CRESTVIEW - A man with "large bulges" in his clothing was arrested for shoplifting two bottles of wine from a convenience store.

According to a Crestview Police Department arrest report, the 37-year-old Crestview man entered the Pic-N-Save on James Lee Boulevard on Feb. 5 and headed for the alcohol section. As he left, a manager noticed "large bulges in his clothing" according to the report.

A review of store security video showed the man hiding two bottles of Arbor Mist wine, worth a total of $6.08, in his clothes and leaving the store.

Officers found the man at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Walnut Avenue. He denied taking the wine but was arrested anyway. Officers say once he realized he was going to jail, he told them the wine was "over there" but couldn't provide a specific location.

He was charged with retail theft and has a Feb. 26 court date.

CRESTVIEW - A 23-year-old man is accused of helping himself to another man's checkbook, writing a check to himself, and faking the account-holder's signature, lawmen say.

Crestview Police were told by the account holder he'd been notified by the Eglin Federal Credit Union his checking account was overdrawn. It appeared several checks had been written and cashed without his knowledge or approval.

One of the checks, for $100, was made out to Derrick Tolar, no address given. The check appeared to have been signed by the account holder, but the signature wasn't in his handwriting. In fact, it was Tolar's handwriting, lawmen say. The signature was also written in the same handwriting as Tolar's endorsement on the back of the check.

Tolar was charged with petit theft and uttering forged bills, checks, drafts or notes.

His court date is March 26.

MIRAMAR BEACH — A Florida Highway Patrol trooper and a man who had been pulled over for suspected drunken driving were injured Friday night when a motorist rammed the trooper’s patrol car into them while they were standing along U.S. Highway 98, according to the FHP.

The driver who hit the trooper’s car was charged with DUI, the FHP reported

Eddy Hardy, 41, of Panama City, was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, according to a news release from the FHP. Trooper Lester Abreu was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, where he was treated and released.

Hardy and Abreu were standing in front Abreu’s car at 11:10 p.m. near the intersection of Sandestin Boulevard after Abreu stopped Hardy for suspected drunken driving, the FHP reported. Abreu’s car’s emergency lights were activated, according to the FHP.

Raul Sivas, 34, of Niceville was driving a 2002 Jeep west on U.S. 98 when he struck the rear of Abreu’s car, which then hit Abreu and Hardy, the FHP reported.

Sivas, who was not seriously hurt, was charged with DUI with serious bodily injury, drive while license suspended or revoked and failure to use due care. He was taken to the Walton County Jail.

 

Okaloosa County officials say they are not sure when the state Auditor General’s Office will begin its audit of county finances and the Clerk of Court’s office.

The state’s Joint Legislative Auditing Committee ordered the sweeping audit Feb. 11 after questioning county officials about the Mark Bellinger fraud scandal. The committee, which is comprised of six state representatives and five senators, oversees the Auditor General’s Office.

County Administrator Jim Curry said the auditor general has not contacted his office about a timeline.

“It appeared that the committee’s direction was to allow the AGO to work this as the AGO’s time permits, so it’s hard for us to speculate on what that might represent, not knowing their workload,” he said.

County officials say they are certain the audit will require a significant amount of time and manpower. It will examine all of the county’s internal departments —from parks and recreation to human resources — as well as Clerk of Court and its divisions.

“Anytime you’ve got audits going on, it’s going to take up staff time,” Clerk of Court Don Howard said. “You’ve got to interface with the auditors and provide the information they need.”

Howard said county employees likely would be busiest helping the auditors in the early phases.

“On the front end of the audit there will be fieldwork,” he added. “It interrupts the day, there’s no question about that.”

Howard said the bulk of what county employees will provide is “information and access.”

The lawmakers on the Auditing Committee ordered the audit because they were not satisfied with the county’s response to Bellinger’s fraud scheme, which was discovered in May 2012.

They specifically criticized the county for not firing, suspending or disciplining employees who were involved in approving any of Bellinger’s illegal or unauthorized purchases from May 2010 to May 2012. Lawmakers repeatedly scolded county officials for not including those kinds of personnel responses in its corrective action plan submitted to the state.

However, Curry said the purpose of the corrective action plan was to respond to specific policy and procedural problems found by the Auditor General’s Office.

“The board’s responses to this operational audit were designed to address the specific findings and recommendations outlined by the AGO, and not to provide a mechanism for the county to outline staff disciplinary actions or other personnel issues,” he said.

Curry said “internal staffing matters continue to be under review” by the board, his office and the county’s human resources department in conjunction with attorney Greg Stewart, a special counsel to the board.

Curry, who answered questions at the Feb. 11 hearing in Tallahassee, said he expected more scrutiny from the auditor general.

“I’m not surprised,” he said. “I do think they’re going to find some very, very different circumstances under the other county departments.”

He said he does expect the audit to turn up specific “findings.”

“I don’t know of any audit by the AGO that didn’t result in some recommendations to strengthen processes and options to tighten controls,” he added.

The audit could start around the same time the county hires a new county administrator to replace Curry, who will retire sometime between May and October.

Curry said he doesn’t see the audit as a factor that would discourage potential candidates from applying for the job.

“That’s something I think would be welcomed in terms of identifying any potential areas of weakness coupled with any suggested changes to strengthen the processes,” he said.

Another position that could be affected by the audit is the new internal auditor commissioners are planning to hire in coming months.

Curry said the new internal auditor would be expected “to work closely with the AGO” to gather the data and other information it needs.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

DESTIN — High rises and large developments may have a tougher time getting off the ground if it’s up to the City Council.

“If it were up to me, I’d kill the Tier III immediately,” Councilman Jim Bagby told his colleagues last week. “I don’t think it matches the character of this community and what we are trying to do.”

As they continue to work through the proposed Comprehensive Plan 2020, Destin officials spent most of a recent workshop debating the future of the tiering system, which guides the heights, intensity and density of development.

There now are three approved Tier III projects on the books. They are Beach Pointe Condominiums, Harbor Reflections and Caretta Dunes, which all secured development orders in 2008. Henderson Beach Resort was issued a preliminary development order in 2009.

To date, the city hasn’t received building permit applications for any of those projects.

The Fleet Marina Condominium, Emerald Harbor and HarborWalk Village Phase 2 also were proposed Tier III projects, but they either were not approved or scaled back. As of Wednesday, there has been no movement on those projects.

In fact, there have been no projects built under the Tier III guidelines, which were set after the Emerald Grande became Destin’s tallest building. The city adopted its tiering standards in 2005.

When it comes to Tier III projects, the council has long struggled to determine what would qualify as a “significant” public benefit under the development standards.

Councilman Jim Foreman, who said he was uncomfortable with Tier III developments, told the council that the tiering system was still in its “early stages” when he previously served on the council. The concern, he said, is that there is not “enough of a handle” on the benefits.

“It seems to me, that the benefit must be mutually attractive to both the applicant and the city,” he said. “It has to add value to the project in question.”

Councilman Jim Wood also supported trashing future Tier III projects.

“This is our chance to take another look at our city and see what we want,” he said. “I’m comfortable getting rid of Tier III and focusing on Tier II.”

Not everybody wanted to scrap the system.

Councilman Cyron Marler suggested keeping the system, but allowing city leaders the opportunity to review the standards and “tweak it.”

“That’s what we need to do … decide point-blank what is a Tier Three public benefit,” Marler said. “I guarantee that we are going to be in a lot of trouble over people being able to do what they want with their land.”

The key for Councilwoman Sandy Trammell was to make a clearly defined list of what constitutes a public benefit. That would make the process easier for the city and developers because there wouldn’t be a “subjective” approach. She said it would more than likely “encourage development on both sides.”

Shannon Howell, a representative for “a couple” of property owners, was the lone visitor to speak at the workshop.

“From a developer’s perspective, they (public benefits) are a huge impact,” said Howell, who noted that over the years the Tier III process has been very subjective.

Howell, who is involved in the proposed Henderson Beach Resort project, told council members that one of the developments that he was part of would have generated a $6 million economic impact in Destin.

“I would urge you to take another look … I think Tier III could be good for the city and for developers,” he said. “Penalizing these developers that have committed and spent millions and millions of dollars in the community is only going to create turmoil.”

The council made no decisions at the workshop.

The city’s Community Development Department will draft a plan to address a variety of options for council members to consider, such as striking future Tier III projects or allowing Tier III projects with modifications. City planners also will seek to address density and intensity, view corridor issues and public benefit questions.

The council will revisit the issue Feb. 25 at the City Hall Annex.

If Destin doesn’t get a handle on its vision for future developments, Bagby said there could be disastrous side effects.

“We’re going to reach a saturation point where people say ‘it’s the new Panama City Beach,’ ” he said. “We are either going to ride the wave or get swept away.”

Destin Log Staff Writer Matt Algarin can be reached at 850-654-8446 or malgarin@thedestinlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @DestinLogMatt.

SANDESTIN — At 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Jon Seeling, owner of 98 BBQ, began heating up 55 gallons of gumbo. Over the previous eight days he had cooked small batches of the smoky chicken and sausage barbecue gumbo to ensure it stayed flavorful.

“I find if you use a bigger pot, you lose that touch,” Seeling said. “It gets bland.”

Eighteen restaurants brought their own unique version of gumbo to be tested by several thousand people Saturday at the 24th Annual Sandestin Gumbo Festival.

View a photo gallery from the Sandestin Gumbo Festival >>

Buster’s Bar and Grille has competed in the festival since it began. General Manager George Miree said it’s a great promotion for the eatery and always draws a good crowd, especially this year.

“It’s good gumbo weather,” he said, looking up at the brilliant blue sky.

For the past two months the chef at The Bistro - Eat. Drink. Connect. had been perfecting his gumbo recipe, named “The Drunken Gumbo” for its use of beer, said general manager Tania Koehler. The secret to a good gumbo is to let it sit and to use only quality ingredients, she said.

“And we didn‘t go cheap on the beer,” Koehler added with a laugh.

Peyton Cook Foshee was looking for a specific type of gumbo. She isn’t a fan of seafood; she wanted to see sausage, chicken and some flavor.

“It has to have a kick,” Foshee said.

The only people pickier than the chefs were the visitors. Everyone had their own idea of how a great gumbo should taste.

Friends Rachel Simone and David Lubic hadn‘t really tried gumbo before, and were excited to test the various recipes. After a few samples, Lubic had an idea of what he was looking for.

“I like it to be a flavorful, to not just have one note,” he said.

Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Delgado can be reached at 850-315-4445 or ldelgado@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDnwfdn.

CRESTVIEW — A man has pleaded no contest to four counts of child neglect and one count of homicide in connection with the death of his 2-year-old son in 2011.

Grant Sherwin, 29, still faces one count of cruelty toward a child without great harm and 10 counts of child neglect for the alleged abuse of his son Logan and his twin sister.

Sherwin and his fiancee, Nicole Allen, were arrested Dec. 29, 2011, after Logan died at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.

The day before, Crestview police responded to a 911 call from the couple‘s home on Pinellas Drive in Crestview and found Logan unresponsive in his bed.

He was malnourished and had bruises on his feet, spinal column, forehead, lower legs and arms, according to reports. He had a bump on the top of his head and a cut on the inside of his lip.

According to court documents, Logan had suffered a “fractured skull, brain injury, and bruises and contusions,” from being hit.

Sherwin initially told officers that his son had fallen off the toilet and hit his head. Police found the toilet seat cover broken into three parts.

Sherwin later told police Logan had fallen and split his lip while playing in the yard, but continued to play.

Sherwin entered his no-contest plea Jan. 30, according to court records. He will be sentenced March 27.

Allen’s trial is scheduled for March 18. The 27-year-old faces 20 counts of child neglect, one count of aggravated child abuse by aggravated battery and one count of homicide.

Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Delgado can be reached at 850-315-4445 or ldelgado@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDnwfdn.

DESTIN - About 1,200 Gulf Power customers lost electricity power Saturday morning after a car hit a utility pole along U.S. Highway 98 near Benning Drive.

One vehicle was involved in the 4:30 a.m. crash and no one was injured, according to the Destin Fire Department.

Gulf Power crews worked into the afternoon to make repairs. They closed one lane to make room for their equipment, which slowed eastbound traffic.  

Electricity was restored to all customers by 2:43 p.m., according to Gulf Power spokesman Jeff Rogers.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the crash.

FORT WALTON BEACH - No one was injured after a car hit the side of Fort Walton Skating Center on Saturday afternoon, according to Fort Walton Beach Police Department.

A driver behind the wheel for the second time confused the gas and brake pedals, drove over a curb and hit the building at 12:20 p.m., Fort Walton Beach police reported.

The crash caused little damage. No citation was issued.

MIDWAY - A house fire on East Bay Boulevard sparked a wildfire Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters with the Florida Forest Service were called to the scene about 4 p.m., said Joe Zwierzchowski, a wildfire mitigation specialist with the Forest Service.

The half-acre fire south of East Bay Boulevard had grown to 7 acres by about 6 p.m. Three tractor plows and five Forest Service firefighters were battling the blaze at that time.

The fire was 80 percent contained by 7:15 p.m., according to Zwierzchowski.

No information on the house fire was available Saturday night.

DESTIN — Within minutes of the Destin Airport’s refurbished runway opening Friday morning, planes were touching down.

“We had our first incoming arrival at 6:03 a.m.,” Okaloosa County Deputy Airports Director Tracy Stage said. “We had our first departure at 6:09 a.m.”

Crews from C.W. Roberts and RS&H spent the past month resurfacing the 5,000-foot-long, 100-foot-wide runway. The final safety inspection and cleanup was Thursday, and the project wrapped up that night.

The airport had been closed to fixed-wing air traffic since Feb. 4 during the runway’s first major overhaul since it opened in 1963.

As part of the roughly $5 million project, the airport’s electronic runway navigation system, taxiway signs, directional signs and runway signs were replaced. LED lights also were installed.

The runway originally was expected to reopen Feb. 12, but weather stymied those plans. Still, Stage said the repairs were completed “as planned and under budget.”

“We may be able to use the leftover money from the runway for other projects,” said Stage, who noted that the airport’s taxiways still need resurfacing.

Stage said Destin Airport sees roughly 60,000 flights a year.

With the major work on the runway completed, the only thing left is to finish the permanent striping. That will be done in about 30 days.

Now Okaloosa County airport officials can turn their attention to other projects, such as the proposed air traffic control tower.

The tower was approved earlier this year when the Federal Aviation Administration accepted Destin into its contract tower program. The tower, which would cost about $3 million, would stand about 84.5 feet tall on the east side of the runway forward of the mid-point.

Local officials, pilots and residents have debated the merits of a control tower at Destin Airport for years. Some say it’s not necessary while other say it’s vital to air safety.

Because of the increase in planes, helicopters, military flights and parasail operations, county Airports Director Greg Donovan has told city leaders the tower would allow for simultaneous takeoffs at Destin, Northwest Florida Regional Airport and Eglin Air Force Base. Simultaneous takeoffs now are prohibited.

An environmental assessment of the project was completed recently, Stage said.

“We have a funding plan in place for the tower and the access road that would lead to the tower,” he said.

Construction could begin next year.
 

Destin Log Staff Writer Matt Algarin can be reached at 850-654-8446 or malgarin@thedestinlog.com. Follow him on Twitter @DestinLogMatt.

DESTIN — Coyotes have been making residents uncomfortable lately.

Mike Sherry, who lives on Calhoun Avenue near Clement Taylor Park, was taking his regular evening walk last week with his chocolate Labrador, Tyson, when he spotted two coyotes standing in the middle of Calhoun.

“It was kind of unnerving,” Sherry said. “I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.”

Not knowing if the coyotes were dangerous or not, Sherry said he’s now “scared to walk my dog at night.”

Sherry said his cat of 10 years went missing about a week ago and now he fears the coyotes got it.

“If I’d known they were around, I wouldn’t have let my cat out,” Sherry said. “People need to know what’s going on. They need to start watching their pets.”

That’s a good idea, according to Karen Parker, public information coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“Keep cats indoors in the evening and always keep your dogs on a leash,” Parker said.

If coyotes are in the area, walkers might want to carry a walking stick, golf club or umbrella to deter them if they become unnaturally aggressive, she said.

“If you see one, make as much noise as you can to scare them off,” she said. “You want to make them fearful of you. You want them to think being around a human is an unpleasant experience.”

Dozens of Destin residents have reported on Facebook that they have seen coyotes. Residents from Twin Lakes, Emerald Lakes and Sandestin also say they have spotted them.

Parker is not surprised; coyotes are in all 67 counties in Florida.

Although they have been known to eat small cats and dogs, “there hasn’t been any reports of children being attacked,” Parker said.

Residents can kill coyotes that wander onto their property, she said.

Like many wild animals that live in populated areas, coyotes are attracted by food.

“They are very opportunistic,” Parker said.

“They are only going to be around if there is food," added Kelsey Smith with the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge.

Although the FWC doesn’t have the manpower to rid an area of coyotes, Parker said trappers that will do it for a price.

CHECK IT OUT: Learn more about coyotes at myfwc.com.
 

Destin Log Staff Writer Tina Harbuck can be reached at 850-654-8440 or tharbuck@thedestinlog.com. Follow her on Twitter @DestinLogTina.

FORT WALTON BEACH — Just one year ago, hope for continuing Horizons of Okaloosa County’s day-care center seemed dim.

Monday, the center is announcing its groundbreaking on renovations to improve and expand its facility in Fort Walton Beach.

“The bottom line was we needed to find a way to improve the whole facility,” said Horizons CEO Julie McNabb. “The building is old and definitely needed to be renovated. Currently, it doesn’t have the right space requirements to help us not run a deficit every year.”

The center was founded in 1955 as an affiliate of The Arc of the United States, an advocacy group for people of all ages with cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Horizons will host a groundbreaking Wednesday to kick off the $416,000, three-phase expansion and renovation of its center and grounds on Holmes Boulevard.

Work will include expanding the front of the building and adding more classroom space and an activities room. That will allow for more than a dozen new openings for clients.

The center now serves the maximum amount of clients it is allotted.

The $136,000 funding for the first phase was donated by the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation. McNabb said she has two other proposals written for the second and third phases.

McNabb said she expects the construction will continue through May 2014. The center will stay open through the work.

“We’re just really excited to be at this point, and it absolutely wouldn’t be possible without Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation,” McNabb said.

WANT TO ATTEND?

The groundbreaking ceremony will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Horizons of Okaloosa County on Holmes Boulevard in Fort Walton Beach.
 

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.

Okaloosa Island’s main water tank, covered with a shimmering blue-green mural depicting the Emerald Coast, has been named Tnemec 2012 Tank of the Year.

Tnemec, a leading industrial coating company, sponsors an annual competition among water tanks with memorable graphic designs.

“I think, personally, it’s the best water tank I’ve ever seen,” said Jeff Littrell, Okaloosa County’s water and sewer director. “We’re pretty proud of it.”

The 500,000-gallon pedestal tank beat out four other finalists — tanks from Panama City; Auburn, Wash.; Puyallup, Wash.; and St. Robert, Mo.

The Okaloosa Island tank is featured in Tnemec’s 2013 calendar.

“When you open the calendar, we’re the one for January,” Littrell said.

The mural was painted last year by Ohio-based artist Eric Henn, who received engineering assistance from Polyengineering of Shalimar. He used one of Tnemec’s advanced fluoropolymer topcoats called Series 700 HydroFlon, which has a high resistance to ultraviolet light and long-term gloss and color retention.

The Tourist Development Council paid for the $120,000 mural with bed tax revenue.

The mural required 14 colors, including multiple shades of blue and green. Henn painted it freehand with brushes and rollers.

“We were told it was going to be photo realistic,” Littrell said. “It really does. It exceeded my expectations.”
 

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

MIRAMAR BEACH — Courtney Davwalter crossed the finish line Sunday afternoon in front of a sparkling blue and green Gulf of Mexico and hunched over in the white sand to catch her breath.

She had been running for more than eight hours, crossing 50 miles of beach from Miramar to Seagrove to the Destin Pass and back again. The 28-year-old from Denver was the fifth person to finish the third annual Destin Beach Ultra.

"It was a good day. There was no wind, the sun was shining," she said. "I can't complain."

And she did not, even as she pulled off her shoes, peeled off her socks and hobbled off on sore feet. Her friend who ran a 50K on the beach earlier wrapped his arms around her, and the two compared blisters before heading off for a celebratory beer and the hot tub at Tops'l Beach Resort.

Click here to see a slideshow from the race.

Meanwhile, two runners had smashed the world record for the longest run in the sand in 24 hours, and another two were set to break it. At the end of Davwalter’s run, they still had five hours to go on the 2-mile loop they had been jogging since 7 p.m. Saturday.

The 24-hour run was a new addition to the Destin Beach Ultra event, which raises money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. The group provides scholarships for children of special ops servicemen and women who are killed in the line of duty.

Zane Holscher, the race director and a special operations airman, said they had raised $40,000 this year, and he hopes to be able to donate another $5,000 more.

Holscher and his brother convinced their friend Dustin  Krajewski, 33, to attempt the 24-hour run this year. As he rounded one of the checkpoints Sunday afternoon, he shouted, jokingly, that they both were officially off his Christmas gift list next year.

He sipped some water and headed back out.

By 7 p.m., Krajewski, who lives in Colorado, and three other racers had broken the previous world record of 83.04 miles.

Krajewski ran 100 miles in 24 hours.

Joe Fejes, 47 from Georgia, took the title with 134 miles. Connie Gardner, 49 from Ohio, took the women's title with 116 miles.

Kelley Wells, 39 from South Carolina, also finished with 84 miles.

Two of the runners had to drop out because of injury.

A dedicated team of volunteers manned a tent on each side of the 2-mile loop all night and day to document the runners in hopes that their accomplishment will be certified as official by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Holscher said he couldn't have been happier with the results.

"I think we had an amazing team of runners here and an amazing team of volunteers and great conditions," he said.

FIND OUT MORE: To donate or to learn about the Special Operations Warrior Foundation visit their website.
 

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or lreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.

DESTIN — The newest shopping boutique at Destin Commons has something for everyone.

Apricot Lane Boutique opened up mid-November and owner Debbie Johnson says business has been booming since the start with their offerings of fashionable women‘s clothing and accessories.

"Every woman has that fun, fearless and fashion-able side to them and we cater to that," Johnson said. "Whether its a summer day outfit, a spring night outfit, or a winter work outfit we have it.

"When someone walks into the store I want there to be something for each of them."

There are 90 current and planned Apricot Lane stores in 28 States and plans to open 30 to 40 stores per year.

Johnson said after researching the retail market, she knew Apricot Lane was the right way to go.

"I absolutely love it," said the former Alabama Guard woman. "The military really molded me into being a person who gives back to the community and that‘s what I want to do with this store."

The franchise allows owners to make each store unique to the area and the owners.

"We have a lot of beach-type outfits and we have a lot of mission-minded jewelry that‘s unique to our store," Johnson said. "Apricot Lane is really good about letting you be an individual."

Some of her distinct store features include a "man corner" for husbands and boyfriends to wait in with comfortable seating, manly magazines and a television with whatever game is playing.

Johnson said she‘s also included a small amount of pageant apparel and jewelry as a throwback to her daughter‘s time in the pageant circuit.

The branded fashion includes names such as Miss Me, Rock Revival and AG Jeans. The store also sells jewelry, handbags, accessories and gifts. The boutiques offerings, according to Johnson, are for women in their late teems to retirees coming to the Emerald Coast for a retreat from the cool weather.

"The best thing about the clothes is that everything we have feels good, wears good and looks good," Johnson said. "This place is for every type and every taste."
 

SHALIMAR — State Attorney Bill Eddins has charged Vision Airlines with grand theft for failing to pay more than $100,000 in fees owed to Okaloosa County.

Eddins and Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley announced the charge at a joint press conference Monday.

“We have charged the airline as a corporation,” Eddins said. “We have not charged any individuals that work with the airline. ... We have notified the company they have been charged, and they have indicated they contest the charges.”

The unpaid fees stem from passenger facility charges collected by Vision Airlines while operating at Northwest Florida Regional Airport from December 2010 to July 2012. Under federal regulations, airlines are required to collect the fees on a monthly basis for each airline ticket issued.

Under its lease with the airport, Vision agreed to keep 11 cents from each $4.50 passenger facility charge it collected and give the remaining $4.39 to the county.

“They’re required to remit that to the county within 30 days,” Eddins said. “Once they collect it, that money belongs to the county.”

In 2011, the county made repeated demands that Vision pay the fees. In December 2011, the airline agreed to pay $25,000 per week until the fees were paid, but the county received only a small portion of the revenue.

Vision still owes the county $117,659.98 in passenger facility charges.

A few minutes before Monday’s press conference began, the county was notified by Vision Airlines’ attorney that the company would pay the $117,659.98 Tuesday.

Eddins said it was too early to say whether the grand theft charge eventually could be dropped. He said he will cooperate with Vision and will seek to find a “just conclusion” to the matter.

David Meers, senior vice president of Vision Airlines, called the grand theft charge “ridiculous.”

“That whole place down there is full of shenanigans,” he said.

Meers also accused Okaloosa County of failing to “fulfill its obligations to the airline.”

He said the county didn’t follow through on more than $400,000 in advertising spending it committed to Vision as an incentive to locate at Northwest Florida Regional Airport.

Meers said the county aggressively courted Vision to land its business in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, promising to advertise the destination in areas across the country.

“We were very important to the community early on,” he said. “Once the tourists returned, we weren’t that important anymore.”

Meers said the advertising was pledged by Mark Bellinger, former director of the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council, and County Airports Director Greg Donovan.

“We invested and when it came time to follow up on the commitments, Bellinger and Donovan were nowhere to be found,” he said.

Meers said Vision began “pulling down routes” because the advertising funding dried up.

“They didn’t want to spend the money; that’s the long and short of it,” Meers said.

But county officials say Vision dropped its end of the deal by canceling service to and from Okaloosa County.

“There was a commitment made, but they stopped flying,” into Northwest Florida Regional Airport, said Mike Stenson, deputy airport director.

During the press conference, Eddins and Ashley said the charge against Vision is “a part” of their ongoing criminal investigation into the fraud scheme put in place by Bellinger during his tenure at the TDC. Bellinger is accused of misusing millions in bed tax revenue and BP oil spill grant funds from May 2010 to May 2012.

Eddins said he “cannot connect” Vision’s failure to pay the passenger finance charges to the Bellinger fraud.

He said the complex fraud investigation is made more difficult by the “untimely death of Mr. Bellinger.”

“We were left to piece together (information),” Eddins said.

Bellinger committed suicide May 4, 2012, just days after county commissioners discovered he had spent $710,000 in bed tax money on a 40-foot Marquis yacht and $747,000 in BP grant money on a home in Destin.

Since Bellinger’s death, the list of items he purchased illegally or without county approval has grown to include two RVs, furniture and custom motorcycles.

County records show that one of his first thefts — the purchase of a $48,000 Porsche Cayman — occurred three months after he was hired in May 2010.

Eddins said the criminal investigation — being handled jointly by his office and the Sheriff’s Office — will last “several more months.”

Ashley said 45 state subpoenas have been issued thus far in the investigation. Investigators are also scrutinizing internal county transactions as well as companies that did business with the county and the TDC during that time, he said.

“There’s not a rock out there we’ve not turned over and looked under,” he said. “We’re examining everything.”
 

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This summary of local climatological conditions was compiled by the Eglin Air Force Base Natural Resources division in Niceville. Read the summary.

Editor’s Note: This series recognizes people who make a difference in their communities. To nominate someone, call Wendy Victora at 315-4478 or email wvictora@nwfdailynews.com.
 

SANTA ROSA BEACH — Few women would list childbirth as a particularly fun experience, but patients of Dr. Melinda Graham all seem to say it was just that. Even her gynecology patients often leave saying they had a good time and thank her for the visit.

Graham is not your average doctor.

“I grew up in Oregon in a very relaxed, friendly environment. That seems to have melded perfectly with my practice,” Graham said. “Being friendly, talking with my patients, it comes naturally.”

Graham says her favorite part of being a doctor is getting to be a part of a family’s most important memories on the day they meet their newest family member.

“I love seeing my patients time and time again,” said Graham. “I get to see the family go through the whole process from being pregnant to the whole finale.”

Graham says her way of treating patients is to care for them as friends. She talks with them about their life and hobbies, and tells them about what is happening in her world.

“From the husband’s perspective, Dr. Graham had a great way of putting my wife at ease,” said Nathan Fischer, whose wife recently gave birth to their third child. “She was supportive and, this is weird to say, but she made it enjoyable.”

She says she loves being both an obstetrician and a gynecologist, but the babies will always be her favorite, especially when it’s a couple’s first child.

“It’s like nothing you can explain until you go through it,” she said, smiling. “The look on the parents’ face when they see this amazing thing they created — it’s amazing.”
 

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.

The latest victim in a string of dolphin deaths was found dead Sunday in Fort Morgan, Ala., and brought to Northwest Florida on Monday.

According to the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network, a fisherman in Fort Morgan, Ala., found the bottlenose dolphin Sunday with a severe head injury that appears to have been caused by a gunshot.

Members of both rescue agencies assessed the dolphin at the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge on Okaloosa Island before bringing it to a local veterinarian for X-rays and further research. Investigators were measuring the dolphin and the hole in its head, which looked to be about 4 inches across.

“We won’t know for some time what exactly killed this animal,” said Steve Shippee with the wildlife refuge. Shippee said that with only one wound on the animal and no bullet or pellets found yet, a definitive answer may take weeks or months.

The dolphin appeared to be relatively healthy otherwise — a full-grown male, about 480 pounds, about 8½ feet long — “in the prime of his life,” according to Shippee.

Sources say there has been an unusually high mortality rate of bottlenose dolphins along the Gulf Coast since 2010. Shippee said there have been about 700 dolphin deaths since then. Typically, he said, they see only about 100 each year.

A handful of the deaths have involved mutilated dolphins missing appendages on beaches in Alabama and Louisiana. Some of the cases have been especially heinous, according to marine wildlife experts, who’ve seen everything from homemade pipe bombs, gunshot wounds, and a screwdriver stuck in the head of a dolphin. Those cases have captured headlines nationwide.

If you encounter an injured or dead dolphin, contact the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge at 850-650-1880 or the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 877-WELL-HELP.
 

Destin Log Jessica Coker can be reached at 850-654-8464 or Jcoker@thedestinlog.com. Follow her on Twitter @DestinLogJess.