General News

General News May 4, 2023

Scholarship Awards and Member Celebration Will Highlight the May Meeting of the Green Thumb Garden Club

  By Kathleen Edge, Publicity & Website Chair In honor of Mrs. Frank Mercer, a former President of Green Thumb Garden Club, the Mercer Scholarship has been awarded to student(s) from Walton County for over four decades.  The qualified student(s) must be currently enrolled or have been accepted by a college, university, or technical school and have a major in horticulture. The $3,000 scholarship is funded through donations from generous GTGC members, fundraising events and the Walton County community.  The 2023 recipient will attend and receive their award at the May 2023 meeting.  Additional Green Thumb Garden Club scholarships will be awarded to participants in 4 H Camp Timpoochee and E.O. Wilson Biophilia Naturalists Outdoor programs. The May 24, 2023, meeting is at Westwinds Conference Center in Miramar Beach, Florida  Check-in begins at 9:30 am and lunch is included in the $25.00 fee for each member.  With a meeting theme of Petals, Pearls, and Prosecco; attendees are encouraged to wear their finest spring attire; a prize will be given for the  “Best Hat” at the event. The Club will celebrate National Garden Week with this year’s first summer social — Plant the Park — on June 5, 2023.  The 9 – 11 am event is at Legion Park, 226 Ponce De Leon Street, Miramar Beach, Florida.  Light snacks will be available; attendees should bring water and other preferred refreshments, hat, gloves, and garden tools.  Beautification of Walton County is front and center to the GTGC mission and all persons are... Read More

General News May 4, 2023

South Walton Fire District Joins ‘Safety Cloud’ Alert System Network

  South Walton-area motorists who utilize a navigation app or system during their drive now receive advance-warning alerts from South Walton Fire District apparatus responding to emergencies. These Safety Cloud alerts aim to better protect motorists and first responders, as well as assist in improving emergency response times, by giving drivers more time to safely comply with Florida’s Move Over Law. This law requires motorists to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles with activated signals. The Safety Cloud system  (www.haasalert.com) alerts drivers who are actively using Waze, Apple Maps, Google Maps, vehicles equipped with Ford’s Blue Oval Intelligence system and any Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram vehicles. Motorists using any of the methods listed will receive a hands-free alert that notifies them of an approaching SWFD emergency vehicle or scene. Safety Cloud developers have stated they are working to add new vehicles and navigation apps onto the platform to increase the number of people receiving alerts. In March 2023, the HAAS Alert system alerted 4,405 total drivers about 307 incidents involving a responding SWFD apparatus. SWFD would like to remind motorists to obey all traffic laws while slowing down and moving over for responding emergency vehicles. Also, motorists should ensure that all emergency vehicles have passed before pulling back into the flow of traffic. The post South Walton Fire District Joins ‘Safety Cloud’ Alert System Network appeared first on South Walton Life | 30A News, Events and Community Information.   Read More

General News May 4, 2023

Spring Into an Event-Filled May at Baytowne Wharf!

  There’s something BIG going on every month it seems at The Village of Baytowne Wharf. And May is no exception! Welcome Summer During the Memorial Day Celebration Weekend Saturday, May 27, 7-9 p.m. Sunday, May 28, 6-9 p.m. Kick off the 100 days of summer as festivities begin Saturday, when a true locals’ favorite, Forrest Williams Band, takes the stage at the Events plaza from 7-9 p.m. On Sunday, enjoy live music from Trest Richerson Band from 6-9 p.m. Free children’s activities will be from 6-9 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m. You won’t want to miss the fireworks, live music, shopping, dining and fun all weekend long. Tequila and Tacos Anyone?  It’s Almost Time for the Tequila & Taco Fest Friday, May 12, 6-9 p.m. Saturday, May 13 | 1-4 p.m. Sunday,  May 14 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The Village of Baytowne Wharf will come alive with local restaurants and food trucks competing for the Best Taco on The Emerald Coast with a first-place prize of $2,500 – and you will have a say in the People’s Choice Award! Sample many types of Tequilas and Margaritas from Blancos, Resposados, Anjieos and even Mezcals while indulging in some of the area’s best tacos. For tickets: www.efestevents.com Friday | 6-9 p.m. Saturday | 1-4 p.m. Sunday | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit www.efestevents.com. Alissa Steffens Vocal Studios Presents a Spring ConcertFriday, May 19, 7-8:30 p.m. | Events Plaza Stage | FREE All Invited. Join vocal coach Alissa Steffens... Read More
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General News May 4, 2023

The Seaside School Launches Seacoast Collegiate High School Expansion with NW Florida State College

  The Seaside School, Inc., Florida’s oldest continuously operated public charter school and #1 combination public charter school in the state of Florida, announced today the launch of the Seacoast Collegiate High School (SCHS) Expansion Project in partnership with Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC). This multi-million dollar expansion project will further expand the partnership between SCHS and NWFSC by providing a permanent home for SCHS at the South Walton Campus of NWFSC as well as developing a high school dual enrollment center for all students in Walton County. In addition, the new facility will include “The Accelerator” which will offer training, mentoring, and collaboration to new area businesses and entrepreneurs. Currently, ninth and tenth grades at SCHS operate in five classrooms that are leased from NWFSC at the South Walton Campus. Students in eleventh and twelfth grades attend classes on the Niceville Campus of NWFSC. With this expansion project, The Seaside School, Inc. will be able to consolidate all high school students at the NWFSC South Walton Campus as well as expand the collegiate programs to more students in Walton County by adding additional instructional space for students in grades nine through twelve and the community. NWFSC is providing 5-acres of land on which The Seaside School, Inc. will construct new educational facilities consisting of three additional buildings for both SCHS and NWFSC classrooms, shared lab space, Despite the growth, SCHS holds strong to their core values of providing a small learning environment with a focus on students’ individual learning... Read More

General News May 4, 2023

South Walton’s Volunteer Beach Ambassadors Gearing up for 2023 Season

  Peter Mohylsky, It’s all about Sea Turtles! Do you love our local beaches? Do you have some free time from March through October? Why not join the Volunteer Beach Ambassadors? What began as a group of 30 volunteers back in 2016 has now grown to over 200 volunteers for the 2023 season. The volunteers are ambassadors for the culture that makes this such a great place to visit and live. Volunteer Beach Ambassador (VBA) Team Leader Peter Mohylsky stated “I am very proud of this team of dedicated volunteers. Everyone is dedicated to working on improving the quality of beach life for those who are full-time residents and just vacationers or part-time residents. The overall impact on the environment along the beach is nothing short of remarkable.” This group of volunteers greets our locals and visitors along the beaches, scenic bike paths and throughout our community. They are members of the Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles (FOSWST), a non-profit organization that promotes sea turtle conservation through awareness and education. While greeting everyone visiting our beaches, the main job of a VBA is to educate them on beach etiquette and county beach ordinances, specifically those codes that directly impact the preservation and safety of our nesting sea turtles. They also pick up trash, fill in holes in the sand, and flatten any sandcastles/art at the end of the day. The purpose is to work to achieve what we’ve all heard described as #CleanDarkFlat beaches. They are working towards educating the... Read More