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The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is removing all Flock license plate reader cameras — going beyond an FDOT order by pulling devices on county rights-of-way in addition to state roads. A 12-year-old was arrested after a TikTok post targeting two Okaloosa middle schools, with additional threats now under investigation. Fort Walton Beach’s City Council voted to use cemetery funds to buy out a $3.87 million deed restriction on the City Hall property, and the wife of the Crestview man killed in a deputy-involved shooting has been arrested on an explosives charge in Oklahoma. Highway 85 and State Road 123 will close Wednesday for Eglin test missions, and Attorney General James Uthmeier was honored at Friday’s Fort Walton Beach High School football game.
SCHOOL
“Go Vikings”: AG James Uthmeier honored at Fort Walton Beach High School football game
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier returned to Fort Walton Beach High School on Friday night for a halftime ceremony honoring him and his father, Billy Uthmeier, at the Vikings’ game against South Walton High School.
It was Uthmeier’s first time attending a football game at the stadium where he graduated 20 years ago.
- “I’ve actually never been to a football game here,” Uthmeier said. “The stadium was done just in time for my graduation in 2006. I think the first football season played here was the following year, 2007. So it’s a neat thing to come back to.”
Uthmeier, who grew up in Destin, played on the Viking baseball team and served as Captain of the cross country team before going on to the University of Florida and Georgetown Law. He previously served as Chief of Staff for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed him Florida’s Attorney General in February 2025.
Uthmeier said education has been a top priority throughout his career in state government and praised the direction of Okaloosa County schools.
“In Okaloosa County in particular, the schools are just terrific,” he said. “It’s an honor to come out of this school district and I’m glad to see them continuing to thrive.”
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GAMES
WordroW: September 1, 2026
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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.
BUSINESS
FWB votes to use cemetery funds to buy out $3.87 million deed restriction on City Hall property
The Fort Walton Beach City Council voted 6-1 on Aug. 25 to approve using $3.87 million from the city’s Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund to purchase and extinguish a reverter clause on the City Hall property, settling pending litigation with the Jackson Land Trust and giving the city unrestricted ownership of the roughly 9-acre site at 107 Miracle Strip Parkway SW.
A reverter clause is a deed restriction attached to donated property that can force ownership back to the original donor’s heirs if certain conditions aren’t met. The City Hall property was donated by the Jackson family, and the restriction requires it be used for city hall, an auditorium or parks and recreation purposes.
The issue traces back to May 21, 2024, when the council unanimously directed staff to explore parking management at City Hall and look into potentially purchasing the reverter clause. At the time, businesses across Highway 98 were using City Hall’s parking lot, and the city was exploring whether to charge for parking or restrict access.
When that possibility was raised with the Jackson Land Trust, the trust sued the city, arguing the property was not being used for a public purpose.
The $3.87 million would come from the city’s Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund, an investment fund built from cemetery plot sales and investment returns that is meant to sustain long-term maintenance of the city’s two municipal cemeteries, Beal Memorial Cemetery and Brooks Memorial Cemetery. The reverter buyout would be structured as an interfund loan.
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PUBLIC SAFETY
Wife of Crestview man killed in deputy-involved shooting arrested on explosives charge in Oklahoma
The wife of a Crestview man killed in a shootout with Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Aug. 8 has been arrested in Oklahoma after a traffic stop turned up a live homemade explosive device and several firearms, the OCSO announced Monday.
Madeline Haner of 607 Alabama St. was stopped by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol on Aug. 25 as she was traveling through the state. During a search of her vehicle, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol located the explosive device and firearms among her belongings, according to the OCSO.
Haner was charged with unlawful possession of an explosive and use of a firearm while committing a felony. She is being held in Oklahoma with no bond.
PUBLIC SAFETY
12-year-old arrested, additional threats under investigation after TikTok post targets two Okaloosa middle schools
A 12-year-old Fort Walton Beach girl has been arrested and faces felony charges after the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigated a threatening TikTok post that targeted Pryor Middle School and Bruner Middle School, the agency announced Monday.
The OCSO said it received multiple tips through Fortify Florida on Sunday regarding a TikTok account that posted a threat stating, “Shooting Pryor and Bruner Tuesday..don’t go to school or go Pryor is located in Fort Walton don’t tell no principals, or I’m going to find out where you live.”
The account also posted photos of what appeared to be an assault rifle and two pistols, along with a hunting rifle, accompanied by statements indicating the firearms were real, according to the OCSO.
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TRAFFIC
Highway 85, State Road 123 to close Wednesday for Eglin test missions
Highway 85 and State Road 123 will be closed intermittently Wednesday morning as the 96th Test Wing conducts testing on the Eglin Test and Training Complex.
The closures are expected between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sept. 2. The roads should not be closed for more than 90 minutes at a time, though they may be closed for several periods within the window.
Backup missions are scheduled for Sept. 11 during the same time frame.
WEATHER
Today’s weather outlook
TODAY: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 88. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
TONIGHT: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 79. South wind 0 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office to remove license plate reader cameras after statewide FDOT order
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office will remove all of its automated license plate reader cameras after the Florida Department of Transportation issued a statewide order revoking permits for the devices on state rights-of-way.
FDOT’s Engineering and Operations Memorandum No. 26-01, dated Aug. 31, gives local law enforcement agencies 30 days to remove all LPR devices from state road rights-of-way. The department said it will remove any remaining devices after the 30-day window.
“From the very start of this discussion, I said that if a judge ruled these cameras are unconstitutional, or the governor determined they violated the law, we would certainly comply,” said Sheriff Eric Aden. “Though LPR technology has not been ruled unconstitutional, the FDOT Memorandum eliminates our ability to use them.”
While the majority of OCSO’s Flock cameras are located on state rights-of-way, Sheriff Aden said the agency will also begin removing its remaining devices on county rights-of-way.
OCSO will formally notify Flock Safety, its LPR vendor, and begin working through contract timelines for equipment removal.
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