TRAVEL

Okaloosa approves $1.93 million Bob Sikes Airport South Apron rehab

The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners has awarded a $1.93 million contract to rehabilitate part of the apron at Bob Sikes Airport.

• The board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the bid from Gum Creek Farms Inc. to rebuild the south ramp area used by general aviation aircraft at the Crestview airport.

“Bob Sikes Airport is moving tremendously and the work that the FBO is doing and the different stakeholders are doing is really putting a good name for the community and for the county,” Commissioner Paul Mixon said.

The project will be funded through a Florida Department of Transportation grant, which covers 80% of the cost. The county will pay the remaining 20% using airport funds already budgeted.

Tracy Stage, Okaloosa’s airports director, said the work involves removing and replacing pavement on 370 feet by 250 feet of the apron in a first phase. A second phase will replace another 440 feet by 250 feet section and 110 linear feet of concrete along an adjacent taxiway.

• Stage said the FAA has approved $2.7 million in additional funding that will allow later phases of the overall apron rehab project to proceed once grants are finalized, expected in January.

The construction contract sets a 165-day timeframe to substantially complete the first two phases, with full completion due within 195 days of getting a notice to proceed.

“It’s great to see, especially with the addition now of the refueling capabilities for the military trainers, that’s really opened some doors for things there with activity,” added Mixon. “And it’s great to know that there’s more new business coming and enhancements to the existing businesses.”

Stage told the commissioners that more exciting things are on the horizon for the Bob Sikes Airport in the future.

TRAFFIC

Brooks Street realignment underway in Downtown Fort Walton Beach as part of bridge construction

A segment of Brooks Street in downtown Fort Walton Beach is being realigned as part of the ongoing $171 million Brooks Bridge Replacement Project, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. 

• Construction crews are shifting part of Brooks Street slightly south to make space for the future foundation of the new Brooks Bridge, according to FDOT. The realignment of the road is occurring between Florida Blanca Place and Perry Avenue.

The new stretch of Brooks Street is expected to open later this month for one-way traffic. The realignment is necessary to accommodate the parallel bridges that will expand capacity on the thoroughfare from four lanes to six when the work is completed.

The current Brooks Bridge opened in 1966. The replacement project broke ground last year and is estimated to be finished by summer 2027. 

Eventually two new bridges will be built side-by-side, increasing the traffic capacity from the existing bridge.

A MESSAGE FROM STEP ONE

Step One Automotive Group announces 25 Days of Giving

Step One Automotive Group will dedicate 25 Days of Giving within the communities they serve in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Throughout the month, expect to see Step One Automotive Group team members spreading holiday cheer to those in need. 

“At Step One Automotive Group this is our favorite time of year. We get to go out as a team and make an impact in our communities,” said Maureen Bierman, Marketing Director, Step One Automotive Group. “We cannot think of a better way to spend the month of December.”

Here’s a look at a full list of planned community event participation in Florida:

• December 2: Crestview Christmas Parade 
• December 4: Volkswagen Food Drive Delivery
• December 5: Hope for the Holidays – Buick GMC Cadillac PNS + Alfa Romeo PNS
• December 7-8: St Jude Rocks! Telethon – Cumulus Radio Station
• December 8-9: Winter Wonderland with Fort Walton Beach Police Department
• December 8-10: Christmas Memories with the Fort Walton Beach Community Chorus
• December 9: Carz for Kidz :Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram FWB + Street Pedatorz Toys for Tots Event
• December 11: Subaru Christmas Angel Holiday Gift donation with Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office 
• December 12: OCSO Christmas Angel pick up from CDJRF Crestview
• December 12: OCSO Christmas Angel pick up from Ford Crestview
• December 16: Santa’s Firehouse Cruz Through Toy Drive
• December 18: Buick GMC Cadillac Fort Walton Beach Drive For PAWS Pet Supply Donation Delivery
• December 20: Pryor Middle School Christmas Wish Program
• December 22: Santa’s Firehouse Cruz Through Toy Drive Party

BUSINESS

Longtime White-Wilson CEO, Alan Gieseman, announces retirement

After more than two decades, Alan Gieseman is retiring as CEO of White-Wilson Medical Center, the region’s largest independent physician group.

• Gieseman has worked with the organization’s physician owners and leaders to expand access to health care for tens of thousands of locals and visitors in a three-county region since taking the helm 21 years ago. 

He has helped the group successfully navigate major changes in the health care industry and serve the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gieseman moved to the area more than 20 years ago to live at the beach. He thought he would work for a couple of years and then retire. 

“I didn’t expect to be so impressed with the community and the physician leadership and culture of White-Wilson,” Gieseman said. “We have had our fair share of challenges, but I am proud that we have stayed true to the core values established more than 77 years ago and that we have been able to adapt and expand to meet the need for quality health care for more and more people.”

Gieseman says that “closing this chapter is bittersweet,” but he plans to continue supporting White-Wilson’s leadership teams and see the impact that this organization will have on the region.

While Gieseman is respected among his colleagues as a dedicated and effective leader, his recognitions include national awards such as Medical Practice Executive of the Year by the Medical Group Management Association and local awards including Member of the Year by the Greater Fort Walton Chamber of Commerce and Business Person of the Year by the Destin Chamber of Commerce. 

• He has been greatly involved in serving on several community boards.

Replacing Gieseman is Dr. Kenneth Persaud, a physician and seasoned health care leader who has worked with White-Wilson on initiatives and will now serve as CEO.

“Mr. Gieseman has been a visionary leader and true community servant. He is surely going to be missed, but there is no doubt that he has helped position White-Wilson for a successful future and many decades of continued service,” said Dr. Chris Dali, president of White-Wilson Medical Center. “By passing the baton to Dr. Persaud, we will continue to stand as a physician-owned and physician-led organization committed to finding ways to improve health outcomes for our patients, find success in today’s challenging business environment and meet our area’s growing needs.”

Founded in 1946 as a local physician practice, White-Wilson Medical Center has a long history of providing award-winning health care to the region. It is currently home to more than 90 health care providers and one of Okaloosa County’s ten largest employers.

GIVING BACK

‘Operation Bundle Up’: Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office collecting cold weather gear for students

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has launched Operation Bundle Up, a donation drive seeking coats, gloves, hats, rain gear and other cold weather attire for students who walk to school.

• According to the OCSO, Sheriff’s school crossing guards have noticed increasing numbers of children without adequate outerwear as the winter months approach.

The items collected will help ensure child pedestrians can safely walk to and from school during cold and wet conditions.

The agency is requesting residents drop off new or gently used jackets, coats, raincoats, umbrellas, gloves, hats and other cold weather gear at one of three Okaloosa sheriff’s offices located in Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Crestview.

If you have any items you can donate to Operation Bundle Up, please feel free to contact SRO Tom Henry at 850-582-3666 or email at thenry@sheriff-okaloosa.org or drop them off at any of the following Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office locations:

• Destin Area – Stahlman Office at 107 Stahlman Avenue, Destin, Florida
• Fort Walton Beach Area – Headquarters at 50 2nd Street, Shalimar, Florida
• Crestview Area – Livingston Office at Hwy 90 and Hwy 85 intersection, Crestview, Florida

ICYMI

News you may have missed

• The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will begin work this month on a $10.5 million construction project of a 2.3-mile segment of State Road (S.R.) 85 in Okaloosa County. – Read more

• The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of Hillary Brown, the wife of Gulf Breeze surgeon Dr. Ben Brown. Read more

• A 41-year-old Crestview woman was killed in a wreck Tuesday morning in Niceville. It happened around 7:50 a.m. on Forest Road near College Blvd. – Read more

• Researchers sampled and tagged a total of 47 devil rays off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach. Of those 47 rays, 30 received small acoustic tags which will allow the research team to track their movements in areas where acoustic receivers have been set up. In addition to the 30 acoustic tags and 47 PIT tags, two larger devil rays also made history by becoming the first of their kind to receive satellite tags. Read more

• Okaloosa County Emergency Medical Services has implemented a new program allowing EMTs and paramedics to deliver blood supplies at emergency scenes. – Read more

• Four men from Niceville are about to set out on the challenge of a lifetime. They’re rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic in an event called the World’s Toughest Row. – Read more

REAL ESTATE

Okaloosa scraps plans for new jail on Highway 90 site in Crestview

The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting Tuesday to discuss potentially purchasing a 70-acre parcel of land along Highway 90 near the Shoal River Ranch county development.

• The property, located at 3985 Highway 90 East, was previously the site of the Shoal River Sporting Clays and Shooting Center. It has been on the market and listed at a purchase price of $1.2 million.

The initial intent was for the property to be an “ideal location” for constructing the new Okaloosa County Correctional Facility, according to Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey. Factors for this property including the size, infrastructure, and ability to buffer made it a prime consideration.

However, pushback from economic development prospects and surrounding residents regarding the property’s use as a jail site led to removing that option from the agenda item ahead of the meeting. County staff suggested the land still has potential for other public uses that the Board may want to consider purchasing it for.

The property consists of two parcels totaling about 68 acres, with 50 net usable acres, according to county analysis. It has water, sewer and fiber accessibility. There is also future potential to utilize nearby planned infrastructure at the Shoal River Ranch county development across Highway 90.

With the jail option off the table, some possible alternative uses for the property discussed were realigning the intersection of Mt. Olive Road and Jericho Road nearby, providing stormwater capacity for future Highway 90 widening projects, having space for a memorial for fallen Sheriff’s deputies killed at the property (Deputies Skip York and Burt Lopez were killed in the line-of-duty), and controlling the gateway appearance entering the Shoal River Ranch development area.

Prior to the discussion, the Board took comments from local residents and community members regarding the property and a new jail site. Common concerns raised were lack of public input, having a jail near residential areas and deterring economic growth in the expanding corridor along Highway 90.

But a new jail will have to be built at some point and the county will have to find a suitable location. As noted and said many times in many meetings, the current facility is old and dated, it is overcrowded and both the employees and inmates need a better environment.

• “Ultimately a jail is going to have to be built,” Commissioner Nathan Boyles said. “The facility that we have is outdated. It creates some real challenges for the employees that have to work in that facility and for the folks that get incarcerated there.”

Boyles emphasized the county’s responsibility for public safety requires having an adequate jail facility. However, he acknowledged the frustration expressed regarding the selection process. “I think this was one of those situations where we got running a little bit too fast and stumbled,” Boyles stated.

• According to Boyles, the commission needs guidance on a comprehensive analysis to identify and evaluate all feasible alternative locations. He said the goal should be selecting the “least worst decision” for the necessary new jail after fully assessing options that minimize negative impacts.

Commissioner Paul Mixon also called for creating a designated site selection process for the jail location that would bring back recommendations for the Board to consider.  “If we could take this next step forward and create a site selection process, and that could mirror how we make large purchases,” he stated.

The goal would be bringing back recommendations meeting appropriate criteria. “That could have better buy in from the public,” Mixon said regarding a more robust procedure for presenting options, “but like I said, there’s no discussion without an item.”

Multiple commissioners said they do not support purchasing the Highway 90 property. 

• Commissioner Mel Ponder cited no clear county vision or return on investment for acquiring the land.

• Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel raised ethical concerns over potential involvement of a former commissioner brokering the deal. Ketchel reiterated the need for a new jail facility, saying “We do need a new jail. I’m 100 percent for a new jail.”

• Board Chairman Trey Goodwin said his initial reaction to a jail at the location was “a resounding no go.” However, he expressed potential interest if the property was purchased for other uses like road realignment and stormwater infrastructure.

County staff was tasked with researching options for a committee to review jail site selection procedures and report back to the Board on recommendations.

The current purchase contract extension on the Highway 90 property remains in place. No final decision was made Tuesday whether to officially move forward with buying the land.