Our “hard hats” go off to Habitat for Humanity of Walton County for raising over $30,000 at their 5th Annual Hard Hats & High Heels event on February 10th at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. This esteemed Walton County organization has much to celebrate, as every penny raised will go to build a home for a single, working mother in Walton County this year. “This event is what it’s all about for our organization, assisting families in our community to build safe and affordable places to call home,” says Teresa Jones, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Walton County. Over 200 guests from various industries in our community attended the luncheon and had the chance to bid on silent auction items, play games, and then heard from keynote speaker, Nancy Francis who spoke about a Mindset of Empowerment. Change your mindset, change your future. Local Habitat for Humanity volunteer Elaine Ashman of the Merchants of Rosemary Beach, was honored with the 2023 Veronica Macias Power Woman of the Year award. Ashman is described by her peers as a familiar face on the Women Build job site. She works tirelessly for Habitat for Humanity, donating her time, knowledge, and funds to advance Habitat for Humanity’s mission and encourages others to join her in making Walton County Habitat a thriving charitable organization. “I am humbled to receive this award,” said Ashman. “Helping women in our community by volunteering my time with Habitat for Humanity is a passion,... Read More

  Walton County School District moves toward the Spring Break with anticipation but continues its E.P.I.C. standard of work in the process! While the district celebrates its accomplishments of; earning a #3 ranking for student performance on Florida Assessments, #3 in graduation ranking with an unheard of 96.7% of Walton County students graduating, and a #3 overall ranking among Florida School Districts. We know there is much more work to do to reach #1! In addition to the outstanding state rankings, Walton County is excited to have awarded students over 2,000 CTE (Career Technical Education) course certifications. These certifications document students’ work to become employable and career ready at graduation. Congratulations to all our certificated C.T.E. students! National School Counselor appreciation week was February 6th-10th, 2023 and we want to recognize the work of all of our school’s counselors. Counselors oversee student’s academic success and help them determine the educational courses that will best help them meet their goals. Thank you, W.C.S.D. counselors, for the excellent work you do! Our music department hosted the Elementary All County Chorus in Concert on February 25, 2023, in the Freeport High School Auditorium. Students from schools across the county participated in a night of musical enjoyment. Walton County School District supports the whole child by providing extra-curricular activities, such as the arts, sports, band, etc., to help enrich students’ learning experiences. In good faith, Walton County School Board and Superintendent A. Russell Hughes have set aside $300,000.00 to support the purchase of additional... Read More

  The Walton County Snowbirds held their annual business meeting on February 23 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Destin.  The highlight of the meeting was the presentation of two $1,000 scholarships as part of our Vivik Likite Scholarship Fund to South Walton High School Seniors Cayll Craig and Mary Margaret Cline.  Mrs. Barbara Stratton from the high school accompanied Cayll and Mary to our meeting.  Both students were very appreciative of the scholarships. Cayll is involved with both basketball and track at the high school.  He plans to attend the University of West Florida majoring in cybersecurity.  Mary Margaret does weigh-lifting at South Walton.  She is going to attend NW Florida State College and pursue her degree in education so she can be a teacher.  The scholarship money comes from a 50/50 raffle from each of our meetings.  In addition, our Singles group donated $265 to the scholarship fund by taking up a collection from our very generous singles. The club also presented a check for $2,100 to Ken Hair, CEO of Children in Crisis from the proceeds of selling 210 FundRays coupon books.  Pat Whitledge, our club secretary, diligently sells the coupon books at many of our events.  Our annual blood drive through OneBlood generate 32 pints of blood from the snowbirds. Board members who serve on our Board for at least 4 years were presented with recognition pins by past President, Donna Reed.  This year, Mike Quinn and his wife Catherine Campbell and Pat and Jim Whitledge... Read More

  Catch some beads and some waves in Panama City Beach for the annual Panama City Beach Mardi Gras and Music Festival, taking place February 3-4, 2023 at Pier Park. Situated just steps away from the sugar-white sand beaches and emerald-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico, this authentic two-day Mardi   Read More

  Happy New Year to all! I hope 2023 brings everyone countless opportunities to enjoy the water and catch some fish. January’s temperatures are cool and the weather can change quickly, but it’s still a great month to fish the shallow flats and backwaters surrounding Panama City Beach. On most days,   Read More

  You don’t have to travel to New Orleans to get the Mardi Gras feel & food, we’ve got everything you need to “Laissez le bon temps rouler.” Get in the spirit for the 2023 Panama City Beach Mardi Gras & Music Festival by filling up on some delicious New Orlean’s style food, right here in PCB! Bayou on   Read More