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Board confirms appointment of new growth management director

Written by Tony Judnich on . Posted in government, News.

In a 3-0 vote, the County Commission today confirmed the appointment of Kristen Shell to the position. Commissioners Carolyn Ketchel and Sherri Cox had excused absences from the meeting.

In her most recent job, Shell had served as Niceville’s deputy city manager since March 2024. Prior to that, she served as the deputy planning director and environmental planner for the Walton County Planning and Development Services Department from March 2016 to March 2024.

Overall, Shell has more than 25 years of public sector experience in the fields of planning and government administration, according to Okaloosa County information. She has a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Florida, a master’s in business administration from the University of West Florida, a master’s in urban and regional planning from Florida State University, and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from FSU.

Her starting annual salary with Okaloosa County is $145,600.

Former county Growth Management Director Elliot Kampert served in the role for almost 18 years. This past April 1, he was promoted to the new county position of strategic planning and development manager, in which he oversees large initiatives directed by the commissioners.

Kampert

County recognizes heroic EMT

Written by Tony Judnich on . Posted in government, News.

The award honors county employees who go above and beyond the scope of their job responsibilities by performing humanitarian or heroic acts.

At about 1:30 p.m. on May 25, members of the county Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a report of suicidal threats in Mary Esther, S.O. Corp. Joseph Hart said in a recent letter to county Emergency Medical Services Lt. Kenneth Worley.

“Deputies were advised that an adult female had attempted to unsuccessfully cut herself with a pair of scissors,” Hart said. “Family members were requesting assistance with the patient.”

He said when deputies arrived, they discovered that the patient had climbed a tree and was standing on a large branch almost 15 feet up. An unknown object was seen protruding from the patient’s left pocket. Based on this information, EMS workers were asked to respond and stage in the area.

“After almost 20 minutes of attempting to convince the patient to come down, deputies were still unsuccessful in de-escalating the situation and bringing the patient safely down from the tree,” Hart said.

He said EMS workers, including Freitas, responded to the scene. Freitas asked if she could assist, to which she immediately addressed the patient by her first name, indicating she previously had contact with her.

“In only a few minutes, EMT Freitas established a continued rapport with the patient and was slowly convincing her to come down,” Hart said. “When the patient remained hesitant to come down completely, EMT Freitas literally sprang into action. Without the direction or request of deputies on scene, EMT Freitas climbed the tree, reaching the same branch where the patient was standing. Aware of the unknown object in the patient’s pocket, EMT Freitas retrieved the item, disarming the patient of a screwdriver and tossing it to the ground to deputies.”

He said Freitas then sat down with the patient and was able to successfully convince and escort her down so deputies could initiate a Baker Act due to the patient’s clear intent to harm herself.

“Despite the possibility of harm to herself, both from the armed suicidal patient and a potential fall from an elevated position, EMT Freitas did not hesitate to disregard her own safety to ensure the wellbeing of a patient,” Hart said, adding that Freitas “showed an incredible level of service and concern for the community and for the patients she serves through her actions.”

Hart thanked and commended Freitas for her service at the incident and said her actions “demonstrate the strong professional relationship between our agencies and the remarkable efforts that we can achieve when we work together. EMT Freitas is clearly an asset to the Okaloosa County Emergency Medical Services and her performance speaks volumes about the men and women who make up your team.”

County Public Safety Director Pat Maddox nominated Freitas for the H.E.R.O. Award, which was given to her at today’s County Commission meeting in Crestview. Her nomination was approved by County Administrator John Hofstad.

At the commission meeting, Maddox called Freitas “a rising star.”

“What an amazing person to have on our team,” he said. “If we have somebody in crisis, this is who we want coming to the scene.”

In addition to receiving the award, Freitas received eight hours of paid leave and will be featured on the county website and in the next county newsletter.

Commissioners Carolyn Ketchel and Sherri Cox had excused absences from today’s meeting.

Congressman Gaetz introduces ‘National Prayer in School Act’

Written by Staff Reporters on . Posted in government, News, politics.

Rep. Gaetz announced his intention to introduce the legislation at Turning Point Action’s 2023 Action Conference. The bill has not been formally introduced into congress as of Aug. 10.

In June 2022, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious freedom and sided with a football coach who was fired by his school district for embracing his First Amendment right before games. Rep. Gaetz’s legislation will enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling to allow every person the ability to engage in prayer in school.

“God’s reach does not stop at the schoolhouse gates. Our country’s education policy forbids students and faculty from praying while endlessly promoting degenerate LGBT and anti-White propaganda,” Gaetz said. “My legislation unlocks religious freedom once again so that in every classroom in America, there will be time for students to pray if they choose.”

The text of the bill can be found at https://gaetz.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/gaetz.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/gaetz_school-prayer-draft-bill.pdf.

Nation declines as government spending, inflation grow; incomes fall

Written by Staff Reporters on . Posted in government, Opinion.

Stephen Moore of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity reports that the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that in the month of June, the largest growth in employment in the U.S. economy came from government.

Government’s net increase in employment in June was 60,000 workers, almost 20,000 more than the second-highest increase in the health care sector.

The economic legacy of the Biden administration, which they call Bidenomics, is the expansion of government at the expense of the private sector, along with massive spending, which has produced the worst inflation in 40 years, resulting in the erosion of the pay of American workers.

But what should really be worrying every American is that the Biden administration experience is not a departure from an otherwise healthy trend that can be quickly turned around with a Republican victory in 2024.

Biden is taking the nation down a dangerous path that began years ago and is in a long-term destructive trend that will take the boldest kind of leadership to turn around.

Economist John Cochrane of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution notes that “creeping stagnation is the central economic issue of our time.”

Economic growth since 2000 has fallen by half compared with the last half of the 20th century,” continues Cochrane.

From 1950 to 2000, the U.S. economy grew on average 3.56% annually. Since 2000, the annual growth rate averages 1.96% per year.

What does this mean? “The average American’s income is already a quarter less than under the previous trend,” notes Cochrane.

The latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office take this bleak picture and project into territory that is even bleaker.

More government, more debt, less growth.

First, a little perspective. In 1950, federal government spending as a percent of gross domestic product stood at 15.3%. In 2000, it stood at 17.7%.

The CBO projects that in 2024, federal government spending will be 23.6% of GDP; by 2035, it will reach 24.9%; rising to 26.0% by 2040 and 28.3% by 2050.

Corresponding CBO projections for the federal debt held by the public as a percent of GDP: 2024, 100%; 2035, 120%; 2040, 134%; 2050, 181%.

And the projected real growth rates for the U.S. economy: 2022-2033, 1.8%; 2034-2043, 1.6%; 2044-2054, 1.5%.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has returned from a trip to China out of concern for China’s aggressiveness on the world stage.

China does indeed pose a threat to us. But the first order of business in dealing with threats from abroad is making our own country as strong as possible. And this is where our failure is taking place.

Biden’s approval rating has actually increased over recent weeks. And polling shows a presidential contest with Biden running against the leading Republican candidates basically too close to call.

This should not be the case.

The decline of our nation is crystal-clear for any clear-thinking and honest observer.

We need Republicans who are ready to deliver a clear message to the American people about how we will shrink the massive growth of government that is destroying our national vitality.

Our entitlement programs—Social Security and Medicare—drive some two-thirds of our federal expenditures. These are systems that are dinosaurs, with Social Security going back to 1936 and Medicare to 1968.

Reform needs to take place, not in the form of cosmetic changes, but deep and real change in the way of personalization.

Republican primary voters must demand a clear and bold vision from candidates about how they plan to restore an America that will once again grow at 3.5% per year.

Commentary by:

Star Parker

Star Parker is a columnist for The Daily Signal (dailysignal.com) and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education.

By the numbers

Written by Hansen Hasenberg on . Posted in government.

In the original district, Okaloosa County collects a 5% tourist tax from overnight guests. Okaloosa County began collecting bed taxes for the entire county in 2022 after residents voted to expand the tourist development tax countywide the year before.

The original district, which is now effectively a sub district, continues to collect bed taxes at 5% while the expanded, countywide district collects at 4%.

Bed taxes in Okaloosa County are collected from the owners or managers of rentals. According to Joshua Allen, a board services director with the Okaloosa County Clerk of Court, they don’t collect from any online advertising platform, such as Airbnb or Vrbo.

This fiscal year is on track to be better than the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Around this time last year, the total collections were $7.78 million.

Destin leads the way in almost every category. In gross receipts, the Destin district has collected a total of $113.97 million. In October alone, the district brought in $49.39 million. North Okaloosa’s gross receipts for the first five months of the fiscal year have come in at $5.21 million.

As far as bed taxes collected, Destin also led the way with $5.72 million in total. The next closest district was Okaloosa Island with $2.49 million. North Okaloosa brought in $200,000.

These tax dollars can have a serious economic impact, as they are used to help bring more tourists into the county through the Tourist Development Office (TDO), which funds tourist amenities and activities, as well as environmental improvements, protection, restoration and preservation.

The TDO is funded by short-term rentals. According to Okaloosa County, short-term overnight rentals can include hotels, motels, resort motels, apartments, apartment motels, rooming houses, mobile home parks, recreational vehicle parks, condominiums, condo/hotels, timeshare resorts, residential dwellings or campgrounds for a term of six months or less.

With more tourists comes more jobs, small business revenue and more bed tax dollars.

Crestview City Council member Doug Capps sits on the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council. Capps is one of two elected municipal officials who serve on the council.

In his role, Capps makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on the effective use of the tourist development tax revenue raised in Okaloosa County.

“Here in Crestview, we are striving to use those dollars on areas that also improve the quality of life for our residents,” Capps said. “Indirectly, these tourist dollars free up money within our fiscal budget to improve services for our citizens.”

Rudman pleased with early legislative session progress

Written by Hansen Hasenberg on . Posted in government, News, politics.

Rudman currently serves on the Commerce Committee, Insurance and Banking Subcommittee, Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee, Higher Education Subcommittee and the Postsecondary Education and Workforce Subcommittee.

“Of the seven bills I’ve filed, four of them have really good activity and it usually has to do with how early you file them,” Rudman said. “We have four of them that are really kind of no brainers. So of course, those are the ones getting the most traction.”

One of these four bills is House Bill 1031, or the Cassie Carli Law. This bill would require every county commission in the state to provide at least one safe-designated custody exchange location that is monitored, well lit, available 24/7 and signified by a purple light.

The bill is inspired by the disappearance and death of Cassie Carli, who went missing after going to a dimly lit parking lot on Navarre Beach for a custody exchange. According to the Florida House of Representatives website, the bill was seen as favorable by the civil justice subcommittee and had its first reading March 22.

Another bill that Rudman is excited about is HB 517, which helps provide a nursing education pathway for military combat medics. The Senate voted on an identical senate version of the bill and it passed with 39 yeas and zero nays.

State Rep. Dr. Joel Rudman speaks before a committee in the State Capitol in Tallahassee.

“That will probably be the first bill that I get to present and debate from the floor of the House,” Rudman said. “So that will be very exciting indeed.”

The other three bills filed are a bit more complex, Rudman said. He expects them to work their way through the legislative process at a more methodical pace. Those three bills are HB 1335, HB 1403 and HB 1487.

HB 1335 would stop insurance companies from taking money back from providers and hospitals after a service had previously been properly authorized for payment. If passed and signed into law, the bill would only affect Florida-based insurance companies. The only caveat is that a claim for insured or subscriber ineligibility could still be denied retroactively upon the grounds that the insurer or organization was convicted of fraud within the past year.

HB 1403 gives protections for healthcare providers and payors who opt out of participation in or payment for certain healthcare services based upon the provider’s conscience-based objection. The bill would prohibit the Department of Health and different boards from taking disciplinary action against, or denying a license to, an individual based on the use of free speech.

“It’s probably, in my mind, the most important one,” Rudman said. “It’s the reason I got in the (House) race to begin with.”

According to Rudman, the bill exclusively deals with elective procedures. Emergency medical treatment is still required per the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.

One of the last bills Rudman filed, HB 1487, concerns the declaration of public health emergencies. The bill is referred to as the Medical Emergency Requirement for Clear and Convincing Information and Evidence (MERCCIE) Act.

Under Rudman’s bill, declarations of public health emergencies would require consent from the governor and the legislature, not just the state’s public health officer. The bill authorizes the state health officer to request rather than order the examination, testing and/or quarantining of individuals for communicable diseases. There would also be a judicial review for the public health officer’s request.

For actions that affect entire groups or communities, HB 1487 requires a two-thirds vote of the membership of both houses of the legislature to allow it.

On top of those bills filed by Rudman, he is also a co-sponsor on eight bills. These include House Joint Resolution (HJR) 31, which proposes amendments to the state constitution to require members of district school boards to be elected in partisan elections and HB 1543, which lowers the minimum age for purchasing a firearm.

In terms of his first time working in the House of Representatives, Rudman said it has been all about building relationships. He said the entire Panhandle delegation has a strong connection and that he and Sen. Doug Broxson have formed a working partnership.

Overall, Rudman expects big things to come from the remainder of the session. He said things in the House and Senate are going smoothly, thanks in large part to the supermajority Republicans gained during the 2022 midterm elections.

City in process of closing 107-year-old loophole to designate official city seal

Written by Staff Reporters on . Posted in government, News, politics.

“In researching the city charter and code of ordinances, I was unable to locate any documentation or legislation officially designating the official seal for the city of Crestview or safeguarding the use,” said Crestview City Clerk Maryanne Schrader.

At the most recent City Council meeting, Schrader presented a proposed ordinance to the board that would designate the long-used seal as the city’s official seal.

The official city seal is used for authenticating the ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and all the permanent documents that the city issues. Schrader has found old documents using the Crestview seal dating back to the year of city’s incorporation in 1916.

The City of Crestview is going through the process of designating this seal as the official seal of the city, despite it being used as such for the past 107 years.

However, nothing has been found in the city records of any official action taken to designate that seal as the official city seal.

“I even have the old cast iron seal from back in the day that was affixed to a desk,” Schrader said. “But we don’t really have anything official stating that’s our seal.”

The city clerk’s office has found an antique cast iron seal press that used to be bolted onto someone’s desk and used when the seal had to be affixed to an official document. The antique press is still used today when the seal is needed to be placed on a laminated document.

The ordinance designating the current seal as the official seal of Crestview is designed to protect the city from other parties attempting to duplicate it in future. City staff will not have to go back to previous documents to place the official city seal on them again. The ordinance does include penalties for its unauthorized use.

At the March 13 City Council meeting, the board approved the first reading of an ordinance designating the official seal of the city. The first reading was approved 5-0 and the final reading and vote for approval is expected to take place at the next council meeting.

“We’re just 100 years behind,” City Manager Tim Bolduc joked after the meeting.

Once the seal is officially designated, Bolduc said the city will have it trademarked so that it can’t be illegally duplicated. He said the city will likely then go through the same process to officially designate the city’s logo that appears on the city website and throughout City Hall and other city buildings.

Q&A with Councilman Doug Capps

Written by Staff Reporters on . Posted in government, News, politics.

Q: How would you describe Crestview to someone new to the area?

A: Crestview is the perfect place to live, a growing community with a hometown feel. Affordability, safety, and friendliness are characteristics that stand out when thinking about Crestview. Our community is becoming very diverse, in large part due to our military members that come to the area and make it their homes and stay after retirement from the military. Crestview offers great schools and a growing number of services for its citizens. The sunny weather and access to the prettiest beaches in Florida are also a huge plus.  

Q: What was your motivation to join the City Council?

A: I grew up here and have a sense of pride and deep love for our community. After serving our country for 20 years, I always had an interest in serving the community. I got involved by volunteering and sitting on some boards. Once I retired from the private sector, it made sense to start serving our community. 

Q: What do you feel are the biggest issues facing the city this year?

A: Crestview’s rapid growth is creating many challenges. We have infrastructure needs, affordable housing needs, and the need for more career opportunities (not just jobs) in Crestview.

Q: What are your main goals for the city in 2023?

A: Planning for the future and the upcoming capital projects we face, such as a new fire station, new police department, water/sewer improvements, roadway/traffic improvements, and more sidewalks, especially around our schools. Also, continuing to stick to the plan we have, with growing the city through annexations and cleaning it up, through our code enforcement program and blight removal. These things also help make the city more attractive to business and industry. I can’t wait for the construction on Main Street to begin this year, to be able to expand our sidewalks and make downtown more appealing to businesses that are open after 5 p.m. daily, making downtown a destination in the evening. I would also like to see a park on the north side, perhaps around the Community Center and Library.  

Q: What achievement in the city are you most proud of accomplishing in 2022?

A: Two things stand out.

1. The ability of our team to stand up an Animal Control Division in a very short time. This was not in our plans, but we were presented with an over-priced contract in a take-it-or-leave-it situation, and it didn’t feel like the services being provided warranted the increase; our citizens deserved better. This illustrated the ability of our team to pivot on the fly and perform at a high level, all while producing another service for our citizens.

2. Growing our city and annexing more than 800 acres in the last year. Our moratorium on annexation fees allowing property owners to annex and gain access to city services has been tremendous. This helps us close in enclaves as well as expand our borders while having positive future impacts including ad valorem revenue based on future taxable assessed values.

Okaloosa County awarded $800,000 in state funding

Written by Staff Reporters on . Posted in government, News.

“Improving coastal and inland resiliency is crucial for the future of Okaloosa County,” said Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners Chairman Trey Goodwin. “We are thankful for the governor’s leadership in allocating funds for resilience planning and mitigation projects.”

Completing the vulnerability assessment will allow the county and its municipalities to be eligible for implementation grants through the Resilient Florida program.

Okaloosa County is among 40 counties selected to receive funding through DEP’s Resilient Florida Planning Grant Program.

Okaloosa County also received a Watershed Master Plan Grant from the Florida Division of Emergency Management in the amount of $200,000 to develop a Watershed Master Plan for the county.

Development of this plan may result in an improvement of the county’s Community Rating System (CRS) score, which would result in reductions to flood insurance premiums. The county will undertake both planning efforts over the next 12 months.

DOMES board looks to solidify plan for upcoming legislative session

Written by Hansen Hasenberg on . Posted in government, News.

DOMES is comprised of representatives from Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties. Over the past year, the board, which meets monthly, has been trying to get a new space for the Medical Examiner’s Office, which has reached capacity. Two major considerations for where to have the new space have been operational logistics and cost.

In June, plans for a new facility in Santa Rosa County were unveiled. The proposed facility, located on Commerce Road in Milton, would be 29,000 square feet and cost $24 million. The current medical examiner’s office is 4,000 square feet.

For several months, this location was floated as the future home of the medical examiner, but other counties hesitated or put forth their own ideas. Walton County presented a site in Mossy Head, but Dan Schebler, DOMES director of operations, said the operational cost would be too much. Escambia has presented several sites, but the DOMES board has not entertained those locations with the same vigor.

In November, Santa Rosa County Commission took the step of purchasing the Commerce Road location for future county use, should DOMES abandon the Santa Rosa site plan.

Aside from the Santa Rosa, Walton and additional Escambia locations, there is also the option to stay at their current location and renovate.

DOMES met with representatives from Sacred Heart to explore options at the medical examiner’s current location, which is in the basement of the hospital. Schebler said they were presented with two options. One was essentially the same space they have with the added space of a hallway.

The other option was an open space they could start from scratch. Both options are 6,800 square feet, according to Schebler. Right now, Schebler said during the Dec. 14 meeting, DOMES is trying to determine how they could use those spaces if either is selected.

When speaking with architects and Sacred Heart, Schebler said he got the impression that they can’t use both spaces at same time. This new space would be for the morgue as DOMES currently has its administrative space in a separate location.

The main issue with the Sacred Heart space options, from the standpoint of the board, is that while certainly more cost effective than building a new facility, there are concerns with respect to operations. The question of how long before they would outgrow that space popped up.

“You could spend $3 to $4 million renovating the 6,800 square feet to put autopsy stations in and another million for this other space, it would buy you 10 years, just one space, maybe it buys you your construction time,” Schebler said.

DOMES currently pays $14 a square foot for their operational space in Sacred Heart and $17 a square foot for their administrative space. Schebler said the hospital typically charges $22 a square foot for tenants.

For Craig Coffey, the Okaloosa County’s deputy administrator and DOMES representative, that price wouldn’t be bad for regular doctors who charge their patients various fees, but the Medical Examiner’s Office doesn’t exactly have that option. Coffey feels that building a new site may be a better option.

“The reason you buy a house is so you aren’t paying rent forever,” Coffey said.

In July, DOMES representatives met with state Sen. Doug Broxson to discuss options for how the counties would pay for a new facility. The suggestion that came from that meeting was to have every county pay equally for the first half of the costs ($3 million per county) and proportionally for the second half. There were some commitments from several counties, but the four counties couldn’t settle on one cohesive plan.

Broxson said if DOMES and the counties can figure out a plan on how they will fund the project, he will go back to the state and ask for further funds. Previous state allocations included $250,000 for Santa Rosa County and $500,000 for DOMES.

With the legislative process beginning, Schebler said he wants to be able to go to Broxson and the other regional representatives with a plan by the end of January.

In lieu of legislative timing, Schebler suggested a plan to bring forth should things not progress.

“We can take the interlocal agreement with the capital funding back in with a $3 million buy in from each county and whatever the local commitment is, I will go to the state and ask for matching funds,” Schebler said.

Coffey said his main concern is getting something done soon, mainly to avoid potential financial issues.

“I am concerned for our county and our taxpayers that if we drag this out, we could have staffing issues and service issues,” Coffey said. “If we don’t act within this legislature when all our planets are aligned,… there’s millions of dollars our taxpayers would have to make up that we would normally get from the legislature.”

Talks about a new facility have been going on since 2018, Schebler said. DOMES could potentially be forced to get a “coalition of the willing,” as Coffey called it, where three of the four counties agree and move forward with a plan, leaving the other county to make their own agreement with the medical examiner’s office.

With new commissioners in some of the counties following the midterm elections, it may only complicate things.

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