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.

You may also right-click to download the podcast: 048_Destin_Florida_Podcast.mp3 and put it on your portable media player or burn it to a CD and listen in the car!

iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page.

Some Of The News Covered:

The holidays are a hectic time! Thanksgiving can be time consuming when it comes to cooking and preparations. Not everyone wants to cook every year and face the mountain of dishes that are inevitable. Many resorts and restaurants along the Emerald Coast have specials for Thanksgiving! The Hilton on the Sandestin Resort has a massive amount of food right by the beach. There are many restaurants that will prepare a dinner and the only work needed is a pick up!

The cold weather has arrived! There are lots of coffee shops to meet your needs on those cold mornings and keep you warm. Be sure to check out some of the local favorites! Maas Coffee Shop is a favorite in Fort Walton Beach. On 30-A PJ's Coffee of New Orleans was voted Best Coffee Shop! There are many others that offer create coffee and hot drinks.

The Destin Fishing Rodeo has a successful 60th Anniversary! With boat entries down, the fish count was up this year. More than 1,000 fish were brought into the rodeo. The great weather of October helped the fishing greatly!

Gulf Power bills will increase January 1st! Gulf Power customers may see a nine percent increase. The cost will raise for 1,000 kilowatt-hours for residential customers from $113.76 to $124.23. The 1,000 kilowatt hours are based on electricity use for a 1,200 square-foot house.

The Navarre Pier may recieve a building permit soon. Due to sea turtles and gulf sturgeon, the county had to wait for a biological assessment of the pier's marine impact. Results will go to the Army Corps of Engineers when it issues the permit for the project. The county plans to have the pier completed by the end of 2009!

Coastal Vision 3000 is looking to market the entire Emerald Coast. Recently several coastal counties met to discuss how to market 227 miles of the Emerald Coast! Seven counties will be part of the branding "The Beach". With the downturn in the economy many businesses may be thinking of collaboration.

Links From This Episode:

Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at:

• Hammock Bay in Freeport, Florida
• Uptown Station in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida

Music selection for this episode is Betsy Badwater of Pensacola with her song Goodbye Baby.

• Betsy Badwater Myspace Page
• www.BetsyBadwater.com

Email me at destinfloridapodcast@yahoo.com

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.

You may also right-click to download the podcast: 047_Destin_Florida_Podcast.mp3 and put it on your portable media player or burn it to a CD and listen in the car!

iTunes listeners subscribe through our iTunes Destin Florida Podcast page.

Some Of The News Covered:

Thanksgiving along the Emerald Coast is growing in popularity! More and more people are celebrating the holidays on the beach. Thanksgiving can be a busy time. Accomodations should be made early in the wake of falling gas prices. There are many beach homes that will easily accomodate large families. The weather is very unpredictable and packing warm clothes would be a wise choice.

The Destin Festival of Arts is growing! The festival started 13 years ago with just 60 artists. This year there was 160 artists from 14 different states. More than a 100 participated in the juried exhibition. Proceeds from the event went to both Okaloosa and Walton Counties for arts programs and education.

Maas Coffee in downtown Fort Walton Beach has coffee beans from all over the world! Maas is known locally for some great tasting coffee, but also the variety of coffee beans. Maas carries beans from as far as South America to Central America and other reaches of the world!

The Destin World Cup is cancelled for 2008. The powerboat races had a great event last year in 2007. Due to lack of sponsorships in an economy in hardship the event was cancelled because the $170,000 needed to put the event on could not be raised. The Destin World Cup will return, but the next event is to be announced.

Panama City Beach residents are getting relief in flood insurance. Annual premiums will go down by 25 percent due to the county's improved routing in a federal program. The price reduction is due to a Community Rating System. The rating in 2007 was a seven. In 2008, it is a five.

The City of Destin is trying to rebuild Norriego Point. Currently the City of Destin is trying to prove that sand dredged from the pass should be placed on Norriego Point rather than on Okaloosa Island. The city is willing to spend $125,000 to prove that the sand needs to be on Norriego Point. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection if the sand is placed in the pass the sand will eventually work its way out onto Okaloosa Island due to a predominant east to west current.

Links From This Episode:

Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this show possible. Please visit them at:

• Hammock Bay in Freeport, Florida
• Uptown Station in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida

Music selection for this episode is Crossing The Atlantic of Pensacola with their song Mighty and Blind New.

• Crossing The Atlantic Myspace Page