By Kenneth Books

Our Hometown Hero, Tom Rice, has always loved three things: the restaurant business, charity and the U.S. Army. After 28 years in uniform, finishing as a First Sergeant, he retired from the military and made it a point to open his own restaurant, a journey which began when he was just a child.

“I worked in Perri’s Italian Restaurant while I was in junior high school, high school and college,” Rice, 72, said. “I loved it. I loved making pizzas and stirring the sauce.”

Perri’s, located on the site of the Fort Walton Beach Publix supermarket, later became Tom’s first restaurant, a 1950s-style diner. “It was all chrome and glass,” he said. Today, he’s the owner of the Magnolia Grill, a unique eatery that is as much a museum of American history – particularly military history – on Brooks Street, which was moved from the original site to make way for Publix. But the Perri’s influence remained.

“People kept coming in to the restaurant and asking how to make Mr. Perri’s recipes,” Tom said. Today, he said, about 30 to 40 percent of Magnolia Grill’s entrées are Italian.

To open the current Magnolia Grill, Tom bought a nearby house in 1999, which he moved to the current location 500 feet away. The move cost about $50,000.

In 2001, the restaurant was open for business. “The renovation took 18 months, Tom said.
But Magnolia Grill is more than a business. In addition to the great food, the second floor contains artifacts from World War II, Vietnam and other segments of American history. But that’s not the whole story.

Charities are among Tom Rice’s pet projects. Whether it’s pancake breakfasts aiding the Salvation Army, help for Catholic Charities or other needed and altruistic enterprises, Tom is dedicated to helping to make a difference. He serves as the secretary for Catholic Charities and chairman with the Salvation Army. “We’ve been given a golden opportunity here,” Tom said. “Once in a while, someone will come to us for help. If they’re willing to do some work, I donate pancake mix.” He also donates sweat equity from his family members. For example, his brother-in-law served as Santa Claus during a recent pancake breakfast for the Empty Stocking Fund of the Salvation Army. He’s also helped Disabled American Veterans, and worked on cemeteries for Memorial Day and Veterans Day, providing flags and chairs for those functions. “When the DAV folded in 2010, we continued with the ceremonies,” Tom said. He also assisted with the construction of the bell tower at Beal Cemetery, a 30-foot-tall edifice, which was completed in time for the 9/11 commemoration in 2014, including the casting of a 300-pound bell, cast in Ohio. The entire project cost about $500,000, all of which was donated by locals. No government aid was needed.

Tom was part of the founding board of Fisher House of the Emerald Coast, which provides a home away from home for military families to live in during treatments for serious illness or physical or occupational therapy. It’s within easy walking distance of the Eglin Air Force Base Hospital and Veterans’ Clinic. “There are resources being in business,” Tom said.
Tom and his wife, Peggy, have been married for 40 years. They have a daughter, Meghan Gordon, who serves with the ministry at Crosspoint church.

“Life is short,” Tom said. “Make it count. Teach the value of giving. It’s not always money. It’s also time and talent.”

By Will Estell

By this point, most everyone who drives, or keeps up with current economic and supply chain trends, is well aware that the current automobile market in our country (and most others) is facing a problem we haven’t seen to this degree in our lifetimes.

In a nutshell, the current lack of new and used vehicle inventory is partly due to supply chain issues first affected by the pandemic, and later catapulted into more problems with a fire in a major supplier facility in China, leading to a worldwide shortage of microchips used in the new car manufacturing process.

This new car shortage is, by association, also responsible for the diminished number of used cars on the market, since dealers depend on new car trade-ins for much of their used inventory, that then flows down the chain to supply the major auto auction houses, local wholesale dealers, and the smaller non-dealer pre-owned car lots. Meaning right now, the demand for new and used cars is far outweighing the availability. Thus, making it harder to find the particular new or used vehicle you may be looking for, and increasingly difficult to get a good deal on the pre-owned automobiles you do find to purchase.

So, what do you do if you find yourself in need—or want—of a vehicle during these tumultuous times?

We all know that anytime supply for anything is less than the demand for the same tangible product —be it real estate, automobiles, building supplies or high-end watches—the result is usually a temporary adjustment—repeat after me, “inflation”—in the said commodity. Read that again, “temporary.” Meaning that If we pay too much for something just because there is less of that something in a current market, we often still paid too much! That’s basic economics, but it’s surprising how many people get caught up thinking they have to have something and let their emotions talk them into paying too much for it.

In the case of used cars especially, we are seeing a number of vehicles selling at retail establishments for a good percentage over what the true retail value for that same vehicle is. Remember, this shortage is real, and the supply of vehicles available may not catch up with normal auto purchasing demand for up to another two years (once the chip shortage is overcome and new manufacturing resumes to a normal pace), however (the BIG “HOWEVER”) this doesn’t mean it’s smart to pay over the retail book value for any car or truck you are considering buying.

If you are paying over the NADA (National Auto Dealer’s Association) or KBB (Kelly Blue Book) retail value for the vehicle, you are simply paying too much. And, that will come back to haunt buyers who do this. As the vehicle you purchase is only worth what the books say it is worth when it comes time to sell or trade it in later on. And that time will come. You can do a simple internet search to find those values for any car you are thinking about buying, keeping in mind that dealers still want to sell cars, perhaps needing to more now than ever. So, push for that best deal or walk away.

So far, the “real” values of the used (or new) vehicles on the market hasn’t changed much at all in the real world, even though some dealers are asking more, and some consumers seem willing to pay more than the book values. This means some people (a lot of people) are likely to find themselves way upside down when they try to sell or trade that car or truck they paid thousands over value for, just to get it. Remember, like most consumer goods, the majority of cars and trucks (other than particular collectible, rare, and antique ones) are depreciating assets. So, unlike the home or condo you buy that generally will continue to go up in value, the car you buy –even at fair market price—will almost always go down in value from the day you buy it. That’s why it’s so important to buy it right in the first place.

One way to buy smart is to really educate yourself on the real value of any vehicle you are considering. Just because lot A is selling their vehicle $2,000 less than lot B doesn’t mean either one is a good deal. Use the NADA and KBB book values and make it a rule not to pay over the retail book value, no matter what the dealership or seller may tell you about supply and demand, or current values. If you pay too much today, you will most definitely owe way too much tomorrow.

The good news is that reputable dealers know this supply issue will even out in time, and they also know that the book value is the real value. Make it a point to do business with those dealers and sellers only. In fact, being sort of auto aficionado myself, having owned over 35 various cars, trucks and SUV’s over the years, my hard rule when purchasing anything (Yes, even in this current market.) is to never pay one dollar over the NADA clean trade-in book value for anything. Whether on a car lot or from an individual, I stick to that rule. This way I always know that I can drive most of those cars for even a year or less, keep the mileage at or below the national average, and still be able to trade or sell the vehicle for what I owe on it or more. The good news is, I have even been able to do this twice (for my pre-owned BMW and my fiancée’s Mercedes) in the past few months, even during the current automobile market. So, just know you can do it; it just might take a little more shopping around and tougher negotiating skills to make this happen.

Will Estell is a writer and magazine editor, with hundreds of published articles in various publications, as well as numerous additional online articles in an array of genres. He’s been instrumental in founding 11 magazine titles from concept to fruition, both for other publishing companies and his own partnerships. He actively partakes in freelance media projects for an array of local, regional, and national publications, such as this one. Will is a father of three who splits his time between Destin and Navarre, along with his fiancée, ABC news anchor, Laura Hussey. When he isn’t writing, creating or consulting, he enjoys attending live musical events, hanging out with friends and playing with cars…real ones.

By Heather Bennett

In addition to providing meals and snacks for the 3,400 food insecure children in their backpack program, Food for Thought has been gearing up for the holidays. They recently delivered 700 turkeys and 33,000 food items over five service locations to reach more than 3,000 children across Okaloosa and Walton Counties for Thanksgiving.

If you are unfamiliar with their work, Food for Thought is a nonprofit organization which provides meals and snacks to children who are dependent on free or reduced school meals, bridging meal gaps that might occur on the weekends or during holidays, so kids can focus less on where they are going to get their next meal and more on their schoolwork. They literally provide food for thought.

Due to the economic impact of Covid, Food for Thought has seen an increase in demand. “Last year we saw a 38% increase in our pick-ups for the holidays, and this year we are planning on a 10% increase over that,” said Tiffanie Nelson, founder of Food for Thought. In 2020, most people were struggling with unemployment or reduced hours; this year inflation has had an effect on the cost of groceries, gas and general cost of living, leaving some families still struggling to make ends meet.

Covid has also had a two-fold effect on Food for Thought. In addition to seeing a 40% increase in the cost of food from distributors and brokers, they experienced a decline in volunteers. “Prior to Covid we saw about 250 individual volunteers a week to help us provide our services, and right now we are struggling to get to 100,” stated Tiffanie.
Despite the setbacks, Food for Thought is committed, and is meeting their weekly deliveries. They are grateful for the volunteers they currently have, and regardless of how social media looks, they are still in need of more volunteers to make the drops easier. “There aren’t enough hands and feet on our team of five to provide all these services to over 3,000 kids a week,” said Tiffanie, referring to the 34 school drops they make across Okaloosa and Walton counties.

In addition to these services, they are getting prepared for another holiday drop for Christmas break, providing snacks and meals for children during their two-weeks off of school, a time when food insecurity may be high. A child can miss around 20 meals over Christmas break. “Children who are already enrolled in our services get access to our holiday services,” stated Tiffanie. “We spread out through the community to make those pick ups easy for the families and we have a variety of times, and we communicate directly with the families.”

When asked what Food for Thought needs most, Tiffanie said that volunteers and donors are both important, because one doesn’t work without the other. “We need donors to help support our work, and we need volunteers to help us distribute. They are both extremely valuable to us.”

If you are interested in helping Food for Thought, keep in mind that it only costs $5 to fill a backpack to support a child for a week; one to two hours a month of your time spent volunteering can really make a difference. For more information on how you can get involved, please visit the website, fftfl.org.

Harvest Wine & Food Festival Raises Over $100,000 For Local Children!
Imagine casually strolling through WaterColor’s picturesque property soaking up filtered sunlight emanating through the trees, experiencing a crisp, warm Gulf breeze while sipping on the most delicious wine and tasting coastal culinary cuisine while live music resonates.

This year’s Harvest Wine and Food Festival was one of those Chamber of Commerce afternoons when you have to pinch yourself as a reminder it’s reality. And the event raised more than $100,000 for local children.

The wine festival, presented by the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation which supports 16 local children’s charities, was back this year for four days of epicurean excellence. Held in November, the sold-out event featured high-end wines from around the world and the best culinary selections from throughout the southeast. It also included wine dinners and the return of the famous Grand Tasting. Wines were paired with seafood, barbecue and other delectable delights. Craft beer and spirits were also prominent for those who prefer it.

A virtual auction featuring rare wines, unique items, and experiential trips was active throughout the festival weekend. Proceeds benefit DCWAF and its mission to connect wine enthusiasts to raise money benefiting children in need in Northwest Florida. Since its inception in 2005, DCWAF has donated more than $25 million to its 15 partner charities, impacting the lives of more than 100,000 children in the local community.

Bloody Mary Festival Raises $30,000 for Habitat for Humanity-Walton County
The annual Bloody Mary Festival, held in October and powered by Step One Automotive Group, raised $30,000 for Habitat for Humanity – Walton County, a record-breaking amount for the festival. The sold-out event welcomed more than 1,000 guests and featured unlimited tastes of the Emerald Coast’s most creative and inventive Bloody Marys made with Distillery 98’s local Dune Laker vodka served by 17 of the finest restaurants, bars, and catering companies in Northwest Florida.

Guests voted for the coveted People’s Choice Awards for the “Best Bloody Mary in South Walton:”
1st Place People’s Choice Award – The Beach House
2nd Place People’s Choice Award – Cannery Lane Cantina
3rd Place People’s Choice Award – Camille’s at Crystal Beach
A panel of select food critics and local celebrities also judged each Bloody Mary:
Judge’s Choice Award – Signature Catering of 30A
All awards were custom made by local artist, Maxine Orange.

“Eggs on the Beach” Cooking Competition Raises $39,500 for Local Non-Profit Organizations
Presented by Bay Breeze Patio, the 7th Annual Eggs On the Beach cooking competition raised $39,500 for local non-profit organizations, including its two non-profit partners—Fisher House of the Emerald Coast and Food for Thought. Held at Seascape Resort in October, the family-friendly event welcomed more than 600 tasters and volunteers who sampled an array of delicacies cooked on Big Green Eggs by 22 cook teams. Food for Thought and the Fisher House of the Emerald Coast, received a $16,250 donation.

“Once again, our cook teams delivered deliciously creative bites, which ranged from shrimp and grits and tuna dip to pork belly, chicken and sausage bites to bananas foster dessert,” said Bay Breeze Patio co-owner and event founder Susan Kiley. “It was such a fun day and it was humbling to see the community come together once again to support great local causes.”

In addition, $7,000 was donated to four local non-profits whose cook teams impressed tasters and earned the most votes. Healing Paws for Warriors served the winning bite and earned $3,000. The Eggstras cooked for South Walton Academy and earned second place and a $2,000 donation. Sinfonia Gulf Coast and Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast tied for third place. Chef Pam Wellborn of 30A Destin Ice House cooked for Sinfonia and earned a $1,000 donation. Going toe to toe with Sinfonia, the Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast presented their scorched chicken wings earning $1,000.

Overall winners included: 1st Place: Healing Paws for Warriors, 2nd Place: Saltwater Restaurants and 3rd Place BE-CI. Judge’s Choice winners include 1st Place: Brock Landscaping Cooking for Fisher House of the Emerald Coast, 2nd Place: Blue Angels Foundation and 3rd Place: Saltwater Restaurants.

Eggs on the Beach has donated more than $205,500 to local non-profits since its inception in 2013. For more information, visit EggsontheBeach.com. For more information about the Big Green Egg, visit BayBreezePatio.com.

Join the Bluewater Bay Garden Club meeting on January 13, 2022, at Mulligan`s Bar and Grill located at 2000 Bluewater Blvd. Guest speaker Janet Hayes will share how she used Florida Friendly Plants to create her backyard landscape. You’re invited to stay for lunch after the program concludes. For more information, call Claudene Schaetzle at (850) 729-0348.

The Freeport Republicans will meet January 11 in Freeport at the Hammock Bay Clubhouse, 1830 Great Hammock Bend. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.; meeting 6-7 p.m. This month’s speaker is Clint Pate, who is a candidate for the Florida State House, District 5. The club meets monthly on the second Tuesday of each month at the same location and time. NOTE: The Walton County “Mom’s For Liberty” group will be meeting monthly at the Hammock Bay Clubhouse – theater @ 7:15 p.m., which is directly after the Freeport Republican’s meeting.

The Gulfarium is adding a new stadium and dolphin exhibit with three primary pool habitats—a show pool, exhibit pool (with a large split-level underwater viewing area) and encounter pool. The proposed show stadium will have an occupancy of 480 people and include stadium-style seating areas with overhead shade canopies. The existing show stadium will be closed and replaced with a new attraction in the future.

The expansion will include a new dolphin show stadium, dolphin encounter pool and dolphin viewing area. Plans are for the complex in the property’s northwest portion will be expanded to more than 31,000 sq. ft. There are no plans to stop dolphin shows in the meantime. The current show stadium will be transformed into a new attraction when the project is over.

Established in 1955, the Gulfarium not only provides family-oriented entertainment, they also facilitate conservation, research, education and community enhancement. For example: The C.A.R.E. Center has treated 640 endangered sea turtles; school field trips and hands-on experiences are ongoing as well as pier and beach clean-up events.

In December, Feeding the Gulf Coast celebrated 40 years of service and its Panhandle Facility Expansion. Last year, the food bank undertook an expansion project to increase its usable warehouse space to 20,530 square feet, an increase of 68% of food storage capacity, including expansion of the dry storage area, conversion of the existing cooler into a freezer, and the installation of an additional cooler.

Formerly known as Bay Area Food Bank, the organization opened its doors on Dec. 1, 1981 and has continued to serve by distributing more than 318 million pounds of food to those in need since its inception and working to address chronic hunger along the central Gulf Coast where nearly 350,400 families and individuals rely on access to fresh and nutritious foods provided by Feeding the Gulf Coast and its partner agencies.

Corcoran Reverie, a high-end real estate brokerage and an affiliate of Corcoran Group LLC, has donated $40,000 as part of its sponsorship of the annual 30A 10K Thanksgiving Day Race held in Rosemary Beach. The contribution will directly impact the Walton Education Foundation, the Seaside School Foundation, the Point Washington Medical Clinic, and the Northwest Florida Guardian ad Litem Foundation.

To date, the 30A 10K has given more than $430,000 to local charities along the Emerald Coast. The Walton Education Foundation supports all 17 public, charter and magnet schools in Walton County. To learn more about the 30A 10K and its benefactors, visit www.30a10k.com.

By Corey Dobridnia, WCSO PIO

While the world was facing-off against the first global pandemic since SARS in 2003, federal and state governments frantically made live-saving decisions by putting new public health protocols in motion.

The COVID-19 virus was officially dubbed a pandemic in March of 2020 after barreling through 114 countries in three months, infecting over 118,000 people – and the spread was just getting started. During this time, jails across the U.S. were faced with an unthinkable task: minimize the spread of COVID-19 among inmate populations at the risk of jail staff and employees.

At Walton County Sheriff’s Office, an Incident Management Team was initiated, and protocols were strategized. During all briefings, it became more and more clear what the expectation was; public servants would now be asked to continue selflessly serving during a pandemic – risking their lives even more.

Detention deputies, nurses, and staff members at the Walton County Jail were asked to abandon innate instincts of self-preservation to keep those who were incarcerated safe from the spread of COVID-19. It was a huge ask knowing the dangers they would encounter with the possibility of infection looming.

In Walton County the emphasis was prevention and eliminating transmission through education, screening, isolation of suspected cases and relentless cleaning and sanitation.
Movement was minimized between PODS as much as possible, elective programs were discontinued, inmates were provided masks, and if multiple positive cases occurred in a single housing POD, positive cases remained in place until symptoms worsened.
The Jail’s Medical Director, Dr. James Howell was an invaluable asset to the facility overseeing cases and monitoring inmate and staff health.

Walton County Jail’s digital visitation (which was already in place before the pandemic) decreased the possibility of infection from the outside; allowing inmates to virtually connect with family while the facility was on lock down. “Tablets offer video visitation, phone calls, and chat so men and women who are jailed can continue to communicate with their families,” said Cory Godwin, Walton County Jail Director. “When the pandemic hit, we didn’t have to take away their connection to the outside world.”

In April, Walton County Sheriff’s Office began partnering with Walton County Health Department to vaccinate inmates with the Moderna two-step vaccine. Since that time, jail staff and health department employees have vaccinated more than 150 inmates incarcerated at the facility with the help of Shane Abbott, a local Pharmacist.

Walton County Sheriff’s Office has been using Correctek Spark technology for digital medical record management since 2019. “We do all of our documentation orders and all of our med pass through that system,” said Dawn Cooper, Walton County Jail Health Services Administrator and Licensed Practice Nurse. “We have access to any chart at any time. During med pass, everything is done on the computer right there in front of the inmate.”

“We have access to labs, vital signs, and any open orders,” Cooper added. We’re not pulling around charts, but instead, we’re scanning ID bands that can pull up the inmate’s medications and anything we might need to know. Mental health has access and we can see their notes and we can access it anywhere in the facility on the laptop.”

Digital medical charts made keeping track of inmate health much easier for the facility during a time where information flow was of the utmost importance. But, as positive cases from the pandemic heightened, staff numbers lingered at critical levels and those remaining worked 12 hour shifts to cover the losses in workforce. Still, employees remained vigilant and resilient.

Cooper was one of XX jail staff in the trenches when the pandemic hit and also tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020. As soon as she was able, Cooper returned to work. “This kind of nursing is different than any other nursing,” said Cooper. “It’s rewarding in its own way. These people still need to be cared for.”

Out of 155 inmates who tested positive at a facility that can hold up to 600, five were sent outside the walls to be hospitalized. Two were treated and gone approximately five days and returned to the jail and three were released on recognizance by a judge’s order. “We must not overlook the heroic manner in which jail staffs across the country have battled this new enemy,” said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “Two rounds of COVID variants among the already existing dangers of working within a corrections environment is brave and deserves the utmost admiration.”