PARKS+REC

Okaloosa takes next steps on new waterfront park in Mary Esther

Okaloosa County is moving forward with plans to develop a new waterfront park in the city of Mary Esther.

The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $289,092 task order for MRD Associates to provide permitting, design and construction services for the proposed Cristobal Waterfront Park. The 1.15-acre park will be located along Santa Rosa Sound in Mary Esther.

“This is going to get us off and running,” said Deputy Administrator Craig Coffey.

The county will split the task order cost with the city of Mary Esther under an interlocal agreement in which the county will lead development of the park before handing over ownership and operations to the city upon completion.

Planned amenities at Cristobal Waterfront Park include parking, sidewalks, a fishing pier, boardwalk, canoe/kayak launch, gazebos and restrooms. The project will also involve environmental permitting through the state Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

• Coffey previously said the new park will help meet high demand for public water access as the area’s population grows. Water activities remain top recreational draws for tourists and locals.

Commissioner Nathan Boyles praised the project’s momentum from recent property acquisition to design phase in short order, calling it faster than the “glacial pace” often associated with government work. Coffey said he could expect to see a similar pace with the Shalimar Waterfront Park as well.

The park plans align with the county’s vision for tourism growth and economic development by boosting recreational opportunities in Mary Esther while improving residents’ quality of life, officials said.

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TRAFFIC

‘FIFTY IN FIVE”: Okaloosa approves $4 million to pave another 20 miles of dirt roads

The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved allocating $4 million in infrastructure surtax funds to continue the “Fifty-in-Five” dirt road stabilization project at its meeting Tuesday.

• The project aims to stabilize and pave the county’s remaining dirt roads within five years. There were originally about 190 miles of county-maintained dirt roads when the initiative was proposed in 2020.

“To say this has been a successful program is a complete understatement,” said Jason Autrey, Okaloosa County public works director.

With the newly approved $4 million, Autrey said the county can stabilize over 20 more miles of dirt roads in the next fiscal year. That will leave under 30 miles left to stabilize and 85 miles to be paved with asphalt.

Commissioner Nathan Boyles, who first proposed the project in 2020, said the recent use of a thin layer of hot mix asphalt “has been a substantial improvement” over the previous double chip seal method.

“I know in my district constituents are seeing and feeling the difference,” Boyles said. “The chip seal was the best we had at the time, but it certainly looks like we’re getting a better product at the end of the day with the hot mix.”

Boyles also noted the project seems to be boosting morale among public works employees.

• “They’re actually out there doing work that’s permanent and making a difference to citizens, which, at the end of the day, is their neighbors and friends and family members,” Boyles said.

Autrey said the only drawback to the improved road conditions is that the roads are now so smooth that drivers are speeding on them. This has prompted the Public Works department to reassess speed limits, chevron signs and other traffic controls to improve safety.

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A MESSAGE FROM COX COMMUNICATIONS

How much bandwidth does your business really need?

The internet: it’s the superhighway of modern business. And just like a real highway, you need the right number of “lanes” to keep your business humming. That’s the message from Jonathan “JT” Tucker, Director of Sales for Cox Business, who recently provided his take on how much bandwidth businesses really need.

“Whether you’re a small coffee shop or a Fortune 500 company, reliable internet is mission critical,” said Tucker. “The key is finding the internet ‘sweet spot’ – not too much, not too little.”

Tucker says that while we talk about internet speed, what matters most is bandwidth – the total capacity available to move data. Thinking in terms of a highway: more “lanes” means more cars moving smoothly at once.

His rule of thumb for small businesses like cafes or shops: 

• 50-75 Mpbs – 5-10 employees, basic browsing and email activities, downloading/uploading large files, streaming.

• 100 Mpbs – 10-15 employees, basic browsing and emails, IP/VoIP telephone, light cloud application activity. Just a few simultaneous video calls happening.

• 500 Mpbs – Medium sized offices with 20-30 employees, with average amounts of internet usage; regular access to cloud-based applications, and simultaneous video calls are common.

• 1 Gpbs – Larger offices with 30 or more employees; many devices are connected to the internet, and employees are doing bandwidth-heavy activities such as simultaneous video calls, sending and receiving large files via email or the cloud, and regular, on-going cloud computing.

“You want enough bandwidth headroom for growth, without overpaying for unused capacity,” Tucker advised. “Right-sizing your digital lanes just takes a little planning.”

For companies revving their internet needs into overdrive, Tucker says Cox Business offers customizable connections to keep any business soaring down the digital highway.

“All it takes is a little due diligence to find the bandwidth “sweet spot” that’s perfect for your business’ needs,” he said.

MILITARY

Hurlburt Field’s ‘arctic-ready’ Airmen undergo intensive cold weather training

Airmen from Hurlburt Field’s Mission Sustainment Team recently underwent intensive cold weather training at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base. 

• The training prepared them for real-world operations and larger exercises amid evolving global threats, according to Hurlburt Field. 

The state-of-the-art McKinley lab simulated bone-chilling temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit during the exercise. According to 2nd Lt. Andre Jackman, commander of the Mission Sustainment Team, the extreme conditions let them test capabilities and unify expertise from 26 career fields to overcome challenges.

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Setota Touchette, 1st Special Operations Force Support Squadron MST personnel, explained the practical aspect of their training. 

• “We’re here testing the manpower and the capabilities we have as a team, setting up and tearing down in a cold weather environment,” said Touchette. “This exercise prepares us for the yearly Emerald Warrior exercise and helps us understand the requirements for sustaining a camp in cold weather.”

Airman 1st Class Jonah Williams said it readies them for cold climate deployments by teaching them to swiftly establish tents, shelter, food and other necessities.

The team also learned how equipment and personnel operate differently in frigid environments. According to Master Sgt. Luis Velez, the exercise scientifically measured their capabilities with current gear and manpower.

The McKinley Lab’s extreme cold was a new experience for the Mission Sustainment Team. Lt. Jackman said the annual training should become regular practice to hone skills and align with national defense priorities. 

• Msgt. Velez said the unique experience enhances mission readiness, ensuring they can face challenges wherever they arise.

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PARKS+REC

Okaloosa County discusses large pedestrian bridge to close gap in Florida National Scenic Trail

Okaloosa County officials are looking into plans to construct a pedestrian bridge over the Yellow River to close a gap in the Florida National Scenic Trail that currently forces hikers onto main roads.

The Florida Trail, which stretches 1,500 miles across Florida, has a roughly 5-mile gap in Okaloosa County between Eglin Air Force Base and the Yellow River Water Management Area. 

• Currently, thru-hikers must walk about 20 miles along the shoulders of State Road 85 and U.S. Highway 90 to connect the trail sections, county officials say.

At Tuesday’s county commission meeting, Commissioner Nathan Boyles brought up the issue and proposed the county partner with the state government and other agencies to build a bridge over the river.

“I think we have an opportunity with the Tourism Development District expansion that Okaloosa County may have a role to play in helping to close that gap,” Boyles said at the meeting.

Boyles said after recently hiking a 40-mile stretch of the Florida Trail, he was shocked to learn of the gap in his own district.

• “It’s worse than being a detour, it’s technically a backtrack,” Boyles said about the current hiking route. “You actually have to go back to Highway 85, make your way around to Highway 90, trek Highway 90 all the way to Holt, and then go Log Lake Road back down to find your way back to recommence the trail.”

Boyles said initial estimates show building a 200-foot suspension bridge over the river would cost around $2 million — $1 million for construction and $1 million for permitting, planning and design. But he said the bridge could become a tourist attraction for the county.

“We actually have the opportunity to build what would be the longest pedestrian bridge on the Florida National Scenic Trail,” Boyles said. “The bridge in-and-of-itself, I think, has the opportunity to become a showpiece and potentially a tourism piece.”

The trail is managed by the U.S. Forest Service along with the Florida Trail Association and other partners. Boyles said he hopes to bring a proposal to the county’s Tourist Development Council to make Okaloosa a financial partner in the project.

Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel also voiced support for the bridge proposal at Tuesday’s meeting.

• “I think that this bridge is something we ought to work with to get grants, not only from tourism development, but also I think the state of Florida would support this because they’re behind these trails as well,” Ketchel said.

Deputy County Administrator Sheila Fitzgerald outlined in a white paper that the bridge would connect public lands on both sides of the Yellow River, removing a dangerous 20-mile road walk for hikers. It would also support the military mission on Eglin Air Force Base under the Sikes Act.

The pedestrian bridge would provide new public access to scenic conservation lands along the river that are currently difficult to reach, the white paper said. It could also become an ecotourism attraction, bringing economic benefits to local communities. 

• Additionally, it would create one of the longest sections of wilderness hiking trail that is not interrupted by long road walks along the entire length of the 1,500-mile FNST, according to the county.

The Florida Trail draws almost 400,000 users per year statewide, according to the Florida Trail Association’s latest study. And though there is no trail count data specifically for the Okaloosa gap site, other trail sections in the Panhandle see several thousand hikers annually.

• The Forest Service and Florida Trail Association have identified a location for a potential 180-200 foot suspension bridge south of Wilkinson Bluff. The bridge could be built from barges in the river to avoid environmental impacts to the surrounding bottomland forest.

At Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners gave consensus for Boyles to continue working with county staff to pursue the bridge project.

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