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Good morning!
Okaloosa County has deployed 8 new shallow water fish aggregating buoys in the Gulf, expanding fishing opportunities, while Okaloosa Commissioner Drew Palmer hosts a town hall today for public input on plans for a new 4-acre state park at Holiday Isle. Fort Walton Beach boys basketball is building something special under Coach Chris Carswell, Representative Maney’s veterans court bill is ready for a House floor vote after clearing committees, and an Air Force veteran OB-GYN joins Ascension Sacred Heart’s practice in Niceville.
- Plus, try today’s WordroW puzzle….and yesterday’s!
THIS WEEK: As we wrap up the year, news will again be slower this week. I will try to send at least one more newsletter but only if there’s enough news to justify. If not, we will ramp back up next week.
PARKS+REC
TODAY: Okaloosa Commissioner to host town hall for public input on new 4-acre Holiday Isle park
Okaloosa Commissioner Drew Palmer will host a town hall meeting at 3 p.m. Dec. 30 at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center to gather input on the 4-acre Holiday Isle property the state purchased earlier this month for nearly $84 million.
- “This is an amazing opportunity to create something special on that property for the benefit of Okaloosa County residents and visitors,” Palmer said. “We are committed to keeping this process open to the public and value their input as we move toward finalizing the details of this endeavor.”
County staff will give a brief presentation before opening the floor to public comment.
The state closed on the acquisition on Dec. 11, purchasing the property from Pointe Mezzanine, LLC and Pointe Resort, LLC. The sellers had planned to build a dense, multi-story condominium project on the site but instead sold to the state for public use.
The property includes a new 53-slip marina and sea walls but is otherwise undeveloped. It connects to the adjacent Norriego Point Park, expanding the combined public waterfront area.
Okaloosa County has pledged $5 million toward park improvements and will manage the facility. The county is just beginning to develop concepts for the property.
SPONSORED
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GAMES
WordroW: December 30, 2025
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
Can you guess today’s 5-letter word in six tries?
WordroW is Get The Coast’s daily word puzzle featuring local words, places, and phrases from our community. You have six guesses to find the mystery word – green letters are correct and in the right spot, yellow letters are in the word but wrong position, and gray letters aren’t in the word at all.
SPORTS
Fort Walton Beach boys basketball building something special under Carswell
What once seemed unfathomable is looking more and more like reality: Fort Walton Beach High School is the top boys’ basketball program in Okaloosa County.
- When Coach Chris Carswell was hired in 2018, the Vikings were a program searching for an identity while Crestview and Choctawhatchee competed for state titles. Eight years later, the culture Carswell has worked tirelessly to build is finally coming to fruition.
Fort Walton Beach is 10-5, building off last year’s playoff berth — the program’s first since 2016 — and appears on track for its first winning record since 2014.
After an up-and-down 3-3 start that included a 27-point victory over a Gulf Breeze team with a winning record, the Vikings have caught fire, going 7-2 in their last nine games.
- The only losses in that stretch came against elite competition: a four-point loss at Milton, which ranks in the top 25 statewide and is the top team in the Pensacola area, and a five-point loss to Charles Henderson, a top-50 team in Alabama.
Fort Walton Beach hasn’t just beaten pushovers during this run either. The Vikings have knocked off Aiken, a top-50 team in South Carolina, and Cumberland County out of Tennessee. They’ve beaten Baker. And the cherry on top was a one-point victory at Crestview — the first time Fort Walton Beach has won on the Bulldogs’ home court since 2019.
Carswell believes this success is the product of his core’s growth, both physically and mentally, combined with chemistry built over years of playing together.
POLITICS
Maney’s veterans court bill ready for House floor vote after clearing committees
State Rep. Patt Maney’s veterans treatment court bill cleared its final committee hurdle during December committee weeks and now awaits a vote by the full House chamber.
- HB 199, which would realign veterans treatment courts with other problem-solving courts, passed unanimously through each of its referred committees. The bill has a companion measure from Sen. Gaetz.
Maney has filed all seven of his bills for the 2026 legislative session, with all but one Senate companion measure filed. Two other bills made progress during December.
HB 227, which would clarify that individuals holding residential leases of 98 years or longer qualify for Florida’s homestead tax exemption, will have two more committee stops before reaching the House floor.
HB 351, which seeks to establish concurrent jurisdiction between the State of Florida and U.S. military installations, has one committee stop remaining.
- The remaining four bills are expected to begin moving forward after the legislative session begins Jan. 13.
HOW I WORK
Missed an interview? Catch up on How I Work
“How I Work” is brought to you by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce. Join the most influential organization in Okaloosa. Learn more here.
Ever wonder what gets our community’s top leaders out of bed in the morning—or what keeps them sharp when the pressure’s on?
In partnership with the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, we’ve been sitting down with the people shaping our local business landscape and asking them the questions that rarely make it into a boardroom: What does your morning routine look like? What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? What do you do when you’re not working?
From CPAs to principals to entrepreneurs, these conversations reveal the habits, philosophies, and unexpected quirks behind the professionals you see around town. Some start their days before sunrise. Others swear by a particular podcast or a walk on the beach.
- All of them have something worth learning from.
BUSINESS
Air Force veteran OB-GYN joins Ascension Sacred Heart practice in Niceville
A board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and Air Force veteran has joined Ascension Sacred Heart OB-GYN in Bluewater Bay, expanding access to women’s healthcare in the area.
- Dr. Amanda Killinger is now accepting new patients at the practice located at 4586 E Highway 20 Ste A in Niceville.
Before joining Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, Killinger served in the U.S. Air Force, where she began her military career as a flight surgeon. She was deployed twice to Afghanistan before completing her residency and serving as an OB-GYN at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Fort Wainwright and Eglin Air Force Base.
As an obstetrician, Killinger provides prenatal care throughout pregnancy, labor and delivery. Her gynecological services include diagnosis and treatment of reproductive health conditions, menopause care, emotional health, breast diseases and weight management.
COASTAL RESOURCES
Okaloosa County deploys 8 new shallow water fish aggregating buoys in the Gulf
Eight new fish aggregating device buoys are now floating in the Gulf after Okaloosa County successfully completed deployment Sunday, bringing the county’s FAD network closer to shore.
- The buoys, positioned approximately 25 nautical miles south-southwest of East Pass in water depths ranging from 206 to 297 feet, expand the county’s FAD network that has drawn national attention since the first buoys were placed 60-80 miles offshore near DeSoto Canyon in 2020 and 2021.
“When we can check so many boxes when it comes to benefitting tourism, locals, scientific research AND the environment, you know you have a winning project,” said Alex Fogg, Okaloosa County Natural Resources Chief.
The deployment was carried out by the vessel Maranatha II, operated by Walter Marine LLC. The eight 15-foot Okabe buoys, manufactured in Japan, were staged in Orange Beach, Alabama before being transported to their permanent locations.
The original FAD network has provided an unprecedented research opportunity that has never existed until their installation, according to Fogg.
- “Acoustic monitoring as well as above and below water camera systems are being used by Louisiana State University to monitor use of the FADs by not only fishers, but also fish species and their abundance around the FADs,” he said. “This partnership will expand to include the new group of FADs in the coming weeks.”
Each composite and fiberglass buoy is equipped with Coast Guard approved solar-powered lighting, integrated radar reflection and GPS tracking devices for retrieval in case of mooring failure. The mooring systems use heavy concrete anchors weighing 20 tons each, with lines designed to be stiff, taut and non-looping to prevent marine life entanglement.
Commissioners unanimously approved a $513,000 single source purchase order to Walter Marine LLC in July for the deployment. The project cost less than the original offshore network because the shallower water required shorter mooring systems.
Funding came from savings realized when the military acquired the Spirit of Norfolk vessel artificial reef project.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Tuesday! Help us shape the future of local news and make a meaningful impact on your community. Click here to learn how you can support us!
p.s. What did you think of this morning’s newsletter? Hit the reply button and let me know!
Jared
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