"We are a Community Development Organization that Advocates for Businesses Across Okaloosa County, Creating Greater Opportunities for ALL!"

Why join one chamber when you can multiply the benefits? Ted shares why more chambers mean more opportunities!

Sponsor Spotlight

When seeking a vendor to enhance your company’s performance, especially in IT, choosing the right partner is crucial. Many managed service providers (MSPs) appear similar on paper, but first impressions can often be misleading. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t discover this until they face IT outages and find that their MSPs are overpromising and unresponsive.

To safeguard your business from unreliable IT support, consider partnering with Bit-Wizards. Our Managed IT Services (MITS) cater to diverse industries and business sizes, often serving clients who have previously encountered challenges with other MSPs. With nearly 25 years of experience, we are confident that our solutions and dedicated team are the right fit for your needs. Here are five compelling reasons why Bit-Wizards is the IT provider you deserve:

1. We’re real life, empathetic humans: When issues arise, many MSPs leave you navigating automated systems, often prioritizing efficiency over genuine support. At Bit-Wizards, we value authentic, empathetic assistance. Our dedicated team provides prompt, human responses, taking the time to understand and resolve your challenges with tailored solutions that truly benefit your business.

2. We know our clients deserve a team: Many MSPs promise full team support, but often rely on tiered systems that delay solutions and leave you with inexperienced representatives. At Bit-Wizards, we offer a dedicated arsenal of experts ready to address your IT needs. Our triage system ensures that your issues are quickly assessed and resolved by the right engineer.

3. We implement proactive solutions: In a landscape of increasing cyberthreats, many MSPs adopt a reactive, minimal-effort approach, risking your company’s productivity and security. At Bit-Wizards, we prioritize proactive measures to enhance your protection and operational efficiency. Our dedicated team implements comprehensive strategies to ensure resilience and smooth daily operations, keeping you protected against evolving threats.

4. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all IT: If your IT feels like a generic solution, you're not alone. Many MSPs use a one-size-fits-all approach, overlooking the unique needs of each business. At Bit-Wizards, we believe in tailored IT solutions, customizing our services to optimize your technology and enhance your capabilities across various industries.

5. We look for ways to save you money: Many MSPs focus on cost-saving measures for themselves but neglect their clients' financial needs, leading to higher expenses and underperforming IT systems. At Bit-Wizards, we prioritize your budget, seeking ways to reduce costs and ensure you only pay for what you need, all while maximizing your IT investment.

When you're ready to move past IT challenges, Bit-Wizards is here to be the perfect match for your business's technology needs. Many clients come to us with frustrating experiences from previous providers, but our dedicated team transforms their operations into success stories that truly reflect our commitment to excellence.

Click here to schedule a free consultation to discuss your IT needs!

Upcoming Chamber Events!

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Featured Chamber Event

Upcoming Committee Meetings: Are you seeking opportunities for professional development and personal growth. Come to one or all nine of our chamber committees to see what the buzz is about!

Join Us!

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Check out these short tutorial videos that provide a step-by-step guide on how to navigate through the online Member Information Center (MIC). These instructional videos will show you how to update your profile, add keywords, add job postings, register for chamber events/add your benefit discount, add events to chamber community calendar, pay invoices and much more!

Chamber Life: Stories from the life and times of

Fort Walton Beach Chamber members...

Story By: Kelly Murphy-Redd CEcD - The Official Storyteller of the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce

Cassandra Wohlin: Having Babies for Those Who Can’t

Cassie is Office Coordinator for Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic. Growing up, her only ambition was to have babies and be a mom. She says her own mother was great and looked up to her for taking in babies and kids into their home. Her parents took in many kids over the years and some of them still call her parents mom and dad.

Cassie met her husband when she was 15 years old and they married when she was 17 years old. Her husband had a daughter age two-and-a-half when they started dating. She was five years old when they married. Cassie was stepmom at 17. She and her husband wanted to wait five years before having their own children. They had their first daughter year five and 15 months later, had their second daughter. They wanted them to be close together. Read more...

Community Updates

Looking to the future of growth needs and infrastructure, Commissioners, Water & Sewer staff and stakeholders gathered on Friday to break ground on the Shoal River Ranch Water Reclamation Facility. Speakers included: Mike Hackett, Water & Sewer Director, Mark Wise, Deputy Director, Chairman Paul Mixon and Commissioner Nathan Boyles.

The new facility is a major step forward in expanding wastewater treatment capacity for future needs in north Okaloosa County. The SRRWRF will include all the components of a state-of-the-art, modern plant, other related infrastructure needs, on-site effluent disposal, and future public access reclaimed water for irrigation and industrial use.

This environmental project will allow for new subdivisions in this portion of the County to be on public sewer, as opposed to septic tanks. The initial phase will have the capacity to process 1.25 million gallons per day of wastewater, with some of the components having a higher capacity, to allow for easier expansion in the future. The overall program also includes a site access road, along with extensions of water, sewer, and fiber lines. The $40.8 million plant has multiple funding sources, including federal and state grants and a generous state legislative appropriation. The new plant will be built on 20 acres of designated property at the Shoal River Ranch. The plant is expected to be completed in late 2026.

PLAYGROUND IMPROVEMENTS COMING SOON

The playground at Ross Marler Park on Okaloosa Island will be closed beginning November 1 for a much-needed makeover. These photos are artist renderings of what the new playground will look like. The rest of the park WILL BE OPEN for the duration of the playground work. The new playground is expected to be complete by March 1, 2025 (weather dependent).

Okaloosa County maintains more than three dozen parks. View a full list of the parks at https://myokaloosa.com/fpm/parks/list

COMMUNITY BLOCK PARTY AT FWB REC CENTER ON FRIDAY, NOV. 8

Join our Fort Walton Beach Police Officers from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, November 8, 2024, as they host a Community Block party at the Fort Walton Beach Recreation Center. The theme is character night, so come dressed as your favorite character.

We’ll have a dodgeball tournament in the gym with the cops vs. civilians, free food, musical entertainment, bounce houses, a large-scale water gun/balloon fight, and a dunk tank for kids to “dunk a cop.”

The dodgeball tournament is open to all ages. If you’d like to sign up for the dodgeball teams, send an email to Officer Carter at ccarter@fwb.org. Please place “Dodgeball Tournament” in the subject line and include the number of players, age of players and team name. We plan to have about 8 to 10 teams of 5-6 players per team.

This will be an all-around fun time, and we hope to see YOU there!

CONES WITH COPS SATURDAY, NOV. 16 AT PINK COYOTE DESSERT COMPANY

Join us for Cones with Cops from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Pink Coyote Dessert Company. Enjoy some delicious ice cream served by our local heroes in blue and get to know them. We’ll have a police cruiser there and you can meet mini horses from the Fort Walton Beach Equestrian Center. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center.

CONCERTS AS THE LANDING FALL SERIES WRAPS UP

We hope you enjoyed our Fall 2024 Concerts at the Landing series as much as we did. We had live music on the Fort Walton Beach Landing stage every Friday night in September and October. We’ll be back in Spring 2025 with more great music. In the meantime, here’s a look back at some of our favorite scenes from the Fall concert series.

FORT WALTON BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT HOSTS 850 FIREMAN TRAINING DAY

The Fort Walton Beach Fire Department is proud to have hosted the 850 Fireman Training Day, held Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at the department’s Station 7 training facility on Lewis Turner Boulevard. The event was completely free and made possible with help from sponsors, including the Step One Automotive Group.

About 120 firefighters from across the 850-area code (Northwest Florida) spent the day honing their skills and learning new tactics and practices from about 25 instructors who are experts in their fields.

“We have guys from Wakulla County to Escambia County and everywhere in between,” said DJ Stone, who was among a group of regional firefighters who organized the event. Stone retired from the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department in 2023 after 26 years and now works as division chief of training at the South Walton Fire District.

Hands-on training included exercises in forcible entry through doors, conducting interior searches, working with fire hoses inside and outside of structures, and using multiple ladders for rescues. There was also a classroom part of the day that focused on leadership skills.

Stone said he hopes to make the Training Day an annual event, holding it in a different location in the Florida panhandle each year.

Okaloosa County School District Celebrates Niceville High School and Fort Walton Beach High School's Inclusion on the 2024 AP School Honor Roll

The Okaloosa County School District is thrilled to announce that both Niceville High School and Fort Walton Beach High School have been recognized on the 2024 College Board AP School Honor Roll! This prestigious honor underscores the exceptional work of our schools in providing an Advanced Placement (AP) program that achieves remarkable results and expands access to college-level coursework for all students.

What is the AP School Honor Roll?

The AP School Honor Roll is awarded to schools with AP programs that foster a college-going culture, offer pathways for students to earn college credit, and enhance college readiness. Schools are awarded at four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Both Niceville High School and Fort Walton Beach High School earned the Silver distinction, acknowledging their achievements and dedication to high academic standards. Read more...

Three Okaloosa Students Named Finalists in the 2024 Florida Space Art Contest

The Okaloosa County School District is thrilled to announce that three talented students have been selected as finalists in the 2024 Florida Space Art Contest, a statewide competition for K-5 students. With nearly 2,600 entries from across Florida, the contest challenged students to design Florida’s future spacesuits. Okaloosa County finalists include:

Jason Ritnour, a second-grade student at Kenwood Elementary School
Vanessa Wesbur, a second-grade student at Wright Elementary School
Isabella Wesbur, a fourth-grade student at Northwest Florida Ballet Académie