Hope Renewed at Bud Day Park: A Community Space Reborn
Okaloosa County will celebrate the reopening of Brigadier General Bud Day Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony showcasing major upgrades and new amenities.
Hope Behind Bars: How Some in Okaloosa County are Igniting Change
Inside the Okaloosa County Jail, inmates in the Anchored program are choosing accountability, healing, and hope—addressing trauma and addiction to break the cycle for good.
From Norriego Point to CO2 pipelines: The Stories That Defined the Emerald Coast in 2025
An $83 million land deal, shuttered schools, snow-covered beaches: Here are the stories that stood out in 2025.
With Walls’ Execution, Northwest Florida Confronts Its Serial Killer Past
As Frank Walls is executed today, Northwest Florida reflects on how many serial killers have impacted the region over the last 50 years.
Florida Set to Execute Okaloosa County Serial Killer
Frank Walls, convicted of five Okaloosa County murders, is scheduled for execution tonight after courts rejected his final appeals.
Florida Property Tax Proposals Draw Sharp Warnings from Okaloosa Officials
Should Florida eliminate property taxes? Okaloosa County mayors and managers told state lawmakers that doing so would destabilize city budgets, threaten police and fire services, and shift control away from local voters. A new statewide study supports their warning.
Business leaders urge Okaloosa County to renew half-cent infrastructure surtax
Okaloosa’s business community is pushing to renew the county’s half-cent surtax — a tax they say has fueled more than $136 million in improvements and unlocked nearly $300 million in grants. Commissioners say voters now have something they didn’t in 2018: results.
Okaloosa County approves concept plans for new youth sports complex in Baker
The Okaloosa County Commission approved a conceptual plan for a new multipurpose athletic complex in Baker, expanding recreational opportunities for youth sports.
Okaloosa County allocates $5M to cap remaining dirt roads in “50 in 5” project
Big news for Okaloosa County roads! Commissioners approved $5 million to cap the final 52 miles of stabilized dirt roads, finishing a project that has already upgraded nearly 200 miles.
Okaloosa approves millions more for SS United States reef project
The amendment brings the project budget to $10.18 million — but officials say no local tax dollars will be used as remediation nears completion in Mobile.
