May 3
Mary Esther welcomed a new hotel as the Hampton Inn & Suites Mary Esther-Fort Walton Beach opened at 301 Hollywood Blvd. The 91-room modern-contemporary hotel is the closest hotel to Hurlburt Field. The business hopes to contract with the base in the near future.
May 4
A tourist who was flung from a rented personal watercraft climbed to the top of a nearby mile marker in Choctawhatchee Bay before he was rescued by an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit deputy. The watercraft was found more than a mile away.
May 5
A bill that would have altered Florida’s open meeting law by allowing two members of any governing board to meet in private to discuss whatever they wished failed in a vote on the Florida House floor. It did not go unnoticed in Walton County, though, that state Rep. Brad Drake voted in support of the measure. Drake not only represents a district that includes Walton County, where hundreds of thousands of dollars have been paid out because of Sunshine Law violations, he lives in the county.
May 8
Deputies were called to a home in north Baker in response to a 911 call of a child not breathing. The girl’s father says he arrived home to see the 7-year-old hanging from a swing by her neck. The death was later ruled an accident.
May 10
In a 4-3 vote, Fort Walton Beach City Council approved moving forward with the implementation of annual fire assessments on property owners. A majority of the council also agreed to have Tallahassee-based Government Services Group Inc. start the second phase of its fire assessment feasibility study.
May 16
Hannah Martin and Jimbo Holloway, with Premiere Property Group, and Martha Stroop, with Beach Escapes Realty, together listed the single most expensive home in Okaloosa or Walton counties. Called “Casa Amore” and located in a private gated community in Blue Mountain Beach, the 12,000-square-foot house comes with a $13 million price tag and was crowned the most expensive real estate in the local market.
May 17
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigated “potential billing irregularities” within the county’s Water and Sewer Department, county officials reported. At a County Commission meeting, County Administrator John Hofstad told the board he and Commission Chairwoman Carolyn Ketchel met with the Sheriff’s Office to request assistance.
May 22
Civic leader William Garvie, a former Fort Walton Beach City Council member and retired FBI special agent, died at age 75. Garvie fell from a ladder days before his death while washing windows at the bed & breakfast inn he owned with his wife, Martha. He suffered serious head trauma and had been in grave condition at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.
May 22
Okaloosa County Commissioner Nathan Boyles sent a letter to local businessman Cash Moore asking him to remove the controversial liquor store and bar billboards that he erected in Baker. One sign features a picture of Moore with large red letters next to him that read “Cash’s: Getting America laid and happy since 1965.” On the opposite billboard, Moore’s daughter and her children are seen with the message, “Please shop at Cash’s, we need diaper money.”
May 28
Intersections are among the most dangerous places to drive. That fact is reinforced across the Emerald Coast, according to the Florida Driver’s Association. While not all were associated with an intersection, through May 25 in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties, there were a total of 2,360 wrecks, 1,594 injuries, 30 motor vehicle deaths, six pedestrian deaths and two bicyclist deaths.
May 30
A new marketing campaign from the Santa Rosa County Tourism Development Office wants visitors to know where they can get some rest and relaxation. In March, the TDO unveiled the new marketing logo, “Navarre Beach, Florida’s Most Relaxing Place,” which was created with the help of the Florida-based Paradise Advertising and Marketing.
May 30
Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge is entertaining two strong offers for the purchase of the zoo it runs east of Crestview. Director Susan Leveille said they were surprised by the number of responses after placing an ad on Craigslist. The 10-acre zoo, which has 90 exotic animals, was put on the market in April for $350,000.