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Good morning!
Destin City Council has approved a Holiday Isle park concept plan to present to Okaloosa County, featuring free parking and dock proposals for the future state park. USTA Florida is investing $120,600 to renovate courts at Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center, Niceville softball coach Danny Hensley has earned his 500th career win, the Au Pair Program offers Emerald Coast families a flexible childcare alternative, and Florida Blue Foundation is now accepting Mental Well-Being Grant applications for 2026. Also, check out our preview of what’s ahead for local baseball teams in district tournaments.
PARKS+REC
USTA Florida invests $120,600 to renovate courts at Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center
The Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center held a community celebration on Saturday, April 11 following a $120,600 court renovation funded entirely by USTA Florida, the nonprofit governing body of tennis in the state.
- Attendees played on the freshly resurfaced courts, tried out pickleball and enjoyed a taco bar provided by sponsor Tijuana Flats. Tickets were originally capped at 100 but sold out quickly, and Kara Borromeo, the facility’s director of tennis, said the crowd was closer to 150.
The renovation included resurfacing seven tennis courts, new material and surfacing on three hitting walls, installation of new net posts and four pickleball courts. A vendor out of Tallahassee handled the work, which began in late January and finished around March 26.
With the renovated courts now in place, the tennis center is also positioned to serve as something of an innovation hub for USTA Florida, including the use of electronic line calling during tournaments — technology that is increasingly common at the professional level but rare at public facilities.
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GAMES
WordroW: April 14, 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.
SPORTS
Niceville softball coach Danny Hensley earns 500th career win
Danny Hensley has spent 23 years building Niceville softball into one of the premier programs in the state of Florida. A state championship in 2011. Six state championship game appearances. Seven final four appearances. Seventeen district titles.
- Now, the longtime Lady Eagles head coach has added another line to his résumé: 500 career wins.
Hensley reached the mark last Thursday in a 17-3 road win over Tate that was never in doubt.
Molly Mayfield crushed a three-run homer, Annabelle Shackelford and Natalie Miller each hit home runs, and Chloe Bailey was untouchable in the circle, throwing three hitless innings with five strikeouts.
Prior to Niceville’s 4-3 win over Greenwood (Ky.) on Friday night, Hensley was honored in a pregame ceremony. But when asked about the milestone, Hensley pointed to everyone around him.
“It’s very gratifying. I’m so grateful to be here, having so many wonderful players, and the support from this community,” Hensley said. “You don’t do something like this without a lot of great players. That’s the key. I try to coach hard and all of that stuff, but if you don’t have the talent or the support of the community it’s impossible. And I’m so blessed to have that.”
PROMOTED BY GULFARIUM
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!
BUSINESS
Au Pair Program offers Emerald Coast families flexible childcare alternative
For busy families along the Emerald Coast juggling military schedules, tourism-driven jobs and the demands of raising kids across multiple schools, traditional childcare doesn’t always fit the bill.
- That’s where au pairs come in — and one local mother and counselor is working to spread the word about an option she says many area families don’t even know exists.
Andrea Moak, a community counselor with Au Pair in America who also teaches communication at a local college, is helping establish the program’s presence along the Emerald Coast. A lifelong area resident and mother of three, Moak said she understands firsthand the childcare challenges families face.
“What I see here locally is that families don’t necessarily need more childcare — they need childcare that actually fits their real lives,” Moak said. “Between early mornings, late evenings and changing shift-driven schedules — especially with military families, entrepreneurs and tourism-driven jobs, there are gaps that traditional childcare doesn’t always cover.”
At its core, an au pair is a live-in childcare provider who becomes part of the host family while helping support daily routines. Unlike a traditional nanny or daycare arrangement, the model is built around a family’s specific schedule rather than requiring parents to work within someone else’s availability.
PROMOTED BY HCA
New ER now open in DeFuniak Springs
The new HCA Florida DeFuniak Springs Emergency is now open, bringing 24/7 emergency care to Walton County. Located at I-10 and U.S. 331, the facility features 10 private patient care rooms, board-certified emergency physicians and on-site diagnostic services including CT scan and digital X-ray.
SPORTS
Baseball district tournaments: A preview of what’s ahead for local teams
District tournament season is here, and the stakes vary widely for area baseball teams.
Niceville, Choctaw and South Walton enter as locks for the postseason regardless of how districts play out, while Crestview is likely in as the No. 6 seed in 6A Region 1 — potentially the program’s first playoff berth since 2015.
Rocky Bayou should be safe as well, sitting at No. 8 in a weak 1A region. The pressure falls heaviest on Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Freeport, Walton, Baker, Paxton and Laurel Hill, all of whom need a district title to keep their seasons going.
- The most intriguing first-round matchups? Choctaw-Fort Walton Beach in 4A, a rivalry game that wasn’t supposed to happen this year, and South Walton-Walton in 3A.
PROMOTED BY FLORIDA BLUE
Florida Blue Foundation now accepting Mental Well-Being Grant applications for 2026
The Florida Blue Foundation, the philanthropic affiliate of Florida’s Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, is accepting applications for its 2026 mental well-being grant program.
The foundation supports nonprofit organizations that improve health by addressing food security, advancing mental well-being, growing healthy communities and addressing health disparities.
For this grant cycle, the foundation is seeking applications from organizations with documented expertise in mental well-being.
The grant program is focused on two areas:
- Enhancing access to mental health services.
- Strengthening Florida’s mental health workforce.
Application are due May 21. Click here for the full details
PARKS+REC
Destin City Council approves Holiday Isle park concept plan to present to county with free parking, dock proposals
The Destin City Council approved a conceptual plan last week for the state-owned Holiday Isle park property near Norriego Point that includes new parking, passive recreational amenities and limited dock use, and agreed to offer free parking to all Okaloosa County residents at city parks.
- The council voted 4-1 to forward the plan (known as Concept 1) to County Commissioner Drew Palmer and the county attorney ahead of the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners’ April 21 meeting.
The plan proposes converting the existing roadway into a one-way road and adding 57 angled parking spaces, for a total of 115 spaces when combined with 58 existing spots.
In a separate 5-0 vote, the council approved designating the property’s docks for use as public transient slips and a fishing pier, with no overnight use permitted.
Both votes are part of a broader effort by the city to show its readiness to lease and manage the park property, which the state of Florida acquired in December 2025 for $83.3 million. The city previously passed a Resolution on March 16, requesting the state authorize Destin as the managing entity and committing up to $5 million in improvements.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Tuesday. 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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