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Good morning!
Okaloosa County is developing a regulatory framework for data centers. The Cinco Bayou Boat Ramp opens Friday (today) with new parking ahead of Labor Day, FWB begins twice-weekly trash pickup Oct. 5, and The Boardwalk adds a Columbus Day Weekend celebration. Plus, Niceville volleyball’s home-opener sweep, attorney Whitney Smith on DIY estate planning risks, and today’s weather outlook.
PARKS+REC
Cinco Bayou Boat Ramp, new parking area to open Friday ahead of Labor Day weekend
The Cinco Bayou Boat Ramp and its new parking area will open Friday afternoon ahead of the Labor Day weekend, Okaloosa County announced.
The county is asking boaters to be mindful of posted signs and the designated trailer traffic pattern at the facility. Commercial activity, including pontoon rentals, is prohibited at all county boat ramps.
The opening is the latest milestone in a $4.1 million project the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners approved in March 2025. That vote included the $2.95 million purchase of a three-story former bank building at 198 Eglin Parkway NE and two vacant lots at 4 Lucille St. and 254 Seaway St.
The $4.1 million project was funded through $3.1 million from Tourism Development end-of-year funding, $750,000 from Cinco Bayou Tourism Development Tax funds, $100,000 from Cinco Bayou Community Redevelopment Agency funds and $150,000 from county Boater Improvement Funds.
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GAMES
WordroW: September 4, 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.
SPORTS
Niceville volleyball sweeps Pace in home opener, improves to 4-2
Niceville volleyball continues to look like a Class 5A contender early in the season. The Lady Eagles swept Pace 3-0 in their home opener on Wednesday night, winning 25-19, 25-19 and 25-22 to improve to 4-2 on the year.
“We had a goal. What happened last year wasn’t going to happen again, and we came out hot,” head coach Karson Jessup said.
In the first set, Niceville opened on an 8-1 run before Pace narrowed the deficit back to a manageable margin. The Lady Eagles got it together down the stretch, highlighted by a Kate Jannazo ace to push the lead to six, followed by a Claire Ivey kill to finish off the Lady Patriots 25-19.
The second set started tight before the Lady Eagles opened up a 6-0 run with Jannazo and Carnley Summerlin taking over.
“She did what she always does. She was steady, she passed well, she hit well, she hit the plays she needed to make,” Jessup said.
PROMOTED BY FLEET, SMITH & FREEMAN
Attorney Whitney Smith explains the hidden risks of DIY estate planning
Most people know they need an estate plan. Few want to sit down and make one.
“I think it has to do with facing the inevitable,” said Whitney Smith, an attorney with Fleet, Smith & Freeman in Shalimar. “People don’t want to face that reality.”
Smith said the reasons people put off estate planning are understandable. Young people feel they have time. Older individuals avoid the discomfort. When they finally act, it’s often a big trip or a major financial change that forces the issue.
But waiting too long, or turning to a cheap shortcut, can cost a family far more than it saves.
In this interview, Smith outlines:
- The DIY trap
- What only an attorney can do
- Why its more than a document
- Florida-specific pitfalls
- Why to revisit every three to five years
- And planning for the conversations nobody wants to have
NEWS
City of Fort Walton Beach twice-weekly trash pickup begins Oct. 5
City of Fort Walton Beach residents will start receiving twice-weekly garbage collection next month after the city finalized its new sanitation schedule.
The expanded service begins Monday, Oct. 5, the city announced Tuesday. Residents currently on a Monday trash route will add Thursday pickup. Those on a Tuesday route will add Friday.
The City Council voted 6-1 in January to restore twice-weekly collection, a service the city eliminated in October 2014 when it launched curbside recycling. Residents now pay $29.12 monthly, up from $27.13 under the previous once-weekly model.
THINGS TO DO
The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island adds new Columbus Day Weekend celebration to fall events lineup
The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island is rolling out a new Columbus Day Weekend celebration this fall, expanding a seasonal lineup that already includes the annual Labor Day Fireworks show and the 11th Annual Tricks & Treasures Halloween event.
The new Columbus Day Weekend programming runs from Monday, Oct. 5 through Sunday, Oct. 11 and features a pirate-themed show, a beachfront movie night, karaoke and a fireworks finale over the Gulf. All events are free and open to the public.
- Pirate Show: Monday, Oct. 5, 5:30–8 p.m.
- Movie on the Beach: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m.
- Karaoke: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 7–10 p.m.
- Karaoke: Sunday, Oct. 11, 7–10 p.m.
- Fireworks Show: Sunday, Oct. 11, 9 p.m.
Before the new Columbus Day celebration arrives, The Boardwalk will close out the holiday weekend with its Labor Day Fireworks show on Sunday, Sept. 6. The evening begins with karaoke at Al’s Beach Club & Burger Bar at 7 p.m., with fireworks lighting up the Gulf at 9 p.m. Guests are invited to grab dinner at one of The Boardwalk’s restaurants and settle in along the waterfront for the display.
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WEATHER
Today’s weather outlook
TODAY: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
TONIGHT: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 79. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
BUSINESS
Okaloosa County to begin developing a regulatory framework for data centers
The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to direct staff to begin developing a regulatory framework for data centers, giving Deputy County Administrator Jason Autrey a 60-day timeline to return with a skeletal outline.
Chairman Trey Goodwin, who placed the item on the agenda, said he wanted the board to take a proactive approach rather than follow other communities that have imposed moratoriums or outright bans.
- “Part of the reason I wanted to have that as a discussion instead of just burying it as some sort of a moratorium or something in a consent agenda is that it may be something where we want to take a different perspective on this,” Goodwin said.
A staff report noted that data centers are not addressed in the county’s Comprehensive Plan or Land Development Code, and that it would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible” to process a data center application under the current rules. Senate Bill 484, signed into law during the 2026 Legislative Session, grants local governments the authority to regulate data centers through their comprehensive plans and land development codes.
Areas identified for regulation include future land use and zoning, water and power consumption, noise, lighting, thermal mitigation, siting standards and buffers.
Commissioner Paul Mixon, who made the motion directing staff to explore regulatory options, noted that much of the county-owned industrial land is at the Shoal River Industrial Park in his district. He said data centers have not been a fit there because the county’s priority is job creation.
“In chatting, it’s not a fit for what we are. We’re looking at growing jobs there, not just building buildings,” Mixon said.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Friday! 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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