Brooks Bridge Update
Several buildings have now been removed to make way for the construction of the new Brooks Bridge to replace the 56-year-old Brooks Bridge that connects the island to Fort Walton Beach, a project slated to take roughly five years. So far, they include several Oak Breeze Apartment units, Pat’s Bait and Tackle Shop, a building in front of the old Giovanni’s One89 restaurant, Waffle House restaurant, Tropical Waves store on Okaloosa Island, six units of the Playground Inn on Brooks Street, Bamboo’s Jamaican Restaurant and Diva Nails and Spa. Demolition has also begun on the Emerald Coast Inn & Suites on Okaloosa Island. The $171 million project, which will expand the bridge from four to six lanes over two spans, is set to begin next summer. The completed project will include three, 11-foot-wide driving lanes, two 10-foot-wide shoulders and a 12-foot-wide shared-use bicycle and pedestrian path will be included on each direction. The contract for the new construction was awarded to Superior Construction Co. Southeast, headquartered in Jacksonville, in June.
This is the HERO! This is Mykel Gordon!
At Chick-fil-A our mission is to “Serve” and today Mykel took it further…to “Save,” says a Facebook post from Chick-fil-A of Fort Walton Beach. Chic-fil-A employee Mykel prevented the carjacking of a woman traveling with her baby. A trending video shows Mykel tackling and restraining 43-year-old William Branch in the parking lot until sheriffs arrived and arrested him. According to a statement from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), Mykel rushed to help a screaming woman holding a baby after a man grabbed her keys and tried to take her car. The victim was getting the infant out of her car when she says 43-year old William Branch approached her wielding a stick and demanding her keys. He then grabbed the keys from the waistband of her pants, opened her car door and got inside. OCSO recently honored Mykel at the restaurant, saying, “We’re grateful for the courage of people like Mykel.”
Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport has a New Concourse!
A recent ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Okaloosa County, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and Allegiant Air highlighted a new $11.4 million concourse for Allegiant Air passengers, Allegiant having contributed to the bulk of concourse construction costs. Located on the west side of the airport’s main terminal, the 26,000-square-foot Concourse C serves Allegiant Air passengers exclusively and offers five new gates, multiple food and beverage options, a gift store and bar as well as its own TSA security checkpoint. Allegiant began service at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport in 2016 and in 2018, it was servicing 22 destinations. Currently, Allegiant Air provides service to 35 destinations from the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport.
Children in Crisis (CIC) reached a milestone of giving a home to over 1,000 children since 2008. Children in Crisis has five family foster homes, an Emergency Shelter, and eight studio apartments for young adults transitioning through foster care. In addition, Kays Cupboard, provides a food pantry and clothing center for children. CIC is excited to announce the opening of its King Whitmire Therapy Center and the public to its ribbon cutting October 20, 2 p.m. at 1000 Luke’s Way, Fort Walton Beach.
Visit Florida Awards Destin-Fort Walton Beach for Tourism Campaign
Okaloosa County’s Tourist Development Department, Destin- Fort Walton Beach, has been recognized with six awards for its recent tourism campaign – Little Adventures – developed to inspire families to get outside on the water, and out of their comfort zones. The honors, which were presented by VISIT FLORIDA on the state level and the U.S. Travel Association on the national level, recognize the department’s efforts over the past year. The 2022 Little Adventures campaign featured a variety of tactics to inspire families to explore and try water-based activities. Destin-Fort Walton Beach received a total of five Flagler Awards for outstanding Florida tourism marketing at the state’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism. As in previous years, the 2022 Flagler Awards drew entries from tourism partners throughout the state and were determined by an independent panel of judges evaluating the creativity, innovation, production quality, and effectiveness of each entry.
Step One Automotive Group recently announced that it has acquired its 19th and 20th new car dealerships, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram Andalusia and Nissan Andaluisa. Nissan Andalusia is the first Nissan dealership in Step One’s portfolio. The new dealerships provide new and used vehicle sales as well as parts and service.
As part of its 2022 philanthropic initiatives, Bit-Wizards’ Be the Magic Foundation selected two organizations at Choctawhatchee High School (CHS) as donation recipients: Choctawhatchee Style Marchers Director of Bands, Anthony Denaro, and Choctawhatchee High School Theatre Director, Karen Monroe, each received $2,500 checks for the 2022-2023 school year.
