The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee proudly announces the upcoming Military Family Appreciation Day, a special event dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifices of local military families and veterans. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, 2024, from 11 a.m. –5 p.m. at The Landing, located at 139 Brooks Street, Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

Military Family Appreciation Day, presented by Forever Warriors, is an outdoor event that offers an excellent opportunity for the community to come together in a show of support and gratitude for our military families. The event will feature a variety of activities and attractions, including live entertainment supported by stage sponsor Eglin Federal Credit Union, a free children’s play area, and booths hosted by veteran service organizations. Attendees will also enjoy complimentary food and drinks throughout the day.

This event is more than just a celebration; it’s a platform for local businesses and organizations to demonstrate their support for our military community. The Chamber is currently seeking sponsors and vendors who are interested in participating in this noble cause.

“We are excited to bring together the local community for this special day to honor our military families and veterans,” said Rachelle Graves, director of special events for The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for businesses and individuals to show their appreciation and support for those who have given so much for our country.”

Military Family Appreciation Day promises to be a memorable event for all, offering a day of fun, community, and recognition for the sacrifices made by our military members and their families. All are invited to join in this celebration and to consider sponsoring or participating in this event.

For more information about the event, sponsorship opportunities or vendor applications, please contact Rachelle Graves at rachellegraves@fwbchamber.org.

For further details on upcoming events and membership opportunities, please visit FWBChamber.org.

About The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce is a community development organization that advocates for businesses across Okaloosa County, creating greater opportunities for all. The Chamber brings together the business, nonprofit, governmental, and cultural leaders of our area, which strengthens local business and enhances the quality of life in our community. The Chamber offers business promotion, advocacy on local issues, exposure to its members, and various opportunities to serve the community.

Bobby Wagner has always believed in the law of attraction.

Concentrate on and manifest the good, he said, and great things will come.

Wagner, 28, is the youngest mayor in the history of Destin. A few months into his first term, he said he is focusing his energy on creating a strong, sustainable future.

For Wagner, everything starts with a vision. He plans to meet with the members of the Destin City Council to tweak the town’s vision statement which, as it stands, reads: “Destin is a family-oriented beach and fishing community where people want to live, work and play and where visitors are welcomed to respectfully enjoy our community and its resources.”

“What does that really mean?” asked Wagner. “We have a ‘vision session’ every year, and to me, it’s whiplash. Saying we’re going to change our bedrock every year means we don’t have one.”

Wagner previously served as a city councilman and realized a city is only as good as the projects it approves. When campaigning for mayor, he ran on the platform “Revive, Reclaim, Sustain,” emphasizing an urgent need for smart development and the preservation of the environment.

“For me, I want Destin to be the most connected city in the state of Florida, whether that’s a connection to our natural resources, a connection through alternative modes of transportation or connecting with each other through futuristic technologies,” Wagner said. “Our city staff is amazing. We have good, intentional people who are wizards at what they do. But, without that vision and ambition to grow beyond what we’re used to, we’re going to be voting on things that are only above average.”

Wagner hopes to be an inspirational visionary.

“As mayor, I lose the power of voting, but I gain the power of inspiring,” he said. “I want to be this communicative burst of energy and optimism because we have no reason not to be. Where we put our intention and energy is what grows.”

Politics were never in the cards for Wagner, or so he thought. Born in upstate New York, Wagner moved with his family to Destin when he was in sixth grade. A shy, introverted kid, Wagner said he never really came out of his shell until he picked up the trumpet.

“I got last chair in band in seventh grade, then first chair in eighth grade,” he said. “I think that was the first time I really put my mind to something and became motivated to work hard.”

While attending Fort Walton Beach High School, Wagner discovered another passion when he enrolled in a video production course. He later attended Troy University with the goal of obtaining a degree in music education and becoming a band director. But Wagner ultimately pursued videography when an internship led to a job as a video producer, prompting him to suspend his education.

In 2014, he launched Land Air Sea Productions, an agency dedicated to telling the stories of local small businesses and nonprofits. But Wagner readily admits he was a poor business owner.

“I was more interested in being creative than trying to grow my company,” he said. “I wanted to do things my way and do them for the people I wanted to do them for, and I wanted to be successful enough to have time to do other things.”

Wagner began devoting his spare time to volunteering for Trees on the Coast. He cleaned beaches, planted trees and provided environmental education. Upon becoming executive director, he became interested in group collaboration and city management.

“I would have to pitch projects to Parks and Rec and get their approval and, if I did, those projects would go to the city council,” Wagner said. “I wound up sitting in on several meetings, took it all in and realized this wasn’t some big, scary government; it was just local people making local choices to effect change. This is where you can make a real impact.”

Wagner said he’s a “big manifester and a little woo-woo.” Though he lost his initial run at city council in 2021, he still believed he would make it. When he pulled a “Judgment” card at a Tarot reading in Destin, his reader told him a woman would lose a court case and the result would work in his favor.

“A few months later, a councilwoman got in trouble with the Sunshine Law and was suspended with a year left in her term,” Wagner said. “Our charter says you can appoint someone in this case, and the next thing I know, I’m in with a 4-2 vote.”

Wagner refers to his time as a councilman as his “redshirt freshman” year. He went to training throughout the region and state, hopped on several committees and absorbed all he could about finance, code and public works.

“When I want to learn about something, whether it’s how to lay bricks or about local government, I go all in,” he said. “It’s almost this ADD-level of obsession until I get it.”

Wagner was met with some skepticism when he announced his mayoral candidacy, but he considers his age to be an advantage.

“Maybe I’m too optimistic, or I haven’t been beaten down yet by the system,” he laughed, “but I see an opportunity to impact not just the locals who live here, but the 5 million people who come through here each year. I want to put us on a course to solve problems and make a statement of what the city wants and what our values are.”

Wagner’s first order of business is creating a new town center. Located on Main Street, the city’s new hub is slated to provide a multiuse recreational and retail space with its own shuttle system. Wagner visualizes a place that locals will want to visit two to three times a week. He sees rooftop bars, green space, shops and art.

“We’re no longer a fishing village, but maybe this could be the new fishing village,” Wagner said. “I want a harbor feel with a modern vibe, something that aesthetically honors our heritage and solves problems, like workforce housing and childcare services.”

Wagner’s dream may be a ways away from realization, but he said the city council approved “starting the vision of a new town center” in 2022. Meanwhile, Wagner is prioritizing buying back the beach, workshopping new mobility plans and “taking a holistic approach to the projects we need to become sustainable,” he said.

“When I was campaigning, residents said they felt they were unheard, that industry and hospitality had destroyed this area and are running wild without any sort of plan,” Wagner said. “So, instead of attracting the fight we’ve always had, let’s attract something we want.

I’m here for projects over politics, and I want to make sure we do things the right way, not the cheap way.

“This year, I’m going to help us lay out our concept step by step, and next year will be the implementation,” he said. “I’m used to holding the shovel, and I’m here to get things done. I’m willing to be vulnerable, tell people what I don’t know and be in workshop mode along the way.”

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Okaloosa County Community Profile

Source: Applied Geographic Solutions, Florida Chamber of Commerce

Total Population: 215,468

Age Distribution:

0–9: 26,119
10–19: 26,400
20–29: 29,797
30–39: 26,847
40–49: 26,070
50–59: 27,601
60–64: 13,803
65+: 38,797

Educational Attainment:

<Grade 9: 2.69%
Grade 9–12: 4.68%
High School: 25.16%
Some College: 24.41%
Associate Degree: 11.06%
Bachelor’s Degree: 19.49%
Graduate Degree: 12.53%

Okaloosa County Metrics

5/08/2023

» Jobs added: 3,323
» Children in poverty: 16.1%
» 3rd Graders Reading at grade level: 58%
» Housing permits issued: 1,272
» Sales tax revenue: $56.23 million
» Poverty rate: 12.8%
» Land in conservation: 53%

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To kick off its third year of partnership with the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society, Bit-Wizard’s Be the Magic Foundation (BTMF) is doubling down on its support this year.

On Saturday, April 29, BTMF presented PAWS’ executive director, Ashley Degraaf, a check for $20,000 and spent the afternoon volunteering onsite. In addition to the cash donation and over 40 hours of Wizard volunteer time at the facility, PAWS will also receive a total of $20,000 in hardware and skill-based services.

“Bit-Wizards has been a true partner to Panhandle Animal Welfare Society. From supporting our digital infrastructure to volunteering with our animals, PAWS can always count on the Bit Wizard team to show up in a big and meaningful way!”  -Maggie Tomecek, community development coordinator.

PAWS recently launched the Kennels for Canines project to improve the lives of the pets in their care through a Kennel Rebuild Initiative. As part of this Initiative, various parts of the kennel are up for sponsorship.

BTMF pledged to support the rebuilding of an entire wing for the facility. Along with the new wing donation, Bit-Wizards’ Managed IT Services team donated and installed a new server to assist with PAWS’ day-to-day operations.

The Bit-Wizards’ Marketing team will also assist in highlighting a monthly adoptable pet. Keep an eye on the Bit-Wizards’ Facebook and Instagram pages to learn about each Pet of the Month starting in May!

Learn more about Be the Magic Foundation

The Be the Magic Foundation (BTMF) board selects nonprofit organizations to partner with each year whose missions support four main areas: animal welfare, community development, people with special needs, and youth development. The Foundation accepts partnership requests on an ongoing basis. Interested nonprofit organizations can visit BeTheMagicFoundation.org to learn more.

Learn more about Bit-Wizards

Bit-Wizards is an award-winning software development and managed IT company. Founded in 2000 and recognized for excellence at the national, regional, and state level, Bit-Wizards is the result of a vision to create a company where innovation and creativity flourish.

With the latest certifications in cutting-edge technologies, Bit-Wizards provides the highest level of expertise to drive their clients’ vision forward. Visit BitWizards.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for more information.

Learn more about PAWS

The Panhandle Animal Welfare Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization first incorporated in 1976. They have played a key role in the field of animal care and control in Northwest Florida for decades with dedication.

The first facility was a small building in Valparaiso, Florida. In 1986, the shelter was renamed the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society, affectionately known as PAWS. Today, they serve over 160,000 residents in Okaloosa County and surrounding communities with a facility in Fort Walton Beach at 752 Lovejoy Road NW. PAWS seeks to provide the resources, education, and programs needed to improve animal welfare.

They have a Humane Services Division that oversees the care of the animals taken into the Adoption Center and Vet Clinic. They also have an Animal Control Services Division and a local thrift store, the Junkyard Dog Gift N’ Thrift shop located at 179 Eglin Pkwy NE, Fort Walton Beach. Visit their website to learn more about adoptions, donations, volunteering and more at paws-shelter.org.

For many, a remote workforce is a critical element of agility and competitive cost structure in the new post-pandemic landscape. As a Managed IT Services provider, Bit-Wizards is well-equipped to help companies manage a work-from-anywhere workforce.

While the COVID-19 experience caused many businesses to pivot rapidly and make life-or-death decisions about remote work, Bit-Wizards has been preparing their clients for remote work situations for years.

Over the last decade, trends and the business climate shifted to a mobile and agile-first business model. For hurricane-prone states like Florida, it has always been a necessity. As a Florida-based technology company, Bit-Wizards establishes every client’s IT infrastructure and systems in a configuration to support remote work due to the potential for storms.

“Even before the pandemic, we worked with our clients to get them to a place where they weren’t locked into a specific building and could keep business up and running no matter what,” said Bit-Wizards CEO Vince Mayfield. “Continuity and disaster recovery is a big part of what we do. We didn’t have to pivot hard to adapt to a remote workforce because we already supported our clients with an internet connection, backups and remote plans in place.”

Mayfield acknowledges that remote work has pros and cons. However, every business needs agility to compete in today’s market. But any company that relies on remote workers, even if only on occasion, should have guidelines in place.

Comprehensive policies and clear guidelines help establish operating procedures that ensure security and compliance, easing employee and employer anxiety regarding remote work. Some main policy points include physical and electronic data security, types of hardware devices utilized and communication methods.

Security should be a company’s utmost concern regarding data and technology. Safeguarding information and operations becomes more challenging when employees and their devices are scattered across locations.

“All companies are technology companies; that’s why they must be configured to facilitate security and compliance,” said Louis Erickson, Chief Operations Officer of Bit-Wizards. “Often, we think remote work saves costs. But when physical and electronic assets are highly decentralized and distributed, they have more avenues for vulnerability, so if you fail to plan and invest in proper technology or security measures, it can cost your company a lot more money.”

Mayfield and Erickson advise businesses to use standardized, company-issued devices for all employees. Each remote device should have VPN access, methods for proper backup, antivirus protection and the most current software. All devices and systems must be managed and monitored in real-time using remote management software (RMM) that examines threats and ensure the machines and devices are patched, virus-scanned and up to date. Employees should be required to enable multi-factor authentication on those devices, even on email accounts linked to personal phones.
Bit-Wizards can help businesses install software that keeps track of each device and wipes it if an employee should depart the company.

“If you standardize your company’s IT infrastructure on an agile foundation that supports remote work by default, you enable your business to take advantage of a more flexible workforce. It will improve your company’s resilience and ability to pivot in adversity and disaster. But don’t do it alone. These systems are complex. Find an expert to help you implement your agility platform and your policies and procedures. It will pay you dividends financially and in peace of mind,” Mayfield said.

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Bit-Wizards

70 Ready Ave. NW, Fort Walton Beach | ( 850) 226-4200
BitWizards.com

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City Food Hall Destin is now officially open at Destin Commons. Showcasing emerging and established local chefs from more than 10 specialty restaurant concepts, City Food Hall at Destin Commons is a 14,000 square-foot gathering place offering international cuisine, craft beer and cocktails, state-of-the-art entertainment, and more.

Located next to Foot Locker near Uncle Buck’s, City Food Hall will become Destin’s top culinary and nightlife destination. Locals and visitors can enjoy an expansive 32 seat indoor bar, HDTVs, plenty of seating, and two state-of-the-art Topgolf Swing Suites with multi-sport games and Full Swing golf simulator technology.

The 10 restaurant concepts within Destin City Food Hall feature unique cuisine from around the world including:

» PB&J Bakery and Café – PB&J, a health forward Cafe with bold, unique dishes and nostalgic classics created by husband and wife duo, Phillip & Jess Bauer!

» Nanbu Too – Owned and operated by locally acclaimed chef, Executive Chef Nikhil Abuvala, Nanbu Too is a satellite location of one of Grayton’s Beach’s top restaurants. Born from Abuvala’s early love of Asian fare, Nanbu (translated to ‘Southern’ in Japanese) offers Japanese cuisine with Southern Flair.

» Tuk Tuk Thai – A concept by Chef Sonya Thaijaroen, Tuk Tuk Thai brings authentic Thai street food to the shores of Destin with ambitious dishes, bold flavors, mixed with hand-blended seasonings showcased by a military Veteran owned team!

» Birdie’s Nourished Kitchen by Chef Katie Dixon – A concept by Chef Katie Dixon offering a range of power foods from acai bowls and salads to healthy takes on traditional, southern fare. You may recognize Katie as a finalist on Masterchef and as a competitor on Food Network Star!

» Macho Taco – From the chef that brought Mexican Inspired Soul Food to 30A. Chef Stephen combines his southern roots, California farm-to-table experience, and passion for food to develop a unique, balanced, and delicious menu. He describes his menu as Mexican-inspired soul food: simple yet elegant, rustic yet refined, creative yet controlled.

» Poke Loa – The New Orleans-based restaurant was the first poke restaurant in Louisiana. The locally owned family business serves up the freshest cuts of fish around. Poke Loa’s fish is delivered fresh daily, and fish, toppings, and vegetables are chopped and prepared in-house.

» Pluma Chicken Co. – A concept by brothers Robert, Ruben and Giancarlo originally from Miami, makes 25 hour brined Fried Chicken that is perennially listed on ‘best of’ from top publications. Expanding their concept for the first time, they are poised to bring the best fried chicken sandwich to the Emerald Coast.

» Likkle Jamdung – Jamaican Patois for ‘Little Jamaica’, Chef Shaun Watson will be crafting Island Cuisine with a “down-home” feel – from traditional Jamaican Beef Patties to unique takes on Caribbean favorites such as Jerk Chicken and Braised Oxtail.

» Zaitoun – A concept by mother and daughter duo Lina and Haya that will bring traditional Middle Eastern dishes to the Destin community. Zaitoun prides itself on using signature recipes, spice blends, herbs, and homemade sauces to enhance only the freshest of ingredients!

City Food Hall also features two Topgolf Swing Suites, an immersive social experience offering guests a dedicated space to play and enjoy fantastic food and beverage service. With a massive screen and a selection of exciting virtual games, the Topgolf Swing Suite delivers a one-of-a-kind simulation that’s fun for golfers and non-golfers alike. Topgolf Swing Suite is powered by Full Swing golf simulator technology, the same simulator used by PGA Tour pros Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day for off-course practice.

“We began planning over a year ago, and the idea was to highlight the talented chefs in the Panhandle-both those with established careers as well as up-and-coming chefs-and give them a space to showcase their talent and develop their businesses,” said Kenzie Motai, the partnership’s chief operating officer. “Destin Commons seemed perfect for the concept because it’s an incredible shopping mall with a lot of traffic, and wanted to be an amenity to the many visitors that frequent it every year.”

City Food Hall is open daily from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The venue and Swing Suites are now available for special event bookings including birthdays, happy hours, holiday parties, bachelor/bachelorette events, corporate retreats and more. Event attendees will enjoy great food, drinks, and entertainment at Destin’s newest go-to gathering place.

For more information, visit www.cityfoodhall.com and follow City Food Hall Destin or Destin Commons on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.