From the mid-70s to today: A timeline of Destin history

Here are brief descriptions of many of the news events and other pieces of information published in The Log since its inception 30 years ago.

1974
•The first organized town meeting takes place in February 1974.
•Warner Cable Co. comes to Destin and the cost is $4 per hookup.
•Postal rates increase from 9 cents to 10 cents.
•First Federal Savings and Loan opens in Destin.
•Five barges measuring 1,108 feet long hit the U.S. 331 bridge trying to get through the 100-foot wide draw, killing the bridge tender and severely damaged the bridge.
•The Destin post office sends letters to all residents between Airport Road west to the Destin bridge, assigning street address numbers.
•In an editorial of The Log, Highway 98 is referred to as “Destin Speedway.” (There were no stop lights anywhere on 98.)
•Holiday Isle leaseholders appeal their tax valuations, saying they increased 30-40 percent over the previous year. According to members, in most leases, every improvement eventually reverts to the lessor. Hence, the improvement is not really the permanent property of the leaseholder ... so, how can you be taxed for something you don’t really own?

1975
•The eye of Hurricane Eloise passes over Destin, doing more damage on the bay side due to winds coming from the north side of the storm .
• The Destin Airport expansion is underway and will increase the runway length to a total of 5,000 feet.
•The Destin Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors votes to ask the state Department of Community Affairs to help explore the possibility of incorporation.
•The manager of the Destin branch of First Federal Savings and Loan is abducted from his home in a botched attempt at a ransom of $20,000. He escapes and two suspects are caught.
•A couple who had just moved to Destin is killed by their 25-year-old son at their home on Spring Lane in Destin.
•A plane crashes into the woods east of Main Street, killing the pilot from North Carolina and his two passengers from Fort Walton Beach.

1976
• Mike Mitchell, representing Destin and Okaloosa Island, is the first Republican ever elected to the Okaloosa County Commission.
•Funds are appropriated to build Destin Coast Guard station.
•Walton County Commissioners refuse to pay for right of way, thus blocking plans to four-lane Highway 98.
•Big plans are made in Destin to celebrate the Bicentennial on July 4.
•A plan is circulating in South Walton urging the formation of a Special Tax District for that area. Residents have long been concerned about limited availability of police and fire protection as well as ambulance and emergency medical assistance.
•Sandestin’s operational manager, W.A. Jerome, announces a long-awaited revival of the condominium resort. Work will begin in February to complete and reopen the enterprise.
•The Community Center votes to approve and endorse the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to have a civic center on Okaloosa Island.
•First National Bank of Destin opens.
•The 20-page Condominium Section in The Log says the “condominium graveyard” days are over, referring to those developments in financial disaster and left partially built after suffering from shoestring financing and the recession of 1974.
•The fate of Destin resident Jeanne Kelly, widow of the late Coleman Kelly, remains a mystery as she was officially declared missing at sea. She and three other people were aboard the boat, Flying Dutchman, which left Fort Walton Beach and was last seen in Apalachicola.
•In the presidential election, Destin voters favor Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter, 618-424.

1977
•The making of the movie “Jaws 2” is the highlight of the year in Destin. Filming took place on the docks and the harbor. Locals were used as extras, but most of their scenes end up on the cutting room floor.
•The state Department of Transportation says no traffic signal lights would be installed on U.S. 98 in Destin until the four-laning is complete. The first light would go at Gulf Shore Drive and U.S. 98.
•A 550-pound, 11-foot sting ray is caught off Destin.
•A spokesman with the federal Environmental Protection Agency terms the water quality in Destin’s harbor is “critical” and cites the rising pollution level.
•The new Coast Guard Station is dedicated.
•The first “grand slam” (blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish) is entered in the Destin Fishing Rodeo.
•Destin will have its first Catholic parish. Land is set aside on Beach Drive for the as yet unnamed church.
•The Destin Chamber of Commerce projects revenues for the fiscal year at $20,700.
•Voters approve a change in taxes for the Destin Fire Control District to 1 mill ($1 per $1,000 of valuation) to be levied on property without previous tax ceilings. This will result in a collection of $29,650 compared to $12,381 in 1976 for the fire district.
•About 60 residents within a mile of Coleman Kelly Field (Destin Airport) push for measures to eliminate jet aircraft use at the airport.

1978
•An increase in property taxes is expected this year, since the last appraisal was in 1969.
•The old wooden bridge to Okaloosa Island is scheduled to be torn down to make way for a new bridge.
•Construction of Indian Bayou Country Club and residential lots is announced.
•Sandestin is sold by Chase Manhattan Bank to the Bohemon Group based in the Netherlands.
•The Chamber of Commerce votes to oppose construction of a storm sewer system along the new stretch of Highway 98 until the state Department of Natural Resources and state Department of Environmental Resources assured the chamber that the system would not drain pollutants into the harbor.
•The Destin Coast Guard Station opens.
•The Gulf State Oil convention, a gathering of 1,500 oil executives, is held in Destin. It’s estimated the meeting pumped more than $500,000 into the local economy.
•The Okaloosa County Commission approves a grant of $10,000 to the Destin Chamber of Commerce for an advertising program in northern newspapers.
•Okaloosa County commissioners vote to place a referendum on the ballot for a 2 percent bed tax to help build a convention center on Okaloosa Island.
•The Destin Log writes a story about the future of Destin and calls it a most unique community for two reasons: Future growth is unlimited, and plans to handle the growth are virtually nonexistent.

1979
•The new span of East Pass bridge opens after 580 working days and expenditures of $4.3 million.
•The first Seafood Festival held in Destin is sponsored by the Destin Charter Boat Auxiliary.
•Condo sales in Destin top $35 million.
•The state Legislature OKs $4 million to buy 1.3 miles of beachfront land just east of Destin. The measure is vetoed by Gov. Bob Graham.
•Bob Hope, fishing offshore for the first time, lands a 70-pound white marlin to enter in the Destin Fishing Rodeo.
•Destin gets its first traffic light, at Highway 98 and Gulf Shore Drive.
•First National Bank of Okaloosa County begins building a branch office on Highway 98 in Destin.
•The state Department of Natural Resources proposes a new setback line for the coastline from Destin to Walton County. The original line was right in the middle of Highway 98. The proposed line is from 40-250 feet seaward of the highway, which will allow for beach construction.
•As a result of resurveying Holiday Isle to determine rightful ownership, Okaloosa County officials wonder what happened to their 100-foot right of way granted to them in 1961.
•Dr. Paul Odom opens an office in Destin and immediately wins the hearts of the community.
•South Walton residents complain they are shortchanged on services despite shouldering 50 percent of Walton County’s tax burden.

1980
•The Okaloosa County Commission votes to ban the use of red clay south of U.S. 98 in Destin after considerable pressure from residents.
•Destin enjoys its first fireworks on the Fourth of July sponsored by Destin merchants.
•Destin landmark Hawaiki Inn will become a Holiday Inn.
•Census estimate for Destin is 3,505. In 1970, it was 1,600 and in 1960, 900.
•The state insurance commissioner announces fire insurance rates in the Destin Fire Control District were lowered 20-63 percent this year due to improved fire protection service.
•Cano Estates Square opens in South Walton.
•Seaside developer Robert Davis visits The Log office in early 1980 to reveal plans for an 80-acre parcel of land in Seagrove Beach. His plans include a return to traditional seashore cottage designs of yesteryear. He estimates the project would take 10-15 years, ending with a village of 350 homes and various public buildings including a meeting center, restaurant and shops. Davis was hoping to get approval from the Walton County Commissioners to reroute County Road 30-A so that the road would loop around his property and not through it.

1981
•Destin and South Walton explore the option of separating from Okaloosa and Walton counties and forming their own county, which would be called Dune County.
•Sandestin is sold by I.L.A. Von Bohemon to Sandestin Corp.
•To help combat traffic woes on U.S. 98, the state Department of Transportation wants to remove on-street parking and put in a traffic signal at Benning Drive.
•A 928-pound tiger shark arrives at the docks late for the weigh-in and therefore cannot be entered in the Destin Fishing Rodeo.
•A 1974 county ordinance requiring developers to pay parks and recreation fees, either land or money, has not been enforced for more than a year.
•Headlines focus on the longtime dispute over 120 acres (60 acquired through accretion) of land near the end of Holiday Isle. Developers file a lawsuit with the state saying the land is theirs. The state attorney general threatens to counter-sue. County Commissioner Mike Mitchell argues that developers do not own the additional land that was created by accretion and no that no taxes had been paid on it. The state Department of Environmental Resources claims two lakes had formed due to accretion, and other state agencies get involved. The state Cabinet finally decides to accept a settlement with the developers.
“It’s just a big sand pile, inhabited by a few birds and surrounded by water, but the struggle to control it is developing into genuine epic proportions. There are protagonists, front men, surprising twists, unknown ingredients, cover-ups, etc., etc. No telling how it will end; but when it does, someone could write a first-rate novel about the west end of Holiday Isle.” — Quote from “Jackstraws,” by Jack Becklund, The Destin Log, March 1, 1979.

1982
•The first attempt at incorporating Destin is defeated by vote of 1,251 to 796.
•The Beach Boys perform a concert on the beach at Sandestin.
•Burney Henderson agrees to sell to the state Department of Natural Resources a 1.3-mile stretch of beach for $13.1 million. Gov. Bob Graham had vetoed the purchase for $4 million in 1979.
•A request by Humana, one of two health-care companies that submitted a “certificate of need” for a hospital in Destin, is denied by the state.
•Two large fish kills in Destin harbor and the subsequent stench and floating carcasses were caused by lack of oxygen, state experts say.

1983
•Shores Shopping Center, Destin’s first retail shopping complex, opens with Delchamps, Eckerd Drugs and TG&Y.
•Condo sales top $89 million.
•New post office site purchased on Main Street.
•The state Department of Transportation wants to remove the median strips, do away with on-street parking and make U.S. 98 six lanes from East Pass bridge to Gulf Shore Drive. The plan triggers heavy opposition from locals.
•Destin’s tax base is more than $430 million.

1984
•Destin’s residents vote to incorporate; the margin is 1,135 to 1,027.
•The new four-lane U.S. 98 from Destin east to the Walton County line will be constructed at a cost of $7.4 million.
•Condo sales are estimated at $200 million.
•Destin Water Users orders a moratorium on sewer connections due to overburden from extensive growth.
•An Air Force F-15 makes an emergency landing at Destin Airport after experiencing mechanical problems. After repairs are made, it takes off almost straight up off the runway.

1985
•The temperature in Destin plunges to 4 degrees.
•Shoreline Village Mall is under construction.
•The first city elections are held in January. Voters elect Bob McIlroy as mayor; Dewey Destin Jr., Richard Duke, Jimmy Vaughn and Danny Woodward to four-year terms on the City Council; and Bill Phillips, Ted Shaw and Lloyd Taylor to two-year terms on the council.
•Jack Dorman is chosen as the city manager.
•A segment on “Good Morning, America” shows a four-minute film on Destin as one of the “great places to vacation in America.”
•A Pensacola man brings in the largest blue marlin ever caught in Florida’s history during a Destin Billfish Tournament. The marlin weighed 980 pounds, 8 ounces.

1986
•The Okaloosa County Commission gives its approval to create a Bridge Authority aimed at constructing a Choctawhatchee Bay bridge.
•South Walton residents opposed to incorporation form a group called Citizens Against Incorporation Now, or CAIN.
•St. Joe Paper Co. completes the sale of 21,000 acres of South Walton land, including nearly 7 miles of beachfront.
•Humana Hospital opens on Airport Road.
•K-Mart opens a store at Main Street and U.S. 98.
•Groups form in Okaloosa and Walton counties to keep Old 98 open through Henderson Beech State Park, but the closing is supported by Gov. Bob Graham.
•Mary Anne Adler of Destin is convicted of second-degree murder in the death of her husband, Joel Adler.
•The state Department of Education says Bay Elementary School should be closed because of low enrollment and the building is a fire hazard.
•Destin officials may ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to examine the feasibility of deepening the channel at the entrance of Old Pass Lagoon to 12-14 feet.

1987
•The Destin Community Center board agrees to deed the center property to the city of Destin, and one month later, the Legislature appropriates $200,000 for construction of a new center.
•The Destin Fishing Museum opens through the efforts of the Destin Charter Boat Women’s Auxiliary Association.
•Destin Library looks into becoming city-operated, which would make it eligible for state grants.
•A single-engine airplane crashes into the 19th floor of Hidden Dunes condominium on the day before Christmas. The pilot is seriously injured and is pulled through a window of the condo while the plane hung precariously. The passenger was killed.
•$6 million worth of marijuana was confiscated off a boat anchored in Destin harbor.
•City officials are investigating the possibility of leasing the Gulf Village Realty building between Kelly Docks and U.S. 98 for a city hall.

1988
•Destin’s first Mayfest Festival is held at the Downtown Destin Shopping Center.
•First National Bank of Destin merges with AmSouth Bank of Florida.
•The state announces plans to require saltwater fishing licenses.
•Destin’s tax base is $734 million.
•The governor and Cabinet approve permits for the Old Pass Lagoon flushing pipeline.
•An out-of-state man is shot and killed in the Destin Elementary School parking lot due to an apparent “drug deal gone bad.”
•Okaloosa County commissioners vote to commit 67 percent of the county’s future revenues from local gasoline tax as security for a bond to finance the construction of a bridge connecting Destin and Niceville.
•The Florida Marine Fisheries Commission bans fishing for king mackerel until July 1 of this year; after that, anglers will be allowed only one king per day.
•The city of Destin finances are given a clean bill of health. The initial budget in 1984 was $250,000 and this year is $4 million.

1989
•Destin’s Wal-Mart opens, employing some 150 people.
•Phillip Cook is named Destin city manager.
•The governor and Florida Cabinet give conceptual approval to the development plans for Henderson Beach State Park after the county turned over a portion of Old Highway 98. The city of Destin and many residents want the road left open.
•Destin has a sprinkling of snow as the temperature dropped to 20 degrees.
•The Destin Library is transferred to the city of Destin.
•The U.S. Air Force agrees to grant the easement needed for construction of the Mid-Bay Bridge.
•Destin residents get to see the space shuttle riding piggyback on a special 747 jet as it flies over the East Pass to land at Eglin Air Force Base for refueling.
•Jack Dorman, Destin’s first city manager, resigns.
•The city agrees that residents will participate in a curbside recycling program.
•The state Senate approves a bill requiring residents and visitors to buy an annual saltwater fishing license.

1990
•The old Destin Community Center is torn down to make room for a new building.
•The state Department of Natural Resources announces that bids will go out for the $2.1 million appropriation to build Henderson Beach State Park, and Old 98, which goes through the park, will be closed.
•Area transportation planners recommended that Destin build a collector road north of U.S. 98 to alleviate traffic.
•The Tourist Development Council endorses a plan to buy warning flags (blue, yellow, red) to post on area beaches to alert swimmers to water conditions.
•Turner Network Television begins filming the station’s first feature film at Tops’l.
•Destin Savings Bank opens.

1991
•In January, the area’s 55-year rainfall record is broken when 16.39 inches of rain falls. The previous record was set in 1936.
•Walton County commissioners approve a development plan for 22 acres of environmentally sensitive land at Topsail Hill. The development includes two 15-story condominiums.
•The city buys a 11.5 acre parcel of land for $474,000 to build a new City Hall.
•The newly constructed Destin Community Center opens.

1992
•Food World opens in Destin.
•The state buys more than 18,000 acres in South Walton from the federal government for $20 million.
•Sandestin announces plans to begin at least $60 million in new construction at the resort.
•Rough weather again causes the end of Holiday Isle to be breached.
•Silver Sands Factory Outlet, a giant outlet mall, opens in South Walton.
•The Scenic 30-A Business Association is formed.
•Destin’s Community Center Board, which was formed in 1944, is dissolved.
•More than 1,100 acres burn in wildfires between County Road 83 and County Road 393 in Walton County.
•Groundbreaking for the Mid-Bay Bridge takes place.

1993
•The Mid-Bay Bridge opens in June, and bridge coupons are available.
•The Green Knight, a Destin landmark, will be moved to a new home in Fort Walton Beach.
•The state Department of Education recommends a middle school be built in Destin.
•The state Cabinet approves a submerged land lease for the Destin Fishing Fleet Inc. to build a 40-slip dock and marina in Destin’s harbor.
•County commissioners approve a plan to acquire an additional 52 acres at the Destin Airport to prevent encroachment problems in the future. There was opposition and the city held a meeting to dispel rumors and misconceptions.

1994
•The Okaloosa County School Growth Committee recommends a middle school be built in Destin.
•Property values jump $142 million over the previous year.
•Groundbreaking takes place for a Destin City Hall on Two Trees Road in Destin.
•Destin’s City Council votes to file a motion for an injunction against Columbia to either force the reopening of Destin hospital or revoke its license. The hospital closes.
•The Okaloosa County tax collector files lawsuits over 789 complaints against Holiday Isle and Okaloosa Island property owners for back taxes.
•Okaloosa County offers Old Highway 98 to the city of Destin.

1995
•Destin’s City Council votes to relocate Old 98 and denied a proposed U.S. 98 bypass through residential neighborhoods.
•Okaloosa County commissioners approve transferring the county’s right of way on Old Highway 98 to Jay Odom and accept ownership of the relocated road, which swings 250 feet north of the previous beach route.
•Destin’s new City Hall opens.
•Hurricane Erin causes some $600,000 in damage to structures in Destin.
•Developer Peter Bos offers a 15-acre parcel of land just south of Mid-Bay Bridge for a new middle school in exchange for 15 acres in Fort Walton Beach owned by the school board.
•Two months after Hurricane Erin, Hurricane Opal slams Destin. Damage is extensive; curfews are instituted in beach areas.
•Local fishermen challenge the state net ban and ask for an injunction to block enforcement, but lose the battle.

1996
•Southern Living magazine’s informal survey of the most popular family vacation destinations shows Destin coming in third behind Walt Disney World and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
•Destin Mayor Ken Beaird signs a contract to accept Old Highway 98 from the county.
•James Greer of Seale, Ala., becomes the millionth angler to enter the annual Destin Fishing Rodeo.
•Charlie Clary of Destin wins a seat in the state Senate.
•The city puts a temporary halt to development (large-scale projects near U.S. 98) because the traffic on certain areas of the highway exceeds the amount the city’s Comprehensive Plan allows.
•Destin’s City Council votes to keep the no-wake zone in the harbor.

1997
•98 Palms Shopping Center is approved by the city.
•A meeting is planned between Destin Water Users and the city regarding leasing 28 acres.
•Destin Middle School opens.
•Arcon Medical facility opens, promising 24-hour urgent care.
•Filming of the “The Truman Show” starring Jim Carrey takes place at Seaside.
•The Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council considers building a convention center on Okaloosa Island.
•Northwest Florida, including Okaloosa and Walton counties, receives a new telephone area code: 850.
•The Destin Fishing Museum closes after 10 years.

1998
•Sandestin Resort is sold to Intrawest by Sime Darby Berhard for $130 million.
•Abbott Realty is sold to ResortQuest.
•Bealls announces it will open a department store in Destin.
•Larry Rubenstein of Duluth, Ga., is hired as the next Destin city manager.
•The traditional 90-year-old Destin Christmas Party for children is canceled.
•Destin’s City Council approves moving Destin’s oldest home, a log cabin now on Cobbs Point, to a new site at the Destin Library. It was originally a guest cottage of Charles Hughes, longtime community leader who was active in the Community Center, Destin Airport and Destin Fishing Rodeo.
•Destin’s population reaches more than 10,000.
•The width of Norriego Point on Holiday Isle shrinks from 80 feet to 40 feet in two days of heavy weather.
•The state Department of Environmental Protection gives a preliminary OK for geotubes to be placed along Norriego Point to help stop erosion.
•The cost of a $350,000 comprehensive development study of the area along Destin’s harbor is being split by the city and private property owners.
•A professor of law at Florida State university says the state recognizes the customary right of the public to use the beach upland from the mean high water line where beachgoers historically have made use of the beach for recreational purposes.

1999
•The Gulf of Mexico Fishing Management Council raises the size limit on red snapper from 15 inches to 18 inches.
•The city of Destin decides that traffic traveling through Destin from other communities will be excluded from the traffic count. This allows continued approval of development projects, since the state prohibits developmental approval without the infrastructure (roads) to accommodate growth.
•A bill is introduced in the state Legislature to name the Destin bridge after one of the community’s founders, William T. Marler.
•Columbia, owner of the Destin Hospital, which closed, has opened a 24-hour urgent care facility on the site of the old hospital.
•Silver Beach Cottages and Motel, the oldest motel in Destin, is set to be demolished and a condominium will be built on the site.
•Residents in South Walton are upset because yellow sand is dumped on the white sand beach during emergency work.
•Whose beach is it? Conflicts between beach vendors, property owners and the public are growing. Beach vendors are making it difficult for the public to walk on the beach, property owners are planting “No Trespassing” signs. The City Council has proposed an dry-sand ordinance to ensure the public’s long-standing use of dry sand areas of the city’s beaches. Opponents say the city is taking away their property rights. Destin’s land-use attorney says litigation may be the only option for the city.
•The Destin Library Thrift Shop closes after 20 years.
•Officials from Sacred Heart Hospital propose construction of a hospital for Destin and South Walton on land donated by St. Joe Co.
•The Florida Cabinet votes to sell 114 acres to Walton County for construction of a “New Town Center” for South Walton.

2000
•The $3.6 million, 29-acre Destin Sports Complex opens.
•Heavy equipment trucks haul 100 truckloads of sand a day to Destin beaches to spread along the eroded dunes. It’s costing the city $1.2 million.
•The polarizing issue of the public’s use of the beach continues. After a special City Council meeting, the city approves on the first reading ordinances to preserve the public’s customary use of the dry sand area, restricting the beach vendors in the Crystal Beach area from setting umbrellas within 20 feet of the shore, and providing a 10-foot pedestrian zone near the water’s edge. The Southeast Legal Foundation said a recent survey fixed the mean high water line approximately 20 feet into the Gulf. Destin city councilors say there’s no way the high tide mark on local beaches could be 20 feet into the Gulf of Mexico.
•86 percent of Destin’s land area is built upon or not able to build for various reasons. Developers are branching out into other locations.
•A little-known ordinance passed five years ago has suddenly been dusted off. The ordinance banned short-term rentals and applied to Crystal Beach and most of Holiday Isle. The ban had mostly been ignored until now.
•The city of Destin files a lawsuit against Okaloosa County for its approval of Legendary Realty’s 700,000 square foot shopping facility, Destin Commons, at Danny Wuerffel Way and U.S. 98.

2001
•In January, the enforcement of the city’s sign ordinance kicked in and the code enforcement department estimate 150 signs will have to be replaced or changed. The original ordinance allowed seven years to conform.
•A new $800,000, 6,000 square foot Destin Area Chamber of Commerce headquarters is planned at Regatta Bay.
•Preliminary 2000 census figures estimate Destin’s population at 12,315.
•Destin’s City Council is looking into creating a Destin police force, after learning the contract with Okaloosa County will cost $1 million this year.
•Walton County sues Okaloosa County for approving Destin Commons, a major retail/commercial complex that would attract shoppers, tourists and might increase traffic.
•Construction starts in South Walton on Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast.
•The short-term rental ban ordinance has been repealed by the city.
•The Destin Area Chamber of Commerce forms a task force to explore taking an active role in Destin’s next city election.
•Work begins on widening Danny Wuerffel Way and upgrading the intersection at U.S. 98. It should be finished in 2002.
•The City Council authorizes spending money to hire an architect to draw up a plan for a yet-to-be-funded city swimming pool.
•A group of harbor property owners will pay for a land-use consultant to draft a detailed boardwalk proposal to present to the city.
•Environmental artist Wyland spends eight days painting marine life murals on the sides of a huge boat storage building at Mid-Bay Marina.

2002
•The Destin City Council OKs a $10 million bond issue to include building sidewalks, expanding Destin Cemetery, building a swimming pool, planning stormwater management, buying land for recreation and replacing the harbor pump.
•Grand Boulevard, a 700,000 square foot complex on 52 acres north of U.S. 98 in South Walton is approved by Walton County Design Review Board.
•Walton County School Board members vote to close Bay Middle School and merge it with the new South Walton High School.
•Jill Silverboard named Destin’s new city manager, replacing Larry Rubenstein.
•The Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin stages a grand opening.
•The Destin Fire Control District will buy a fireboat, the first on Choctawhatchee Bay.
•The Walton County Commission rejects Okaloosa County’s counter-offer to settle the Destin Commons lawsuit. A mediator will get involved.
•The three-day Price Oil Celebrity golf and fishing tournament is held in Destin for the first time.
•Destin Historical Preservation Society is formed to help identify and preserve memorabilia and photographs from Destin’s past.
•Capt. Dennis Barrett and his crew land a record-breaking 1,054.6-pound blue marlin.
•The Southeast Region of the National Marine Fisheries Service approves a three-year moratorium that will cap the number of charter and head boats that can fish in federal waters.
•After 15 years, the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce cancels its annual Mayfest event.
•The Inn at WaterColor opens a new development adjacent to Seaside.
•To counter a “negative public perception” of Destin, the City Council hires a public relations consultant to give the city a better image.

2003
•Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast at U.S. 98 and Mack Bayou Road in Walton County opens for patients.
•Hearings begin on a proposal to dredge sand from the Gulf of Mexico and add it to about 6 miles of Destin and Walton County beach deemed “critically eroded” by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
•A Bass Pro Shops store opens at Destin Commons, attracting thousands of first-day shoppers.
•A Home Depot store opens in Destin; it’s expected to employ 150-200 workers.
•Destin Commons opens. A lavish party attracts hundreds of guests.
•The new Destin Library opens in a new building on the city’s west side.
•The Destin City Council votes for a proposal to change the name of U.S. 98 between Marler Bridge and Gulf Shore Drive to Harbor Boulevard.
•The Walton County Commission votes to drop its lawsuit against Okaloosa County over the Destin Commons project.
•An application to build a Target store just east of the new Home Depot is filed in Okaloosa County.
•A developer proposes to open an Albertson’s Supermarket north of U.S. 98 at the western intersection of County Road 30-A.
•The city of Destin looks into plans to annex 2,200 acres east of the city. The plan is put on hold because the city can’t meet the test for a referendum.
•Over a weekend in June, eight people drown on beaches in Destin and South Walton. Rip currents are blamed.
•Okaloosa County commissioners approve funds for beach renourishment and put the project closer to reality. Some property owners object to the project because they say they would “lose control of their property to the water’s edge as their deeds declare.”
•Four-laning of the section of U.S. 98 in South Walton between Sandestin and County Road 30-A is completed.
•Flamingo Cafe close after 17 years on the harbor in Destin.
•Developer Jay Odom wants to build a new terminal at the Destin Airport. Nearby residents object because they say it’ll generate more noise and pollution.
•Destin’s new city manager, Greg Kisela, will start Jan. 5, 2004.
•Destin’s City Council votes to put a harbor boardwalk on the priority list for the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.

2004
• The Okaloosa County Commission adopted new colors for warning flags, including purple for dangerous sea life, excepting sharks.
• Okaloosa-Walton Community College receives accreditation as a four-year college and will change its name.
• Controversy erupts when Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville contracted to sell the home and surrounding 11 acres in Destin that Mattie Kelly gave to the college in her will.
• John Sumrall takes over as chairman of the board of directors of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce.
• An unmarked grave at Destin Memorial Cemetery leaves city officials wondering who is buried there.
• New beach safety patrols authorized for Destin beaches.
• Peter Bos wants more structures at HarborWalk Village.
• From vandalism to underage drinking to drug use, crime by Destin’s young adults continues to rise.
• Local rescue workers train to join the Destin beach-safety rescue patrols.
•  Dewey Destin and Ted Corcoran become new members of Destin City Council.
• Destin Library celebrates first anniversary in new building.
• Charter boat captains face low water level in East Pass.
• Legion Drive targeted as proposed east/west corridor to ease traffic on U.S. 98.
• Father David B. Powell selected as new rector of St. Andrews By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Destin.
• Tom Becnel plans a new project, Palms of Destin Resort and Conference Center on the north side of U.S. 98, east of  Destin’s City Hall, that would add more towers to the skyline.
• Destiny, one of the biggest and the newest charter fishing boat operating out of Destin’s harbor, begins fishing.
• Meredith Kaltz crowned Miss Destin 2004 and chosen as Miss Photogenic by Log photographer Jay Thane.
• Jon Barbee, 18-year old Destin resident, catches 9-foot, 322.7-pound bull shark.
• Jay Odom seeks approval for new terminal at city airport.
• Bass Pro Shop, celebrates first anniversary at Destin Commons, averages between 28,000 and 30,000 customers a week.
• City Council says boardwalk at Destin harbor more important than walkway under Marler Bridge.
• Olin Marler’s 11-story, 100-room Destin Harbor Hotel wins approval from City Council.
• Destin tourists generate approximately $188 million in total sales annually, 39 percent of the total economic impact tourism has in Okaloosa County according to a study by the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development.
• Destin All Stars win the Section 1 Championship title and a trip to Florida State Championships in DeLand.
• A  powerful storm hits the Destin area July 15.
• Henderson Beach in Destin named one of top 100 family campgrounds by ReserveAmerica.
• Foreign workers living on private property in Destin are told to move.
• Boat rededicated after Reddin Brunson restores Primrose, oldest known seine fishing boat still in existence.
• With Destin and its fishing heritage as her inspiration, Judy Shillingburg’s artwork is selected for this year’s Destin Seafood Festival poster.
• Items, including anchor and cookware, stolen from renovated Primrose.
• Destin City Councilor Sam Seevers gives up her role as Destin’s representative on the Tourist Development Council.
• St. Andrew’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church burglarized; homeless man arrested.
• Peter Bos withdraws his annexation request for Turnberry Harbour development, but said the land would be developed eventually.
• Destin resident Bob Beil organizes a beach sit-in near Seafarer Condominiums in Destin to protest restricted access to area beaches.
• Destin Middle and Destin Elementary, both high-performance schools under state guidelines, receive a combined $157,368 in school recognition funds.
• Destin beach renourishment delayed a year.
• Prominent charter boat captain William Frank Davis moves to Alabama after more than 50 years of fishing in the Destin area.
• Hurricane Frances whimpers out and spares Panhandle.
• Destin Fire Chief Tuffy Dixon says the first year for the Destin Fire Control District’s beach safety program definitely successful.
• The eye of Hurricane Ivan comes ashore at 3 a.m. Sept. 16 about 100 miles west of Destin at Gulf Shores, Ala. At landfall, it was a Category 3 storm packing winds of 130 mph.
• The Destin Log, whose building was heavily damaged in Hurricane Ivan, moves temporary offices to Destin Commons East Office Building.
• Residents who evacuated area return to find damage around town including trees down, shingles lost and roof damage, bent and broken signs, damaged docks and piers and damage to several boats.
• The heaviest damage in Destin occurs on Holiday Isle, where about 250 homes were red-tagged by city building inspectors, making them uninhabitable by law until major repairs take place.
• Destin lays claim to the biggest mural in the world, the Whaling Wall No. 88, according to the man who painted it, muralist Wyland. The sea life mural is on the wall at Legendary Marina’s boat storage building.
• Construction of a Target store in Destin’s Shores Shopping Center, which would replace Bruno’s Supermarket, could begin next spring.
• Work begins to repair local beaches hit by Hurricane Ivan.
• Destin Seafood Festival draws largest crowds ever, partly due to name entertainment such as Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits.
• The Catastrophe Team at BoatU.S. sets up a temporary salvage yard in the parking lot of Destin’s Lucky Snapper restaurant where every private boat insured by BoatU.S. that sank between Destin and Navarre is taken. All of the totaled boats will be put up for sale through an Internet auction.
• The Destin City Council approves the Villages of Crystal Beach, 119 single-family townhomes proposed for the site of Destin RV Resort in Crystal Beach and Palms of Destin, a new resort to be built near City Hall.
• Jim Breitenfeld, a former executive director of the Okaloosa County Economic Development Council, is hired by the Destin Harbor Business District as new executive director.
• The city of Destin hires a contractor and now awaits approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to rebuild sand dunes that could help protect homeowners from a future storm.
• Destin City Council votes to extend Commons Boulevard to Airport Road.
• During month-long October Destin Fishing Rodeo, 821 fish were weighed in, and volunteers worked more than 2,500 hours.
• Destin celebrates its 20th anniversary of incorporation as a city.
• Henderson Park Inn closes; sold to Henderson Park LLC of Georgia.
• New terminal at Destin Airport approved by City Council.
• Destin Commons celebrates first anniversary.
• Residents object to plans for a new 10-story condominium on Holiday Isle.
• Pastor Joseph Rogers celebrates the 10th anniversary of his ministry at Destin Assembly of God.
• Beach Community Bank to move into vacant Krystal building on U.S. 98 next year.
• Bidding ends for the auction for more than 70 boats damaged in Hurricane Ivan and insured by BoatU.S.
• Musician David Ott returns to Destin and sees the area becoming a cultural center.
• Destin welcome sign, destroyed by Hurricane Ivan, replaced with new billboard-sized sign.

2005
•The board of the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation formally requests that Destin annex the foundation’s 52-acre property north of Commons Boulevard, and the City Council voted unanimously to accept the land into the city.
•Controversial plans to build 10-story, 155-foot condo tower at the end of Holiday Isle are put on hold.
•Destin’s shuttle service begins running again with a new charge of 50 cents per ride, 25 cents for seniors, with one free transfer between buses.
•The Log returns to its Airport Road home after four and a half months at Destin Commons. Its building was damaged during Hurricane Ivan.
•Phone survey with Destin residents shows the library ranks first in satisfaction, with traffic in Destin at the bottom of list.
•Destin has lost control of growth, City Councilor Dewey Destin says.
•Lack of affordable housing is becoming a worsening problem in Destin — as prices of new and existing homes continue to climb.
•15-acre annexation approved by City Council for a proposed Becnel Co. condo near the Sockeyes store along Commons Drive.
•Bruno’s, a grocery in city’s oldest shopping center, is being razed to make way for a Target.
•Because of Destin’s past experience applying for disaster relief, the city is ahead of other Florida communities in being reimbursed for its expenses after Hurricane Ivan.
•A group of 10 business leaders, most of whom are residents of the Destin area, file for a banking charter to establish GulfSouth Private Bank in Destin.
•Former first lady Barbara Bush makes a surprise visit to Destin to speak at the 2005 Gulf Power Economic Symposium at Sandestin.
•The city of Destin’s proposed municipal resort tax, which would add a 2 percent fee to short-term rentals, is approved in a citywide referendum.
•New city ordinance forbids beach vendors from blocking the public’s access to the 20 feet of beach north of the “mean high water line.”
•Nine-story Norriego Pointe condo project receives approval.
•Destin Bank closes its doors for the last time April 22 as The Financial Centre and reopen the next day as part of the New Orleans-based Whitney Holding Corp., parent company of Whitney National Bank.
•Body of Lannie Wells Jones Sr. found at Spunky Monkey. Police ruled it a homicide.
•Longtime Destin Elementary School teachers Kathy Marler Blue and Leah McGill retire.
•Grace Lutheran Church moves to new campus on Commons Boulevard.
•Destin City Councilor Sam Seevers takes over as president of Northwest Florida League of Cities.
•The municipal resort tax dies after failing to receive approval in the state Legislature after it was found that the tax would not hold up if challenged in
•Destin businessmen, including developer Jay Odom and Fudpucker’s owners Tim Edwards, Chester Kroeger, Mike Frey and David Smith, buy the former Sockeye’s building and surrounding land.
•A judge rules in favor of Okaloosa-Walton College in its bid to sell the late Mattie Kelly’s Indian Trail Drive estate in Destin.
•Beachfront property owners enlist help of Southeastern Legal Foundation in fight to block the controversial beach restoration project.
•Mattie Kelly’s family hires Miami attorney to continue their fight against Okaloosa-Walton College about a plan to sell her homestead to developers.
•Airport noise abatement plan would cost more than $7.2 million.
•Holiday Isle and Crystal Beach neighborhood hit hard by Hurricane Dennis.
•Destin residents and tourists find high prices, fuel-empty stations and long lines at the pumps while preparing to evacuate for Hurricane Dennis.
•Hurricane Dennis causes serious beach erosion.
•Destin Area Chamber of Commerce holds beach rally in support of restoring the beaches.
•Whether or not Destin homeowners approve, developer Jay Odom says he’s going ahead with construction at Destin Airport.
•Groundbreaking held for Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village.
•Destin Area Chamber of Commerce is presented with the Award for Excellence for mid-sized chambers by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.
•Hurricane Katrina batters Holiday Isle as it destroys parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
•Carloads of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina flock to Destin, and the area responds with generous donations and help.
•The City Hall annex serves as clearinghouse for hurricane evacuees seven days a week.
•Fuel shortage hits Destin’s fishing fleet as the Destin Fisherman Co-Op limits diesel purchases to co-op members only, and HarborWalk Marina is out of fuel.
•Whale’s Tail restaurant in danger from beach erosion.
•City Council rejects Jay Odom’s proposal for Destin Jet.
•Destin developer Rod Wright purchases land along U.S. 98 for an undisclosed development plan.
•New GulfSouth Private Bank in Destin opens on Main Street.
•Derelict boats wasting away on Holiday Isle could prove to be environmental concern.

2006
•Construction on the road project designed to protect U.S. 98 from washing away in a future hurricane begins.
•Several dolphin found stranded in Choctaw Bay — with only one found alive.
•Kevin Bowyer installed as chairman of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce.
•Elena Smith, 14, of Destin retrieves the cross in the 31st annual Dive for the Cross.
•Jim Dettle named the 2005 Business Person of the Year by the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce.
•Tiering system in the city’s new Land Development Code allows taller buildings with more “dwelling units” per acre than the former LDC, but only if developers provide certain public benefits in return.
•Destin’s AJ’s and Jet Ultra Lounge are among Nightclub & Bar magazine’s Editor’s Top 100 bars and nightclubs.
•Destin History and Fishing Museum presents first special exhibit — works of the late artist John Destin.
•The vice president and general manager of a Legendary Inc. subsidiary, Charles Craig Cole of Pensacola, has been fired after authorities charged him with stealing up to $300,000 from the company.
•The city of Destin has combined a series of turn lanes along U.S. 98 into a single, almost uninterrupted lane running from Matthew Boulevard to Two Trees Road.
•Donut Hole restaurant in Destin  reopens after months of repairs.
•Capt. Brant Kelly of the charter boat Relentless pulled four anglers from the Gulf of Mexico during high winds.
•Destin Middle School bands earn ‘A’s’ in all evaluations for ninth year.
•Craig Barker re-elected mayor of Destin, with Jim Bagby, Sam Seevers and Kelly Windes elected city councilman.
•New terminal opens at Destin Airport.
•Destin Elementary School celebrates 50 years of education.
•Kayla Killian chosen as Miss Destin 2006.
•Beach restoration halted until at least Oct. 1 due to another sea turtle death.
•101 boats blessed during the 49th annual Blessing of the Fleet.
•Lowell Kelly continues legal battle to have wishes of his grandmother, Mattie Kelly, honored.
•First storm of season, Alberto closes beaches in Destin but brings no needed rain.
•The 21st Destin Deep Water Shark Tournament makes its return after an 11-year hiatus.
•Destin’s new City Hall Annex on Two Trees Road dedicated in mid-July.
•Miss Chen Restaurant, opened in 1976 in Destin, to close by end of year.
•Destin Beach Safety Patrol lifeguards win first  Panhandle Lifeguard Relay.
•The Emerald Harbor timeshare and condo project planned for Destin harbor district will not be built.
•Superintendent of Schools Don Gaetz said, the obstacles to building a high school in Destin — finding enough students and enough money and enough land — will be hard to overcome.
•21st Destin Deep Water Shark Tournament sponsored by the Destin History Fishing Museum and Destin Fishing Fleet Marina draws supporters and protestors.
•After three years of controversy, heated meetings and legal battles, Jay Odom’s Destin Jet terminal is now under construction and expected to finished in late 2007.
•Oct. 1 biggest first day the Rodeo has ever had.
•Destin City Council votes unanimously to buy harbor property for $4.6, three-quarters of which will be paid by Florida’s Communities Trust grant program.
•Captain Jim Westbrook earns the 2006 Destin Fishing Rodeo’s Captain’s Award.
•Destin City Manager Greg Kisela survived motion to fire after charges of bribery, “ulterior motives” and ethics violations.
•Merrick World Cup Classic offshore powerboat races held for first time in Destin.
•The Kiwanis Club of Destin names Jallene Dixon Kiwanian of the Year.
•Alexis Tibbetts, former principal at Destin Middle School and current principal at Fort Walton Beach High School, elected superintendent of Okaloosa County Schools.
•City Councilor Sam Seevers works  to create a Destin Youth Council, an official city committee that would weigh in on how city policies affect the city’s children and teens.
•Ron and Joy Adams’ Kelly Plantation home, listed at $12 million, set to become the most expensive home to ever sell in Destin and South Walton.

2007
•John Comer, with the Southern Restaurant Group in Destin, honored as the Business Person of the Year by the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce.
•Paul Woolman selected for fifth year to receive the Ambassador of the Year Award from the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce.
•David Pleat becomes chairman of the Destin chamber’s executive committee board.
•Destin Pointe residents ask local, state and federal governments to help protect their property from rapid beach erosion on Holiday Isle.
•The Okaloosa-Walton College Foundation closed the sale of 13 acres on the Mattie Kelly estate on Indian Trail Drive in Destin.
•Destin’s City Council approved a contract of more than $400,000 for Tetra Tech to design a conceptual plan for the future of Destin harbor and the harbor district.
•Ideas for homeless situation in Destin come from local churches, organizations and city.
•Destin’s captains concerned about the potentially catastrophic effect of proposed new government regulations on the red snapper fishery.
•No crooked deals, no Sunshine Law violations according to the Office of the State Attorney over City Manager Greg Kisela’s handling of a cemetery plot sale, an employee’s firing and whether some council members had broken the state’s open government laws.
•Finish date for Legion Drive/Main Street intersection pushed back to April.
•Destin History and Fishing Museum decides to end shark tournament after controversial debate.
•The widening of Airport Road, once expected to start in September 2006, finally begins. It continues today and is expected to be completed in May of 2008.
•Coastal Living magazine ranked Destin’s harbor sixth in the country.
•A judge awarded residents of a Norriego Point condominium, East Pass Towers II, a little more than $4.5 million in a fight with their insurance company over damages sustained during Hurricane Ivan.
•World famous Trader Vic’s restaurant opens at The Palms of Destin.
•Destin Airport to install final 4,000 feet of 23,000-foot security fence begun in 2004.
•Shane O’Dell, a financial advisor with the McGovern Group at Merrill Lynch, was named the 2007 Emerging Leader of the Year.
•The crews of the Sea Ya Later II and Mother Lode catch a 1,063-pound mako.
•New Miss Destin is Emily Anne Kaltz, 16-year-old junior at Fort Walton Beach High School.
•Drowning death becomes the first on a guarded beach in Destin since the introduction of the Destin Beach Safety Patrol in 2003.
•A Destin dog park, skateboard park and tennis courts are all part of the city Recreation Committee’s plan for Destin’s future.
•The new Destin Youth Council has first meeting with 14 members.
•Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation moves to 4323 Commons Drive in Destin behind Grace Lutheran Church and opens events with 2007 Concerts in the Park series.
•2006 became the third driest year in Destin’s records, but 2007 could be even drier.
•Tommy Britt, assistant principal of Destin Middle School for eight years, named by Okaloosa County School Superintendent Alexis Tibbetts as new principal at Destin Middle School.
•Grace Lutheran Church in Destin begins giving $10,000 grants from $1 million donation.
•Emerald Grande high-rise officially opens at the harbor..
•City Engineer Chuck Meister recognized by his fellow engineers as the state’s 2007 Government Engineer of the Year.
•The lifeguards from the Destin Beach Safety Patrol win second annual Panhandle Relays, a competition pitting members of the Destin Beach Safety Patrol against lifeguards from Okaloosa Island, South Walton and Orange Beach, Ala.
•Rapid erosion on Norriego Point has caused the tip of the point to curl toward the harbor’s north shore, making the harbor’s mouth a dangerous ‘one-way street.’
•Eight manatees turn up near Crab Island.
•Destin-based DAG Architects named the Firm of the Year by the American Institute of Architects Florida.
•Local watercolor artist Judy Shillingburg selected as the winner of the Destin Seafood Festival Poster Contest for the fourth consecutive year.
•Community mourns after longtime resident Jimmy Shirah dies at age 50 of a heart attack. Shirah was a well-known net fisherman.
•President Bill Clinton attended a $2,300-a-plate fund-raiser at Harbor Docks for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
•City Councilor Sam Seevers appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of the Florida League of Cities and reappointed as a member of its board of directors during the group’s annual conference.
•Things go from bad to worse on Norriego Point as the tip of the point breached earlier creates a sandbar on the west end of the breakwater.
•Destin Family YMCA opens doors. New facility includes a heated competition swimming pool with handicap access, a large family pool with zerodepth entry and a slide system for all ages.
•William Hatfield becomes new editor at The Log when Jim Wagner moves to New Mexico.
•Human trafficking, a million-dollar industry in Destin, is a big problem with no easy solution, investigators tell The Log in an investigative piece.
•Oct. 1 is designated as Capt. “Salty” Reddin Brunson Day in the city of Destin as the 59th annual Destin Fishing Rodeo begins.
•844-pound mako shark is Rodeo’s biggest catch in history.
•Harbor history is made as city councilors give green light to blueprint for harbor’s future. The Tetra Tech plan succeeded where two previous plans failed.
•The Destin World Cup returns to the waters off Destin and brings roaring powerboats to the region.
•Outbreak of red tide worst in more than a decade as hundreds of dead fish and eels wash up on shores in Destin.
•The city lists five derelict vessels in Destin waters as city tries to clean up ‘marine junkyard.’
•AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar will be the host of the 2008 and 2009 Destin Fishing Rodeos.
•Hurricane season ends with Destin and Florida spared again. Meanwhile, Holiday Isle beaches continue to dwindle as sand slips away.
•Alan Laird, owner of AJ’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Laird says the move is a reorganization and that it will be “business as usual” at the iconic restaurant.
•City agrees to purchase Destin Campground for $4.4 million to build a road between Beach and Benning Drives.
•Destin’s Hosanna House begins renovations to interior of building purchased on Calhoun Avenue. The woman’s shelter expects to open in March 2008.
•Destin resident Marti Gardner to take over as principal at Destin Elementary School Jan. 7 when Susan Larrimore retires.

2008
•Old magnolia tree just east of the Lucky Snapper down on Destin’s docks struggles as one of Destin’s oldest landmarks.
•Destin buys Beach Drive’s Destin Campground for $4.397 million to create a road link between Benning and Beach.
•New Polar Bear Club raises $1,500 for junior lifeguard program in inaugural plunge into icy Gulf of Mexico on New Year’s Day.
•Peter Bos receives Destin Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year award.
•AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar logo on the sign welcoming visitors to Destin removed per agreement with Eglin Air Force Base. New sign rises.
•Norriego Point continues to curl north, making navigation for Destin’s charter fishing fleet tricky and dangerous.
•Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners approves a plan for what would be Destin’s first dog park at Destin Commons.
•Both Legendary Inc. and Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort have had to lay off dozens of people.
•Turnnberry Harbour in Destin opens new multi-million dollar sales center.
•Hundreds of people show up at The Donut Hole in Destin to see Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani.
•Destin City Council approves Harbor Reflections, a proposed 15-story condominium tower to be built to the immediate west of Harbor Docks Restaurant.
•Destin City Manager Greg Kisela decides to stay in Destin instead of taking job with Tampa Bay Water Supply Authority.
•Cracks in the concrete caps that support Marler Bridge have Florida Department of Transportation officials steering trucks with heavy loads away from the bridge. Signs continue to warn truckers almost a year later.
•Dewey Destin, Sandy Trammell, Tom Weidenhamer, and James Wood elected to Destin City Council.
•Henderson Beach State Park celebrates 25 years.
•Home raided in Indian Bayou and 40 mature high-grade marijuana plants seized. Nine months later police discover another “indoor marijuana farm” in a resident’s loft on Country Club Drive.
•Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Board of Commissioners vote to uphold the current red snapper season, April 15 to Oct. 31, but cut the bag limit from four fish to two and eliminate the bag limit for captain and crew aboard for-hire vessels.
•Second phase of construction at Destin Commons to include more restaurants and retail stores, parking garage and six-story hotel and convention area.
•Widening of Airport Road expected to be finished by Memorial Day.
•Expansion begins on Big Kahuna’s new entrance and waterpark with new ride — the Honolulu Halfpipe, a surf machine that allows park-goers to ride the man-made waves.
•Destin United Methodist Church breaks ground on a $6-million expansion project.
•School officials say a Destin High School is unworkable and maybe impossible.
•The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opens new meetinghouse on Geronimo in Miramar Beach.
•Mayor of Destin Craig Barker says in State of the City address that 2007 was the city’s most successful year since he took office in 2002.
•Destin City Council creates a third housing committee to research ideas on making housing more affordable for Destin’s workforce. Two months later, it scraps the committee. By year’s end, the city is still considering ways to solve the problem.
•The City Council voted to accept a $35,000 settlement offer from former City Clerk Dana Williams who filed suit against the city and Kisela in 2007.
•Rather than spend $30,000 to demolish the recreation building at Buck Destin Park, Destin City Council set to spend $63,000 to renovate the building and make it handicapped accessible.
•The second phase of Legendary’s HarborWalk Village became the only project to date denied Tier 3 status under the city’s land development code.
•Extending Commons Drive to Airport Road may be finished by end of year.
•Army Corps of Engineers to dredge 2,500 cubic yards of sand from the harbor’s channel to Norriego Point.
•Home of the late Mattie Kelly demolished to make way for The Estates at Indian Pointe, a subdivision of 13 waterfront homes.
•With Destin’s property-tax income dropping in the next fiscal year, the city has launched a voluntary-layoff program to help control personnel costs.
•Joseph C. Marcello, a former owner of the New Orleans restaurant Broussard’s, bought Cuvée Beach at auction and all its contents for $1.575 million.
•Jim Breitenfeld resigns as executive director for the Destin Harbor Association. Days before, he calls the city’s commitment to harbor promotion “bullcrap.”
•Leah Stuart named Miss Destin 2008.
•Vicki Mathews of Destin Elementary and Lori Swift of Destin Middle named teachers of the year.
•Ordinances in Destin would restrict homeowners from creating boarding houses in single-family zoning.
•Destin announces that the Destin/Walton County beach restoration project has been selected as one of the nation’s best restored beaches for 2008.
•After nine years and more than half a million dollars, June White Decker Park on Destin’s Restaurant Row is fin