JOIN US THURSDAY, AUGUST 18TH FROM 7 – 10PM … Songwriters David Bourné, Kree Harrison and Jason Martin to headline Tim Jackson’s Songwriters Performance Series Live at the Bait Shack on Thursday, August 18th to raise funds and awareness for the Point Washington Medical Clinic (PWMC). The event, scheduled to take place from 7 – 10 p.m. at Stinky’s Bait Shack on County Highway 30A, is presented by McNeese Title with additional support from Ocean Reef Resorts. General admission tickets are on sale now for $75. Included in your ticket price is a wine tasting and delicious heavy hors d’oeuvres generously provided by Stinky’s Fish Camp. A cash bar will also be available. Following the tasting, event goers will settle in for an intimate listening room concert experience with this incredibly talented group of singer songwriters. Click the ticket link below to purchase yours today! Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Event attire is summer casual. Funds raised will be used towards the clinic’s planned stand alone facility. The new 4,750 square foot building includes space for six examination rooms, a conference area, teaching kitchen, meeting room, dental suite, dispensary, and inviting lobby with an educational library. New services and programming planned will include preventative care, primary care, wellness care and more. This will transform the clinic into a “one-stop shop” for comprehensive patient care, continuing our mission of providing quality primary care, while expanding to include specialty services, dentistry and wellness education.   #30atv #30a Read More

It was a good news, bad news scenario when a fire occurred at the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center’s (ECCAC) 23 year old location in Niceville that provides healing and protection to area children experiencing abuse and neglect. ECCAC’s CEO, Julie Porterfield commented, “We are just incredibly sad and devastated that our Niceville Center suffered significant damage Saturday, July 16th. Although there was much water damage from the fire sprinkler system, it prevented a what could have been a devastating fire. As heartbroken as I feel and fighting back the tears, I am thanking God for His saving grace – it could have been so much worse. We may be down, but will rise above the water. We know the days ahead will be long. We will need the community’s help to restore the joy, the cheeriness, the hope the Center once held.” Recently, ECCAC announced an upcoming expansion to the Niceville Center. Now they are looking at achieving that, as well as a complete renovation of the existing building that was so severely damaged. The building may be temporarily closed, but ECCAC operations are not, the kids will still be served. The Center doesn’t house children, but is set up with a multidisciplinary team of child protection personnel, prosecutors, law enforcement, DCF, therapists, as well as ECCAC staff and volunteers to provide services to the children in a child-friendly environment. The community support to date has been substantial. As an example, Mike Kay owner of Ocean Views has already... Read More

If you’re staying in a vacation rental in the Bradenton Beach, Sarasota, or Siesta Key area, don’t forget to add Myakka River State Park to your vacation to-do list. This massive park is home to literally thousands of alligators, all waiting for their close up—from a safe distance, of course. Myakka River State Park is 58 square miles large and combines prairies with wetlands and pinelands. Running through the park is the Myakka River, perfect for boating, kayaking and fishing. Myakka River State Park was developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and was one of eight state parks in Florida developed by the CCC. Previously, the land for the park was owned by Bertha Palmer, a businesswoman from Chicago who pursued cattle and pig ranching on the land. Fast forward to today, and one major draw for Myakka River State Park is the many, many alligators that call it home. When the weather is warm, you can see alligators swimming along in the river or sometimes sunning themselves not far from shore. Keep your distance, of course, and use the closeup function on your camera phone or a telephoto lens on a nice camera to snap some nice shots. During Sarasota’s busiest season, it’s not uncommon to find tourists speaking several different languages stopped in clumps to gaze at gators and snap pics to share with others.  Another great way to learn about the park is with its boat and tram rides. The boats will take... Read More

Data from the Florida Department of Health shows there is currently one “probable” case of Monkeypox in Santa Rosa County. As of Saturday, the Florida Department of Health is reporting 31 counts of confirmed cases and 146 counts of probable cases in the state. Most are in south Florida, as Broward County has 24 confirmed cases and 79 probable cases. Miami-Dade County has two confirmed cases and 37 probable cases. Santa Rosa County is listed as having one probable case. Channel 3 reached out to the Florida Department of Health, which said it’s waiting for the CDC to confirm the case. Escambia, Okaloosa and Walton counties currently have no probable or confirmed cases. #30atv #30a Read More