Community Partner Spotlight | | |
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FORT WALTON BEACH, FL - (May 13, 2025) – In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the Vietnam Conflict, the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce proudly hosted Honoring Our Heroes: Welcome Home, a Tribute to Vietnam Veterans, a three-day event that brought together more than 440 attendees for a sold-out celebration of service, sacrifice, and patriotism.
“The sold-out crowd clearly demonstrated that our community absolutely wanted to recognize our Vietnam Veterans and show our appreciation,” said Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce President Ted Corcoran. “It was an unforgettable tribute.”
Over 100 Vietnam Veterans attended the event, many wearing their Vietnam hats, jackets, and pins proudly—a powerful symbol of their service and sacrifice. The event featured panel discussions with firsthand stories, book signings, historical presentations, and a commemorative banquet that culminated in a celebration that felt deeply personal and long overdue. Read more...
Photos:
Honoring Our Heroes: Welcome Home (Monday)
Honoring Our Heroes: Welcome Home (Tuesday)
Honoring Our Heroes: Welcome Home Tribute Banquet (Wednesday)
| | 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! | | 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! | | |
Okaloosa County Housing Department is looking for lenders to participate in the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program (SHIP) Purchase Assistance Program to help bring down payment assistance to low to moderate-income-eligible homebuyers in our community. Register at https://form.jotform.com/251276635532155
- WHEN: Thursday May 29, 2025 – 10-11:30 am
- WHERE: Emerald Coast Association of Realtors, 10 Hollywood BLVD. SE, Fort Walton Beach, Florida
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WHO: Lenders and Real Estate Agents
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The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Natural Resources Team recently partnered with Gulf Coast Fencing and Dune Restoration to plant some dune vegetation at John Beasley Park. About 3,200 plants including several different species, such as morning glory, sea oats, and bluestem were planted. These improvements will help stabilize dunes to withstand weather events in the future.
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Fort Walton Beach's new photo speed enforcement system is now active
A system to provide photo enforcement of school zone speed limits at nine schools in the city is now active. Those schools include Fort Walton Beach and Choctawhatchee High Schools, Pryor and Bruner Middle Schools, Elliott Point and Edwins Elementary Schools, Liza Jackson Preparatory School, Saint Mary Catholic School and Silver Sands School.
The photo enforcement system will be active 30 minutes before school starts, throughout the school day, and stop 30 minutes after school dismissal. It will not operate on nights, weekends, holidays, summer break, or other times when school is not in session.
The photo enforcement systems use radar to detect speeding vehicles. A violation will be created if a vehicle is traveling more than 10 miles per hour over the current speed limit in that school zone at the time of the violation. For example: When school zones are active in the morning and afternoon, then school zone speed limits apply. During the rest of the school day, the normal speed limit on that road applies.
When a violation occurs, a camera captures an image of the vehicle’s license plate. After review and verification by the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, a civil citation for $100 will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.
“This system is an effective tool to encourage compliance with speed limits and create a safer environment around our schools,” said Police Chief Robert Bage.
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Fort Walton Beach Beach Golf Club greens improvement project taking root
The Fort Walton Beach Golf Club project to replace the sod on all the greens of the Pines Course is beginning to take root, literally.
After removing the old sod and prepping the base of the greens with new soil, crews have started laying down the grass sprigs that will soon become the greens’ new playing surface.
The sprigs are essentially chopped-up grass, roots, and stolons (above-ground roots), which are placed on top of the green and then buried loosely in the soil. The sprigs, which are a type of Bermudagrass called TifEagle, will quickly take root and grow.
“It will start looking pretty close to an actual green in two weeks,” said Golf Club Director Jacob Hill. “The big thing is that it has to get really mature roots before people start walking on it.”
Because the grass is so vulnerable at this point, Hill said they have decided to close the Pines Course to all play until September 1.
“That will also allow the maintenance staff to make other improvements to make sure the course is in really good shape when it reopens,” said Hill.
Those improvements include top-dressing the tee boxes to remove swells in the grass, re-sodding worn areas around the cart paths, and also creating new, distinct fairway lines to better define the fairway and rough.
To learn more about the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club or to book a tee time, visit https://www.fwbgolf.com/
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Two local businesses receive grants for projects in City’s CRA District
Danica Connell (Camp Walton) and Emerald Air Heating and Air Conditioning on their recent grants from the City of Fort Walton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
Connell was awarded a Façade Grant of $10,000 to help with the cost of renovating her Camp Brooks cottages, located at 229 Florida Blanca Place SE. Those renovations included installing new windows and doors, siding, and repainting. She also received a Development Permit Fee Grant of $179.10, which covered 100 percent of her permitting fees for the project.
Emerald Air owners used the CRA Façade Grant to repave and make other improvements to the parking lot of their business at 116 Beal Pkwy.
Emerald Air provides heating and cooling service and installation for residential and light commercial customers in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton Counties. The company has 16 employees and has been at this location for 34 years.
ABOUT THE CRA
The Fort Walton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency was created in 1977 to eliminate slum and blight, using strategies that promote reinvestment and revitalization in the community. The attached map of the city shows the CRA District depicted in green.
The CRA offers a number of grants and incentives for the renovation and improvement of properties located within the district, including grants to offset asbestos mitigation, nuisance abatement, building code compliance upgrades, development permit fees and improvements to building facades/exteriors.
To learn more about the CRA grants and other programs, please visit fwb.org/cra
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Billy Bowlegs takes over Fort Walton Beach, improves his record to 69-0
Captain Billy Bowlegs LXIX Micheal Castleberry and his Queen Zabrina Horne and his Pirate Krewe celebrated another peaceful victory over the City of Fort Walton Beach last weekend. He received the Key to the City from new Fort Walton Beach Mayor Nic Allegretto and showered the locals with beads, cups and other treasures during Monday night’s Torchlight Parade up Eglin Parkway.
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Okaloosa STEMM Academy Excels at 2025 Florida History Day State Competition
Students from the nationally recognized Okaloosa STEMM Academy earned top honors at the 2025 Florida History Day State Competition, showcasing their excellence in historical research, academic achievement, and creative expression. Olivia Scopac received the Florida Digital History Award for her compelling documentary, Vietnam Above the Treetops, highlighting her deep understanding of digital storytelling and historical analysis. Aurora Preston earned the Women’s Heritage Award for her documentary, The Night Witches: How Soviet Women Pursued Their Responsibility to Defend Their Country. In addition to this state recognition, Aurora also received the Outstanding County Award for Okaloosa County, further emphasizing the local impact of her research. Read more...
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Two Okaloosa County Middle School Teachers and One Student Receive Prestigious National 180 Awards for Excellence in Literacy
The Okaloosa County School District is proud to announce that two dedicated educators and one exceptional student have been selected as recipients of the 2025 National 180 Awards, a prestigious national recognition celebrating outstanding achievement in literacy and academic growth. Donna Born of Pryor Middle School and Tracy Lott of Shoal River Middle School have been honored with the 180 Educator Award for their unwavering commitment to student success, mentorship, and helping students achieve significant academic milestones. Their work exemplifies the power of high-quality instruction and the life-changing impact educators can have on students who face educational challenges. In addition, John Matthew Gumayao, a Shoal River Middle School student, has been named a 180 Student Award recipient for demonstrating remarkable progress in literacy. Read more...
| | Unlock the right property for your business! Join our FREE webinar with local real estate expert Joe Leccese on May 28th! Learn the key steps to finding the perfect space, understanding different commercial properties, navigating transactions, and securing financing. Whether you're starting or expanding your business, gain valuable insights! Register and get informed: tinyurl.com/commercial-estate-may | | Unlock the funding your small business deserves this June! Our "A Roadmap to Small Business Funding" webinar will equip you with actionable insights and essential resources to navigate the world of small business funding. Your path to funding clarity starts here! Register now: tinyurl.com/roadmap-june | | | |
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Press Release: May 12, 2025
Okaloosa Commission on the Status of Women
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On Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 2:00pm the Okaloosa County Commission on the Status of Women (OCCSW) hosted their annual Women of Honor event at Wright Baptist Church on Beal Parkway
The “Women of Honor” was first established as “Wall of Honor” by the OCCSW in 1997 as an idea of its members who thought it would be a nice way for someone to honor the women in their lives whose works might be unknown to most others. The event is always held in May around Mother’s Day for those who might want to honor their mom.
Read more...
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