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Hurlburt raises Highway 98 concerns at forum

To: Daily Rundown Readers

June 1, 2026   |   Reading time: 10 mins

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Good morning!

Hurlburt Field officials raised Highway 98 traffic and housing concerns at last week’s tri-county military forum, putting regional infrastructure pressure on the agenda alongside other regional defense issues. An Alys Beach gulf-front home sold for $28 million, setting a community record, and Navarre’s Riley Stevens won a custom adaptive trike through an EDEN essay contest. Temple Beth Shalom will celebrate its 40th anniversary on June 14, with recognition from the City of Fort Walton Beach. Eglin AFB will conduct munitions testing in the Gulf June 1-6.

GIVING BACK

Navarre’s Riley Stevens wins custom adaptive trike in EDEN essay contest

From giving back to investing in the future, FPL is powering strong communities. Learn more here.

Photo courtesy of Mission Alpha

Riley Stevens of Navarre is the winner of the 2026 Freedom Concepts, Inc. Adaptive Trike Essay Contest, Mission Alpha announced following this year’s Northwest Florida Expo for Disabilities and Exceptional Needs (EDEN) in Fort Walton Beach.

  • For the second year, Mission Alpha and Freedom Concepts partnered to award one EDEN attendee a fully customized adaptive trike. Freedom Concepts selected Riley for his story, resilience and desire for greater independence.

The trikes are valued at about $8,000 and are not covered by most health insurance, putting them out of reach for many families.

Freedom Concepts engineered Riley’s trike to fit his mobility needs. His family said they’re looking forward to cruising neighborhood sidewalks with friends and joining the local Special Olympics cycling team this winter.

The 2026 EDEN Expo drew more than 800 attendees and 60 organizations at the Rigdon Center.

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GAMES

WordroW: June 1, 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.

REAL ESTATE

Alys Beach gulf-front home sells for $28 million, setting community record

Photo courtesy of Array Real Estate Media

A gulf-front residence at 53 Sea Castle Alley in Alys Beach has sold for $28 million, setting a record as the highest residential sale in the community’s history and one of the largest ever recorded along Florida’s Emerald Coast.

Brad Dahler of Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty represented the home, which entered the market in late 2025 with a $31.25 million asking price. The sale builds on a 2022 transaction in which Templeton Development acquired the homesite for $9.475 million, then a record gulf-front lot sale.

  • Designed by A Boheme Design and built by Gulfview Construction, the residence offers more than 5,100 square feet of interior space, 1,800 square feet of outdoor living and 53 feet of private gulf frontage.

The home was constructed entirely of solid concrete and features a courtyard pool, retractable glass walls, a marble wine installation and a rooftop mosaic pool.

FAITH

Temple Beth Shalom to celebrate 40th anniversary June 14, recognized by City of Fort Walton Beach

Community Ambassador Gerry Gross and Rabbi Michael Schadick accepted the proclamation on behalf of the synagogue. (City of FWB)

Temple Beth Shalom will celebrate its 40th anniversary as a congregation at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 14, at the synagogue at 227 NW Beal Parkway.

  • Mayor Nic Allegretto read a proclamation recognizing the milestone during the May 19 Fort Walton Beach City Council meeting, calling Temple Beth Shalom the oldest and only reform synagogue in the city.

The congregation traces its roots to 1977, when it was first established as the Jewish Brotherhood. In 1978, it evolved into the Jewish Community Center as a way to represent the interests of the Jewish community in the city. It was formally recognized as a synagogue in 1985.

Judge Erwin Fleet and 50 charter families are among the temple’s founding members.

MILITARY

Eglin AFB to conduct munitions testing in Gulf June 1-6

Maj Eric Hickernell from the 40th Flight Test Squadron flies an A-10C Thunderbolt II with Small-Diameter Bombs during a test near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla, Feb 9, 2022. The 96th Test Wing executes developmental tests of the A-10C, and improves its capability of carrying precision guided munitions and unguided munitions. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. John Raven)

The Air Force will conduct munitions testing in the Gulf from June 1-6, with operations running daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

  • All vessels are required to remain clear of the active hazard zone during the tests, according to the Air Force.

The hazard zone begins approximately 10 nautical miles south of the Destin East Pass and extends to 16 nautical miles, reaching northwest to Santa Rosa Island.

Advisories and local notice to mariners will be broadcast on Channel 16 and on HF upper sideband 2182 KHz by the Eglin Joint Test and Training Operations Control Center.

WEATHER

Today’s weather outlook

TODAY: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

TONIGHT: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 77. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

MILITARY

Hurlburt Field pushes Highway 98 traffic, housing concerns at tri-county military forum

A line of red taillights stretches into the distance along U.S. 98 westbound at night near the Hurlburt Field overpass, where construction has reduced traffic to a single lane Monday evening. Photo by Phan Tuyen via Facebook

The 1st Special Operations Wing escalated its long-running campaign to address Highway 98 traffic congestion last week, taking the issue directly to a member of Congress at a regional military forum.

Col. Clayton Schuety, 1st Special Operations Wing deputy commander, joined U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis and regional defense advocates at the 3rd Annual Tri-County Military Forum at the University of West Florida Convention Center on May 27.

Schuety identified Highway 98 traffic gridlock and the regional housing deficit as the wing’s most immediate strategic vulnerabilities, citing the highway’s impact on operational responsiveness and a housing market pricing military families out of the area.

  • “If we can partner for progress against a shared problem, we can truly see the needle move on some of these issues,” Schuety said.

The forum also addressed the strain regional growth is placing on local pediatrics, mental health and childcare networks, all of which affect military families stationed in the area.

Patronis used the forum to highlight H. Res. 5886, the “Warrior Road Act,” a bill he introduced that aims to prioritize federal budget allocation for projects deemed essential to national security.

“Our kids are in the same schools, our personnel go to the same churches, and we want to see this community succeed,” Schuety said. “We see this community as a vital part of our national defense, and we’re a part of this community.”

OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Monday. 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!

p.s. What did you think of this morning’s newsletter? Hit the reply button and let me know!

Jared

Published with ♥ by Get The Coast.

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