Healthcare services are a vital part of any community. North Walton County has been
lacking in emergency medical services since March of 2022, when Healthmark Regional
Medical Center closed its emergency room for renovations, and never reopened.
Patrick (Pat) O’Neill has put his 30 years of construction expertise into various projects in Walton County. He built Camp Gulf RV Park in Miramar Beach. With his children, Nelson, Kaylynn and Maggie, he built Twin Lakes Camp Resort, which won the Best Small Park in Florida Award this year.
In this episode we talk to Terry Mauer of Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of West Florida. While you may be familiar with the SBDC, what you may not know is that beyond start-up assistance, the SBDC offers free resources to help grow your business – and can even help with valuations and other services to sell your business.
Sweet Southern Comfort has rooted their reputation at their diner along State Road 20 in Freeport. Their praised home-cooking has patrons lining out the door. “We know about 90% of our customers by first name,” says Tammy Henderson, co-owner and operator of Sweet Southern Comfort. “We like to make people feel like they are welcome, whether they are stopping in to check out our progress here in DeFuniak Springs, or dining with us in Freeport.”
Within the past 10 years, Freeport has become the fastest growing city in the fastest
growing county in Florida, according to the city’s Planning and Zoning Department. “We are
very well located for employment opportunities,” says Samantha Graves, senior planner for
the department. “For those who work at the beach or who work for the county, for the
military, as we are close to two military bases (Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field).”
Marty and Art Dees are all smiles as they celebrate homecoming during the Walton High School parade. Art, having broadcast the football games for Walton County from 1980 to 2014, is being inducted into the Walton High School Sports Hall of Fame. “Not for my physical abilities,” he jokes. “Marty deserves the award too, because she had to do the legwork behind the scenes before the games.”
