Destin Council Challenges State and County in Twin Votes on Ramswell, Norriego Point
The Destin City Council challenged both state and county officials Monday night, approving a symbolic vote supporting Prebble Ramswell while warning ethics complaints over Norriego Point could still come if negotiations fail.
Federal Immigration Cases Highlight Repeat Illegal Reentry in Okaloosa County
Federal prosecutors announced 16 immigration convictions in June, including multiple cases originating in Okaloosa and Walton counties.
DeSantis slashes funding for child abuse protection in Okaloosa, despite funding same programs around Florida
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed funding to support the Niceville Exchange Club’s initiative to bring a child abuse prevention center to the Emerald Coast for the second year in a row, despite granting funds to Exchange Club chapters in Jacksonville and Palm Beach, FL. According to an Appropriations Project Request, Representative Patt Maney sponsored the […]
DEVELOPING: Child airlifted to Pensacola after terrifying pit bull mauling
A child was airlifted after an unprovoked dog attack in Valparaiso. Police say a neighbor restrained the dog until officers arrived.
DeSantis vetoes dozens of funding requests from Maney & Boyles, reps who opposed property tax cut
Florida State Representatives Patt Maney and Nathan Boyles made headlines in June as the only two Republicans to vote “no” on Governor Ron DeSantis’ controversial amendment that would eliminate property tax for Florida homeowners. This week, DeSantis signed Florida’s official budget for Fiscal Year 2026, deciding the fate of hundreds of local funding requests submitted […]
The Creek’s unexpected, costly disaster at Shoal River
On Independence Day, 1837, the militiamen cornered the Creek warriors at a bend in the Shoal River, which, if you look at it on a map, eerily resembles Horseshoe Bend. The 70 or so Jackson County militiamen engaged about 100 Creek, just a portion of the total number of warriors estimated in the area, and routed them. As they fled across the river, they left between eight and ten dead Creek behind, according to Pensacola State Historian Brian Rucker. Jackson County’s men took three wounded in the 20-minute battle.
Eglin Announces Choctawhatchee Bay Munitions Testing Schedule
Boaters are urged to avoid portions of Choctawhatchee Bay as Eglin Air Force Base conducts scheduled munitions testing through July 2.
Despite Mary Esther Elementary setback, vet touts life-changing plan for local housing crisis
A nonprofit started in Palm Coast, FL hopes to bring affordable housing to Okaloosa County through a community land trust. Cyril Stubbs Jr., President of the Okaloosa County Community Land Trust, grew up in Miami. He said his concerns about housing costs in Florida began decades before he moved to Okaloosa County, when his mother, […]
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.
Port Dixie: The mysterious Okaloosa city that never was!
Before it was known as a vacation destination or a military hub, Okaloosa County’s early business leaders wanted it to be known as a maritime superpower on the Gulf Coast known as Port Dixie—a “grandiose scheme” that never materialized.
