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Good morning!
A temporary nighttime traffic shift begins this week for the Brooks Bridge as the replacement project continues. The Destin City Council appointed John Stephens to fill Jim Bagby’s vacant seat, and six horses rescued from a cruelty investigation are now recovering at Alaqua Animal Refuge. The Fort Walton Beach Junior Bombers are heading to a national roller derby championship in Chicago, and The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island continues to bring family fun to the island all summer.
POLITICS
Destin City Council appoints John Stephens to fill Bagby’s vacant seat
The Destin City Council on Monday night appointed John Stephens III to fill the seat vacated by former Councilman Jim Bagby, who resigned June 15 to focus on his Walton County Commission run.
It’s the second interim appointment for Stephens, who was first appointed in January 2024 to fill the seat left by Matthew Sweetser’s resignation. He ran for an elected seat that November but finished sixth in the seven-candidate race, falling 452 votes short of the final spot won by Rodney Braden.
- Braden made the motion to appoint Stephens on Monday. The vote passed 5-0, with Councilmember Dewey Destin abstaining because Stephens is a tenant of his.
Stephens owns Luther’s Pontoon, Waverunner, & Kayak Rentals and chairs the Destin Harbor CRA. He has lived in Destin for 18 years.
Eight candidates were considered for the seat.
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GAMES
WordroW: July 7, 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.
NEWS
Fort Walton Beach Junior Bombers head to national roller derby championship in Chicago
The Fort Walton Beach Junior Bombers are hitting the road this week with a shot at a national title.
- The B-29 All Stars, the competitive squad of the Junior Bombers roller derby program, will travel to Chicago for the 2026 Junior Roller Derby Association Championship on July 11-12 at Salt Creek Sports Center. All 14 members of the roster will make the trip.
Fort Walton Beach enters the four-team Girls Division bracket as the No. 4 seed and will face top-seeded Santa Cruz in the opening round Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner advances to the championship game Sunday at 4 p.m. Rose City Rollers Juniors out of Portland, Oregon, hold the No. 2 seed and will take on No. 3 Nashville in the other semifinal.
The Bombers earned their bid to Chicago after finishing second at the 2026 JRDA Playoffs, which they hosted in Fort Walton Beach. The team beat Atlanta, the West Coast Jr Derby Knockouts and Nor’East Uprising before falling to Nashville in the final. The top two finishers out of five teams earned championship bids.
The Junior Bombers, established in 2016, are the first youth female roller derby team in the Florida Panhandle. The program is open to girls ages 8 to 17 and provides training in the sport along with a focus on teamwork, confidence and character development. Three of the current All Stars travel from Jacksonville, Georgia and Alabama to play for the team.
Click here to read the full story or leave a comment
GIVING BACK
6 horses rescued from cruelty investigation now recovering at Alaqua Animal Refuge
Six horses rescued from a cruelty investigation in Holmes County are now receiving lifesaving care at Alaqua Animal Refuge after being voluntarily surrendered during an investigation by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement.
- Based on the investigation, OALE has charged the owner with three counts of animal cruelty. Those charges remain pending through the judicial process.
The investigation began following a referral from the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, according to Alaqua. Investigators found the horses reportedly confined to a barren dirt paddock with little to no forage available.
A veterinarian and an FDACS Division of Animal Industry inspector confirmed severe malnutrition, with three of the six horses receiving a Henneke Body Condition Score of 1, the lowest possible score and an indication of critical, life-threatening emaciation. Investigators also documented untreated skin conditions and a lack of appropriate veterinary care.
All six horses are now receiving comprehensive veterinary treatment, carefully managed nutritional rehabilitation and individualized care plans at Alaqua.
“These horses didn’t simply lose weight,” said Laurie Hood, founder and CEO of Alaqua Animal Refuge. “Three of them were literally at the lowest body condition score possible. Recovering from prolonged starvation is an incredibly delicate process. It requires specialized veterinary care, carefully monitored feeding protocols, medications, diagnostics, and months of rehabilitation. Every decision we make is focused on giving these horses the greatest opportunity to survive and heal.”
As Alaqua’s team began evaluating the horses, they made an unexpected discovery. One of the horses, Sumatra Traveler, was identified through official registration records as a registered Florida Cracker Horse, one of Florida’s rarest heritage breeds.
PROMOTED BY THE BOARDWALK
The Boardwalk brings family fun to Okaloosa Island all summer
From sun up to sun down, The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island has everything your family needs to beach, eat, drink and play along the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. With public beach access, a variety of restaurants and shops, and family-friendly events all summer long, there’s something for everyone.
Here’s what’s happening each week at Al’s Beach Club and Burger Bar:
- Sunday: Karaoke with KJ K, 7-11 p.m.
- Monday: Captain Davy & The Crossbones Pirate Show, 5:30-8 p.m.
- Tuesday: Movie on the Beach, 8 p.m.
- Wednesday: Karaoke with KJ K, 7-11 p.m. | Fireworks at 9 p.m.
- Thursday: Luau with face painting, balloon sculptures, beach games and fire dancers, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Live music nightly starting at 4 p.m., followed by a DJ until close. For the full lineup and more details, visit theboardwalkoi.com/play.
WEATHER
Today’s weather outlook
TODAY: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
TONIGHT: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 82. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
TRAFFIC
Temporary nighttime traffic shift coming to Brooks Bridge this week
The Florida Department of Transportation is implementing a temporary traffic shift on Brooks Bridge this week as construction continues on the bridge’s replacement.
- Starting the week of Monday, July 6, westbound U.S. 98 will be reduced to a single lane and shifted onto the eastbound side of the highway between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.
The shift will stretch from Santa Rosa Boulevard on Okaloosa Island to west of Perry Avenue in Fort Walton Beach. Eastbound traffic will also be reduced to a single lane during the same overnight hours.
FDOT said the temporary configuration is needed to perform construction activities on the new bridge. Law enforcement officers will be on-site to direct motorists through the work zone.
Drivers should also be aware that intermittent lane closures may occur on U.S. 98 between Ferry Road and Pier Road, Sunday through Thursday, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
The work is part of the $171 million Brooks Bridge Replacement Project, which will replace the current four-lane bridge with two new parallel bridges carrying six travel lanes.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Tuesday! 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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Jared
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