Ted gets his Bins Busted!

Community Partner Spotlight

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Featured Chamber Events

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

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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

Shane Weddle, Owner of FastSigns:

“Leaning Into” His Community

Though Shane has only been in Okaloosa County for four years, the magnitude of his involvement in the community makes it seem as if he has lived here much longer.



Shane came to us from just outside Jacksonville, Florida. He was looking to buy a business. Having been in corporate manufacturing for 20 years, Shane had decided he didn’t want to work for people anymore. He had worked his way up the ladder, but after so many years, he wasn’t happy.

At first he thought he would do something he knew well. Shane had experience in making lithium batteries, satellite antennas, and firearm accessories and armor. However, those products were highly capital intensive. For a short time he thought maybe he would go into firearms holster manufacturing but that market was saturated. Read more...

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!

Research & Surveys Underway - Gulf Coast Solitary Bee 

The Natural Resources Team with Destin-Fort Walton Beach in Okaloosa County will be conducting environmental research surveys in the dunes of John Bealsey Park on Okaloosa Island and on the spoil islands in Santa Rosa Sound in the month of October 2025. The intent of the surveys and monitoring is to learn more about the gulf coast solitary bee that lives underground and only emerges in late September and October. The bee has a mutual beneficial relationship with the coastalplain honeycombhead flower (pictured with a bee spotted this year).

The team has been granted the necessary permissions by Eglin Air Force Base to research this unique species and you may see authorized researchers in the dunes. Their research will help better protect this species and the ecosystems located within our distinctive landscape and dune system. Learn more about eco-tourism in Okaloosa County and Destin-Fort Walton Beach at https://www.destinfwb.com/explore/eco-tourism/.

A message from Molly McDaniel, Director of Keep Okaloosa Beautiful:

We get tons of questions about recycling in Okaloosa County, so we want to help clear the air by sharing some of our Frequently Asked Questions.

Q: What kind of plastics can I put in my curbside bin?

A: Plastics # 1, 2, and 5 are accepting in our curbside recycling program.

How can you tell what's what? Look for the item's Resin Code, usually located near the bottom of the item. It is represented with a 'chasing arrows' symbol surrounding a number between 1 and 7 that defines the resin used.

Types of Plastic Accepted in our curbside program:

1 - PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate): drink bottles and some food packaging like sauce containers

2 - HDPE (High Density Polyethylene): cleaning product bottles, milk jugs, etc.

5 - PP (Polypropylene): yogurt cups, butter tubs, and other food containers

Please remember to rinse away any food residue to help reduce contamination!

We appreciate your efforts to Recycle Right!

For any additional questions, please email Molly at MMcDaniel@myokaloosa.com

Fall is in the air, and the City of Fort Walton Beach has a few upcoming events planned for October.

LIBRARY TRUNK OR TREAT (OCT. 11)

Our Fort Walton Beach Library is joining forces with the Florida Place Food Trucks for a Trunk-Or-Treat event to be held Saturday, Oct. 11, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

If you’d like to support this spooky fun event by decorating your vehicle and passing out candy, please contact Meghan Duffey at the Fort Walton Beach Library at 850-833-9590 or mduffy@fwb.org.

This event coincides with the Zombie Walk trick-or-treat event being held downtown to benefit Sharing and Caring of Okaloosa County and the library is one of the locations where you can drop off your food donations.

CANDY WITH A COP (OCT. 17)

Our Fort Walton Beach Police Officers will transform the police station into a haunted house for the department’s annual “Candy With A Cop,” trick-or-treating event on Friday, Oct. 17, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Get your costumes ready and come meet our police officers and staff! We’ll have candy for the kids, games, and a “guess the weight of the pumpkin contest.”

The Fort Walton Beach Police Station is located at 7 Hollywood Boulevard NE.

2025 FALL ARTS AND CRAFT FAIR (OCT. 18)

The Fort Walton Beach Recreation Center will be hosting the annual Arts and Craft Fair on Saturday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We’ll have lots of vendors and this is a great opportunity to get an early start on your Christmas shopping. The Recreation Center is located at 132 Jet Drive NW.

CONCERTS AT THE LANDING

We’re more than halfway through our Fall 2025 Concerts at The Landing Series and have had some great bands so far. These free concerts are held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the Fort Walton Beach Landing. Coming up we have:

• Oct. 10: Count The Years (Party Rock Variety)
• Oct. 17: Jenna McClelland (Pop/Mom Rock)
• Oct. 24: Flow Tribe (Funk/Dance/NOLA Party)

Okaloosa County School District Awarded Over $210,000 to Expand Workforce Education Programs

The Okaloosa County School District is proud to announce it has been awarded $210,778 through the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program (Workforce CAP) by the Florida Department of Education. This grant will directly support two high-impact Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs: Welding Technology at Crestview High School and Applied Cybersecurity at Destin High School, a public charter school within the District. This funding marks a significant investment in Okaloosa's ongoing commitment to preparing students for high-wage, high-demand careers, and it reflects the exceptional work of the District's CTE team, whose dedication and expertise led to a competitive and successful grant application. Read more...

Southside Primary School Earns "Excellent" Designation for Summer VPK Program

The Okaloosa County School District proudly congratulates Southside Primary School and Mrs. Ruby Keppel for earning an "Excellent Performance" designation from the Florida Department of Education for their 2024-2025 Summer Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Program. This designation is the highest possible under Florida's newly launched VPK accountability system, which for the first time measures program quality using clear performance metrics designed to ensure kindergarten readiness across the state. Of the 145 providers evaluated, only 28% received the "Excellent" designation, making Southside's achievement both rare and commendable. Under the leadership of Principal Amy Bowles, Southside's VPK program, taught by Mrs. Ruby Keppel, achieved an 88% proficiency rate among its students. Even more impressively, every child in the program was a PreK-D student transitioning to kindergarten, including one who is deaf and hard of hearing. Mrs. Keppel earned a score of 6.72, the highest score achieved statewide, a distinction shared by only one other educator in the state of Florida. Read more...

Fort Walton Beach area small business owners! Level up your business with AI this October at the UWF Emerald Coast campus. 💡 Our special Google AI University “lunch & learn” workshop gives you practical, non-technical ways to use AI. You'll learn how to implement it for saving time on administrative tasks, creating high-quality content faster than ever, and boosting customer engagement. It's time to put AI to work for you! Lunch will be provided. Don't miss out.



Secure your spot—Register now! tinyurl.com/fwb-aiu 

Ready to get crucial insights into the state of small business lending? Our webinar on November 6th is your opportunity to hear directly from financial experts, understand your funding options, and get the guidance you need to secure financial support for your venture. Make sure you don't miss out on this valuable session and register now! tinyurl.com/sbdc-capital