GIVING BACK

ERA American Real Estate hosts First Annual “Giving Games” for charity

Fort Walton Beach Golf Course and Clubhouse Grill recently saw some friendly competition as ERA American Real Estate held its first annual “Giving Games” event, bringing together agents from across Northwest Florida for a day of camaraderie and charitable giving. 

• With teams competing in various games such as cornhole, karaoke, putting, and adult-size Connect4, the goal was to have fun while also competing for $1,000 to go toward the winning team’s chosen local non-profit organization.

ERA American does several social events throughout the year to bring all of their agents together in a social environment rather than at the office since they have 5 offices across Northwest Florida. Even though they have opportunities to see each other monthly during their company meetings, this gives them a chance to get outside the office a few times a year.

The winning team, aptly named “Team Without A Title,” chose PAWS (Panhandle Animal Welfare Society) as their charity of choice, taking home $1,000 for the organization. 

• Team members included Realtors Karen Whyte, Wayne Myshin, Nance Wendel, Don Hamrick, Brian Lingerfelt, Agent Services Coordinator Heather Richardson, and ERA American’s Identity and Branding Specialist Jonelle Lewis.

When asked about the secret to their success, Karen Whyte, Realtor, shared, “Winning at an ERA American event takes strategy and skill.”

• “Okay, to be honest, we secured a world renowned opera singer (Realtor Don Hamrick) for karaoke,” she laughed. “We all love our dogs, so donating to the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society was an easy choice!”

In a true display of generosity and community spirit, Team Rentatonix, comprised of ERA American rental department team members and Crestview office sales agents, also pooled funds to donate an additional $1,000 to Matrix COC in Defuniak Springs.

“We are a competitive bunch, who are just as passionate about making our communities better for everyone,” said Linde Bowman. “Our get-togethers are an opportunity to laugh, connect, give back to the community, and to have some friendly competition within our team.”

• Echoing this sentiment, Tony Lombardo, CEO & Broker, added, “Connecting on a personal level is an important part of our company’s success. It’s at these events where coworkers become family.”

With such a successful first year, the ERA American Real Estate “Giving Games” is poised to become an annual tradition, continuing to bring colleagues together and support the Northwest Florida community for years to come.

REAL ESTATE

Okaloosa to create countywide ‘Attainable Workforce Housing’ strategic plan

The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners has hired consulting firm Thomas P. Miller and Associates to undertake the creation of a Countywide Comprehensive Attainable Workforce Housing Strategic Plan. 

According to the county, Thomas P. Miller and Associates will work with County staff and the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee to perform economic research and analyses, conduct engagement sessions, and formulate recommendations designed to promote the development, preservation, and access to housing to help meet the need of Okaloosa County’s resident workforce and families. 

• “We have a tremendous need for attainable housing in Okaloosa County.” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin. “We will continue to make it a priority to address housing needs for all of our residents, including working families, by enhancing our housing inventory and identifying additional strategies that address this issue.”

Okaloosa County is growing rapidly and the need for workforce housing is expected to escalate. The County is preparing to meet this need and to also have housing options in support of our servicemembers working on Eglin Air Force Base and accompanying installations.

“We are excited to work with the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners and the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee to identify and address needs relating to workforce housing,” said Aaron Finley, Economic Development Senior Consultant and Project Lead for Thomas P. Miller and Associates. “This Attainable Housing Strategic Plan will seek to ensure stability for the local economy and for the working families who are critical to the long-term success of the County.”

The County has implemented several measures to promote the availability of attainable housing. This study will seek to quantify their effectiveness and build on these efforts with a comprehensive plan of actions, strategies, and timelines that will aid Okaloosa County in reaching the goal of increasing the inventory of long-term attainable housing.

The plan is estimated to be completed and available to the general public by the end of this year. The funding for this study is being provided through a Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund (LATCF) grant. 

THINGS TO DO

Sinfonia Youth Orchestra to host annual FREE Spring Concert at Destin High School

Destin High School will be alive with the sound of music on Sunday, May 7, at 2 p.m. as the Sinfonia Youth Orchestra hosts its annual FREE spring concert.

• The program will feature a range of music selections from beautiful ballads and lyrical waltzes to exuberant sea shanties and folk-dance ditties, including Cumberland Cross, Yorkshire Ballad, Waltz No. 2, by Shostakovich, and Celtic Air and Dance.

“From mournful melodies that will touch your heart to jaunty folk songs that will have you tapping your toes, our ensemble has demonstrated a superior level of musicality in preparing this program and we hope you all will come out for an exhilarating evening!” said Sinfonia Youth Orchestra music director Margaret Gordon. 

In addition to the music performance, the concert will include a salute to the graduation high school seniors and the presentation of the 2023 Sinfonia Gulf Coast senior scholarship. 

• “The leadership from our seniors has allowed our ensemble to grow exponentially in a short time and I am looking forward to recognizing them for their efforts and commitment,” Gordan said. 

According to Sinfonia Gulf Coast Music & Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller, education is the centerpiece of Sinfonia. His organization was founded in 2005 not only for its entertainment value but for the fact that Northwest Florida needed an organization that could be the proponent for arts education in schools, specifically music education.

“The Sinfonia Youth Orchestra program is a wonderful catalyst for local young musicians to expand their musical talents, but it would not be a full experience without an audience, so we hope everyone will come out to and support our youth orchestras,” he added.

TRAFFIC

New details on the Brooks Bridge Replacement Project from last week’s open house

Last week, the Florida Department of Transportation held an open house at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center on Okaloosa Island to share details about the upcoming Brooks Bridge Replacement Project. The project is set to begin this spring and will cost $171 million.

The current bridge will be replaced with two parallel bridges that will be able to accommodate three lanes of eastbound and three lanes of westbound traffic, flanking the travel lanes with inside and outside shoulders for refuge during accidents or mechanical malfunctions. Tow trucks and first responder vehicles will also be able to use these lanes in case of an emergency.

• Each of the bridges will be equipped with 12-foot shared-use paths for pedestrians and bicyclists. These paths will include shaded seating areas for those who want to take in the panoramic vistas of Santa Rosa Sound and a new waterfront park will also be developed. 

The new bridge will measure 2,111 feet in length, which is 793 feet longer than the existing bridge to meet US Coast Guard requirements. The vertical clearance at the navigational channel will also increase from 50 feet to 65 feet.

During construction, any needed lane closures on US 98 will be limited to nighttime hours from 9:00 PM to 5:30 AM Sunday through Thursday, according to FDOT. Otherwise, two US 98 travel lanes in each direction will remain open at all times throughout the construction period, according to FDOT.

To accomplish this, crews will first build the new westbound structure while four lanes of traffic remain on the current bridge. Once the westbound structure is complete, two lanes of traffic in each direction will be temporarily shifted to the new structure. This will allow crews to demolish the existing bridge and build a new eastbound structure.

The foundation for the new bridge will be provided by 348 concrete pilings, each driven deep into the soil at the bottom of Santa Rosa Sound. The piles will be akin to large nails that are driven with heavy and powerful equipment, providing support by transferring the bridge loads into the soil.

• Pile driving will begin this spring, with daytime work permitted from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. Each day throughout the construction period, US 98 will continue to accommodate four travel lanes, two eastbound and two westbound. FDOT says no lane closures or other construction-related traffic impacts will be allowed during holidays or special events.

To better accommodate marine traffic, the new Brooks Bridge will increase the navigational channel vertical clearance from 50 to 65 feet. The horizontal clearance of the channel will also increase from 140 to 150 feet. During construction, boaters will be advised to pass slowly under the bridge, watch for maintenance and construction equipment, and not stop or anchor below or near the bridge.

All bridge construction is currently estimated for completion in summer 2027.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Man charged with Human Trafficking following arrest in Okaloosa

On Thursday, April 13, 2023, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office was conducting enforcement operations on Interstate 10 around 9am when a stop was conducted for a traffic violation.

The driver, 44-year old Jose Figueroa of Beaufort, South Carolina, was allegedly transporting two illegal aliens in the vehicle with him, taking them to Georgia for “work”.

According to the OCSO, it was later determined that Figueroa picked up one
passenger in Texas and the other in Louisiana to take them to Georgia for $1100.

• He had half the money on him and said he was to receive the other half when he dropped them off, according to the report.

Figueroa was placed under arrest for Human Trafficking and transported to the Okaloosa County Jail.

In November 2021, the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners supported an effort to raise awareness to end human trafficking in our area with a proclamation that supports educating the public on spotting the warning signs of human trafficking and reporting it to the authorities.

The Okaloosa County Commission on the Status of Women led a series of meetings with stakeholders from various Okaloosa County women’s organizations and subject matter experts, including the Executive Director of the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking to discuss ways to fight human trafficking locally.

• Florida continues to rank third in the nation in the number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
• Industries commonly targeted by human traffickers are located in Okaloosa County as well as along Interstate 10, which has been used as a corridor for human trafficking. 

According to the proclamation, victims include children, women, and men with the average age at which a victim is trafficked for commercial sex being between the ages of 12-14.

Continue reading.

COASTAL RESOURCES

‘Spring Clean Up’ scuba diving event set to take place at the Okaloosa Island Pier

The spring cleanup dive event is back at the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier on Sunday, April 23, 2023. This event, put on by Visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach, The Gulfarium and the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier, is geared towards experienced scuba divers and aims to remove fishing line and debris from the pier pilings and seafloor, helping to preserve our coastal environment. 

• This is also the only opportunity the public has to dive the pier as it is usually off limits.

To participate, divers must bring their certification cards with them, sign up on the registration page ahead of the event and sign a liability waiver. The event will begin with a check-in at 6:00 a.m., followed by a safety meeting at 7:00 a.m. Once the briefing is complete, divers will hit the water to start the cleanup.

• Divers will have to bring their own gear, air tank, and cutting utensils, and will use mesh bags provided by the organizers to collect the debris. After the dive, all participants will be required to check-out.

“These dive cleanup events play a crucial role in preserving our local marine ecosystem,” says Alex Fogg, Coastal Resource Manager for Okaloosa County. “By removing debris, especially fishing lines, from the pier pilings and seafloor, we’re not only keeping our waters clean but also protecting marine life from entanglement and other dangers.”

After the dive, participants can enjoy an after-party at Angler’s Restaurant, where they’ll find food and beverage specials. Parking is available in the restaurant’s parking lot.

• Keep in mind, this event is weather-dependent, and a final decision on the pier cleanup status will be made the day before. Participants will be notified via email and social media. 

Last year’s cleanup in August attracted 100 divers from all over the region, removing almost 300 lbs. of debris. Items found include:

• Fishing line
• Fishing gear
• Hooks
• Bait containers
• Fishing lures
• Fishing rods
• Knives
• Sunglasses
• Water bottles
• Beer cans

“The success of our dive cleanup events truly lies in the collective efforts of our dive community,” added Fogg. “Every pound of debris we remove helps safeguard the habitats of countless marine species. Together, we can make a lasting difference and ensure a thriving future for our marine life.”

If you are interested in participating in this event, simply click here to register.