WEATHER

Okaloosa County issues 7-day ‘burn ban’ due to dry weather conditions

The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners has declared a local state of emergency due to drought conditions that are creating hazardous wildfire risks across the county.

• This comes after coordination with the Florida Forest Service and analysis of the current and future weather forecast.

The emergency declaration, passed in Resolution No. 2023-180 on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, cites the dry, parched, and windy weather as exacerbating fire dangers and the need for emergency measures to protect residents and visitors.

“The safety of our residents is a top priority for the County,” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin. “Enacting a burn ban is a tool for us to avoid any potential harms that may come from our current weather situation and is the appropriate action to take to prevent human-caused wildfires.”

Under the state of emergency, all outdoor burning is prohibited, including bonfires, campfires, fireplaces and cooking fires outside of contained, monitored gas or charcoal grills. 

• The prohibition is aimed at mitigating the public safety hazard posed by wildfires.

According to the resolution, violators of the outdoor burn ban are subject to second degree misdemeanor charges. Local fire districts will respond to any reports of illegal burning and take measures to contain or extinguish the fires.

The emergency declaration follows collaboration among the Okaloosa County Department of Public Safety, the Florida Forest Service and the County Commission. All agreed on the urgent need to ban outdoor burning given the dry conditions.

The state of emergency goes into effect immediately and will remain in effect for at least seven days under the initial resolution. The County Commission can choose to extend it in weekly intervals as drought conditions persist.

FOOD+DRINK

‘Eggs on the Beach’ cooking competition raises $44,500 for local nonprofits

The annual Eggs on the Beach cooking competition raised $44,500 for local nonprofits, including Food for Thought and Fisher House of the Emerald Coast.

• The 9th edition of the Big Green Egg cooking event was held Oct. 14 at Seascape Towne Center. It featured alligator, venison and lamb dishes from 22 cook teams competing for cash, prizes and trophies.

Presented by Bay Breeze Patio, this year’s proceeds were split between the winning nonprofit cook teams and the two benefiting charities, which each received an $18,500 donation.

• The first-place nonprofit team, Healing Paws for Warriors partnered with Swiftly Catered, won $3,500 for their Trinidad spice pork tenderloin dish.

• Second place and $2,500 went to South Walton Academy’s team for their bacon-wrapped venison.

• The Brotherhood of Distinguished Gentlemen from Walton County Juvenile Justice took third and $1,500 for smoked brisket on biscuits.

The overall first-place team was Keggs Over Easy, whose Texas Twinkies jalapeno bites and bourbon cocktails earned them a large Big Green Egg grill. Saltwater Restaurants and Team Indyne & RT&T Technology tied for second, winning medium grills for their shrimp and sausage dishes. Captain’s Choice took third with smoked brisket.

Five honorary judges also gave top honors to Keggs Over Easy, while second place went to the Brotherhood of Distinguished Gentlemen and third to Nice Racks.

Since 2013, Eggs on the Beach has donated over $295,000 to local charities. Discounted Big Green Egg grills used at the event are now available for purchase.

SCHOOL

Okaloosa School District looks to expand Okaloosa Technical College to Crestview

The Okaloosa County School District is looking to expand Okaloosa Technical College to the north end of the county to increase access to career and technical education programs. 

The school board held a workshop last Monday to discuss submitting a pre-application to Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. for $8.35 million in funding to purchase and renovate property in the Okaloosa Industrial Air Park near Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview. 

• The proposed funding would allow the district to establish a north campus of Okaloosa Technical College to serve residents in northern Okaloosa County.

“I’m very proud of Mr. Jon Williams, Mrs. April Branscome, Mr. David Welch,” said Okaloosa Schools Superintendent Marcus Chambers. “They came to meet with us a month and a half ago, very excited about the potential opportunity to bring O.T.C. to the north end of the county. I think this will be a flagship program in the north.”

The sole Okaloosa Technical College campus is currently located in Fort Walton Beach. Jon Williams, director of Okaloosa Technical College, said a north county location would increase access for residents in the Crestview, Baker and Laurel Hill areas.

Williams said the college has seen strong interest from industry partners, but many ask when OTC will expand to better meet workforce demands. 

The pre-application to Triumph Gulf Coast seeks funding to purchase a 40,000 square foot building on 7 acres in the Okaloosa Industrial Air Park in Crestview. The facility would be renovated to include classrooms, labs and workspaces for new technical college programs. 

The proposed location is near new economic growth areas like the Shoal River Ranch industrial megasite. The Shoal River site is expected to attract manufacturing companies that would need a skilled workforce.

Williams said new programs would target high-demand fields like advanced manufacturing, welding, electronics, building trades, construction design technology, plumbing, industrial pipefitting, applied cybersecurity and more. He said the goal is to enroll over 150 students in the first year of operation.

• “Students would begin earning certifications and licenses ongoing and a full expansion would be realized within 2 years of grant funds being approved and allocated,” Williams said in the application.

School board member Tim Bryant said he was excited about the potential for an OTC north campus to increase options for students in northern Okaloosa County.

“I think there’s going to be an untapped number of students there that have issues getting down to the South End,” Bryant said to Williams. “Now, if this becomes a reality, it’s going to be right there at their back door.”

• Bryant said the new campus would especially benefit students coming from Laurel Hill and Baker.

The technical college currently offers dual enrollment programs for high school students. Williams said OTC north could provide new dual enrollment pathways for northern schools in addition to serving postsecondary students.

Nathan Sparks, executive director of One Okaloosa EDC, also endorsed the OTC expansion effort. 

• “The proposed Okaloosa Technical College north campus stands to have a monumental impact on higher wage job creation in northern Okaloosa County for years to come,” Sparks said in the pre-application.

The school board would have to approve a final application to receive the requested Triumph Gulf Coast funding. The initial pre-application is meant to provide an overview of the project and gain preliminary feedback from Triumph Gulf Coast.

Superintendent Chambers said he is excited about the partnership between the school district, OTC and local economic development leaders.

• “We will continue working closely with our community partners and industry leaders to offer pathways that will further our students’ success in the north end and continue to contribute positively to Okaloosa’s economy,’” said Chambers.

PARKS+REC

Destin to host workshop on plans for new Linear Park

The city of Destin will host a public workshop on Thursday, November 9, to gather feedback on plans for a new linear park.

• The workshop will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Destin City Hall Annex, according to city officials.

The Destin City Council has approved initial designs and permitting for the park, which will run along the east end of 98 Palms Boulevard heading east to Airport Road.

“We are interested in receiving feedback from the public at this stage of the project,” said Louis Zunguze, Destin’s community development director. “The information gathered from this meeting will be compiled and taken to the appropriate committees for recommendations to go to City Council for their review before the project progresses to 60% design plans.”

Those with disabilities who require assistance to participate in the meeting are asked to notify the city clerk’s office at (850) 837-4242 at least 48 hours in advance.

Two or more members of the Destin City Council may attend the workshop, officials noted.

A MESSAGE FROM FWB CHIRO

Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic’s ‘Personalized Treatment Plans’ for relief from back pain

The 3 most common reasons someone goes to see Dr. Scott Smith at Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic are headache, neck pain, and back pain. 

• Today, we will talk about back pain. 

“Back pain presents as pain straight across the lower back around the belt line, or you can have pain that travels down your legs, numbness, tingling, sharp shooting pain, or the deep bone on bone pain in the middle of the back,” said Dr. Scott Smith. 

Whether the pain is from arthritis or a herniated disc, FWB Chiropractic can determine the best course of action for you.

“When you come in, we’ll go through an entire evaluation process with you that includes your health history, exams to figure out where your body’s at and what we need to do for it,” explained Dr. Scott Smith. “That’s going to include having you bend, twist and move to see where your limitations are at. We will look for any low back pain or neck pain that you may be experiencing and see what we can do to help that out.”

Dr. Smith explained that they will find out where your limitations are and help your body to overcome those limitations and progress in your healthcare. At the end of your exam, he will take X-rays of the area of complaint, along with any other areas that you want to address.

• “We’ll be able to show you bones, cartilage, soft tissue, and all the stuff that’s on the inside of your body that may need any treatment,” he said. “After that, we will work together to come up with a treatment plan that works best for you to address your goals and your needs.” 

Some of those courses of action include spinal adjustments, core strengthening stability exercises, spinal decompression therapy and a PiezoWave, which is an acoustic compression device. 

“Whether you have insurance that will cover your treatment or not, our goal is to provide high quality care at a reasonable cost,” said Dr. Smith. “We look forward to helping you with your healthcare needs.”

To learn more about Chiropractic Care, visit fwbchiro.com. Fort Walton Beach Chiro is located at 15 Racetrack Road NE, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547 – (850) 200-4911

TRAVEL

Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport wants to send one lucky military member ‘Home for the Holidays”

The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport has officially launched its 8th annual “Operation Home for the Holidays” campaign, offering active duty military members (E-4 and below) stationed locally the chance to win a free roundtrip flight home to visit loved ones over the holiday season.

• The promotion, running from November 1st through December 5th, is open to enlisted personnel based/stationed/posted at one of the many military bases located in the 850 or 448 area code. 

One lucky service member will be randomly selected on December 6th to receive round trip air travel to be used during this December or January.

“We are excited to kick off the 8^th Annual ‘Operation Home for the Holidays’ campaign,” said Airports Director Tracy Stage. “The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport is the world’s only Joint Use-Commercial Service Schedule Facilitated Airport and the entire team looks forward each year to honor the servicemen and servicewomen in our local military community by offering them a chance to win a roundtrip back home during the Holiday season.” 

As an airport located on Eglin Air Force Base, the partnership is paramount to the thriving community and the airport’s level of support can be seen in the numerous military tributes across the Airport’s campus.

• “Our 66-year partnership is one of the County’s most coveted,” Stage commented. “We take great pride in our heritage and our strong military community. It is important to show our support and gratitude, especially during the holidays when so many young service members are far from family.”

The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport provides commercial air service with five (5) airlines serving 50 destinations. This annual promotion is just one of the many ways the airport strives to connect with and serve its community.

For Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, this annual event is a way for the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport to celebrate our troops. Ketchel says that each year she looks forward to seeing the reaction of the service member who is fortunate enough to win this opportunity to go home and be with family.

• “Most of us, at one time or another, have been separated from family members during the holiday season due to military service,” said Commissioner Ketchel. “This event is a wonderful opportunity for those who are serving to return home and be with family to celebrate the holidays.”

Full details on entry requirements and rules for “Operation Home for the Holidays” can be found at getthecoast.com/OperationFlyVPS. With submissions now open, local military members are encouraged to submit!