POLITICS

Fort Walton Beach is recruiting volunteers for the Firefighters Retirement Fund Board of Trustees

The City of Fort Walton Beach has two vacant positions available on the Firefighters Retirement Fund Board of Trustees.

The City’s Firefighters’ Retirement Fund Board consists of five members who are responsible for administering the Firefighters’ Trust Fund. The membership composition, appointments, and succession are governed by Chapter 175 of the Florida Statutes.

• The board of trustees meets quarterly or as needed.

Applicants must be legal residents of the City of Fort Walton Beach. To apply, click this link to complete the form “Be A Volunteer” by December 31st.

The City Clerk will present the applications to the City Council at the January 9, 2024, regular meeting. For more information, contact the City Clerk at 850-833-9509 or 850-833-9510.

ICYMI

News you might have missed

• The Okaloosa County School District Parent Climate Survey is now available. Parents and guardians are invited to complete this survey about your child’s school. You can complete one survey per child enrolled. The survey is available in English and Spanish and will close on April 12, 2024.

• The Crestview City Council on Monday approved contract negotiations with Bullard Excavation Inc. on a $7.2 million downtown revitalization project. The proposed renovations aim to improve roadways, sidewalks and lighting along Main Street between U.S. Highway 90 and Industrial Drive. Plans also call for 91 new parking spaces, widened sidewalks, crosswalks, benches, bicycle parking and other upgrades to make the area more pedestrian friendly. Read more

• Destin traffic enforcement: Statistics show that 49% of all traffic enforcement in District 3, which includes Destin, takes place within the city limits. An additional 20% takes place in unincorporated parts of the city, along with traffic coming to and from Okaloosa Island. OCSO estimates that 69% of all District 3 traffic enforcement is targeted at traffic-related problems in the city of Destin. Read more

• A father is on a mission to make on Santa Rosa County intersection safer. Robert McKenney’s son Myson died after an accident at Byrom and Magnolia streets in Milton in October. Read more

• The Florida Building Code Commission has published revisions to the state Building Code that will take effect on Dec. 31, 2023. You can read the changes and find additional resources by clicking here.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Shalimar man found guilty of child pornography offenses

A Shalimar man was found guilty on child pornography charges after a two-day federal trial, officials announced Thursday.

• Jeffrey L. Pybus, 41, of Shalimar, was convicted of receiving and possessing images and videos depicting child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody of the Northern District Court of Florida.

Authorities said Pybus used file-sharing software to obtain explicit material involving minors between Feb. 18 and May 4, 2022. A search of his home on May 4 uncovered over 23,000 photos and videos with illicit content, according to the report.

Pybus is scheduled to be sentenced March 13 at the U.S. Courthouse in Pensacola. Based on his convictions, Pybus faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years in federal prison, with a maximum of 20 years.

This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp prosecuted the case.

• The case was part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood initiative launched in 2006. It aims to clamp down on the sexual exploitation and abuse of children through partnerships between federal, state and local law enforcement.

FROM THE BEACH

Juvenile brown pelican rehabbed and released at The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island

The Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge released “Comet,” a juvenile brown pelican, behind Al’s Beach Club and Burger Bar at The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island on Thursday morning.

• The release marks a continuing collaboration between Saltwater Restaurants and the Refuge as part of the company’s Safety, Environment and Activities (S.E.A.) Initiative. Saltwater Restaurants donated $10,000 to support the refuge’s conservation efforts and PeliPad rehabilitation enclosure.

“Comet is patient 1,448 and so far this year we’ve taken in 1,470 animals,” said Pascal Robin, executive director of the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge. “He actually came from the Okaloosa Pier. Someone brought him in because he was lethargic and after doing an X-ray on him, they realized that he had swallowed a hook.”

Swallowing hooks is common for shorebirds in fishing communities, Robin said. The refuge treated Comet with antibiotics, pain medication and “cotton fish” to help him pass the hook.

• Cotton fish is just that: It’s cotton inside of a fish that the Refuge feeds their animals in need. The goal is for the cotton to catch on the barb of the hook, and then the bird will pass it.

“We try not to do surgery on them, because animals, birds especially, don’t do very well under anesthesia,” Robin said.

After recovering in the medical center, Comet spent about a week and a half gaining strength in the PeliPad.

“I always love bringing them back to where they came from,” Robin said. “I’m excited.”

PARKS+REC

County proposes all-inclusive upgrades for Niceville’s Meigs Park

The Niceville City Council heard details on Tuesday about plans to revitalize Meigs Park with accessibility upgrades and facilities for those with special needs.

• Okaloosa Commissioner Mel Ponder outlined $2 million in proposed contributions to overhaul the 4-acre city-owned park during a presentation to the council.

Planned improvements include an 8-foot quarter-mile walking track, a 200-foot ball-field, and a large ADA-compliant playground. The county also proposes adding a basketball/volleyball court and a large pavilion with a quiet room.

Niceville would provide permitting assistance, general oversight, ongoing maintenance, and ensure compliance with grant funding conditions under the early proposal. The city would also add parking and new bathrooms.

“Niceville is a solid central location to hopefully meet the needs of families that want an all inclusive park like this to bring their family members to,” said Ponder. “And In this case, we’ll use the capital to come in and partner with the City of Niceville.”

• The planned facilities would be funded by $1.25 million in existing state budget appropriations and a $750,000 county match already set aside for the project.

Ponder said Niceville was receptive to the proposed renovations, which would augment other recent upgrades from the city like new pickleball courts. The next step is formalizing an interlocal agreement between the county and city to begin architectural design and planning, he added.

“There’s nothing else like it to this degree in the neighboring counties. There’s some other little pocket special needs parks, but there’s nothing to this scale in our neighboring counties,” he said. “Hopefully it will be a good win for the people here at home, but also for anyone who wants to come into Okaloosa County and have fun there and enjoy what we have.”

There is no set timeline for this project. We will keep you updated on the progress.