Good morning! It’s Friday and currently 59°. It’s looking like we will have a beautiful day today that will follow us into the weekend. Let’s get to the news to get your morning started 🙂
An update with Okaloosa County
If you follow Get The Coast on social media, you’ve probably seen my weekly interviews with the city of Fort Walton Beach and the city of Destin (Crestview coming soon). Since my friend Christopher Saul, former Public Info Officer, left Okaloosa County, I haven’t done an update with the county.
That is until now.
Yesterday, April Sarver (new Public Info Boss) and I finally got on camera and knocked out a half-hour segment where we covered a slew of topics. We are producing TV-quality broadcasts over here at Get The Coast, so I encourage you to watch it but just in case you wants highlights, here’s what we discussed:
Fuel: I gave you an update yesterday on the status of gas in Okaloosa. We tackled it again. Many, previously empty, dispensaries have already received delivery of fuel and our area is faring well. The county will continue to monitor the supply being replenished to meet increased demand. The bottom line is: Our area has plenty of gas as long as we don’t panic buy.
Hurricane Preparedness Week: The county has been putting out short video to serve as reminders to “prepare, don’t panic” as it pertains to hurricanes. You can visit the county’s website for tips to protect your family, home and pets, disaster supply kits, alertokaloosa.com daily situation reports, important phone numbers and flood zones, evacuation routes and where to find road conditions and shelters.
Mosquito Control: Spraying started Monday for the county. There is a posted schedule at this link here. Treatments will be applied Monday-Friday, about an hour before sunset. We also talked about our local bee population. The county receives a lot of questions about how to protect our honey bee population, and you’ll find plenty of tips to help protect them on the county’s site.
Rental Assistance Grants: Okaloosa County has been awarded $6.36 million by the US Department of Treasury for qualified households experiencing hardships due to COVID-19 through December 31 of this year. Visit OkaloosaRentalAid.com to learn more about eligibility and to apply as soon as possible. The application period is open until November 15 or when funds run out, whichever comes first.
Beaches: We talked about the importance of paying attention to the beach warning flags and rip currents. We also talked about the “Leaving no trace” campaign that the county has partnered with the city of Destin on.
As you can see, we covered a lot and will continue to do weekly updates. Press play on your phone or Roku devices (or just simply listed to audio as you’re getting ready this morning).
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How high school band helped this ‘extremely shy’ student
I played drums at Fort Walton Beach High School from 2000-2004. It was epic! I now have many friends who are directors here in Okaloosa County and for the past 6 months, I’ve been covering local high school band programs across the county.
We highlight students, performances, etc. I wanted to cover band like sports because I know from experience that there are some really good stories behind all of the music.
Meet Aiden.
Aiden attends Crestview High School. Director Jody Dunn had me out a few weeks back where we filmed a ton as the Big Red Machine was getting ready for a competition. That’s when he mentioned Aiden for the first time.
I talked with Assistant Director Kim Whaley who works with Aiden (along with Assit. Director Sean Dyke).
“Aiden is extremely shy,” said Ms. Whaley. “In one class, students have to come up and say their name and perform in front of their peers. Aiden was terrified and the first time he did it, it didn’t go very well.”
But he worked on his music and came back weeks later where he not only impressed his teachers, but also his peers who clapped for him after.
“I overheard him tell our student-intern that he’d never had anyone clap for him before,” said Whaley.
For Aiden, he now knows that feeling.
See, being part of the high school band is more than just playing music. For some, it can be life changing and help them develop new skills and grow as a young person. Described as “extremely shy”, Aiden Cordell has gained the confidence to perform a solo at the beginning of a piece.
Health advisory issued for Liza Jackson Park based on recent water samples
The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County (DOH-Okaloosa) conducts bi-weekly saltwater beach water quality monitoring at 11 sites through the Healthy Beaches Monitoring Program.
Samples are collected from March through the end of October.
The water samples are analyzed for enteric bacteria (enterococci) that normally inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and animals and which may cause human disease, infections, or rashes. The presence of enteric bacteria is an indication of fecal pollution 💩, which may come from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife, and human sewage.
According to the DOH, a Health advisory has been issued for Liza Jackson Park in Fort Walton Beach. The health advisories are based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended standards for enterococci. This should be considered a potential health risk to the bathing public, according to the DOH.
If you have questions, contact DOH-Okaloosa at (850) 833-9247 or (850) 689-7859.
Some apparent confusion over the Walton County Tourist Development Council’s spending on marketing the county as a tourist destination appears to be a central factor in Tuesday’s ouster of Jay Tusa, who had been executive director of the county agency since 2016.
Some apparent confusion over the Walton County Tourist Development Council’s spending on marketing the county as a tourist destination appears to be a central factor in Tuesday’s ouster of Jay Tusa, who had been executive director of the county agency since 2016.
After finishing as first runner-up last year, Kaylie Anne Sparks got to wear the crown and sash Saturday night after she was chosen to serve as Miss Destin 2021.
After finishing as first runner-up last year, Kaylie Anne Sparks got to wear the crown and sash Saturday night after she was chosen to serve as Miss Destin 2021.
Tourists are not the only ones making their way to the Sunshine State: Make room for the turtles.Sea turtles head to the beaches to lay their eggs from March to October each year.
Tourists are not the only ones making their way to the Sunshine State: Make room for the turtles.Sea turtles head to the beaches to lay their eggs from March to October each year.
