What has been only speculation for quite a while may actually be true after an email exchange was released allegedly showing former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in support in of HB 631.
According to the Walton Sun, in a mid-January email exchange with Sen. Kathleen Passidomo (who sponsored the bill), Huckabee thank Passidomo for sponsoring it “to protect private property rights involving the customary use abuse by Walton Co.” He went on to write that there would be “a flood of political pressure to stop your bill because there are only 900 beachfront owners and many of them only live part time there.”
The Tampa Bay Times published this image of the initial email that was sent via Passidomo’s website:
According to the Walton Sun, after the email was discovered and published, Huckabee responded say, “If the critics accuse me of some ‘big’ role, don’t they think I’d have better access than the public response form on senator’s website?”
To read more on this email from Huckabee, click here.
New businesses offers active shooter training
Active Shooter 360 opened a new active shooter training warehouse on Lovejoy Road in Fort Walton Beach that provides different scenes of mock robbers and shooters to help people be prepared for an active shooter situation. According to The Destin Log, the building includes rooms such as “grocery stores and ATMs for robberies, and hospital rooms, cafés and offices for active-shooter exercises.” To learn more on the new new active shooter training, click here.
FWB City Manager receives high scores and pay increase
Fort Walton Beach City Manager Micheal Beedie received an overall score of 4.82 out of 5 on a recent job performance evaluation. According to the Northwest Florida Daily News, the evaluation is based on aspects such as leadership, decision making/judgment, honesty/integrity and community relations. Beedie will also get a 2.3 percent pay increase that brings his total salary from the city to $130,421. To read more on the evaluation, click here.
A bar for locals
Now open for 2 months, 1835 Porch Bar has been described as “a haven for locals”. The small bar is owned by Dewey Destin and is operated as a satellite bar of Dewey Destin’s Harborside Restaurant, according to The Destin Log. 1835 will feature craft cocktails, a beer wall featuring 8 taps of local beer and apps like seafood gumbo and crab claws. To read more on the bar, click here.
Farley pleads no contest and gets probation
Former Okaloosa County School District Investigator Arden Farley pleaded no contest Tuesday to four counts of failure to report child abuse and was placed on three years’ probation, according to the Northwest Florida Daily News. Farley also confirmed allegations that Marlynn Stillions did spray students with vinegar and withheld food from students, among other claims. To read more on Farley’s plea and the upcoming trials of the other 3 School District employees, click here.
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