NEWS

Okaloosa County seeks applicants to serve on Northwest Florida Health Council

The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners will appoint three citizens to the Northwest Florida Health Council. Pursuant to section 408.033, Florida Statutes, this health council was established in accordance with the Health Facilities and Services Development Act as a private non-profit organization serving Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton Counties.

The Council serves to assist the State of Florida with planning for health facilities and services, providing a health data repository, and helping counties and local communities to obtain better health care.

• Appointees will serve a two-year term, which may be renewed, beginning immediately upon appointment.

The minimum requirements for this appointment are outlined in section 408.033, Florida Statutes, and by BCC policy. The County is soliciting applications from citizens who are representatives of health care providers, health care purchasers, and nongovernmental health care consumers. 

Citizens who wish to be considered for appointment to the Northwest Florida Health Council should go to https://myokaloosa.com/citizen-councils/home to review the Policy, Complete an Application Packet and begin the Background Check process.

• Applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM, Tuesday, September 5, 2023 via email to citizencouncils@myokaloosa.com or via mail to BCC Citizen Councils, 1250 N. Eglin Parkway, Suite 100, Shalimar, FL 32579.

A MESSAGE FROM OKALOOSA GAS

Natural Gas fuels economic growth in Okaloosa County

Natural gas has become a major driver of economic growth and job creation in Okaloosa County and across Florida. As one of the nation’s top natural gas producing states, Florida is seeing significant investment and expansion in natural gas production, pipelines, and related industries.

This increased economic activity is creating good-paying jobs right here in our community. According to Okaloosa Gas District, over 200 people are currently employed by Okaloosa Gas.

• And industry leaders expect continued growth, with numerous new positions created over the next 3-5 years if production increases to meet rising demand.

“The natural gas industry is providing stable, good-paying jobs for many Okaloosa residents,” said Okaloosa Gas Vice President Eddie Springle. “These jobs pay well above average and don’t always require a college degree. For lots of folks, it’s an opportunity to build a career and provide for their families.”

Okaloosa Gas District provides natural gas service to the four major military installations in Okaloosa and Walton Counties which includes Eglin Air Force Base – the largest Air Force Base in the world. In addition, the District supplies natural gas to the Navy Installation, Whiting Field, in Santa Rosa County.

• Elsewhere, Okaloosa Gas supplies natural gas to the City of Milton in Santa Rosa County, the City of Gulf Breeze in Escambia County, Walton County, and TECO Peoples Gas in Panama City Beach.

Beyond direct jobs in drilling and pipeline construction, the American Gas Association estimates each new natural gas job results in an additional 3-4 jobs created in related industries. This includes increased business for local restaurants, shops, hotels, and other services that support natural gas employees.

The economic benefits trickle down to the community level too, positively impacting residents and local businesses. From lower energy costs for households to increased affordability for local businesses, natural gas helps foster economic development in our region.

• Natural gas development brings other economic perks as well. Natural Gas companies pay significant fees and taxes to state and local governments, helping fund schools, infrastructure, and community services.

There’s no denying the economic importance of natural gas to Okaloosa County. From job creation and local economic growth to the everyday comfort of heating our homes, natural gas and Okaloosa Gas District are both integral parts of our community.

CONTEST

Local cat shelter holds “Show Us Your Kitties” calendar contest

Save Our Cats and Kittens (SOCKS), a nonprofit cat shelter in Fort Walton Beach, has launched a creative new fundraiser called the “Show Us Your Kitties” calendar contest.

The contest allows people to submit photos of their cats to compete for a spot in the SOCKS 2024 calendar. Participants upload a picture of their cat to the contest website and ask friends and family to vote. Each $1 vote goes towards SOCKS’ efforts to care for homeless cats in the community.

• The cat receiving the most votes will be featured on the calendar cover.
• The next top 12 vote-getters will each be “cat of the month.”

So far there are 86 entries, with participant-submitted bios telling heartwarming and amusing stories about their cats. For a $10 donation, people can also reserve a specific calendar date to feature their cat’s adoption day, birthday, or other special occasion.

All entries receiving at least 25 votes will be included in a collage on the calendar’s back cover. The contest is open to pets, foster cats, and community cats from anywhere in the world.

• Submissions are open through 9 p.m. on September 8. People can vote and enter their cats on the SOCKS Facebook page or by clicking here.

The calendar contest is a creative way for SOCKS to raise money to care for homeless cats while showcasing feline friends. As SOCKS Executive Director Nancy Schimmer says, participants can “Make your cat famous while raising money to help other cats!”

A MESSAGE FROM FLEET, SMITH & FREEMAN

The importance of Succession Planning for local business owners, tips from Attorney Bart Fleet

When business owners start thinking about retiring or getting their affairs in order, business succession planning should be a top priority, according to local attorney Bart Fleet. During a recent interview with his law firm, Fleet, Smith and Freeman, Fleet offered an in-depth look at business succession planning for owners and the importance of it.

• “Business succession planning is the process of combining estate planning, tax planning and business planning where the clients decide what’s going to happen to their business when they pass away or if they retire,” explained Fleet. “Who’s going to inherit the business? Are we going to sell the business? What are their ultimate goals in dealing with that asset?”

The most common clients interested in succession planning are business owners creating or re-evaluating their estate plans. A primary question is who will inherit and run the business after the owner passes away or steps back from operations. 

Fleet said that issues often arise when children are slated to inherit the business but may not want it or have the proper skills and experience to take over operations. Without thorough succession planning, Fleet cautioned, few businesses survive the death of an owner. 

• “If they don’t have a plan, there’s rarely someone in place who can take over,” he said. 

The fate of the business depends largely on its model and operations. Service businesses that relied solely on the owner’s expertise often have no value after the owner passes away. On the other hand, retail stores and similar businesses with transferrable merchandise and operations can more feasibly transition to interested heirs.

• “If it is something like a retail store that sells merchandise, and if there are beneficiaries who have an interest in the business, then there’s a way in which we could transfer the business to those people and the business would survive,” explained Fleet. “Then we could worry about the economic consequences of that later.”

The key is transitioning operational knowledge before transferring full ownership. As Fleet put it, “If the restaurateur-owner is the only person that knows how to run the restaurant, it’s not going to survive.” Identifying and training a successor, whether a family member, employee or third party, helps secure the business’s future.

Fleet noted that transitioning ownership and leadership is best done over time, both during the owner’s life and after death. There are various methods to gradually transfer ownership interests, responsibilities and knowledge.

Tax implications are another key consideration. “There are some income tax implications that can happen if you don’t do it right. You can generate income tax exposure, tax liability that’s unintended,” Fleet said. Careful succession planning aims to minimize tax burdens on the owner and heirs.

With so many factors at play, Fleet emphasized that every business requires customized strategic planning. He advises that business owners be proactive and start planning well in advance of retirement or exiting the business. 

• “If you’re a business owner and you’re contemplating retiring or getting out of the business one way or another, or you’re contemplating preparing an estate plan, give our office a call and let us help you come up with a plan that maximizes the economic benefit to you and your beneficiaries, and minimizes the tax implications,” he concluded.

For local business owners interested in learning more about business succession planning, contact the law offices of Fleet, Smith and Freeman.

POLICE BLOTTER

Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office IT Manager terminated, arrested on New Mexico warrant

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday, August 21, the arrest and termination of 46-year-old Eli Lisko, a civilian employee who worked as an IT Manager for the department since September 2022.

Lisko was arrested on a warrant recently issued out of San Juan County, New Mexico related to allegations of felony child sexual abuse. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, working jointly with the FBI, contacted the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office regarding the outstanding warrants against Lisko.

According to the warrant, the victim claims Lisko committed acts of sexual child abuse against them between January 1995 and October 1997 while they were both living in San Juan County.

• “It goes without saying we took prompt action to assist New Mexico investigators in every way possible. He was immediately terminated this morning,” said Sheriff Eric Aden in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the victim and we pray justice will be served.”

Lisko was transported to the Okaloosa County Jail Monday morning where he will be held pending extradition to New Mexico to face the sexual abuse charges. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office stated they terminated Lisko immediately upon learning of the allegations and arrest warrant against him.

SPORTS

168 Niceville athletes receive protective-gear from Taylor Haugen Foundation, seeking more schools

This past Thursday, August 17th, the Taylor Haugen Foundation held an outfitting event at Niceville High School where they provided compression shirts with Evoshield rib protection shields to all 168 student athletes on the school’s varsity, junior varsity and freshman football teams. 

August 30th will mark the 15-year anniversary of the tragic accident that took the life of Taylor Haugen. The Niceville High School student passed away after sustaining a powerful hit during a game that ruptured his liver. 

• Following their son’s death, Kathy and Brian Haugen started the foundation that bears Taylor’s name in order to promote awareness of abdominal injuries in youth sports. Their goal is to protect student athletes and ensure no other parent endures the loss of a child as they did.

The foundation’s Youth Equipment for Sports Safety (YESS) program provides protective rib shirts made with exclusive Gel-To-Shell technology that custom molds to each player’s body. Ashley Sallee, Director of Programs & Community Development for the Taylor Haugen Foundation, explained the unique benefit of this custom approach, stating “None of the players can share the shirt or the shields with each other because it’s custom to their body.” 

Since its inception, the foundation has outfitted approximately 7,000 players across 18 states. However, supporting local schools remains a priority. “I definitely think it’s an experience as far as being able to outfit a team here locally, getting to be part of the presentation and then to hear from like Brian and Kathy themselves,” said Sallee. 

While the foundation covers 50% of the $80 cost per shirt, schools have to finance the remaining amount. With limited budgets, Sallee explained that identifying sponsorships is becoming increasingly necessary. “What we’re running into with schools is that they just don’t have a lot of money to be able to do that. We’re starting to try and figure out sponsorships but we have to know that a team is interested.”

Most recently, sponsors fully funded gear for the Ruckel Middle School football team. After hearing that the school was interested in getting this equipment for their athletes, Ferrin Campbell Construction and Kimberly Birr Griggs with The Property Group 850 stepped up to make it happen. 

• When asked about sponsoring additional local teams, Sallee responded, “The key is for the schools to really reach out to us, and just let us know they are really interested.”  

Sallee also emphasized the strategy of “backfilling” teams in future years. Once a team is initially outfitted, schools only need to purchase replacement shirts each season for incoming players rather than the entire roster again. This makes the process more affordable on an annual basis.

The Taylor Haugen Foundation remains committed to protecting as many young athletes as possible by outfitting them with proper safety gear. However, community support through sponsorships is vital for enabling more schools to take advantage of the foundation’s live-saving programs.

If you or your company are interested in sponsoring a local school football team to receive this potentially life-saving protective gear, please reach out to the Taylor Haugen Foundation. Your support can make a difference in protecting young athletes in our community.