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Good morning!
Long before Houston McTear became the world’s fastest human, he was a kid racing trains in Okaloosa County. Fort Walton Beach will mark America’s 250th with a July 4 celebration at the Landing, and Okaloosa County committed $400,000 to help fund a new traffic signal at Poquito Road and Lewis Turner Boulevard. Newman-Dailey guest stays in Walton County generated $2,002 for the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance, and the City of Fort Walton Beach proclaimed the 80th anniversary of St. Simon’s on the Sound Episcopal Church.
TRAFFIC
Okaloosa commits $400,000 to help fund new traffic signal at Poquito Road and Lewis Turner
The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on June 16 to allocate $400,000 in surtax reserves toward a new traffic signal at the intersection of Poquito Road and Lewis Turner Boulevard.
The county’s contribution will fund approximately half of the construction cost, with the Florida Department of Transportation funding the remainder and managing the project.
According to county staff, FDOT is currently drafting a Local Funding Agreement that is under review by the agency’s legal team. With the county contribution in place, FDOT could begin construction during the second half of 2026.
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GAMES
WordroW: June 29, 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.
EVENTS
Fort Walton Beach to mark America’s 250th with July 4 celebration at the Landing
Fort Walton Beach residents can ring in America’s 250th birthday on the waterfront next weekend, with food, live music and fireworks lighting up Santa Rosa Sound.
The City of Fort Walton Beach will hold its Fourth of July celebration at the Fort Walton Beach Landing on Saturday, July 4, with the event kicking off at 5 p.m.
The lineup includes food vendors and live music from Scratch 2020, followed by a fireworks show over Santa Rosa Sound.
The celebration will take place at the newly renovated Fort Walton Beach Landing, located at 139 Brooks St. SE in downtown Fort Walton Beach.
GIVING BACK
Newman-Dailey guest stays in Walton County generate $2,002 for Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance
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Guests who booked April stays at Sanctuary by the Sea and Sanctuary at Redfish helped generate a $2,002 donation to the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance, money that will go toward protecting one of Walton County’s rare coastal dune lakes.
- Newman-Dailey Resort Properties, which manages the two gated residential communities along Scenic Highway 30A, announced the donation on June 26.
Through its 2026 Earth Day Travel Package, each guest booking during April generated a $26 contribution to the CBA, which monitors and restores Big Redfish Lake and the surrounding waterways.
“Our team is committed to protecting and preserving our local waterways and Big Redfish Lake is one of the area’s rare coastal ecosystems in our region,” said Jeanne Dailey, founder and CEO of Newman-Dailey Resort Properties. “We’re grateful to our guests for choosing to travel with purpose. Their participation helped us give back to an organization that plays a vital role in monitoring and protecting Big Redfish Lake and the waterways that define our coastal landscape.”
Big Redfish Lake is one of 15 coastal dune lakes in Walton County. The lakes are considered globally rare because of their intermittent connection to the Gulf, a feature found in only a handful of places worldwide. The mix of fresh and saltwater supports a habitat for redfish, mullet, herons, osprey and other native coastal species.
The CBA’s work on the lake includes water quality monitoring, shoreline restoration and community education.
FAITH
City of Fort Walton Beach proclaims 80th anniversary of St. Simon’s on the Sound Episcopal Church
The Fort Walton Beach City Council recognized the 80th anniversary of St. Simon’s on the Sound Episcopal Church during Tuesday night’s meeting, with Mayor Nic Allegretto reading a proclamation that thanked the congregation for eight decades of service to the community.
Founded in June 1946, the church was established on land donated by Liza Jackson. The proclamation described St. Simon’s as a cornerstone of faith, fellowship and service for the city.
The proclamation highlighted the church’s charitable outreach, including support of local schools, advocacy for children in foster care, and partnerships with Children in Crisis, Inc. Florida, Sharing & Caring of Okaloosa County, Inc., and the Okaloosa County Public Schools Foundation. The church has also helped run programs that provide food and essential resources to families and students in need.
WEATHER
Today’s weather outlook
TODAY: Sunny, with a high near 90. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
TONIGHT: Mostly clear, with a low around 81. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
HISTORY
The world’s fastest human grew up racing trains in Okaloosa
Houston McTear grew up in a three-bedroom house by the railroad tracks in Milligan, the second of eight children. He wore Chuck Taylors and cutoff jeans, and like most kids in the neighborhood, he raced the train as it slowed coming into Crestview. He raced his uncles when the 4 p.m. whistle blew at the Fleming Sawmill across the street.
On May 9, 1975, as an 18-year-old junior at Baker High School, McTear tied the world record in the 100-yard dash at 9.0 seconds at the state track meet in Winter Park. Sports Illustrated put him on the cover in 1978. Muhammad Ali’s amateur track team brought him to California, and the 1977 Muhammad Ali Invitational is where he picked up the title “world’s fastest human.”
- He once beat a quarter horse over 50 yards at halftime of a Baker High football game. The crowd left after the race.
A new episode of FLASHBACK Okaloosa, the podcast produced by the Okaloosa County Public Information Office, tells the story through Bert Moore, who walked host Nick Tomecek down the old tracks during a Yellow River canoe trip; Ann Spann of the Baker Block Museum; and McTear’s younger brother Charles, who remembers being one of the kids playing pickup football in the end zone when his brother lined up against the horse.
McTear qualified for the 1976 Olympics but withdrew with an injury. He died in 2015.
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Jared
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