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Good morning!
Okaloosa County officially opened the $212 million Southwest Crestview Bypass, ending years of construction on a project that reshapes how drivers move around the city. Choctaw baseball won its three-game series against St. Augustine to advance to the Elite 8, and Niceville and Fort Walton Beach softball lead the area’s charge into the state playoffs. The Fort Walton Beach Chamber celebrated 80 years with a Gulfarium birthday, Baker School’s criminal justice team placed at a state competition in Kissimmee, and Ascension Sacred Heart welcomed OB-GYN Dr. Janet Hamby to its Bluewater Bay practice. Also, Concerts at the Landing returns May 8 to Downtown Fort Walton Beach with free Friday night shows, and Construction Junction returns May 23.
THINGS TO DO
Concerts at the Landing returns May 8 to Downtown FWB with free Friday night shows
The City of Fort Walton Beach will bring back its Concerts at the Landing series on Friday, May 8, launching a five-week run of free live music at the newly renovated Fort Walton Beach Landing in the heart of downtown.
The 2026 Spring Series will run through June 5, with concerts held Friday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. at 139 Brooks Street SE.
The lineup opens with Miles Flatt, performing a country and party rock variety set on May 8. Grace and Grit, a country and Southern rock act, takes the stage May 15, followed by party rock variety band Count The Years on May 22. Alternative folk rock group Stormfolk performs May 29, and pop and country artist Emily Bass closes out the series on June 5.
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GAMES
WordroW: May 4, 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
Fort Walton Beach Chamber celebrates 80 years with Gulfarium celebration
The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce celebrated eight decades of community impact on Thursday, April 23, drawing more than 250 members to an 80th anniversary event at Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park.
Founded in 1946, the chamber has grown to represent more than 1,000 businesses and 2,400 active members across Okaloosa County. The milestone served as both the backdrop and the inspiration for the evening’s celebration.
“For 80 years, the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce has done more than support local business; it’s helped build the friendships that make doing business here unlike anywhere else,” said Ted Corcoran, President and CEO of the Chamber. “We don’t just believe Okaloosa County is a great place to work. We believe it’s the greatest place in the world to live.”
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SPORTS
Choctaw baseball wins three-game series against St. Augustine, advances to Elite 8
The Choctaw Indians’ historic season will continue after a hard-fought three-game regional series win over St. Augustine.
After dropping Game 1 at home 3-2, the Indians stormed back with a 9-4 win in Game 2 and a 4-1 win in Game 3 to punch their ticket to the Elite 8 in the 2026 FHSAA Baseball State Championships.
Series highlights:
- Maddox Gentry delivered a complete-game gem in Game 3 in his first start of the season — five hits, seven Ks, one run.
- Jordan Figueroa broke Game 3 open with a two-run homer in the third.
- Parker Powell stranded all three inherited runners in Game 2 with the bases loaded, striking out the three-hole hitter to escape the jam.
Choctaw will host the winner of Clay-Escambia in the Elite 8.
“Back here again. Back home again. We’re fired up to get the home crowd in here,” Head Coach David Weber said.
SCHOOL
Baker High criminal justice team places at state competition in Kissimmee
Baker High School’s Criminal Justice program brought home several top finishes from the Florida Public Safety Association Student Leadership Competition, held April 8-12 in Kissimmee.
The event, themed “Empowering Student Success with Opportunities and Integrity!”, drew more than 300 students from programs across Florida, including established academies. Baker’s team competed against the state’s top programs in its first appearance at the state competition.
Students competed in events including Traffic Stop, Evidence Packaging, Obstacle Course, Latent Fingerprint Comparison, Extemporaneous Speaking, Digital Poster, Pamphlet, Trifold Display, Prepared Speaking, Public Information Officer, Forensic Investigations, Use of Force and Physical Assessment.
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SPORTS
Niceville, Fort Walton Beach lead area softball charge into state playoffs
The FHSAA released softball state championship brackets Friday, and five area teams made the cut.
Top-seeded Niceville enters as the early state title favorite, while defending champion Fort Walton Beach rides a 10-game win streak into its title defense. Crestview, South Walton and Rocky Bayou round out the area field, each with a different road to Longwood.
THINGS TO DO
Construction Junction returns to Fort Walton Beach on May 23
Construction Junction is back, giving children and adults the chance to climb aboard heavy machinery and meet the people who build and protect the community.
The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Rigdon Center, 1958 Lewis Turner Blvd. The venue was formerly known as the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds.
Hosted by the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, Construction Junction offers a hands-on experience for all ages. Attendees can touch and climb on large work vehicles and meet the professionals who operate them, along with law enforcement officers.
BUSINESS
Ascension Sacred Heart welcomes OB-GYN Dr. Janet Hamby to Bluewater Bay practice
Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast has welcomed Dr. Janet Hamby, an obstetrician-gynecologist, to its Bluewater Bay practice, the hospital announced.
Hamby brings more than three decades of experience in labor and delivery. She will begin seeing patients May 19 at Ascension Sacred Heart OB-GYN – Bluewater Bay, located at 4586 Florida 20A in Niceville. She will deliver babies at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast’s Family Birth Place.
“We know people have been asking for a long time ‘where is Dr. Hamby,’ we are proud to say today that she is part of our award-winning Family Birth Place team,” said Trey Abshier, president and CEO of Sacred Heart Emerald Coast. “Hiring Dr. Hamby is one of the ways we are continuing to expand access to maternity care for the communities we serve.”
TRAFFIC
‘Welcome to your new road’: Okaloosa County opens $212M Southwest Crestview Bypass
Two decades of planning, collaboration and construction came to a head Friday morning as Okaloosa County officials cut the ribbon on the $212 million Southwest Crestview Bypass, opening a new 3.5-mile, four-lane corridor through north Okaloosa County.
- Despite a rainy morning, a large crowd gathered on the newly completed bridge near U.S. Highway 90 and Enzor Road for a ceremony that featured remarks from local, county and state leaders who helped bring the project to life.
Jason Autrey, Okaloosa County’s deputy county administrator of development services, has been involved with the bypass since its earliest days. He traced the project back to a 2007 county commission resolution and pointed to a pivotal 2016 meeting that brought Okaloosa County, the City of Crestview, FDOT and Triumph Gulf Coast to the table.
“Today, we stand here at the finish line, and it’s kind of funny,” Autrey said. “The finish line for what we’re doing from the designers and the engineers and the contractor is the starting line for our community.”
The bypass opened to motorists at noon with access from Antioch Road, State Road 85 and U.S. Highway 90. The project includes a 1,713-foot bridge, sidewalks, a 10-foot multi-use path and access to the newly built Pineview School.
Sen. Don Gaetz called the opening “the beginning of an extensive set of improvements to move traffic around and through the Crestview area.”
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Jared
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