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Good morning!
The Destin City Council voted 4-3 to replace this year’s July 4th fireworks with a drone show, citing shorebird protections as the driving factor. Longtime council member Dewey Destin was honored for 25 years of elected service, and city clerk Rey Bailey retires after 26 years with the city. Hudson Quinn reflects on the walk-off “suicide squeeze” that won South Walton baseball its first state title, Choctaw’s Brendan Cutler capped his senior year with a school record and second-place finish at state, and Fort Walton Beach High School celebrated signing day as 21 Vikings committed to the next level. Also, One Okaloosa EDC won a state “Deal of the Year” award for the Williams International project.
POLITICS
Destin council member Dewey Destin honored for 25 years of elected service
Council Member Dewey Destin was presented with the John Land Years of Service Award from the Florida League of Cities at Monday night’s city council meeting, recognizing his 25 years of elected service to the city that bears his family’s name.
- Mayor Bobby Wagner read the resolution from the League’s board of directors, which commended Destin for his “dedication to the city of Destin” and recognized him as “an outstanding public servant throughout the state of Florida.”
The John Land Years of Service Award is named for John Land, who served as mayor of Apopka for a total of 61 years and was the longest-serving mayor in Florida history. The award honors municipal elected officials who have demonstrated long-term commitment to local governance.
The resolution noted that years of service in elected office bring “strengthened wisdom, discernment, and strong leadership skills that bring tremendous value to the municipal government of Florida.”
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GAMES
WordroW: May 20, 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.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Choctaw’s Brendan Cutler caps senior year with school record, second-place finish at state
Athlete of the Week is brought to you by Okaloosa Gas District – supporting the athletes who make our community stronger.
When Choctaw senior Brendan Cutler crossed the finish line at the Class 3A state championships on May 8, he didn’t immediately realize he had broken the school record in the 800 meters. It wasn’t until he was walking toward the podium that it clicked.
Cutler ran a 1:51.87, breaking the previous school record of 1:52.59 and finishing just 0.47 seconds behind the state champion. The time capped a four-year journey that saw him go from a 2:16 as a freshman to one of the fastest 800 runners in the state.
- “There’s no really no better way to go out than with a PR and a school record,” Cutler said.
Cutler will graduate Thursday and head to Ohio State University in the fall, where he plans to major in sports management and try to walk on with the track and field program.
BUSINESS
Destin city clerk Rey Bailey retires after 26 years with the city
Rey Bailey, who has served as Destin’s city clerk since 2008 and worked for the city for more than 26 years, was honored at Monday night’s city council meeting as he heads into retirement.
- Mayor Bobby Wagner read a resolution recognizing Bailey for his “exceptional professionalism, integrity, and dedication to public service.”
Bailey, a 23-year U.S. Air Force veteran, began working for the city in April 2000 as a records specialist and advanced to deputy city clerk before being named city clerk in 2008.
In remarks to the council, Bailey said he was leaving with “a heart full of gratitude and mixed emotions.” Bailey expressed confidence in his successor, Lisa Wallace, saying she is “very talented, experienced, very capable, and ready for this role.”
He closed with humor, saying his new job in retirement will be serving as his wife’s “full-time Uber driver, manager, bodyguard, chef, personal assistant.”
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SPORTS
Hudson Quinn reflects on the walk-off ‘suicide squeeze’ that won South Walton a state title
In the bottom of the seventh inning of a tie game, with the bases loaded and a state championship hanging in the balance, Hudson Quinn knew exactly what was coming.
- “I was actually feeling pretty confident before the at bat, just because I knew it was going to be a bunt situation with the bases loaded,” Quinn said. “I’m confident bunting and getting the bunt down because we do it every day, so I was feeling pretty good.”
Quinn, a senior catcher, laid down a textbook suicide squeeze that scored Declan Fowler for the walk-off run, lifting South Walton to a 6-5 victory over North Broward Prep and the program’s first baseball state championship. The Seahawks finished 30-4 overall and a perfect 9-0 in the postseason.
“I was obviously stressed because it’s the bottom of the seventh inning, it’s a tie ball game and a state championship,” Quinn said. “But I was pretty confident that we were going to get it done. And we did. It was awesome.”
In our interview with Quinn, he discusses the rematch, North Broward Prep’s rally, the ‘squeeze’, and the emotions after.
BUSINESS
One Okaloosa EDC wins state ‘Deal of the Year’ award for Williams International project
One Okaloosa EDC received the 2026 “Deal of the Year” award from the Florida Economic Development Council during the organization’s annual conference in Orlando on May 14.
One Okaloosa submitted the Williams International project for consideration by the FEDC Awards Review Panel earlier this year. The organization received the award in the urban category — one of three categories FEDC recognizes annually alongside rural and regional. Awards are evaluated based on the overall economic impact of the project and the degree of expertise needed to facilitate the deal.
Williams International is currently building the first phase of a 1 million-square-foot gas turbine engine manufacturing plant at the Shoal River Industrial Park near Crestview.
The project represents a total capital investment of more than $1.04 billion, making it one of the largest in the state’s history. The company has committed to hiring 336 individuals at an average wage of $69,434.
SPORTS
Fort Walton Beach High School celebrates signing day as 21 Vikings commit to next level
Athletic Director Holly McDaniel had reason to be proud Monday afternoon.
The Fort Walton Beach High School athletic director stood before 21 student-athletes, their families and coaches, all gathered to celebrate a signing day that reflected just how strong a year it was for Viking athletics. Twenty-one student-athletes across 12 sports signed letters of intent to compete at the next level.
“You have left a stamp on this school,” McDaniel told the group in her opening remarks.
And left a stamp they did, all in different ways.
PARKS+REC
Destin City Council votes 4-3 to replace July 4th fireworks with drone show, citing shorebird protections
The Destin City Council chose a drone show over its traditional Independence Day fireworks display after a debate over nesting shorebirds, costs and the significance of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
- Council voted 4-3 during its Monday night meeting to direct staff to bring back a drone show contract for consideration at its next meeting, rejecting an agenda item that would have extended the city’s fireworks contract with Pyro Shows Inc.
The fireworks contract extension, the first of five possible annual renewals, would have cost $39,100 for the 2026 show. City Manager Larry Jones told council the extension had not yet been executed, meaning the city was not obligated to hold a fireworks show. Jones said the fireworks require an incidental take permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — about $9,000 — in case the display causes injury, harm or death to nesting birds.
He outlined roughly $57,000 available for a drone show without a budget amendment. Mayor Bobby Wagner cited FWC guidance requiring fireworks to launch at least .75 miles from active breeding sites, while a drone show only needs to launch 600 feet away and stay 300 feet from nesting sites while in the air.
Councilman Chatham Morgan questioned whether canceling the city’s show would accomplish much given that private fireworks displays happen twice a week in Destin for roughly six months a year. Councilmen Jim Bagby and Dewey Destin also voted no, with both citing the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Staff will bring a drone show contract back for council consideration at the next meeting.
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