Jennie McKeon

South Santa Rosa County is facing a “workforce crisis” according to several business owners with restaurants understaffed and peak tourist season under way. 

Thursday morning, the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a roundtable discussion with CareerSource EscaRosa to help identify problems and come up with some solutions.

Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday morning to remove the mask mandate at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center on Okaloosa Island starting May 15. 

Safety practices such as social distancing and limiting capacity to 75% will remain in effect. 

The non-agenda item was brought to the board Tuesday morning by Chairwoman Carolyn Ketchel, a strong proponent for masks last summer as the county and the state were experiencing a surge of COVID cases. 

At the meeting, Ketchel said it should be up to individuals whether to mask up.  

A new nonprofit aims to preserve Northwest Florida’s maritime heritage and natural landscape while also working toward designating much of the western Florida panhandle as a National Heritage Area (NHA). 

Destin High School is no longer a community wish. It’s real. 

Around 300 people gathered at the site of the future Destin High School Wednesday evening for an official groundbreaking. With iffy weather, the groundbreaking was moved inside the former Grace Lutheran Church. 

A small pile of clay was placed on the altar of the church — the future assembly space for the school — for the official photo op with golden shovels. 

Tuesday’s Municipal Elections in Okaloosa County resulted in a new charter amendment for Destin and one new face to the Fort Walton Beach City Council. 

When Chester Pruitt was hired as the first Black officer for the Fort Walton Beach Police Department in 1948, he broke barriers in the city and set a precedent for the Black community.

But much of his 15 years in service reflected the segregated times of the Jim Crow era. 

Destin Mayor Gary Jarvis gave a round-up of accomplishments from last year and set future goals with the State of the City Tuesday evening.

“2020 has certainly been a challenging year,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of the strong leadership and resiliency of our staff to work hard during difficult times.”

Standing next to the bust of Martin Luther King Jr., local activist and organizer Jamil Davis warned a crowd of protestors that the proposed “anti-riot” state bill would affect gatherings such as the one he planned for Saturday afternoon. 

“This bill is an infringement on our first amendment right,” he said. “This bill causes for black and brown organizers to have to rethink and possibly fear coming here to do these demonstrations.”

“But today, this bill is not a law.” 

It’s likely you didn’t hear the words “contact tracing” much before the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s a common tool of defense when it comes to infectious diseases. 

There are three open seats on the Fort Walton Beach City Council, and twelve candidates vying for votes in the March 9 municipal election.

Tuesday evening, they all got a chance to speak at a moderated forum hosted by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Current council members Nic Allegretto and David Schmidt are running for re-election alongside 10 new faces: Gloria DeBerry, Jason Floyd, Sean Murphy, Debra Riley, Brad Roehrig, Michael Rojas, Travis Smith, Gareth Stearns, Sonya Vazquez, and Payne Walker.

Recycling in Santa Rosa County has been a complicated issue for almost two years. Now, with a new subscription-based recycling program, the county’s environmental supervisor, Andrew Hill, says he’s optimistic this approach will lead to better recycling habits.