seeks applicants to fill vacancy
Destin City Councilmember Torey Geile resigned from his seat Tuesday night, citing personal obligations and leaving the council with a vacancy it is now required to fill. Geile’s term ran from 2022 to 2026.
- City Attorney Kim Kopp announced the resignation during the meeting and told the council that under the city charter, because less than a year remains until the next city election, the council can appoint a replacement by majority vote.
Councilmember Jim Bagby made a motion to direct staff to advertise the opening and accept applications, with the goal of selecting a replacement at the council’s next meeting on April 20.
The city announced Wednesday that applications are due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 15. Applicants must live within the Destin city limits and be eligible to vote. Application forms are available at cityofdestin.com, at Destin City Hall at 4200 Indian Bayou Trail or by contacting the city clerk at 850-837-4242.
The person appointed will serve until a permanent member is elected Nov. 3.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Thursday. 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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