GIVING BACK

FWB Fire Department seeks support for Christmas for the Kids 2022

Continuing its popular and much needed annual mission, the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department seeks support to help make Christmas wishes come true for local children. 

Throughout the holiday season, Fort Walton Beach firefighters and volunteers spend countless hours collecting wish lists for local kids in need of Christmas cheer. Then, in partnership with local businesses and donors, they work around the clock to collect, organize, and deliver gifts and surprises to the families just in time for Christmas.

“Every year the Fort Walton Beach Firefighters work with our local schools to identify some of the amazing children in our area and give them a Christmas that they will never forget,” said FD Engineer/Paramedic James Freudenberg. “We understand that the holidays can be stressful, but our firefighters believe every child should have a smile come Christmas morning.”

How you can support Christmas for the Kids:

• Make a monetary donation via the FWB Fire Department.
• Donate new toys or children’s clothing at a designated drop-off business location (list attached) through December 22.
• Donate new toys or children’s clothing at United Fidelity Bank’s toy drive on December 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (135 Perry Ave SE).
• Donate new toys or children’s clothing at “Santa’s Firehouse Cruz-Thru” events on Dec. 10 or 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (5 Hollywood Boulevard NE).
• Donate gift wrapping supplies to the FWB Fire Department through Dec. 22.
• Help spread the word!

For more information or to support the drive, please contact FWBFD Engineer/Paramedic James Freudenberg at 850-287-6958 or jfreudenberg@fwb.org.

TRAFFIC

Okaloosa and Walton County Traffic Advisory

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the following state roads in Okaloosa and Walton counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.

Okaloosa County:                                  

• S.R. 20 (John Sims Parkway) Resurfacing Project – This week, drivers will encounter intermittent east and westbound lane closures on S.R. 20, from Edge Avenue to west of Rocky Bayou Bridge, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. These closures are required for milling and paving operations, median widening, and sidewalk construction.

• S.R. 85 Resurfacing from U.S. 90 to Commerce Drive – Drivers may experience north and southbound intermittent lane closures Sunday, Dec. 4 through Thursday, Dec. 8 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. These closures are required as crews place thermoplastic striping and complete concrete work.  At least one travel lane will remain open in each direction at all times.

• Brooks Bridge Replacement Project – Drivers may experience the following traffic impacts Sunday, Dec. 4 through Saturday, Dec. 10 from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. as crews perform geotechnical investigations and utility work: 
  • U.S. 98 east and westbound alternating and intermittent lane closures between Perry Avenue and Pier Road.  
  • Santa Rosa Boulevard east and westbound alternating lane closures from east of Amberjack Drive to Ross Marler Park.  
  • Intermittent shoulder closures on Brooks Street, between Perry Avenue and Florida Blanca Place, and on Business Access Road.

Walton County:

• U.S. 98 Widening from Mack Bayou Road to County Road (C.R.) 30A – This week, drivers may encounter intermittent east and westbound single-lane closures on U.S. 98, from Mack Bayou Road to C.R. 30A, between 7:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. The closures are required to finalize the slight shift of the east and westbound U.S. 98 travel lanes to the outside of the roadway, and to place low-profile barrier wall to delineate the median construction zone. 

• U.S. 98 Resurfacing Project from Village Road to East of U.S. 331 – Drivers will encounter the following traffic impacts this week: 
  • Veterans Road drainage construction continues this week. The work may require intermittent, temporary closures to allow crews to perform grading work and to construct curb and gutter. Access to adjacent business properties will be maintained and detour signage will be in place to direct U.S. 98 eastbound drivers to Lynn Drive for access.
  • Intermittent closures on the U.S. 98 east and westbound outside shoulders and turn lanes may be required as crews construct new sidewalks, widen existing turn lanes between Village Road and U.S. 331 and construct a new westbound right turn lane to access Don Bishop Road.Choctawhatchee River

• S.R. 20 Bridge Rehabilitation over Lafayette Creek – Drivers will encounter intermittent lane closures for construction activities.  
• S.R. 20 Turn Lane Construction at J. W. Hollington Road – Drivers will encounter intermittent lane closures for paving operations.

All activities are weather-dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.

A MESSAGE FROM FLEET, SMITH & FREEMAN

Why you need an Estate Planning Attorney at different stages of life

Last week, we talked with Attorney Whitney Smith with Fleet, Smith & Freeman about why you need an estate planning attorney at different stages of life.

Estate planning is the process of designating who will receive your assets in the event of your death or incapacitation. Most people don’t consider estate planning until later in life, but Smith says it needs to start at the very young age of 18.

“Ages 18 to 25 is usually kids who just got out of high school and are going into college,” explains Attorney Whitney Smith. “What a lot of parents, and even the children, don’t realize is that legally, that child is an adult.”

Smith explains that if something were to happen to that child, the parent would not be able to get any health records or make any health care decisions on behalf of their child. She therefore recommends two documents that would help prevent a guardianship proceeding in the event something happened to the adult child:

• The first one is a Designation of Health Care Surrogate. This document specifies who can make medical decisions on their behalf in the event that the adult child becomes incompetent.

• The other document Smith recommends is a power of attorney which allows the parent to be able to step in and manage or control any financial affairs of their child.

“Sometimes, children don’t like parents to be able to have power of attorney over them, but if they trust their parents 100%, then that document that would help prevent a guardianship proceeding,” says Smith.

The next age group is between the ages of 26 and 35, when a lot of people are beginning to get married. “People are getting married at a later stage in life and acquiring assets prior to marriage,” explains Smith. “While a marriage is a contractual relationship, if you want to preserve your assets that you acquired prior to the marriage, you need a prenuptial agreement.”  

• A prenuptial agreement controls property rights in the event of a death or divorce.

The third stage of life Smith discusses is when a lot of people are starting to have children. “People don’t ever want to face the hard facts of both parents becoming incompetent or dying and who would then get custody of the children,” she explains. “A document you can have in place is a Pre-need Guardian for a Minor.” 

• A Pre-need Guardian for a Minor designates who the parents want to have custody of their children in the event something happens to both parents.

Smith says this document is one that should be looked at every three to five years because life changes. 

• “When your children are little, you might want your brother in Arkansas to watch them,” she says. “However, when they’re in their teens and in sports in the local community, the last thing you probably want to do is them to be orphaned and moved to Arkansas with your brother.”

A Pre-need Guardian for a Minor is an easily changeable document that you should periodically look at and make changes to according to your current life situation.

While there are many documents involved in the estate planning process, the documents Smith mentions are crucial at certain stages of life. For more information on estate planning, please feel free to reach out to Fleet, Smith & Freeman in Shalimar at 850-651-4006 or https://www.fleetsmithlaw.com.

THINGS TO DO

Niceville’s Christmas Parade is this Saturday!

The Niceville-Valparaiso Community Christmas Parade will take place this Saturday, December 10th beginning at 10am.

The parade route starts at intersection of Palm Blvd & Old Costal Highway and goes down E. John Sims Parkway to Partin Drive. From there, the parade will turn and travel down Partin between the Children’s Park and Ruckel Middle School.

• The importance of safety is being emphasized as there will be heavy foot traffic in the area and along the parade route.

Road delays and road closures are to be expected starting around 9:30am. Officers will be at intersections to provide assistance with the new traffic pattern.

The annual event is hosted by the Niceville-Valparaiso Rotary Club and the parade theme this year is “Imagine Peace on Earth.” Toys for Tots will also be participating. Visitors to the parade are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys for the local toy drive.

Traffic operations are expected to be back to normal around 12:00 PM.

GIVING BACK

Realtors give away nearly $5,000 in cash during Crestview’s Christmas Parade

This past Saturday night, the City of Crestview held their annual Christmas Parade in downtown Crestview that featured 130+ floats. 

Shortly after the parade, posts on social media began circulating of ‘Golden Tickets’ that were handed out during the parade that included a candy bar, a letter, and cash. 

• After some quick research, it was revealed that The Property Group 850, real estate brokerage based out of Crestview, were the ones behind the Willy Wonka-themed float and were the ones handing out nearly $5,000 in cash. 

During a Monday morning interview, broker Catherine Pittman explained that random acts of kindness started nearly 16-years-ago for her when a stranger completely changed her life. 

“My daughter was on chemotherapy for a brain tumor and by a completely chance encounter of events, the Destin Log was forwarded from their vacation rental property in Destin to their primary house in Birmingham,” she said. “Someone that forwarded their mail also forwarded our story about my daughter that was in the paper.”

Long story short, the gentleman paid off Pittman’s house to the tune of $145,000. 

• “This is someone I’ve never met in my life and didn’t have any connection with him,” she added. “He just got a copy of the paper forwarded and then reached out to me. His daughter had the same rare disease that my daughter had. Obviously there was a higher power involved in all that because there’s no way that one copy of the Destin Log got forwarded to them, and their daughter had the same illness my daughter had.”

Pittman eventually paid everything back but the generosity she was shown left a lasting impression and has remained on her heart to this very day. 

“You don’t have to have a reason to help somebody,” said Pittman. “I think that’s the message we’re trying to pass along in our real estate office. It doesn’t have to all be lined up. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to know ‘the why,’ and I think that’s what our big focus was on doing these Golden Tickets.”

Pittman says the idea for giving away money came from broker-associate Jason Miller. She says that Miller originally threw out the idea of giving away $500 in a mix of envelopes during the parade. When the brokerage decided on a Willy Wonka theme for their float, they knew what their spin on the Golden Tickets would be. 

“We have 40 agents in our office and everybody got on board to do it,” she added. “We ended up with just under $5,000 passed out at the parade on Saturday night in the envelopes. They either had 100’s, 20’s, 50’s, or a combination.”

Additionally, each recipient received a letter that read:

“You are the lucky recipient of one of our Golden Tickets. We hope that this random act of kindness blesses you and your family this holiday season. We hope to inspire our town to pay it forward when we have the opportunity. 

Every time you out something positive into the universe the world changes. Kindness invites miracles to show up, not just in our world but in the whole world. We sincerely wish for you that 2023 is your best year yet!!!!”

Almost immediately after the parade, she started receiving messages from people who got their hands on a Golden Ticket. Some were from people who didn’t have much, and this small gesture would have a big impact on them.

In the 2 years since The Property Group 850 first launched, Pittman says that giving back and supporting the community that has supported her since the beginning has always been a priority. 

“We’re coming from a place of abundance,” she said. “There’s no way our brokerage got to be as successful as it is in two years without being able to give back. There are needs that are out there every day. You just have to look for them. There’s people whose lives you can change every single day with just one small random thing. You never know how much someone’s struggling and how that one small thing you do will literally change their life or change their mindset.”

As the year comes to an end, Pittman is excited about what 2023 will bring and what other opportunities will come their way that they can get behind and champion. 

• “I cannot wait until next year to see what we will come up with,” she laughed. “We survived the parade and that was a lot of planning and hard work. We just continuously try to see where the need is and how we can help.”