Bayou, Bay & Back Run Adds Superhero Theme and 1-Mile Kids Fun Run

Destin's fourth Bayou, Bay & Back 1 Mile Kids Fun Run, 5K Run/Walk, 10K & Half Marathon Sponsored by Shoreline Church is set for Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. This year's theme is Superheroes, and everyone is encouraged to come in costume.  New to the event is a 1-Mile Kids Fun Run Sponsored by Whataburger.

The 10K and Half Marathon courses are USA Track & Field-certified, and a portion of the proceeds with benefit the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance.  The Jeff Galloway Method is welcome.

After the Awards Ceremony, which will take place at the race site, we are moving the Superhero Party over to Fudpucker's on Okaloosa Island, to enjoy big food and drink discounts for those in costume, and arcade tokens for the 1-Mile Fun Run participants.

Registration is now open on Active.com or visit www.DestinChamber.com for details.  Please call (850) 837-6241 for more information.

Thank you to our sponsors, including Title Sponsor Shoreline Church; 1-Mile Kids Fun Run Sponsor Whataburger; Accommodations Sponsor Wyndham Vacation Rentals; Silver Sponsors 99Rock, Advanced Dermatology & Skin Care Centre, The Beachcomber, Buffalo Rock Pepsi, Carter & Company CPA, LLC, City of Destin, Coast 93.3, Fudpucker's Beachside Bar and Grill, and Z96; and Bronze Sponsors Coastal Skin Surgery & Dermatology, Destin Commons, Ecco Motors, Eglin Federal Credit Union, Emerald Coast Chiropractic, Gulf Power, Go Southern, Tetra Tech, Inc., and White-Wilson Medical Center.

Innovative Firm of Year Named, Refuge Receives Grant, Beer Dinner Scheduled, and More News from Members

Check out the latest news and events from Destin Area Chamber of Commerce members. Follow the link at the bottom for instructions on how to submit your own news items.

Warren Averett Named Innovative Firm of the Year
Warren Averett, LLC, Certified Public Accountants and Advisors, has been named LEA Global’s 2013 Innovative Firm of the Year. This award was announced at the annual conference of LEA Global in San Francisco. For details, visit http://warrenaverett.com/2013/11/22/innovative_firm/.

“Give a Birthday” Campaign Benefits Children in Crisis
The daughter of Mandy Muncy, general manager for RE/MAX Southern Realty, recently participated in “Give a Birthday,” a local campaign that supports Children in Crisis, The Children’s Neighborhood. By asking for donations in lieu of presents for her birthday this year, Alyssa raised $320 to support children in need right here in Okaloosa and Walton Counties. For more information on this program, please visit http://giveabirthday.weebly.com/index.html.

13th Best of the Emerald Coast was a Recordbreaking Event
The 13th Annual Best of the Emerald Coast event, hosted by Emerald Coast magazine and held at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, sold more than 1,140 tickets and raised more than $55,000 for the Junior League of the Emerald Coast. For details, visithttp://www.emeraldcoast.com/dining/best-of-the-emerald-coast-breaks-records-1.239921.

Emerald Coast Parrot Heads Makes Charitable Donations
In October, the Emerald Coast Parrot Head Club made a donation of $1,000 to the Emerald Coast Rescue Mission in October. The mission has served the homeless and hungry since 1985, and the donation will be used to purchase food for the holidays. On Nov. 11, the club presented two $1,000 scholarships to students at Northwest Florida State College. The two recipients are Dana Wright and Caleb King. Wright is an animal lover and volunteers at Alaqua Animal Refuge and the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge. King is working toward an AA degree with a major in Environmental Science. 

Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge Receives IMPACT 100 of Northwest Florida Grant 
Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge received a 2013 IMPACT 100 of Northwest Florida grant for $110,000. IMPACT 100 is a group of women who work to improve the quality of life in five areas – Family; Health and Wellness; Education; Arts and Culture; and Environment, Recreation, and Preservation. The money is to construct a wildlife rehabilitation and medical center on the refuge’s Okaloosa Island property, which would provide improved medical care to the thousands of injured and/or orphaned wildlife it treats every year. Specific medical equipment, such as ultrasound, IV infusion pumps, and incubators, are needed for the new facility.

ERA American Realty Welcomes Allan Burkes
Realtor Allan Burkes recently joined ERA American Realty and will be serving the Destin / 30A / Walton County market. For more information about Burkes, please visit http://www.era-american.com/allan-burkes-realtor/.

2nd Year in a Row - Legendary Marine Awarded "#1 Ranked Boat Dealer of the Year"
Legendary Marine was named "Dealer of the Year" for the second consecutive year by Boating Industry Magazine, as part of its annual TOP 100 awards program. The "Dealer of the Year" award is the single most prestigious and most highly coveted recognition in North America for marine retailers and is presented annually to only one dealer at an exclusive gathering of the marine industry elite. 

McGuire’s Annual Beer Dinner
McGuire’s Irish Pub of Destin is now taking reservations for its Annual Beer Dinner! Chef Tim Chyrek will prepare a special menu paired with several of McGuire’s award-winning craft microbrews. Enjoy the dinner on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m., and celebrate the joys of fine beer and fine food, with plenty of Feasting, Imbibery, and Debauchery! Seating for this event is limited, and reservations are required. To make a reservation, please call (850) 654-7002.

Twin Cities Hospital Receives “A” Hospital Safety Score
Twin Cities Hospital was recently recognized with an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national non-profit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. To read the full release, please visit http://tchospital.com/about/newsroom/detail.dot?id=15f19c60-7990-4e78-9bc4-6dc370e5154d. 

For information on how to submit your news item, please visit http://www.destinchamber.com/news_media/member_news.aspx#instructions.

Reflecting on Accomplishments of 2013

The mission of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce is to create a dynamic alliance of the business community and government through member-driven initiatives and services that enable responsible growth and economic prosperity. We also provide businesses with networking, marketing, and educational opportunities.  Through your efforts and dedication, we have met and continue to meet our mission.  I’d like to highlight just some of the programs, projects and activities that the Destin Area Chamber, through its Board of Directors and its members, have been involved in during the last 12 months.

During the Board of Directors' Strategic Planning Retreat for 2013, we set the following goals: 

• to continue to support enhanced code and zoning enforcement within the City of Destin, 
• to define and implement economic development initiatives, 
• to be an advocate for tax incentives for job development, 
• to be a voice for Norriego Point, 
• to encourage expansion along the Harbor Boardwalk, 
• to improve our community by picking our causes and taking a stance, 
• to implement a citywide milestone marker program, 
• to educate new and non-members, and 
• to enhance our Ambassador program.  

Those were our goals, and with a lot of help from our members and wise direction from our Board of Directors, we exceeded our own expectations. 

Here's a list of the fun things we did that increased the networking opportunities for our members:   

• 4th annual Bayou, Bay & Back 1 Mile, 5K Run/Walk,10K & 1/2 Marathon; 
• Blessing of the Marketplace; Golf & Dine golf tournament at Indian Bayou, 
• Paddle at the Porch paddleboard race at the Back Porch; 
• Puttoberfest miniature golf tournament at Golf Garden; 
• reception at Indian Bayou to honor our past chairmen;
• 12 Business & Networking Luncheons with programs, including a non-profit appreciation expo, BusinessPalooza!, Football Tailgate & Celebrity Board Waiter Luncheon, and Bowling for Business at Hurricane Lanes; 
• 11 Business After-Hours; and 
• approximately a bazillion ribbon cuttings to welcome our new members.  

We played hard, but we worked hard, too.

On a more powerful side, our Board of Directors took action on the following items: 

• prioritized RESTORE ACT funds recommendations, 
• sent a letter of support for medical trauma centers,
• sent a letter of support for Mid-Bay Bridge Authority to remain local and independent, 
• met with Director Bill Wilson and Executive Director Jesse Panuccio of Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to bring their attention to our area,  
• had multiple meetings with the Tourist Development Council and the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County, 
• supported six-laning Emerald Coast Parkway (Highway 98) from Tang-O-Mar Drive in Walton County to Airport Road in Okaloosa County (support has most recently been suspended until some issues are clarified),  
• met with the City of Destin multiple times working towards implementation of the Mile Marker Program,  
• encouraged our members to landscape, landscape, landscape  to improve our community, 
• encouraged our members to decorate for the TDC's advertising campaign Very Emerald Christmas, 
• had meetings with the City of Destin about a possible Adopt-A-Median with City for Christmas decorations, 
• wrote a letter of support for the Marler Street traffic signal, 
• gave support to the city's proposed cross-town connector, 
• voted to support a pedestrian/community friendly Harbor Blvd., 
• voted to support the opportunity to reroute or disallow through trucks in Destin, 
• advocated to add additional parking in the Harbor District (i.e. one way N/S connectors & use excess for parking), 
• made a soft request for City to get a legal opinion to annex the unincorporated areas of Destin,  
• supported the Destin City Council’s motion for staff to write a date specific ordinance for the extension of development orders, 
• recreated the Citizens for Good Leadership political action committee to educate and endorse candidates and promote other community issues, 
• requested the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office and the City of Destin run some public service announcements regarding safety in the pedestrian crosswalks on Harbor Blvd.,
• supported encouraging the city to explore creating public parking solutions to the open air seating requirements, 
• supported regulating helicopter and other vending over the water, 
• met with the Sheriff's Office regarding petty crimes along the Boardwalk, and 
• met with the City advocating the Chamber's stance against gambling being allowed in our area when/if it becomes legalized. 

A Chamber Chairman doesn’t do this alone.  I would like to specifically thank our Past-Chairman Bill Lindsley, Chairman-Elect Amy Perry, Treasurer Shaun Eubanks, our Board of Directors, my special appointees to the board Charles Morgan and Jami Jones, and certainly our CEO Shane Moody and his marvelous staff - Elizabeth Spies, Suzy Nicholson Hunt, Jen Skillman, and Dena Critch. 

What a wonderful honor to have been allowed to serve as the 2013 Chairman of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce.  It is a gift I will treasure forever.

Sincerely,

Mary Anne Windes

2013 Destin Area Chamber Chairman

Real Estate Professionals of Destin, Inc.

Destin Fishing Fleet Marina