Mon, 5 May 2008 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of this page (broadband) or click for the dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Some Of The News Covered:Cuvee Beach on Hwy 98 recently auctioned for $1.575 million, plus 10 percent for the auction company Roebuck Auctions. The winning bider does not plan on changing much, but the color scheme. Cuvee is known for its great wine selection and food. Cuvee has always been a favorite for locals when it comes to fine-dining! The Tourist Development Council received its final permit needed for the parking lot of Pompano Joe's. Construction is expected to start after the summer when traffic lightens up on Scenic Gulf Drive. The new parking lot will cost $4 million and take about 180 days to complete. The parking lot will be built on concrete pilings so that water can flow underneath during high surf. The parking lot will also have 130 parking spaces. Hurricane season is one month away and a tax exemption for one week may be possible. If approved, the tax break would be from June 1st till the 7th. Items such as, flashlights, portable radios, weather radios, tarps, gas cans and batteries will not be taxed!!! Gas is running an average of around $3.56. Visitors should seek cheaper gas prices in Navarre. Fort Walton Beach is second to Navarre with gas prices. Destin is the highest! Dredging is underway in the East Pass! For several more weeks there will be barges and massive floating pipes working on removing sand in the pass and relocating it on Holiday Isle and Norriego Point. Boaters are advised to idle and create no wake in the pass to prevent disturbing the dredging project. Navarre Beach Road may be open July 10! State Road 399 that connects Navarre Beach to Pensacola Beach is almost finished. The road is known for being very scenic and beautiful. The road was washed out in 2005 from Hurricane Dennis. Many locals look forward to the quiet beaches along Navarre Beach Road to open. Beaches along Holiday Isle are heavily eroded. Behind the Islander on Holiday Isle there is very little sand for beachgoers to enjoy. Beach Restoration in the near future beachgoers should check out the beaches from the Holiday Inn eastward where the beaches have a lot more room and sand! Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Robert Royal of Ft. Walton with his song Dealing With Blue. Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |
Sun, 20 April 2008 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of this page (broadband) or click for the dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Some Of The News Covered:The blue signs on 30-A are being pulled! The Tourist Development Council voted to pull the blue signs on 30-A. Many residents complained the signs looked terrible and did not fit. The signs will be replaced in the future. The new look of the signs is yet to be decided. The Destin Seafood Festival for 2008 will have a new location! To locals its not so new! The Destin Seafood Festival was once held at the foot of the Destin Bridge on the harbor. The festival was relocated to the sports complex behind The Track. Look forward to a great Destin Seafood Festival for 2008 right on the harbor! Red Snapper season will close August 5, 2008 in federal fishing waters. The season will reopen June 1, 2009. The gulf's statemanaged waters will have a longer Red Snapper season that will last from April 15 till October 31. The National Marine Fisheries Service changed Red Snapper fishing season due to overfishing. The Seabreeze Jazz Festival will make a new home in Panama City in 2009! The Seabreeze Jazz Festival has been held in Santa Rosa Beach for 10 years. Now, the festival is relocating to Panama City's amphitheater in Pier Park for 2009. The festival has grown a lot over the past few years and needs a new location to accomodate its growing popularity! The festival has had a cap of 4,500-5,000 to keep the festival at a safe number. Walton County Commissioners recently visited Tallahassee to meet with legislators. Commissioners pushed to get more funding so that U.S. Hwy 331 can get widened. 331 has been known as a narrow road to drive on. Lots of deer frequent the roadside making it a dangerous road to drive on during the hours of the night. From Airport Road to Scenic Highway, medians are getting a facelift! 7.5 miles of U.S. Hwy 98 will be getting much needed widened turning lanes. Along with the turning lanes the medians will also be getting milling, resurfacing, new sidewalks, marked crosswalks and wheelchair ramps at signalized intersections. The project is to be completed in 506 days and cost $12.7 million. Boating along the Emerald Coast is very popular! Many boating accidents can be prevented with knowing marine forecasts. The weather along the Emerald Coast is quick to change especially water conditions. Boaters should check out forecasts at www.fluidsurfshop.com and go to the surf report where links can be found to some very accurate forecasts for safe boating! Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Moseley Brown Band of Pensacola with their song So Long. Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |
Sat, 5 April 2008 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of this page (broadband) or click for the dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Some Of The News Covered:A meeting was held recently regarding the large blue signs on 30-A. Many residents gave their opinions and suggestions to the Tourist Development Council. No decisions have been made yet. The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to start fixing Norriego Point this month. Only 2,500 cubic yards of sand has been washed into the channel, which is far less than what was anticipated. Sand will be dredged from the pass and put back on Norriego Point. The Corps were given $230,000 earlier this year. The dredging should only cost $40,000, which will leave the Corps extra money to fix Norriego Point for the long term. The Sandestin Wine Festival takes place at the Baytowne Wharf in the Sandestin Resort April 10-13. There will be wine tasting, rare-wine auctions, celebrity winemakers and private dinners. More than 600 wines both domestic and international available for tasting and purchase at special-event pricing. Celebrity vintners and winemakers will also be there for tasters to meet. For festival details go to www.sandestinwinefestival.com Starting in May, fresh organic produce, greens and seafood can be purchased along the Destin Harbor. For four weeks the market will be on the harbor for the opening of the first phase of Harborwalk Village. The market will open on Saturdays from 7-11 a.m. starting May 3-24. Louisiana Lagniappe reopened March 12th! After renovations, the restaurant is back open with new flooring, roofing, expanded dining room, outdoor seating and much more! The menu has not changed nor the great view from the east end of the harbor! A new 20 year lease has also been put into effect! Red Snapper regulations are getting tough too! Red Snapper fishing may be closed from August 5th till June 1st of 2009. The amended Magnuson-Stevens Act could affect catch quotas for gag grouper, greater amberjack, grey triggerfish and king mackerel depending on stock assessments. The Act also requires an end to over-fishing of species, red snapper too, by 2010. The Florida Department of Transportation has approved a grant to build a new bike path the entire length of the Navarre Beach Bridge. When the bike path is finished a 40-mile loop connecting Navarre and Navarre Beach to Pensacola and Pensacola Beach will be available for cyclists. Work should start by the end of the year! Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Blood Stained Grace of Pensacola with their song You Are Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |
Thu, 20 March 2008 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of
this page (broadband) or click for the
dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Some Of The News Covered:Grouper fishing regulations may get tighter in federal waters. Federal waters start 9 nautical miles from shore. The Gag Grouper is a species that is being overfished. Along with new regulations that will decrease the bag limit and fishing season, the Fishery Management Council is recommending a 28 percent to 45 percent reduction in the annual Gag Grouper catch. Hearings are being held all over the state of Florida for the public to voice their opinions. Beach Event and Party Bus LLC is up and rolling! A $40k makeover to a school bus has turned the big cheese into the big blue! The makeover includes a thumping sound system, new seating and a gray-blue paint job. Up to 25 people can rent the bus, drink all night and get dropped off at home. The party bus is a great idea for corporate events, weddings or parties! For once, there will be no cranes on the Panama City Beach for an entire 22-mile stretch of the gulf beachfront. Tropic Winds has been under development for more than 18 months, and was the last major project before the real estate market slumped in 2006. Trade Winds had the last crane on the beach. The development is a 164-unit high-rise on Panama City's west end. Hofbrau Bier Garden is now open in Pier Park Panama City Beach!!! The restaurant/bar originated in Germany and everything in the restaurant is German influenced. Hofbrau is a franchise in the U.S. Other locations include Miami, Milwaukee and Las Vegas. Fireworks are back on the Destin Harbor! From March 14th through April 18th fireworks can be seen at 8 p.m. on every Friday night! The fireworks were postponed in June of 2007 from ashes and debris that fell on the fishing fleet in the harbor. Legendary's HarborWalk and Emerald Grande sponsor the firework display Lifeguards are back on the beach from Panama City to Pensacola Beach! With recent high surf and dangerous conditions, the lifeguards have great timing coming back to the beaches. The lifeguards of South Walton and Okaloosa Counties train very hard to keep beach goers safe. Swimmers should not go into the Gulf of Mexico during red flag conditions. Bayou Bills Restaurant caught fire earlier this year and was a total loss. The owners are planning to rebuild the restaurant. Collecting insurance money has slowed recovery progress. Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Trey Hebson of Pensacola with their song Fresh Hit Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us
to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |
Wed, 5 March 2008 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of this page (broadband) or click for the dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Some Of The News Covered:The Mossy Headz Music Festival takes place April 4-6 in Mossy Head. The festival is right by the Shoal River. Attendees can expect vendors, food, canoeing and lots of other activities that will be present. Lots of local favorites will be performing such as, Reed Waddle, Dread Clampitt, Lyndsey Battle and Green Hit. The Seabreeze Jazz Festival takes place April 18-20. The festival takes place on Scenic Highway 30-A in Santa Rosa Beach at the Gulf Place Outdoor Amphitheater. The festival is becoming increasingly popular and is known as one of the best jazz venues by attendees. Every week at 5 p.m. on Friday Sandestin Wine World and Liquors Wine Tasting will be at Grand Boulevard! The cost is $10 per person with a $5 rebate towards the purchase of featured wines. A knowledgeable staff will be available as well. The Walton County Tourist Development Council has put a stop on installing the "Big Blue" signs on County Road 30-A. A lot of residents along 30-A have complained about the signs. A meeting will be scheduled in the near future for everyone to voice their feelings, thoughts, opinions and suggestions. $800,000 is needed to repair Destin beaches. There are two lists to which projects get funding. The first is the priority projects list. The second is the alternate project list which, Destin beaches are on. Budget cuts have changed the funding status of the beach restoration project. 1.8 miles of the beach will be repaired, but 1.3 miles will not. A barge ran into the Mid-Bay Bridge recently causing $250,000 in damage. Drivers are told to not worry about the safety of traveling over the bridge. The Florida Marine Transporters own the vessel and are paying for repairs. The Coast Guard is still investigating what may have caused the accident. Two towers that were waiting last month to be approved by the Destin City Council may be approved this month! Legendary wants to build a pair of high-rise towers next to the Emerald Grande on the harbor. Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Lojah of Pensacola with their song Rez to Wrongside Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |
Wed, 20 February 2008 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of this page (broadband) or click for the dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Some Of The News Covered:Spring Break 2008 is just around the corner! If you are coming with your family be sure to remember to go "EARLY". Going to breakfast, the beach and dinner at certain times can illiminate waiting and frustration! Be sure to plan ahead! College spring breakers should be sure to go to the Whales Tail and Crab Trap in Destin and the Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island for beach hot spots! Be sure to check out the Swamp, AJ's, Nightown, Blue Point and Club Overboard for nightlife! Florida's Governor Charlie Christ, is reducing the states budget for beach restoration projects by $10 million. Its not certain how it will affect the restoration of Emerald Coast beaches. Destin may benefit most from from the reduction in the budget due to Destin's budget only needing 11 percent funding from the state. Okaloosa Island beaches may suffer! The Beaches of South Walton County may get beach restoration along County Road 30-A. 13 miles of beach is being assessed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Permits must be issued first! The project is estimated to cost between $40-$60 million. The Tourist Development Council will use bed tax revenues and state and federal grants to help pay for the restoration. Pompano Joe's parking lot is under construction. As of now it has stopped due to environmental permits. Work should resume soon! Work on the sand dune system is almost complete as well. Plants have been planted to stabilize sand to build sand dunes. The plants are close to the road and away from the water. Big Kahuna's will open in March! The water park section will not open until May 10th. New renovations give park goers a new surf machine called the Honolulu Halfpipe! The entrance to Big Kahuna's is also being renovated. The next renovations will be eliminating the miniature golf course and race track to make way for more water park rides! The Panama City International Airport is underway. 270 acres of upland property have been cleared with thousands of wetlands set aside for preservation.. 2010 is the expected year for the airport to open but environmental groups are still battling to stop the construction of the $300 million project. In 1965 a pass to the Gulf of Mexico was open in Navarre. The pass may be opened again! As of now, there are only 3 harbors in the entire panhandle. Navarre is currently pushing to get the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to open a pass. Opening a pass in Navarre would boost the local economy! Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Kasi Calvin of Pensacola with their song Love 'em All Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |
Tue, 5 February 2008 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of this page (broadband) or click for the dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Some Of The News Covered:The Destin Bridge also known as Marler Bridge is getting repairs. The bridge has been around for 30 years. Bridge inspectors found two caps under the eastbound bridge deck were cracked! The foundation crew is currently drilling under the bridge to determine the stability of the soil. Vehicles weighing over 80,000 tons are urged to NOT cross the bridge. As of now the bridge is not a threat to travelers. Repairs are expected to be finished by the end of the year. Legendary Inc. has a new development up for approval by the Destin City Council. The project is a Tier 3. The structure would be 157 feet high making it taller than the Emerald Grande. The project would be part of the Harborwalk Village. US Airways will return to the Okaloosa Regional Airport April 6. The airline will have 3 daily arrivals and departures to and from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. Travelers will also have access to Washington, New York and Baltimore without connecting in Atlanta. Panama City International Airport was at a standstill due to legal issues with whether or not the new airport would cause irreparable damage to wetlands. A federal appeals court okayed the construction and work is to begin full speed! Pompano Joe's new parking lot is under construction now! Bulldozers and crews can be seen daily rebuilding the parking lot that suffered from erosion due to hurricanes. March 2nd Seaside will hold its 5k run. 1,400 runners have already signed up and more than 2,000 are expected. The race is a fundraiser for the Seaside Neighborhood School. Last year around $100,000 was raised by sponsors. February 28th is when quotos for recreational and commercial snapper fishers will drop by almost 50 percent. The restriction will continue through atleast 2010. The quota is now 5 million pounds down from 9.12 million. Stricter measures may be passed with the new ones. Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Dread Clampitt of Fort Walton Beach with their song House with Gold Bars Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |
Sun, 20 January 2008 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of this page (broadband) or click for the dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Some Of The News Covered:Mardi Gras along the Emerald Coast is a fun and exciting time! Fat Tuesdays in the Baytown Wharf of the Sandestin Resort always expects a crowd. With other bars to choose from, Baytown is a great place to celebrate here on the Emerald Coast! Plans are being made for the Highway 98 Bypass Project. In the plans, a road would connect State Road 87 in Santa Rosa County to U.S Highway 331 in Walton County. The project could take 10 years to complete! Readers of Southern Magazine selected the Destin area as one of the top family vacation destinations! This is no kept secret. For years the Destin area has brought back generations for vacation. Navarre Beach may use university employees and/or students for Navarre Beach renourishment inspections. The other option is spending over $200,000 for a firm to do the inspections. Many university employees have jobs with government agencies such as, the Environmental Protection Agency, which could be very beneficial. Panama City plans to host its first annual Grand Lagoon National Saltwater Fishing Tournament August 20-24. The tournament is expected to draw over 400,000 spectators and 2,000 anglers and crew members. $1 million is planned to be handed out to the winners! The Uptown Station on Eglin Parkway in Fort Walton Beach is expanding! A three story and a one story building with a mix of office and retail space will be added. The project has taken a year to put together, and should take 12-18 months to finish. Building is expected to start in the spring or summer. There will be new tenants coming to Uptown Station. Big Lots is planned to be replaced with a national retailer eventually! Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Race You Home of Fort Walton Beach with their song Medicine. Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |
Sat, 5 January 2008 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of this page (broadband) or click for the dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Some Of The News Covered:Hammock Bay is a new 3,000 acre development in Freeport of off Highway 20. Hammock Bay offers so many great things such as, access to the Choctawhatchee Bay, a large sports complex, a dog park, nature trails and a town center for shopping. Hammock Bay is in close proximity to both the Okaloosa Regional Airport and the Panama City International Airport. Along with great amenities and traveling convenience, Hammock Bay is only 15 minutes to the beautiful beaches of 30-A! Liza Jackson Park in Fort Walton Beach will have 33 new parking spots for boat trailers! Liza Jackson frequently gets congested during busy boating months. The construction is expected to be finished by the end of April of 2008. The Gulf Breeze Zoo reached the goal of raising $1 million for 2007. This gives much more hope that the zoo will continue to reach financial goals and pay off debts! Some tenants are already open and operating at Pier Park on Panama City Beach. Target, Longhorn Steakhouse, Panera Bread and the Grand Theatre are all now open. The Back Porch Seafood House and Hofbrau Beer Garden will open within 60 days! Ron Jon Surf Shop, Dillards, JC Penny, Fresh Market, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Borders Books and Music and Old Navy will all open in the near future! Existing and new properties may have to change exterior lights for seaturtles sake! Lights on some buildings draw turtles to the lights instead of the water, putting them in danger. There are provisions and if identified properties do not comply, then code enforcement procedures will be necessary. A new Helen Back will open the end of January in Wynnhaven Beach near the Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County line. The new Helen Back will be family oriented and will have no bar, smoking or live music. There will be televisions and some beer selections. The restaurant will be serving soups, salads, lasagna, spaghetti bakes and the great pizza Helen Back is known for. Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Vibe Irie of Fort Walton Beach with their song Amber. Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |
Wed, 5 December 2007 How To Listen:Listen online using the player at the upper right hand corner of
this page (broadband) or click for the
dial-up version. iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page. Latest podcast episode online now covering:Travel suggestions for Christmas on the Emerald Coast, Guiseppi's Wharf opening soon!!! Red Tide Update, Hampton Inn coming to Navarre, More Non-Stop Flights out of Okaloosa Regional Airport, Bayou Bills tragic accident, Brown Sand on Okaloosa Island and much, much more!!! !Some Of The News Covered:The "Welcome to Destin" billboard at the foot of the Destin Bridge may have to come down! The AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar logo on the billboard is the reason. The sign is on government property. The government does not advertise for private businesses. The logo must be covered up or removed in order for the sign to stay up. Bayou Bills Crab House on Hwy. 98 in Walton County recently caught fire. The restaurant is a total loss! Bayou Bills was known for great local seafood in Walton County. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Delta Airlines is starting two non-stop flights December 22nd from Okaloosa Regional Airport to New York City's La Guardia International Airport and Cincinnati, Ohio. The flight to New York is not permanent and will depart daily at 11:30 a.m. starting December 22nd till January 2nd. The non-stop flight to Cincinnati, Ohio is permanent, and will depart at 12:30 Monday-Thursday. Red Tide is still going strong in the bayous. Lots of dead fish can be seen in the water from the Cinco Bayou Bridge. The Melting Pot of Destin is now open! The restaurant is located just west of the Silver Sands Outlets. The restaurant is only open for dinner. The restaurant is more than 4,500 square feet and offers seating to 190. One special feature is the secluded lover's lane seating area. The Melting Pot also has a full service bar and a wine list of more than 200 wines. The hours are Sunday through Thursday, 5-10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5-11 p.m. A Hampton Inn is coming to Navarre! The new hotel will be located on Hwy. 98 next to Cayo Grande Apartments. The hotel will offer 102 rooms, 32 suites and meeting rooms. Other features include an indoor swimming pool, wireless internet and a dinning area that will offer complimentary breakfasts for guests. The Hampton Inn is expected to open March 4th of 2008. Links From This Episode:Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at: Music selection for this episode is Acoustifunk of Pensacola with Tuesday. Got a show comment or suggestion? Or, are you a local band/artist who would like us
to play your music? Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com Comments[0] |

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