LOCAL ECONOMY

Okaloosa EDC expands Relocation Portal to include new ‘preferred’ directory

One Okaloosa Economic Development Council announced on Wednesday that the organization’s Relocation Portal has been expanded to include a Preferred Service Provider Directory.  

The service providers listed within the searchable directory fall within the following 10 categories: 

• Accountants, Bookkeepers and Financial Planners
• Architects, Civil Engineers, Planners & Surveyors
• Attorneys & Title Companies
• Banks & Credit Unions
• Healthcare
• Homebuilders & Residential Developers
• Insurance, Benefits and HR Consulting
• Residential Realtors & Property Managers
• Schools & Colleges
• Utilities

The reason: Many local companies regularly recruit personnel from outside the area. To help with recruiting, One Okaloosa’s Relocation Portal was created. The portal includes: 

• Jobs board spotlighting local employment opportunities in select sectors
• Information on public/private schools
• Healthcare options
• Real estate
• Arts & culture
• Information targeted to transitioning military personnel

“The Relocation Portal has been well-utilized, especially over the past year as the local labor market has tightened,” stated Nathan Sparks, One Okaloosa EDC Executive Director. “With the addition of the Preferred Service Provider Directory, we aim to connect individuals moving to our area with an impressive array of professional services that they may be in need of as they get settled in their new community.”

According to Sparks, this is another way that One Okaloosa can spotlight some of the service providers that support One Okaloosa.

TRAFFIC AHEAD

Temporary road closure on PJ Adams Parkway in Crestview set for next week

PJ Adams Parkway will be closed between Northview Dr. and Villacrest Dr. West for utility work on Thursday, December 9 from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m.

• This road work is part of the Crestview Bypass and PJ Adams Pkwy. widening project.

Traffic will be rerouted via Villacrest W. to Juniper Dr. to Northview Dr. 

Detour signs will be in place and traffic signs will be updated to notify the public of this pending closure.

MORE TRAFFIC

Temporary closure of Brooks Street in Downtown Fort Walton Beach

Beginning Tuesday, December 7, 2021, the City of Fort Walton Beach will begin a project to install a water and sewer tap to 109 Brooks Street SE. 

• Work is anticipated to last two days. 

During this time, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Brooks Street will be closed to thru traffic from Highway 98 to 139 Brooks Streets SE. 

The city is asking that residents remove all vehicles and obstructions from the right-of-way. 

“We thank you for your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” wrote the city in a press release. 

OKALOOSA TECH

Bit-Wizards’ co-parenting app now serves over 550,000 families worldwide

Now that the team at Bit-Wizards has moved into their new location, the company has more room for their SaaS (software as a service) application called TalkingParents. 

• As previously reported, 2021 has been a massive year of growth and innovation for both companies. 

TalkingParents is a leading co-parenting application supporting separated/divorced parents worldwide. The communications platform was founded by resident Stephen Nixon while running his criminal defense and family law practice, and has been court-approved since 2010.

“I created TalkingParents as a solution for my own clients when I was practicing family law in Florida,” said Nixon. “Almost every case I dealt with involved poor communication between co-parents and a lack of reliable records.”

In 2010, Nixon decided to take matters into his own hands. With the help of a friend with some web development experience, TalkingParents.com was born. 

Nixon bootstrapped the original web application that went from a prototype to a working model. After gaining 1,000 customers and proving there was a market for the application, Stephen realized he needed to scale the business and the technology. That’s when he approached Bit-Wizards. 

• Together they formed a new company, Monitored Communications, LLC., and re-engineered TalkingParents from the ground up to scale nationally and internationally. 

“I love having TalkingParents to offer as a solution to clients who have difficulties communicating with their co-parent,” said Kelly A. Simon, Esq. “TalkingParents allows each parent to ensure the other is notified of appointments (using the calendar), timesharing exchange details, and to share general information about their children. It works to hold parents accountable without fear of altercations due to their communications.“

• A new feature released in 2021 includes Video Calling, giving their 550,000 users the ability to make recorded audio and video calls. 

“If you think about it, there’s somewhere between 50-70 million co-parenting relationships around the county,” said Vince Mayfield, CEO Bit-Wizards. “We have barely tapped into that and with the growth that we’ve been experiencing, I think this has the ability to go public as a publicly traded company.”

Looking ahead: Bit-Wizards and TalkingParents teams look to add 10+ employees following their relocation to a new headquarters building in the Fort Walton Beach Commerce & Technology Park. 

ROAD WORK

Improvements planned for two intersections on Racetrack Road in Fort Walton Beach

The Florida Department of Transportation is planning for improvements to the Mar Walt Drive and Denton Boulevard Intersections on Racetrack Road in Fort Walton Beach. 

In a hybrid-meeting presentation in November, the FDOT outlined the proposals and current plan for the new construction.

• There are three proposed improvements near the Mar Walt Drive and Racetrack Road Intersections.

Mar Walt Intersection 

Proposed changes include:

• Adding a right turn lane in the westbound direction.
• Eliminating the median opening east of the intersection. 
• Adding a dedicated median opening for westbound traffic to Winrock Plaza.

Traffic moving westbound will advance through the Mar Walt Drive Intersection and can return eastbound by making a U-turn at Titan Court.

The first proposed improvement begins westbound on Racetrack Road. A right turn lane will be added from the Racetrack Road, turning north onto Mar Walt Drive.

The second proposed improvement will eliminate the existing median opening located just east of the Mar Walt Drive Intersection. Traffic moving eastbound will advance through the Mar Walt Drive Intersection and can return westbound by making a U-turn at Richpien Road.

The third proposed improvement is a dedicated opening for westbound traffic, that will be added on Racetrack Road, east of the intersection. This will allow westbound traffic to make a left turn into the Winrock Plaza.

Denton Boulevard Intersection

The improvements for the Denton Boulevard Intersection include:

• Adding a right turn lane in all four directions. 
• Adjusting the left-turn lanes on Racetrack Road to provide better sight distance for motorists turning left from Racetrack Road onto Denton Boulevard.

According to the presentation, bids for construction on both projects are scheduled for Winter 2022.

Click here to see images of the improvements

EVENT

Old-school Destin Fish Fry raising money for Destin History & Fishing Museum

On Saturday, December 4th, an old-school Destin Fish Fry is taking place in the back parking lot of the Destin History & Fishing Museum to help raise money for the popular attraction. 

“From the founding of Destin and into the 1950s & 60’s, Destin residents would host a fish fry to raise money for causes that were important to the community,” said Tarra Wixom Destin, Board Member for the Museum.

The Museum is selling tickets in advance but you can also purchase your tickets the day of the fish fry. 

The rundown:

• You show up.
• Get a box of fried fish, homemade potato salad, coleslaw, hushpuppies and drink.
• And then you’re sent on your way! 

All of the proceeds are being donated right back to the Museum. 

According to Destin, every single item has been donated, from the drinks to the fish (fish courtesy of Dewey Destin’s).

“Not only are we looking forward to seeing our local Destin residents, but this goes a long ways to support the museum,” she said. “For the last two years, because of COVID, the museum’s largest fundraiser which is the Silent Auction and Gumbo Contest has been canceled. We’re hoping to kick-off this fundraising season for the museum by doing the fish fry and hopefully soften some of that shortfall from the last two years.”

On Saturday, the museum, along with volunteers, will set up tents and begin frying up the fish outside. 

“You can drive up and we’ll have a couple of tables to eat on-site, but we also know there’s a really big football game this weekend,” said Destin. “So the food will be packed and ready if you want to grab and go!”

The details:

• 🗓 Saturday, December 4th
• ⏱ 1pm – 3pm
• 📍 Destin History and Fishing Museum
• 💰 Plates are $11

Aside from the fish fry, there is also a few new exhibits at the museum, with one of them highlighting the history of scuba diving in Destin.

“The exhibit has great video interviews of some of the earliest scuba divers,” explained Destin. “They talk about their equipment, some of their scariest shark encounters and how scuba diving as a hobby, and also to make money for fishing, has evolved in the region.”

The museum has also beefed up their environmental and natural resource exhibit, which includes learning about turtles, lionfish and also the environmental impact that humans have on the local beach ecosystem.