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Good morning!
The Fort Walton Beach City Council voted 4-3 to postpone the cottage food stand ordinance to Oct. 13, with council members seeking more community input before finalizing the measure. The Fort Walton Beach Golf Club posted its strongest revenue in years, and the council is debating the path forward for the facility. Volunteer John Jansen was honored with a statewide award after 50 years of service to Heritage Park & Cultural Center, and Destin Mayor Bobby Wagner will host a “Help Build Destin Right” Fireside Chat. Also, an inside look at WM’s Michael Beedie’s career, community, and next challenge.
HOW I WORK
An inside look at Michael Beedie’s career, community and next challenge
“How I Work” is brought to you by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce. Join the most influential organization in Okaloosa. Learn more here.
Michael Beedie’s connection to Fort Walton Beach goes back nearly his entire life. Born at Eglin Air Force Base and raised in the city from age 1, the Fort Walton Beach High School graduate eventually returned home after college and went on to serve more than a decade as Fort Walton Beach City Manager.
Today, he remains involved in the community while working as Senior Manager of Government Affairs for WM, a role that keeps him frequently traveling.
Outside of work, Beedie is taking on a new challenge after turning 50 in January: training for his first half marathon. Inspired by his wife’s health journey, he plans to run the race alongside her this November.
In this edition of How I Work, Beedie talks about life on the road, his favorite Fort Walton Beach spots, lessons from his career, his continued involvement in the community — and he still plans on going to law school.
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GAMES
WordroW: August 27, 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.
PARKS+REC
Fort Walton Beach Golf Club posts strongest revenue in years, council debates path forward
The Fort Walton Beach Golf Club’s revenue is up an average of 23.2% compared to the same 10-month period in each of the previous three fiscal years, Golf Director Jacob Hill told city council Tuesday night. The course is currently operating more than $300,000 in the black.
Hill’s presentation during the Aug. 25 meeting highlighted growth driven by the addition of a Trackman driving range, increased memberships and an expanded merchandise operation.
The club has generated $2.54 million in revenue through July of fiscal year 2026, compared to $2.16 million during the same October-through-July window in fiscal year 2023. Driving range revenue alone has nearly tripled in that span, climbing from $141,158 in FY23 to $380,430 in FY26. Memberships grew from $156,728 to $223,734 over the same period.
Hill also told council the club has tracked nearly 9,900 unique customers since implementing a new software system in April, with zip code data showing visitors from across the country.
Hill outlined new revenue on the horizon (indoor Trackman), capital requests, and aging equipment. Council debated the future of the course and the privatization question.
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Care for every generation
For 80 years, White-Wilson Medical Center has been honored to serve the healthcare needs of our community. What began in 1946 has grown into a legacy built on trusted care, meaningful relationships, and generations of patients who have placed their health in our hands.
80 Years of Care. 80 Years of Community. 80 Years of White-Wilson.
Thank you to our patients, providers, team members, and community partners, for being part of our story.
GIVING BACK
Fort Walton Beach volunteer John Jansen honored with statewide award after 50 years of service to Heritage Park
From giving back to investing in the future, FPL is powering strong communities. Learn more here.
A volunteer whose connection to the Indian Temple Mound Museum stretches back to his teenage years in the mid-1970s has been named the Florida Recreation and Park Association’s 2026 Individual Volunteer Service Award recipient.
The City of Fort Walton Beach announced the honor for John Jansen, who has spent 50 years volunteering at what is now the Heritage Park and Cultural Center. The FRPA presents the award annually to individuals whose volunteer service has improved the quality and quantity of leisure opportunities in parks, recreation and leisure service programs across the state of Florida.
“We’re very proud of John,” said Museum Manager Gail Meyer. “To be selected as the FRPA’s volunteer of the year for the entire state of Florida is quite an honor.”
Jansen’s ties to the Indian Temple Mound began when he was a student at Bruner Junior High School. He developed a keen interest in Native American pottery after finding pottery pieces on his father’s property in Walton County.
“I figured out really quick that I wasn’t going to find the whole pot,” Jansen said of his early excavations. “So that’s how I started making my own pottery.”
GAMES
Jigsaw – “Romeo”
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
Ready for this week’s Jigsaw puzzle?
Each week, we use local pictures from around Okaloosa County as part of our puzzles. They’ll include current dated photos to historical ones.
This week…we take a look at the manatees at the Gulfarium, specifically Romeo, the oldest known manatee at over 70 years old.
EVENT
‘Help Build Destin Right’: Fireside Chat with Mayor Bobby Wagner
City of Destin Mayor Bobby Wagner is hosting a public input session focused on the building and permitting experience in Destin — covering the new online permitting portal, where the review process slows things down, and what fair and predictable fees should look like.
Whether you’re a contractor, a homeowner planning a remodel, or a resident who cares about how Destin grows, this is your chance to weigh in.
Thursday, Sept. 3 | 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Beachworx — 34990 Emerald Coast Pkwy, Suite 300, Destin
Free to attend. RSVP on Eventbrite
WEATHER
Today’s weather outlook
TODAY: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 0 to 5 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 cloudy, with a low around 77. West wind 0 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
BUSINESS
Fort Walton Beach City Council postpones cottage food stand ordinance to October, seeks more input
The Fort Walton Beach City Council voted 4-3 on Tuesday to delay a decision on an ordinance that would allow home-based cottage food businesses to sell from outdoor carts and stands, pushing the matter to Oct. 13 and suspending code enforcement on existing stands in the meantime.
The council had approved the ordinance on first reading 5-1 on Aug. 11.
Councilman Bryce Jeter said his concern centered on SB-180, a state law that bars cities in hurricane-affected counties from adopting more restrictive land development regulations through at least October 2027. He said that once the ordinance passed, the council could not tighten any of its provisions, including the hours, setbacks and parking requirements, while SB-180 remains in effect.
- “If we make the wrong changes on this, and we can’t go back and fix it, so it’s just the slipperiest of slipperiest slopes I’ve touched since I’ve been up here in three years,” Jeter said.
The city’s ordinance, if adopted, would let cottage food businesses operating under Florida Statute 500.80 place one cart or stand outside the home, limited to 20 square feet and 8 feet tall. It would restrict stand operations to between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., require the stand to be stored out of sight outside those hours, set it back at least 15 feet from the property line, and require two off-street parking spaces on a stabilized surface. Operators would need city approval before starting.
Mayor Nic Allegretto said the delay should not be interpreted as the city shutting anyone down. “Nobody that’s running one of these businesses is being put out by the city of Fort Walton Beach if this is not passed tonight,” Allegretto said. “They’re still operating the business. They can sell out of their house 24/7.”
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Thursday! 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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124 Eglin Parkway SE Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548