‘SEEN IT ALL': Jimmy Neilson named Christmas parade Grand Marshall

Louisiana native Jimmy Neilson became a permanent Destin resident in 1983, but he said he’s loved the Emerald Coast all his life.

“Destin was a wonderful, quaint fishing village,” Neilson said. “I loved the scuba diving and the fishing, and I loved the town.”

And over the past 27 years, Neilson has shown his love for Destin. He’s done so much for the community that the city has named him Grand Marshall of the 24th annual city of Destin Christmas Parade, which will be held at 10 a.m. on Dec. 12 along U.S. Highway 98.

Neilson said his father started bringing him to Destin when he was only one year old. Destin hooked the family immediately, bringing them back year after year. And in the 71 years that he’s been visiting and living in Destin, Neilson said he’s “seen it all.”

“In those days, Crab Island was full of crabs, not boats,” Neilson said. “My daddy would drop me off with an inner tube and an ice chest and pick me up in a couple of hours with three or four dozen crabs.”

But Neilson has since watched the crabs be chased away by boats. And he’s seen the fishing industry, which he said had it a lot better in the old days, take a lot of hits. But the changes in the community did not stop Neilson from leaving Louisiana behind to make Destin his home.

“I had an opportunity to move here and change careers, and the place just energized me,” Neilson said. “I became a whole new person.”

Neilson had already invested in Destin, buying at Sandpiper Cove in 1979, when he was hired as general manager of the condominium association in 1983. Neilson said in those days he couldn’t even spell condominium, but he quickly learned the business with the help of some friends.

When he wasn’t working, playing in the Gulf or spending time with his wife of 22 years, Neilson was doing whatever he could for Destin. He was elected to the Destin Chamber of Commerce board in 1985, and served as president in 1987 and 1988. Since then, he’s served as the director of the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation, Chairman of the Destin Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Destin Harbor Partnership.

Currently, Neilson serves as Chairman of the Destin Fire Control District Commission, Chairman of the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority board, Commander’s Community Liaison for the Air Force Materiel Command and he serves on the board of directors for Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast.

“I just get a lot of enjoyment out of doing for others,” Neilson said. “My father often told me that you get exactly out of your community what you put into it. And through the years, I felt I brought a lot of things to the table.”

While Neilson said he’s enjoyed everything he’s worked on, and that it was particularly exciting to work with and support the military during his years on the Military Affairs Committee, he said his involvement in starting Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast has been his most gratifying experience in Destin.

“I was involved in the Destin hospital, and when it closed, we all had lunch and said we needed to start another,” Neilson said. “Once we got a hold of Sacred Heart, the rest was history. Now the hospital is about six years old, and it’s just wonderful, delivering the best health care ever.”

“He was instrumental in getting that hospital to come to Destin,” said Chairman of the Christmas Parade board Helen Donaldson. “Destin’s a better place for having him here.”

And he doesn’t plan to leave anytime soon.

He built his home on the harbor in 1995, and he said it won’t be sold until he’s long gone. When he’s not working in the community, he’s usually at home spending time with his wife, working in his wood shop or feeding the squirrels.

Neilson said he has always loved animals, and he designed his house with the squirrels in mind. Over the years, he’s taken in several baby squirrels and raccoons, nursing them from infancy then giving them a home in the trees surrounding his house. He said there are always peanut shells on the patio, where he sits and overlooks the harbor while the squirrels play.

He doesn’t even leave his Destin sanctuary for storms. He’s been weathering them out since Hurricane Opal hit in 1995, taking in other Destin residents who didn’t want to leave town.

“I want to be here when the sun comes up every morning,” Neilson said. “I’m not going to leave Destin, and I’m not going to leave the world for another 30 years.”