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Good morning!
A Destin native has launched an innovative in-home pediatric concierge service across Okaloosa County, while Ruckel Middle School honors beloved late principal Dr. Ginny Morgan by naming the cafetorium in her memory. Okaloosa County schools have opened with comprehensive safety measures in place, the City of Crestview completes restoration of historic city record books, and speeding fines increase at Lewis School in Valparaiso. Plus, try today’s WordroW puzzle.
- UPDATE: Eglin Air Force Base has canceled the testing that would have closed Highway 85 and State Road 123 on August 15.
SCHOOL
Ruckel Middle School cafetorium named after beloved late principal Dr. Ginny Morgan
The Okaloosa County School Board voted unanimously Monday night to name the new Ruckel Middle School cafetorium The Dr. Ginny Morgan Cafetorium, honoring the late principal who dedicated her career to education in the district.
- Dr. Virginia “Ginny” Henderson Morgan, 76, passed away on February 15, 2024. She served as principal of Ruckel Middle School and began her career there as a middle school math teacher in 1968.
Board member Brett Hinely, who presented the proposal, said Morgan “embodies everything that you would want in a principal.” Hinely, who attended Ruckel along with his daughters, called the decision “a no brainer.”
Superintendent Marcus Chambers, who was hired by Morgan in 1998, praised her leadership and educational philosophy.
- “Dr. Morgan was a principal, but most importantly, she was an educator,” Chambers said. “Dr. Morgan is someone who I’ll just say, for me, taught me a whole lot and her biggest motto was, ‘What is best for students?’”
Principal Joe Jannazo, who brought the proposal forward, said Morgan “was small in stature, but she demanded nothing but respect.” He added that stories from school advisory council members and teachers consistently emphasized Morgan’s dedication to students.
“Everything goes back to what is in the best interest for our kids and the students,” Jannazo said. “I am humbled to follow in those footsteps in that role.”
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GAMES
WordroW: August 12, 2025
Can you guess today’s 5-letter word in six tries?
WordroW is Get The Coast’s daily word puzzle featuring local words, places, and phrases from our community. You have six guesses to find the mystery word – green letters are correct and in the right spot, yellow letters are in the word but wrong position, and gray letters aren’t in the word at all.
SCHOOL
Okaloosa County schools open with comprehensive safety measures in place
The Okaloosa County School District opened its doors Monday for the 2025-26 school year with enhanced safety measures and comprehensive emergency preparedness protocols in place.
- During a school board workshop held Monday morning, Superintendent Marcus Chambers emphasized that safety remains the district’s top priority as students and staff returned to campuses.
“Safety is paramount to everything that we do,” Chambers said. “And on this first day, there’s so much that we can’t share because it’s a safety matter. But there are some things that we can share, and we talk all the time that safety is the number one priority – and that’s not a cliche.”
School Safety Specialist Danny Dean provided the board with an overview of the district’s safety initiatives, detailing the comprehensive approach taken by the Office of Safe Schools.
Dean said the office oversees safety, security and emergency management operations for all public schools in Okaloosa County, including both district and charter schools. His team includes professionals with expertise in physical security, school safety, emergency management, harm prevention, threat management, fire and life safety, public safety and security technologies.
- “Together we’re united by a single mission to safeguard our school communities through a comprehensive and coordinated approach,” Dean said.
Over the summer, Dean said the district conducted extensive safety preparations. All school-based administrators received in-depth safety and security briefings to ensure they could lead a culture of safety at their schools.
According to Dean, the district completed comprehensive security risk assessments of every district and charter school in Okaloosa County. Campus tours were conducted for public safety agencies, allowing first responders to familiarize themselves with school layouts and collaborate on response protocols.
HISTORY
City of Crestview completes restoration of historic city record books
The City of Crestview announced last Thursday the completion of restoration work on two historic record books that suffered water and fire damage over the years, particularly after a fire destroyed the old city hall.
- City Clerk Maryanne Girard oversaw the restoration of the books, which contain minutes and ordinances spanning from 1916-1923 for Book 1 and 1937-1948 for Book 2. The restoration was completed by Paul Sawyer, a hand-bookbinder conservator located in Daytona Beach.
Girard sought guidance for the project from Matt Lutz, director of records management for the City of Tallahassee, who recommended Sawyer during the Florida Association of City Clerks annual conference. Lutz had mentioned that Tallahassee successfully restored old record books using Sawyer’s services.
The restoration process involved cleaning, de-acidifying and hand-sewing the books. The work has returned both volumes to significantly improved condition and made them legible once again.
TRAFFIC
School zone speeding fines increase at Lewis School in Valparaiso
New mandatory fines for speeding in the Lewis School zone are now in effect as school zone lights activated Monday, according to information from the Valparaiso Police Department published on Eglin’s website.
- The school zone lights in front of Lewis School operate from 7:05 to 7:40 a.m. and 1:55 to 4:25 p.m. on school days. The zone, located outside the East Gate of Eglin, has a 20-mph speed limit in both directions and is marked with signs.
The increased minimum mandatory fines are based on how much drivers exceed the speed limit. Drivers traveling 1-9 mph over the limit face a $153 fine, while those going 10-14 mph over will pay $303. Fines increase to $403 for speeds 15-19 mph over the limit and $453 for speeds 20-29 mph over.
Drivers caught traveling more than 30 mph over the speed limit face the highest fine of $603, according to the police department.
The police department also announced that drivers using wireless devices not in hands-free mode within the school zone will face a $113 fine.
Outside the posted school zone hours, the speed limit returns to 35 mph.
BUSINESS
Destin native launches in-home pediatric concierge service across Okaloosa County
A Destin native has launched a new pediatric concierge service that brings medical care directly to families’ homes across Okaloosa County and the surrounding 30A community.
- Samantha Beard, a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner, opened Salt & Sun Pediatric Concierge to provide in-home medical services for children up to age 18. The service covers Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Freeport, Panama City Beach and surrounding areas.
“I want to get out of the office, I want to get into people’s homes,” Beard said. “I really want to take medical care back to what it used to be, so that’s how this vision was born.”
Beard returned to the area about four years ago with her husband after spending time away to pursue her nursing career. She said she always planned to return to raise her family in the community where she received her own pediatric care from Dr. Calvin Blount, who still practices in the area.
“I knew I wanted to get away and experience life a little bit, but this place has my soul,” Beard said. “So I knew that I would always return to raise my family.”
After working various roles that required long commutes, including a two-hour daily drive each way to Pensacola while living in Santa Rosa Beach, Beard sought a way to serve her immediate community more directly.
Beard, who graduated from Fort Walton Beach High School in 2009, spent eight years as a pediatric nurse before earning her Master’s degree at the University of South Alabama. Six of her nursing years were at Stanford Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, California. She has worked as a nurse practitioner for four years, including roles in pediatric orthopedics with Ascension Children’s Hospital in Pensacola, alongside a pediatric gastroenterologist in Panama City, and most recently with White Wilson Medical Center in the Destin area.
- The concierge model allows Beard to conduct well-child visits, sports physicals and sick visits in patients’ homes. Services include comprehensive physical exams, developmental milestone assessments, behavioral consultations and various testing procedures including flu, COVID-19, RSV and strep tests.
Beard partners with Health Tracks, a company that provides comprehensive overnight testing. She can perform testing in the home and receive results the next day for conditions affecting ears, throats, urine and stool samples.
The practice also offers telehealth services for situations that don’t require in-person visits. Parents can text or call for consultation on minor issues like rashes or conditions they’ve dealt with before. Within 48 hours, Beard provides follow-up communication to ensure treatment is progressing properly.
“I try to cover everything to make convenience and practical, patient-centered care, the goal,” Beard said.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Tuesday! Help us shape the future of local news and make a meaningful impact on your community. Click here to learn how you can support us!
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Jared
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