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Featured Chamber Events

Chamber Highlights

The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Hosts Florida's First Civics Bee, Highlights Middle School Talent

Local Students Shine in Civic Knowledge Competition

FORT WALTON BEACH, FL - (March 13, 2025)-The Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Okaloosa County School District, proudly hosted Florida’s inaugural National Civics Bee on Tuesday, March 11, at Gregg Chapel Life Center. This engaging event, open to all middle school students (grades 6-8) in Okaloosa County, celebrated civic knowledge and community involvement among young leaders.

Participants submitted 500-word essays on civics topics relevant to the Fort Walton Beach community. Local Chamber members judged more than 40 submissions, selecting 20 finalists. Fourteen students competed in the live event, demonstrating their passion and expertise. Read more...

Link to images: 2025 National Civics Bee

Upcoming Committee Meetings: Are you seeking opportunities for professional development and personal growth. Come to one or all eleven of our chamber committees to see what the buzz is about!

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Check out these short tutorial videos that provide a step-by-step guide on how to navigate through the online Member Information Center (MIC). These instructional videos will show you how to update your profile, add keywords, add job postings, register for chamber events/add your benefit discount, add events to chamber community calendar, pay invoices and much more!

Join us for Florida's Greatest Hurricane Preparedness Party on May 3, 2025 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Okaloosa County Administration Building in Shalimar. The first 100 people will receive a tote bag with first aid kit. Food trucks, vendors, presentations and a complimentary Hurricane Guide will be available for participants. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/share/15GgAuPMfU/

𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬

You can get a FREE bear latch from the county while supplies last!



Many places within Okaloosa are in bear country, which means there are instances where bears are attracted to what is placed in our trash cans. To help the issues this can cause, Okaloosa is giving residents bear latches to place on your cans (Shown in pictures below).

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐩?

• HHW, 80 Ready Avenue, Fort Walton Beach, Tuesday – Saturday, 8 am to 3 pm

• Solid Waste Office, 1759 S. Ferdon Blvd, Crestview, Monday – Friday, 7 am to 4 pm

Please note: You should only need latches for your 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬. Recycling bins should not have any items that would attract bears or other wildlife.

Effective, Monday, March 17, 2025, Okaloosa County BOCC D/b/a EC RIDER has scheduled a service modification for Fort Walton Beach Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 designed to provide direct connections, route alignment, and overall service efficiency within The EC RIDER Service Area.



This service modification includes:

Fort Walton Beach Route 1 - will operate an hourly service between Elder Service, Winn Davis Park (Yacht Club Drive), Beal Parkway, Walmart, FWB Medical Center, and NWF State College.

1.Added stops include Yacht Club Dr and Beal Pkwy.

Fort Walton Beach Route 2 - will operate an hourly service between Elder Service, Hollywood Blvd (Beal Pkwy), FWB High School, and Santa Rosa Mall.

1. Removed stops include Mary Esther Library and Post Office.

2. Mary Esther Library and Post Office Stops will be serviced by FWB Route 3.

Fort Walton Beach Route 3 - will operate an hourly service between Santa Rosa Mall,

Mary Esther Library, Lovejoy Road, Walmart, FWB Hospital, and NWF State College.

1. Added stops include stops along Hill Avenue, Hollywood Blvd (Mary Esther Library and Post Office), and Lovejoy Road.

2. Removed stops include along Anchors Road, Lewis Street, and Pelham Road.

Fort Walton Beach Route 4 - will operate an hourly service between Elder Service, FWB City Hall, Miracle Strip/Wright, Greyhound, Wright/Marshall, Walmart, and FWB Chamber of Commerce.

1. Removed stops include Windham Avenue, 1st Street, 2nd Street, Robinhood Dr, Memorial Pkwy, Hollywood Blvd, and Holmes Blvd.

2. Hollywood Blvd Stops will be serviced by FWB Route 2.

3. Added stops include along Eglin Pkwy, Miracle Strip Pkwy and Wright Pkwy.

Fort Walton Beach Route 5 - will operate an hourly service between Elder Service, Publix (Eglin Parkway), Choctawhatchee High School, FWB Hospital, and Courthouse Annex.

FWB Route 5 will operate on a split service from 7am – 10am and 2pm – 5pm.

1. Removed stops include south of FWB Medical Center and Mar Walt Dr.

2. Stops south of FWB Medical Center will be serviced by FWB Route 3.

3. Added stops include along Eglin Pkwy and Racetrack Road.

www.ecrider.org

City of Fort Walton Beach to implement automated photo speed enforcement in school zones

The City of Fort Walton Beach is implementing automated photo enforcement in speed zones at eight schools throughout the city. Camera systems and informational signage have been installed in the following schools:

• Choctawhatchee High School (Racetrack Road)
• Liza Jackson Preparatory School (Hospital Road)
• Bruner Middle School (Holmes Boulevard)
• Silver Sands School (Holmes Boulevard and Wright Parkway)
• Fort Walton Beach High School (Hollywood Boulevard and Wright Parkway)
• Edwins Elementary School (Hollywood Boulevard)
• Elliott Point Elementary School (Hughes Street and Ferry Road)
• Saint Mary Catholic School (Robinwood Drive)

The system will begin a 30-day warning period starting April 1, 2025. During this time, motorists who speed through school zones will receive a warning notice in the mail rather than a citation. The goal of this warning period is to educate drivers and encourage them to comply with posted speed limits. After the warning period ends, citations will be issued.

“This system is an effective tool to encourage compliance with speed limits, ultimately protecting students and pedestrians,” said Police Chief Robert Bage. “Photo enforcement ensures consistent and equitable speed enforcement every school day, regardless of police staffing levels. This technology encourages long-term behavior changes by reminding drivers that school zone speed limits are always enforced, creating a safer environment around our schools.”

To watch a video of Chief Bage explaining this program in detail, visit the link below:

https://youtu.be/7ypUeLVx_e0?si=33S-_hs9EuVUOJnF

REMINDER: CRA to offer $5,000 for winning design of new downtown entrance sign

The City of Fort Walton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency announces a design competition for a new Downtown Entrance Sign at the intersection of Eglin Parkway SE and Miracle Strip Parkway SE, next to the historic Gulfview Hotel building.

The winning designer will receive a $5,000 award.

The designs will be reviewed, and a winning design selected, by a committee that will not know the identity of the artists. Designs can be submitted in person or via email from March 5, 2025, through 5 p.m. on March 31, 2025. Please download the competition rules and design requirements at the link below.

https://fwb.org/DocumentCenter/View/3288/Downtown-Entrance-Sign-Contest-PDF

Wright Elementary second grader Vanessa Wesbur made history as the youngest competitor in the Envision Credit Union Regional Spelling Bee in Tallahassee on March 8, 2025. Vanessa, who won Wright Elementary's school spelling bee earlier this year, advanced to the regional competition and impressively tied for sixth place after making it to the fifth round.



Vanessa's achievement continues a long-standing tradition at Wright Elementary, which remains the only Okaloosa County School District school participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. As the school champion, Vanessa automatically earned her spot in the regional competition, where she competed against older students across the region. Vanessa's parents and teachers, Angie Willis and Mandy Bennett, were in attendance to cheer her on throughout the competition. Read more...

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