COASTAL RESOURCES

Scuba divers remove 93lbs of debris from Okaloosa Island Pier

On Sunday, April 23rd, experienced scuba divers from Okaloosa County and beyond gathered at the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier for the annual spring cleanup dive event.

• The event, which was put on by Visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach, The Gulfarium, and the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier, aimed to remove fishing line and debris from the pier pilings and seafloor, ultimately preserving the coastal environment.

Around 50 divers participated in the cleanup, according to the county. The divers spent the morning removing various debris, including fishing line, lures, and even an umbrella. In total, 93lbs. of debris was removed.

“This mere 93lbs. [of debris] means our fisherman have really adopted the ‘leave no trace’ initiative,” said Eric Brown, General Manager at the Pier. “We have an amazing group of local fisherman that do their part and then some to help keep our environment clean.”

According to the county, any usable lures will be salvaged and resold by the Okaloosa Island Pier, with proceeds benefiting the Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center.

After the dive, participants enjoyed an after-party at Angler’s Restaurant.

THINGS TO DO

Spanish Trail Park Cleanup promotes healthier community, tobacco-free policies

Crestview High School students are partnering with the Okaloosa County Tobacco-Free Partnership (OCTFP), Tobacco Free Florida in Okaloosa, and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) for a park cleanup event.

• The Spanish Trail Park Cleanup will take place on Saturday, April 29, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Spanish Trail Park in Crestview.

The event aims to raise awareness of tobacco waste in public outdoor spaces throughout Okaloosa County. The OCTFP and CHS SWAT have been advocating for policy reform to ban smoking and vaping from Crestview-owned public parks.

• They presented their vision of a healthier community to the Crestview City Council on February 13, where they emphasized the negative health, social, environmental, and mental effects of smoking and vaping.

Lauren Woodward, CHS SWAT President and OCTFP member, stated that smoking and vaping in public parks have environmental effects that are apparent when “you want to go on a walk [at Twin Hills Park in Crestview] and you see cigarette butts.” Woodward hopes that the event will increase awareness of the issue and inspire the community to support policy reform.

The Spanish Trail Park Cleanup event directly follows the OCSO’s “Cruisers and Cops” event occurring at the same location from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

GIVING BACK

NASA Astronauts share space stories with Okaloosa County school students

Two NASA astronauts, Colonel Raja Chari and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hines, recently paid a visit to students in the Okaloosa County School District. The two astronauts stopped by Niceville High School and Bluewater Elementary to talk to the students about their experiences in space and how they became astronauts.

ROTC cadets from Crestview, Niceville, Choctawhatchee, and Fort Walton Beach High Schools, as well as students from the Okaloosa STEMM Academy, gathered at Niceville High School on Thursday, April 13th.

• On Friday, April 14th, Astronaut Club members from Antioch Elementary and Bluewater Elementary met at Bluewater.

The astronauts showed a video to the students that gave them a glimpse into their daily activities and duties while aboard the International Space Station. Afterward, they opened the floor for a Question and Answer session.

During the visit, the astronauts shared their experiences as part of Expedition 66 and 67, including the experiments they conducted while aboard the ISS.

• Col. Raja Chari was part of Expedition 66 and conducted experiments aimed at identifying new materials with innate antimicrobial properties that could be used in designing future spacecraft.
• Lt. Col. Bob Hines was part of Expedition 67 and conducted experiments studying the aging of immune cells and the potential to reverse those effects during post-flight recovery.

“We are so thankful for this experience,” said Amy Klugh, Bluewater Elementary School Principal. “Since the students have all been to Space camp, they were engaged and asked such thoughtful questions.” Klugh thanked the astronauts for their visit and for giving the students a core memory experience. “They will never forget this!”

Lt. Col. Bob Hines, who served more than 23 years in the United States Air Force before joining NASA’s Astronaut Candidate Class in 2017, was assigned to Eglin AFB and his daughter attended Bluewater Elementary School. He served as the pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station, which concluded on Oct. 14, 2022, and logged 170 days in space.

Col. Raja Chari, an Iowa native and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, served as commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the ISS and was part of Expedition 66 and 67 before returning to Earth May 6, 2022, after spending 177 days in orbit.

“We appreciate Eglin Air Force Base for coordinating these visits and NASA Astronauts Colonel Raja Chari and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hines for sharing their knowledge and love of STEM with our students,” wrote the OCSD in a press release.

TRAFFIC

Okaloosa and Walton County Traffic Advisory

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Okaloosa and Walton counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

Okaloosa County:                                  

• State Road (S.R.) 20 (John Sims Parkway) Resurfacing Project Drivers will encounter the following traffic impacts the week of Sunday, April 23:
  • Intermittent temporary westbound outside daytime lane closures on John Sims Parkway, from Edge Avenue to west of the Rocky Bayou Bridge, Monday, April 20 through Friday, April 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for concrete for sidewalk, curb and gutter construction.
  • Intermittent east and westbound nighttime lane closures on S.R. 20, from Edge Avenue to west of the Rocky Bayou Bridge, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., for median milling, median widening, and sidewalk construction.

• S.R. 85 Resurfacing from John Sims Parkway to College Boulevard – Drivers will encounter daytime intermittent, northbound outside lane closures Monday, April 24 through Friday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for sidewalk repair and construction.

• S.R. 85 Improvements from S.R. 123 to Hospital Drive – The week of Sunday, April 23, drivers will encounter intermittent, temporary northbound single-lane closures on S.R. 85, between S.R. 123 and Shoal River Bridge, from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. for soil borings along the Shoal River Bridge. Additionally, S.R. 85 drivers will encounter the following intermittent, temporary single-lane closures Monday, April 24 through Friday, April 28 for paving operations, maintenance of shoulder drop-offs and to place sod in the following locations:
  • S.R. 85 northbound single-lane closures, between S.R. 123 and Shoal River Bridge, will occur between 4 a.m. and 2 p.m.
  • S.R. 85 southbound single-lane closures, between Shoal River Bridge and S.R. 123, will occur between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.

• U.S. 98 Bridge Rehabilitation over East Pass Bridge – Drivers may encounter intermittent single-lane closures on U.S. 98 over East Pass (Marler) Bridge, westbound structure (Destin to Fort Walton Beach), Monday, April 24 through Thursday, April 27, between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. The existing 35 mph speed limit will be maintained during construction.

Walton County:

• U.S. 98 Resurfacing from Village Road to East of U.S. 331 – Drivers will encounter the following traffic impacts the week of Sunday, April 23:
  • Intermittent U.S. 98 east and westbound lane closures between 7:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. for paving operations.
  • Intermittent closures of the U.S. 98 east and westbound outside shoulders and turn lanes may be required as crews construct new sidewalks and widen existing turn lanes between Village Road and U.S. 331.
  • Temporary intermittent U.S. 98 east and westbound outside lane closures, from Village Road to Mack Bayou Road, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to deliver concrete for sidewalk, curb and gutter construction.

• S.R. 20 Turn Lane Construction at J. W. Hollington Road – Drivers will encounter intermittent lane closures the week of Sunday, April 23 for paving operations.

All activities are weather-dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.

COMING SOON

WM breaks ground on $30 Million Material Recovery Facility in Fort Walton Beach

WM, a leading waste management company, announced plans for its latest material recovery facility (MRF) in Fort Walton Beach. The company held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, April 21 for the facility that will be fully automated and will serve a wide area, covering Biloxi, MS to Tallahassee, FL. 

• The MRF is expected to be operational in Q2 2024.

The new facility is anticipated to be the first fully automated, full-scale recycling facility in Northwest Florida. It will be centrally located within the City of Fort Walton Beach in Okaloosa County. 

• The MRF will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including optical sorters, non-wrapping screens, and an OCC screen, which will help produce higher quality material for customers that use the recycled material as feedstock to manufacture new products.

The Fort Walton Beach MRF is expected to be approximately 45,000 square feet with an expected capacity to process approximately 120,000 tons per year of single-stream and source separated recyclables. 

The addition of this new WM MRF in Northwest Florida will help the region’s recycling programs to expand and produce higher quality material for customers, according to WM.

“WM is pleased to announce our investment in building a state-of-the-art recycling material recovery facility right here in Fort Walton Beach,” said Brandon Shaw, WM Gulf Coast Area Vice President. “WM is committed to serving Northwest Florida and bringing sustainable solutions to the area as well as working together with local communities throughout the region to increase recycling through education and outreach.”

This project is part of WM’s previously announced enterprise-wide plans to invest $1 billion in recycling infrastructure through 2025, including automating existing facilities and developing new facilities. With the demand for recycled content products expected to rise, the investments are expected to enable WM to capture more recycled materials and increase access to recycling for its customers.

TRAFFIC

Temporary closure of Business Access Road segment beneath Brooks Bridge on Okaloosa Island

The Business Access Road, located beneath Brooks Bridge on Okaloosa Island, will be temporarily closed between the Adventure Marina and the Brooks Bridge Marina beginning Monday, April 24.

• This segment of the road will become part of the dedicated work zone for construction of the new Brooks Bridge and will remain closed for the duration of the project.

According to FDOT, U.S. 98 eastbound drivers will be detoured for access to the Brooks Bridge Marina and Alvin’s Island, located on the Business Access Road (north side of U.S. 98).

These drivers will continue through the Santa Rosa Boulevard intersection, turn left onto the Convention Center Access Road (located to the west of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center), proceed to the roundabout to exit onto Santa Rosa Boulevard, then to the Business Access Road. 

• Detour signage will be in place to help direct drivers.

The $171-million Brooks Bridge replacement project includes constructing two new, parallel bridges that will increase capacity to six travel lanes from the current four-lane bridge that opened in 1966. Preliminary construction activities are now underway with project completion estimated for mid-2027.

For the latest on the Brooks Bridge Replacement Project, visit ilovefwb.com.