White Sands Inn &
Suites Renovation Complete
Destin Lodging, LLC is pleased to announce the completion of
its 1-million-dollar renovation project of the White Sands Inn & Suites.
The newly remodeled hotel, located at 4415 Commons Dr. E., is an 83-room hotel
property, featuring a variety of room types. Each guest room features free
high-speed Internet access, cable television with HBO®, a microwave, and a
refrigerator. The hotel offers a complimentary full hot breakfast and features
a heated outdoor pool and spa, exercise room, and an onsite laundry facility.
The hotel is just a 5 minute drive to the sugar sand beaches and emerald waters
of the Emerald Coast. The convenience of our location offers each guest easy
access to local attractions and many outdoor activities. Hotel guests will be
close to a variety of restaurants (Longhorn Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, and
many more) all within walking distance of the property. The White Sands Inn
& Suites is located adjacent to the Shoppes of Paradise Key, just .5 miles
from Destin Commons, 5 miles from the Silver Sands Premium Outlets, and 5 miles
from the Destin Harbor.
Tax Deadline
Approaching
Okaloosa County Tax Collector Ben Anderson would like to
remind citizens that March 31 is the deadline to pay their 2014 Real Estate
Property Taxes and Tangible Personal Property Taxes. Property taxes not paid by
March 31 become delinquent and will be subject to delinquency interest and
advertising fees, which are added to the gross amount due. Visit
OkaloosaTax.com to pay online.
Another payment option for tax payers to consider is the
Property Tax Installment Plan. This option is now available for the 2015 tax
year. The Installment Plan divides the annual taxes into four (4) payments –
due June, September, December, and March. The Installment Plan provides for
3.3% discount and adds the convenience of spreading out payments instead of one
lump sum payment. Applications for the Installment Plan are accepted until
April 30, 2015, and may be found in the “Forms Center” at OkaloosaTax.com.
dressbarn introduces
the DRESSBAR
Introducing the DRESSBAR at dressbarn. Since 1962, dressbarn
has been the not-so-secret weapon of women who look for value in what they
wear, as much as they do fit and style and… fun! With the debut of the DRESSBAR
at dressbarn, a chicly curated collection of dresses, we’ve upped the ante on
style and designer fashion, without lowering our 50+ year standard on value.
Visit dressbarn.com.
Destin Water Users
Honored with Excellence Award for Fourth Consecutive Year
Destin Water Users (DWU) was honored with the 2014 Florida
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Plant Operations Excellence Award
for Drinking Water at the Annual Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) Focus
On Change Seminar in Panama City on Feb. 19. The annual Plant Excellence Awards
program is one of the ways the DEP recognizes public drinking water and
domestic wastewater facilities that demonstrate excellence in operation,
maintenance, compliance, innovative treatment, waste reduction, pollution
prevention, conservation, recycling, and other special achievements. This was
the fourth consecutive year Destin Water Users was recognized with this award,
and the 12th time overall.
ResortQuest by
Wyndham Vacation Rentals® Participates as Official Lodging Sponsor of South
Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival
Wyndham Vacation Rentals® announced that its ResortQuest
brand will serve as the Official Lodging Sponsor of the South Walton Beaches
Wine & Food Festival taking place from April 23 - 26, at Grand Boulevard at
Sandestin. The festival includes numerous events throughout the weekend, such
as a charity wine auction, culinary village, wine and food tastings, and
seminars, as well as a Nashville Songwriters Showcase. There will be more than
800 wines available for tasting and purchase in addition to celebrity
winemaker, chef and craft brew master appearances.
As a proud sponsor of the South Walton Beaches Wine &
Food Festival, ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals is offering 20 percent
off select properties at TOPS’L Beach & Racquet Resort. In addition,
ResortQuest guests can enjoy discounted festival tickets and are encouraged to
take advantage of complimentary shuttle service, which will be available
throughout the weekend. Book online using Promo Code VINO.
Okaloosa County EMT
Recipient of a HERO Award
Tim Busby, Okaloosa County emergency medical technician
(EMT), was transporting a patient to the University of Alabama-Birmingham
Medical Center when he witnessed a near head on collision. He was presented
with the HERO award at the March 17 County Commission Meeting for his care of
the patient he was transporting, along with four patients from the accident. By
keeping a calm demeanor and thinking clearly, Busby was able to request the
proper resources to respond, assists the two medical helicopters and two ground
units responding to the scene, pass on an excellent report to the local
incident command, and care for the patients. He provided vital information
needed to facilitate transport of the patients to trauma centers in the area.
The Humanitarian Efforts Recognized by Okaloosa County
(HERO) award recognizes employees who not only go beyond the scope of what his
or her job entails, but has done something of a humanitarian or heroic nature.
The HERO Award can include acts occurring outside work hours and submissions by
people outside Okaloosa County staff. Above and Beyond forms are available
online at OkaloosaFL.com or you may contact 311 Citizen Information Line for
more information or to recognize an Okaloosa County employee.
Okaloosa Beach Safety
Selected Beach Patrol of the Year
Okaloosa County Beach Safety was presented the 2014 Beach
Patrol of the Year award by the Florida Beach Patrol Chiefs Association and the
United States Lifesaving Association (USLA)-Southeast Region. The award was
presented at the 21st Annual Florida State Surf Lifesaving Awards Banquet
recently held on Okaloosa Island. The process looks for a Beach Patrol that
sets themselves apart through their programs and statistics, competing with
larger organizations from Miami, Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale to name a few.
McDaniel Elected Florida Emergency Preparedness Association
Area One Governor
Okaloosa County Emergency Management Chief Randy McDaniel
has been elected as the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA), Area
One Governor. Area One consists of 10 counties from Escambia to the
Apalachicola River. McDaniel will serve on the FEPA Board of Directors for a
two-year period representing area one, as well as serve on the FEPA Membership
and Awards Committee and the Public Private Partnership Committee. FEPA was
created in 1957 to help professional Emergency Managers work to protect the
people of Florida.
Borcyk Earns
Certified Infection Control Credential
The Certification Board of Infection Control and
Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC®) has announced that Wendy Borcyk, infection control
nurse at Twin Cities Hospital, has earned the Certified in Infection Control
(CIC®) credential and has demonstrated a mastery of infection prevention and
control knowledge by taking and passing this comprehensive examination.
Certification is maintained through successful completion of a recertification
examination every five years.
Okaloosa County
Interim HR Director Receives Certification
GinNeal McVay recently became the interim human resources
director for Okaloosa County, replacing Kay Godwin who accepted the position as
deputy administrator. McVay also became a Certified Professional by the Society
of Human Resources Management, (SHRM-CP), in addition to her Professional in
Human Resources (PHR) certification that she already possesses. She was also to
serve as the 2015 Accreditation Chair of the Emerald Coast Chapter of SHRM.
“Cancer: The Emperor
of All Maladies” begins March 30 on WSRE
WSRE, PBS for the Gulf Coast, will air “Cancer: The Emperor
of All Maladies,” the three-part, six-hour documentary series directed by
award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman and executive produced by Ken Burns, on
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, March 30 through April 1, at 8 p.m. The series
is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Emperor of All Maladies: A
Biography of Cancer” (Simon & Schuster 2010) by Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D.
Sacred Heart to Host
an Evening with the Spine Experts
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast will host an
evening with the experts event featuring spine health on Monday, April 13, at 6
p.m., at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse in Miramar Beach. Guest speakers include
Dr. Kornelis Poelstra, Dr. Charles Wingo, and Dr. John Britt, board certified
orthopedic spine surgeons. Attendees will learn about the latest advancements
in spine surgery and meet the team from Sacred Heart’s comprehensive Spine
Center. Attendees will also learn about Sacred Heart’s new, robotic guidance
system for spine surgery. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served. Seating is
limited. Call (850) 278-3600 to register.
Okaloosa County
Launches New Website
Okaloosa County’s new, improved website is now live. “It has
been almost 10 years since the web site has been updated, and is designed to
make it easier to find what you are looking for through navigation buttons and
additional links on the home page,” said Commission Chairman Nathan Boyles.
“We expedited publishing the site so that RESTORE
applications could be submitted from the web site; therefore, the site is still
“under construction,” said Kathy Newby, public information officer. “We do
expect a few “glitches,” and requests your patience – it will get a little more
streamlined and improve each day.” The web address hasn’t changed, visit
OkaloosaFL.com.
L3 Communications designed the new web site for Okaloosa
County, with a content management system to allow the county to do a lot of the
work, as well as continue to update the website. L3 Communications provided
technical expertise and experience in networking, networking equipment, fiber
connections, web site design, VoIP, routing, switching, administration,
analysis, installation, security, storage, virtual environments and email to
handle the large, secure site of the county.
Air Force Enlisted
Village Mourns the Passing of President and CEO, CMSAF James C. Binnicker,
USAF, Ret.
A memorial service for CMASF James C. Binnicker, USAF, Ret.,
will be held on Saturday, March 28, at 2 p.m., at the Emerald Coast Convention
Center. See below for the Air Force Enlisted Village’s (AFEV) official press
release about Binnicker’s passing and his leadership of the AFEV.
Great sadness is felt throughout the Air Force Enlisted
Village today as we announce the passing of our President and CEO, CMSAF James
C. Binnicker, USAF, Ret. this morning on March 21. Our prayers are with the
Chief’s family.
Binnicker has served as AFEV’s president and CEO for the
past 15 years ensuring a meaningful quality of life for more than 500 residents
at Bob Hope Village, Teresa Village, and our assisted living and memory care
community, the Hawthorn House.
“Chief was loved and admired by people around the world, and
he was able to connect across every generation,” AFEV Board of Directors
Chairman SMSgt Dennis “Nick” Nicholson, USAF, Ret. said. “He exhibited grace,
poise, and class in every situation. His enduring memory will be one of service
to his nation and his community.”
Binnicker’s dream for Bob Hope Village included construction
of an assisted living community, which opened under his tenure in 2005, and
also the development of modern independent living units at Bob Hope Village,
which is currently under construction.
Mentor to staff and employees, dear friend and caretaker to
our residents at Bob Hope Village, Teresa Village, and Hawthorn House,
Binnicker will be remembered for his kind heart and his caring spirit. As AFEV
PCEO, he instituted a philosophy, which became our core values, known as The
Mom Rule. The Mom Rule ensured that staff and employees treated all residents
with dignity and respect as they would treat their own moms.
Binnicker also served 33 years in the United States Air
Force. During his career, he served in many locations including Oklahoma,
Hawaii, North Dakota, Vietnam, Taiwan, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina
and the Pentagon. He was a life support specialist, air operations
superintendent, Vietnamese linguist, First Sergeant, and Command Chief Master
Sergeant. He was Chief of Enlisted Retention and later appointed Assistant for
Chief Master Sergeant Matters, Air Force Personnel Center. He served on the
President’s Commission on Military Compensation; Senior Enlisted Advisor for
the 4th Fighter Wing, 12th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces and Tactical Air
Command. His three decades of service culminated in his selection as the Ninth
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force where he served as the advisor to the
Secretary of the Air Force/Air Force Chief of Staff on matters concerning
welfare, effective utilization, and progress of the enlisted members of the
USAF.
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