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Good morning!
Okaloosa County has approved $400,000 to complete design work for Santa Rosa Boulevard on Okaloosa Island, while authorities arrested a Pennsylvania man who allegedly traveled 1,000 miles to stalk a 14-year-old Northwest Florida influencer. Fort Walton Beach’s Center for Lifelong Learning opens fall registration for 86 classes and tours, a Destin man faces charges after a multi-vehicle hit-and-run and chase through Fort Walton Beach, and test your knowledge with this week’s mini crossword and today’s WordroW puzzle.
- MILITARY: The scheduled road closure for Aug. 21 has been canceled. The primary missions will be conducted Aug. 22, requiring the closure of Highway 85 and State Road 123 between 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., according to Eglin AFB.
NEWS
Fort Walton Beach’s Center for Lifelong Learning opens fall registration for 86 classes, tours
Registration opened on August 13 for the Center for Lifelong Learning’s fall semester, offering Fort Walton Beach area residents 86 classes and expert-guided tours designed to keep minds sharp and bodies active while building community connections.
- The nonprofit organization, celebrating 32 years on the Emerald Coast, will begin its eight-week fall semester September 8 at the University of West Florida Emerald Coast Campus and various locations throughout Okaloosa County.
“Our semester lasts eight weeks and ends with our famous ‘Final Follies’ and a Halloween party since it is scheduled on Friday, October 31. Final Follies is a showcase of our semester where our dance classes perform and students share some of their writings, art projects, etc. and we have a time to enjoy being together before the holidays,” said Holly Brelia, CLL president.
The organization offers courses spanning educational classes, arts and crafts, technology, yoga, dance, mindfulness, self-defense, current events and pickleball. Multi-week classes cost $20 each, while single-day expert-guided tours are $10. Automatic membership is included when participants sign up for a class or tour.
Founded in 1993 by retired educator Dr. Ed Dennery and colleagues as the “Senior Center for Lifelong Learning,” the organization later changed its name to attract adults of all ages, though there was never a minimum age requirement for enrollment.
- The all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization has provided more than $42,000 in scholarships and $14,000 to children’s charities, including children in crisis programs. Course fees support only operating expenses, scholarships and charitable giving.
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GAMES
WordroW: August 21, 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.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Destin man arrested after multi-vehicle hit-and-run, chase through Fort Walton Beach
A Destin man was arrested Tuesday after a chaotic hit-and-run incident that began in Destin and ended with a multi-vehicle crash in Fort Walton Beach, injuring six people including a police officer and a K-9, according to police.
Stephen Martin, 55, faces charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, multiple counts of hit and run, DUI and fleeing and eluding after the incident that unfolded Tuesday afternoon on U.S. Highway 98 and Beal Parkway, the Fort Walton Beach Police Department said in a news release.
Police received a BOLO alert at approximately 3:30 p.m. Tuesday regarding a white Ford F-150 involved in a hit-and-run incident in Destin traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 98, according to the report.
Martin, 55, was charged with:
- Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon
- Multiple counts of hit and run with property damage
- Hit and run with bodily injury
- DUI refusal
- Driving while under the influence fourth or subsequent
- Aggravated flee and elude
- Driving while license suspended or revoked with knowledge
“Three civilians, one officer, a K-9 and the suspect had to receive medical treatment for injuries,” police stated in the release.
SPONSORED
Origin Bank builds commercial presence in Fort Walton Beach with experienced local team
Origin Bank’s expansion into Fort Walton Beach centers on a strategy of hiring experienced local bankers who understand the unique dynamics of the Panhandle’s tourist-driven economy.
- The bank’s commitment to the community became evident when they decided to open a full-service branch immediately rather than focusing on a ramp up with its loan production office, as many banks do when entering new markets.
“Origin made it clear they were confident in this community and committed to purchasing a location and opening a branch as soon as we possibly could,” said Robin Donlon, Origin’s Florida Panhandle Market Leader.
Donlon, a Shalimar native who has lived in the area since age three, brings deep local knowledge to her role. She spent more than 15 years building relationships in the local banking community, starting as a teller in Destin and working her way up through commercial banking positions at other institutions.
“The ability to have your banker in the local market, who knows the area, is able to come see you in person and understands your business is extremely important”, Donlon said.
As market leader, Donlon maintains her own customer portfolio while overseeing the commercial team and ensuring successful branch operations. “I truly enjoy working with the clients that I have, many of whom I’ve worked with for over half, if not more, of my banking career. Those loyal customers mean they are not just my customers, they’re my friends,” she said.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Pennsylvania man arrested after allegedly traveling 1,000 miles, stalking 14-year-old NWFL influencer
A 29-year-old man from Trevose, Pennsylvania, was arrested after developing what police described as “a delusional online fixation” with a 14-year-old Walton County social media influencer and traveling across state lines to confront her father at their home.
- Jarred Easter was arrested by members of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Section on Aug. 18 after traveling to Florida to pursue the teenager, according to a report from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
The report states that Easter spent three months sending disturbing emails, nude photographs and obsessive messages to the email account connected to the victim’s social media page. “The conversations were entirely one-sided, revolving around photos the child had publicly posted,” the report said.
According to Walton County Sheriff’s Office investigators, Easter tracked the teen’s location through her online presence and showed up at her Walton County residence, where he confronted the child’s father in the driveway, asking to speak with her.
- After demanding Easter leave, the father called the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, police said.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit submitted a warrant for Easter’s arrest, according to the report. On Monday, investigators tracked his location to a hotel in Crestview and reached out to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office SIS for assistance. The team confirmed Easter was still at the hotel and took him into custody. He was extradited to Walton County on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
GAMES
Mini Crossword: Week of August 21, 2025
A weekly crossword featuring local headlines, history, and hot topics. Test your knowledge of our community, and the stories locals are talking about.
TRAFFIC
Okaloosa approves $400,000 to complete Santa Rosa Boulevard design work on Okaloosa Island
Okaloosa County Commissioners approved $400,000 in surtax reserves Tuesday to complete design work for the Santa Rosa Boulevard Improvement Project on Okaloosa Island.
- The funding will finish the design plans for Phase I of the project, which runs from the first Beach Access east to the Brooks Bridge project limits. The state has already committed $1 million for construction of this phase.
“This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to make a difference for our community in a very significant fashion,” said Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel. “Number one, we’re going to be able to save lives with the new design because it’ll slow down drivers so that pedestrians will not be harmed. Number two, we’re putting in bike paths and pedestrian run-walkways.”
Ketchel also highlighted two other major benefits. “Number three, I’m confident that we’re going to be able to bury these power lines. To have power lines buried there would make such a huge difference when we do have the next storm.”
- The fourth benefit, she said, involves traffic flow. “There’s not going to be, what I call, ‘malfunction junction’ at the Brooks Bridge where cars have to stop. The flow of traffic will not be impeded because there will be no more traffic light there.”
Scott Bitterman, Interim Public Works Director, told the Commissioners the project will enhance pedestrian safety and improve drainage. The consultant has completed 60% design plans and is currently working on 90% plans.
The $7.6 million construction contract will include a 14-foot wide multi-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians and along the entire length of the roadway. The project will also install solar powered pedestrian crosswalk systems at seven upgraded beach park access crossings.
The improvements include large swales for stormwater management to help reduce flooding. The project addresses what officials call a major safety issue by slowing down traffic and eliminating the danger posed by a four-lane road that ends abruptly at concrete barricades near Eglin Air Force Base property.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Thursday! 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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