BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Christmas is coming early at the Panama City Beach Police Department, and you’re invited to celebrate. PCBPD is hosting its annual Christmas with Cops this Friday. There will be photos with Santa and the Grinch, s’mores, free swag, refreshments, holiday music, and a 100% chance of snow, courtesy of a […] Read More

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Back in late September, Lynn Haven city officials were planning to suspend Police Chief Ramie without pay for allegedly misusing city property. Rather than risk being fired, Ramie chose to resign, leaving the city without a chief. Deputy Chief Steve Enfinger has been in-charge while the search takes place. “We […] Read More

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Sorting gifts and preparing holiday meals, small acts that can make a big impact. Machell Akins has been feeding the homeless Thanksgiving dinner in downtown Panama City for years “It means a lot. It really means a lot. Especially since I myself was once homeless. Over 20 years ago, I […] Read More

Okaloosa NAACP Blasts Plan to Redo 2020 Census Staff Reports December 10, 2025 4:53 pm Government, Okaloosa County, State Government In Brief: The Okaloosa County NAACP strongly opposes Florida’s proposal to redo the 2020 Census, calling it unconstitutional and politically motivated. President Sabu Williams says the effort would weaponize the census process to boost Republican congressional power. The NAACP will present its objections to the Panhandle legislative delegation during a December 15 meeting in Shalimar. Crestview — December 10, 2025 — The Okaloosa County Branch of the NAACP is taking a strong stand against a state-level push to redo the 2020 U.S. Census — a proposal they say is designed to increase Republican congressional seats and undermines core democratic principles. The organization announced its opposition on Wednesday, calling the move by the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis “a modern-day effort at gerrymandering under the guise of a census review.” A Constitutional Issue, NAACP Says According to the NAACP, the proposal violates the U.S. Constitution’s requirement for a single, once-a-decade population count used to determine political representation and federal funding. The branch said re-running the census for the explicit purpose of creating more Republican-favoring districts “devalues the principles of equal representation and transparent governance,” and could disenfranchise large numbers of Floridians. “Our branch rejects any scheme that treats the census as a political weapon,” said Okaloosa NAACP President Sabu Williams. “The 2020 Census was conducted with federal oversight, extensive planning, and bipartisan safeguards. Calling for a redo now — simply... Read More

Okaloosa Superintendent recommends closing Mary Esther and Longwood Elementary Schools amid sharp enrollment declines Collin Bestor December 10, 2025 4:13 pm Schools and Education In Brief: Two south Okaloosa elementary schools may close after years of steep enrollment drops and growing financial strain. Students at Mary Esther and Longwood would be rezoned as the district consolidates campuses to stabilize budgets. District leaders say the North–South enrollment divide is widening, with Crestview booming and southern communities shrinking. NICEVILLE — Superintendent Marcus Chambers will recommend the closure of Mary Esther Elementary School and Longwood Elementary School at the end of the 2025–2026 school year, citing steep enrollment declines and growing fiscal pressures in the southern end of Okaloosa County.   Chambers plans to formally present the proposal to the Okaloosa County School Board in January and is requesting that the board hold a public hearing on the matter in February. Under the plan, students currently attending the two schools would be rezoned to other south-county elementary campuses.   The recommendation comes as district leaders confront what Assistant Superintendent John Spolski recently described as a widening demographic divide between the north and south ends of the county.   In a workshop held in November, district officials said enrollment is surging in Crestview and surrounding communities, while schools in Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Niceville, and other southern areas continue to lose students at an accelerated rate.   “We have a tale of two regions,” Spolski said during a board workshop in November. “Everything north... Read More

Okaloosa approves millions more for SS United States reef project Collin Bestor December 10, 2025 3:30 pm Okaloosa County In Brief: Okaloosa County approved a $2.95 million contract amendment to complete the SS United States artificial reef project, raising the total budget to just over $10 million. Officials say more than $4 million in outside funding means no property tax impact as the nearly 1,000-foot vessel undergoes final remediation in Mobile. Once deployed off Destin–Fort Walton Beach, the ship will become the world’s largest artificial reef, expected to bring major ecological and economic benefits. CRESTVIEW — Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $2.95 million contract amendment to complete remediation, preparation and deployment of the SS United States as the world’s largest artificial reef, following a detailed project update from Coastal Resources Manager Alex Fogg.     The amendment to the Coleen Marine, Inc. contract raises the total project budget to $10.178 million. It is needed to cover regulatory, insurance and maritime cost increases that county staff say could not have been foreseen when planning began.   No property tax dollars will be required, commissioners emphasized, thanks to more than $4 million in outside funding already secured.   Commissioner Sherri Cox underscored that point, telling Fogg, “the funds raised exceed the ask… So the impact on our citizens will be zero, except for the benefit of the continued project moving forward.”   Fogg confirmed, “We’ve raised more than $4 million in funds for this project.” Project challenges and milestones   Fogg recounted the... Read More

  While the redfish are still thriving on the flats, speckled trout have been making their way to the mouths of nearby bayous, where the slightly deeper water offers them more regulated temperatures and congregations of food. Daily changes in conditions will have fish traversing back and forth between   Read More

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The holidays can be joyful, but they can also be overwhelming, stressful, and lonely. So, Wednesday evening, Walton County Commissioner Dan Curry is showing up for residents in a new way during this time of need. He’s hosting his first Mental Health Town Hall meeting in Freeport at 6:00 pm […] Read More

Okaloosa County launches full opposition to Alabama CO₂ Injection Project citing aquifer threat Collin Bestor December 10, 2025 3:00 pm Okaloosa County In Brief: Okaloosa County is fighting a CO₂ injection project planned just across the Alabama line. Officials warn the plan threatens the Floridan Aquifer and local rivers that supply drinking water. Commissioners vowed to pursue every legal and political avenue to stop the proposal. CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County officials are mounting an aggressive regional campaign to stop a proposed carbon-dioxide storage project planned just north of the Florida line, warning that the plan to inject hundreds of millions of tons of industrial CO₂ underground could endanger the Floridan Aquifer — the primary drinking-water source for much of Florida and the Southeast.   The proposal, advanced by an Alabama-based company with leases on roughly 74,000 acres, would transport liquefied CO₂ through a 200-mile pipeline from industrial sites in Alabama before injecting it about 3,000 feet underground near the Florida border.   On Tuesday, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to oppose the project and pursue every available legal, political and administrative avenue to halt it. A Direct Threat to Okaloosa’s Drinking Water and Rivers Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey told commissioners the project poses “a host of cascading events,” including risks of groundwater contamination and even seismic activity.   Coffey explained that the aquifer beneath the proposed injection zone feeds the Yellow, Shoal and Choctawhatchee rivers, which in turn supply drinking water to Okaloosa County and... Read More

Morgan Wallen’s Walkouts Have Become Something Worth Imitating, Even At Weddings During Morgan Wallen‘s I’m The Problem Tour this summer, his walkouts reached new heights. If you’re familiar with his now-iconic walkouts, you know that at each of Morgan’s shows, he would arrive on stage with another person who is one of the best in […] More Country Music Nation  Read More