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Good morning!
Dewey Destin’s Seafood Restaurant is set to be featured in a FOX Weather segment on hurricane resilience, while the Okaloosa Academic Team brought home a state championship and Destin flag football stunned top-seeded Florida High to reach the Elite Eight. Okaloosa commissioners proclaimed two May honors — Cox Inspirational Student Hero Month and Mia Manganello Day — as America 250 readies its May parade and June gala. Plus, Athlete of the Week is Destin’s Neilya Stewart, Niceville flag football’s regional loss, and an arrest at a Fort Walton Beach church.
AMERICA 250
Okaloosa America 250 readies May parade, June gala as part of yearlong patriotic celebration
The Okaloosa County America 250 Commission is gearing up for two signature events this spring as part of a yearlong slate honoring the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.
The May 9 Grand Parade in Crestview will step off at 4 p.m. on Main Street, preceded by a 1 p.m. celebration featuring student musicians, a Northwest Florida State College choral group, ceremonial reenactments and country music artist Coffey Anderson. Olympic bronze medalist Mia Manganello will serve as a grand marshal.
The June 12 gala at the Rigdon Center will feature a reenactment of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, capped by a public drone show at 8:45 p.m.
- First time in 35-plus years all county high school bands are in the parade.
- First time in 40-plus years all local military units are participating.
- More than 100 scouts will march in the parade.
- A Liberty Tree planting and Revolutionary War America 250 bench dedication will take place before the parade.
- Gala includes a 56-person Declaration signing reenactment, a six-tier birthday cake and live music from Clench 46.
- Schools, scouts, faith groups and a November Patriots and Heroes concert round out the year.
Click here to read our full interview with Commission Chairman Graham W. Fountain and Vice Chair Mitzi Henley
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GAMES
WordroW: May 6, 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.
SCHOOL
Okaloosa Academic Team wins state championship
The Okaloosa County School District Academic Team earned first place in Division II at the Commissioner’s Academic Challenge, district officials announced during the April 27 School Board meeting.
The team competed against top students from across Florida to secure the championship title.
“Winning a state championship at the Commissioner’s Academic Challenge is an extraordinary accomplishment,” Superintendent Marcus Chambers said. “These students have demonstrated not only exceptional academic ability, but also teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. We are incredibly proud of how they represented Okaloosa County on the state stage, and we congratulate them and their coaches on this well-deserved honor.”
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Neilya Stewart’s loyalty to Destin High School paying off in history-making junior year
Athlete of the Week is brought to you by Okaloosa Gas District – supporting the athletes who make our community stronger.
When COVID shut the country down, Neilya Stewart’s family was on a cross-country road trip and happened to pass through Destin. By the time they made it back to California, the state was shutting down — and soon after, the Stewarts packed up and moved.
That decision is paying off in historic fashion. In a single school year, the Destin junior has helped deliver the school’s first district championship in any sport — as a captain on the girls basketball team — and now its first two playoff wins in school history on the flag football field.
Head Coach Kyle Bryant said her impact goes beyond the stat sheet.
“It’s her competitive nature,” Bryant said. “She wants to win, she wants to excel in all that she does. That will to win that she has is very infectious.”
GIVING BACK
Okaloosa commissioners proclaim May ‘Cox Inspirational Student Hero Month’
The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a proclamation designating May 2026 as Cox Inspirational Student Hero Month, recognizing local students who have shown resilience in the face of adversity.
- Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel read the proclamation during the May 5 meeting, noting the program is in its 33rd year in Okaloosa County.
The Cox Inspirational Heroes program has recognized more than 5,200 students from Lafayette, Louisiana, to Gainesville, Florida, since its inception in 1993. Honorees are chosen by a committee of leaders at their school based on their resilience after experiencing the loss of a family member, a medical issue, a difficult family situation or other hardship.
This year, 37 Okaloosa County students will be recognized at an awards ceremony Wednesday, May 13, at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.
SPORTS
The latest in Okaloosa sports
DESTIN: Destin’s historic season will continue. The Lady Sharks delivered what may go down as the upset of the playoffs Monday night, defeating top-seeded Florida High 19-12 on the road in the FHSAA 1A regional semifinal. Trailing 6-0 at halftime, Destin scored 19 unanswered behind quarterback Neilya Stewart and a defense that didn’t allow a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. Now the Lady Sharks head to Jacksonville on Thursday to face Bolles in the Elite Eight. Click here to read the full recap
NICEVILLE: A historic season for Niceville flag football came to an end Monday night, as the Lady Eagles fell 21-7 to defending region champion and state runner-up Chiles. The loss closed the book on a program-record 16 wins, a district title and the first playoff victory in Niceville history. Chiles quarterback Kendall Sadberry racked up more than 150 multipurpose yards and two touchdowns. Despite the result, the future remains bright, as the Lady Eagles return nearly every key contributor in 2027. Click here to read the full recap
AMERICA 250
Okaloosa County proclaims May 9 ‘Mia Manganello Day’ ahead of Crestview parade
The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously proclaimed May 9, 2026, as Mia Manganello Day, honoring the Crestview-raised Olympic speed skater.
Manganello won bronze in the team pursuit at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, alongside teammates Heather Bergsma and Brittany Bowe. She closed the 2025-2026 season with three World Cup mass start medals and her first individual World Cup title, pre-qualifying her for the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team. She also captured a bronze medal in the women’s 16-lap mass start event, finishing 0.30 seconds behind the gold medalist.
Manganello will serve as grand marshal in the May 9 America 250 Grand Parade in downtown Crestview, with the parade stepping off at 4 p.m.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Man arrested after allegedly recording woman from ceiling of FWB church restroom
A man was reportedly found hiding in the ceiling of a women’s restroom at a Fort Walton Beach church Sunday after allegedly pointing a cell phone camera at a woman inside, according to police.
Officers responded May 3 to a report of a possible armed individual at Grace Church, 218 Eglin Parkway NE, where parishioners had been evacuated during a religious service. Officers located Aquilino Sanjur Ortega in the ceiling and took him into custody without incident.
Ortega was charged with video voyeurism and disturbing a religious assembly. He is also being held on an immigration detainer.
BUSINESS
Dewey Destin’s Seafood Restaurant to be featured in FOX Weather segment on hurricane resilience
Dewey Destin’s Seafood Restaurant in Destin will be featured in a FOX Weather segment airing Wednesday, May 6, as part of a live FOX Weather Beach House special broadcast from Seacrest Beach.
- FOX Weather correspondent Brandy Campbell visited the bayside restaurant to interview owner Dewey Destin and Will McGee, a manager and line cook who walked her through how the kitchen makes one of its fried shrimp dishes. The segment will focus on how the restaurant has rebuilt after hurricanes Ivan, Opal and Sally.
“I was amazed at how deeply rooted the family’s ties are to the City of Destin,” Campbell said. “From the city being named after Leonard Destin to how long they’ve operated in the area’s fishing industry, sticking around and adjusting despite weather impacts or laws that have impacted operations.”
Parker Destin, Dewey’s son, said the bayside docks have been a Destin family fishing site since the 1830s and that storm surge has repeatedly tested the property.
“I would love to tell you that was us being smart, but we’ve lost plenty of docks by not preparing for previous storms,” he said. “But at least we can learn our lessons.”
The Beach House special will air from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Wednesday. 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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