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Community Partner Spotlight

Click on event below to register NOW for our Upcoming Chamber Events.

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(Discount only applies to First Friday Coffee, Nothing But Networking, & Business After Hours)

Browse the Business Directory and view current News Releases, Job Postings, and Hot Deals from fellow members.

Ready to add your own? The tutorials below walk you through how to post and manage your own content on the Chamber Website.

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!

SS United States Update

The environmental remediation is complete on the SS United States to become the World's Largest Artificial Reef. Her deployment date is TBD as we await final approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She remains docked in Mobile. Updates can be found on this Facebook page and at https://www.destinfwb.com/explore/eco-tourism/ssus/

𝐒𝐒 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 - 𝐎𝐤𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞

• October 1, 2024 – Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners approved the purchase of SS United States to become an artificial reef.

• October 12, 2024 – Okaloosa County and SS United States Conservancy hold signing ceremony aboard the vessel.

• February 19, 2025 – SS United States departs Philadelphia after nearly 30 years

• March 3, 2025 – SS United States arrives in Mobile, Alabama to begin environmental remediation.

• May 2026 – SS United States remediation complete, awaiting final approvals from Army Corps of Engineers and EPA before deploying her as the World’s Largest Artificial Reef.

Project Cost: About $13 million of tourism and partner revenue (for purchase, towing, deployment, remediation and contribution to the SS United States Conservancy for land-based museum.)

Okaloosa County public safety leadership and other local officials joined Senator Rick Scott and Representative Jimmy Patronis for a hurricane preparedness press conference recently at Dewey Destin's Seafood Restaurant to remind the public to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season BEFORE a storm approaches. Hurricane Preparedness Resources can be found at https://myokaloosa.com/emergency-management

First responders, County and municipal staff and community volunteers gathered recently for the annual hurricane simulation at the Emergency Operations Center in Niceville to train on how agencies work together to provide continuity of essential services before, during and after a storm.

June 6 Cleanup of Santa Rosa Sound and U.S. Highway 98

The City of Fort Walton Beach is teaming up with Ocean Hour Okaloosa, Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance, and Keep Okaloosa Beautiful for the biggest cleanup yet as part of our Cleanest City on the Emerald Coast initiative.

We’ll be cleaning up the shoreline of Santa Rosa Sound and the sidewalk alongside U.S. Highway 98 from Liza Jackson Park to the Fort Walton Beach Landing on Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

How it works: (we have three locations to choose from)

·                    Liza Jackson Park (roadside or shoreline)

·                    Sound Park (roadside or shoreline)

·                    Fort Walton Beach Landing (roadside or shoreline)

Volunteers at Liza Jackson Park will move east, volunteers at the Fort Walton Beach Landing will move west, and volunteers at Sound Park will move out in both directions. We'll meet in the middle after about a half-mile walk.

Visit fwb.org/cleanestcity to learn more and sign up.

Questions? Contact Public Information Officer Devon Ravine at 850-586-7855 or dravine@fwb.org. 

Coffee with the City Manager Thursday, June 4 at Library

Join us from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday, June 4, 2026, at the Fort Walton Beach Public Library for our monthly Coffee with the City Manager series with City Manager Jason Davis.

This is a chance to share your thoughts and ideas about the city with City Manager Jason Davis in an informal setting. No registration is necessary. Bring your questions, grab some coffee, meet the City Manager and discuss the topics that matter most to you.

Can’t make it this Thursday? Don’t worry: Coffee with the City Manager is a recurring event scheduled on the first Thursday morning of each month and held in the conference room of the Fort Walton Beach Public Library, located at 185 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE.

We’ll have coffee provided courtesy of the Florida Place Food Trucks and some tasty treats!

Concerts at The Landing series wraps up Friday, June 5 with Emily Bass

Join us at the Fort Walton Beach Landing at 6 p.m. Friday, June 5, 2026, as we welcome Emily Bass back to the stage for the final show of our Concerts at The Landing Spring Series.  Emily will bring her mix of Pop and Country music in this free 2-hour show. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy an evening of music under the skies in the heart of Fort Walton Beach.

The Fort Walton Beach Landing is located at 139 Brooks Street SE.

Okaloosa County School District to Participate in 2026 Summer Feeding Program

The Okaloosa County School District is pleased to announce its participation in the Summer Food Service Program for the 2026 summer break, helping ensure children continue to have access to nutritious meals when school is not in session. Through the Summer Break Spot initiative, balanced breakfasts and lunches will be provided at no cost to all children under 18. In alignment with updated USDA and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) guidelines, meals must be consumed on site at designated school locations during scheduled times. There will no longer be grab-and-go or “to-go” meal options available. The program is designed to support geographic areas where at least 50 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the regular school year. Read more...

Okaloosa County Students Earn Top Honors in America 250 History Writing Contest

The Okaloosa County School District is proud to announce that two middle school students have earned top honors in the Plank Schlitt Middle School United States History Writing Contest, part of the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida’s America 250 celebration commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This year’s contest invited students to explore the enduring significance of the Declaration of Independence and reflect on its impact on life in the United States today. The competition is named in honor of two longtime Okaloosa County United States History teachers who continued supporting the Heritage Museum after retiring from Niceville High School. Lilly Lopez of Destin Middle School earned first place, and Aisha Ramirez of Pryor Middle School earned second place, demonstrating exceptional writing, historical understanding, and creativity. Read more...

Ruckel Middle School Student Wins Statewide Math Nation Prize

Ruckel Middle School is proud to announce that eighth-grade student Dean Penberthy has been named a statewide winner in the Math Nation Show What You Know Showdown, a Florida competition designed to encourage students in grades 6–8, Geometry, Algebra 1, and Algebra 2 to strengthen their math skills through practice and perseverance. Dean earned a perfect score of 10/10 on the Unit 14 Test Yourself! assessment, qualifying for the statewide raffle and winning an ice cream party for his entire class, courtesy of Math Nation. The Show What You Know Showdown ran from April 6 through May 1, encouraging students across Florida to practice math and improve their scores in a fun, engaging way. Read more...

Fueling your business growth requires the right financial resources! 📈 All entrepreneurs are invited to join the Florida SBDC at UWF for a FREE Connect to Capital event on June 10.

Hosted online via Zoom, this session is entirely focused on helping you secure the loans and vital financing needed to scale your operations. Don't miss this chance to take the next step in your entrepreneurial journey with expert guidance! tinyurl.com/capital-june