This little-known land transfer revolutionized the Emerald Coast forever!
On June 27, 1940, over 340,000 acres of the Choctawhatchee National Forest were officially transferred from the Department of the Interior to the War Department. This historic move was driven by President Franklin Roosevelt’s conviction that the U.S. needed to prepare for war, primarily in response to Axis aggression and the U.S. embargo on Japan. This single action fundamentally transformed the local economy and environment around Choctawhatchee Bay, shifting it from a rustic, subsistence living to a hub that enabled the space age and the American Defense Industry. The land soon became the Valparaiso Gunnery Range, the precursor to a massive military-industrial-research complex that brought billions of dollars and a storm of new residents to the Emerald Shores.
Today in History: The Mid-Bay Bridge opens with stampede of runners
On June 27, 1993, 5,200 runners from across the country came to inaugurate the Mid-Bay Bridge with a 5K run across the span. Florida Governor ‘Walkin Lawton’ Chiles pulled the trigger on the starting gun and set the runners on their way to Destin across the 3.6 mile structure above the Choctawhatchee Bay. The bridge, which was built for $81 million and initially cost $2 to cross each way, cut off about 25 minutes of travel time and was finished five months ahead of schedule.
