By Lori Leath Smith, Destin Forward class member
Building relationships; becoming more knowledgeable about the people, area, civic and community organizations, first responders and history; learning how to better advance the growth of our community, becoming more knowledgeable about the issues on a day-to-day basis—that’s Destin Forward.
Our 2019-20 team of business professionals have begun learning. September’s class, “Waterways,” took us on a journey into the early days in Destin up to the impact of current restoration and preservation of its natural resources.
Guest speaker Dewey Destin let us know the Destin community has been strong since 1845; he talked about when local area Confederate soldiers, mostly fishermen and farmers, had only shotguns during Civil War times, but fought to protect. Having weathered seven hurricanes, Dewey says he “measures turns of time from the last big hurricanes,” and talked about the definite impact on our economy. And then the stories: one of the East Pass which begins around 1926 when there was a series of tropical depressions. “Water levels had risen 6-8 ft.,” says Dewey. “Piers and houses fell into the Bay. Locals decided to dig a trench across the Pass, but the next morning it was 100 ft. wide. This is how the Harbor was formed,” he says. And did you know because of the fishing industry, the “Great Depression” wasn’t really realized in Destin? “Locals bartered with folks from Alabama and Georgia,” says Dewey.
Well-known local Captain Mike Parker talked about the history of Destin’s Fishing Fleet, a major economic generator for the City of Destin. “I believe we have the largest and most diversified charter fishing fleet in the world,” he says, “with a direct impact of $300-400 million, according to Haas research.” And the Blessing of the Fleet is one of Destin’s longest standing traditions, bringing out locals and tourists for a ceremony unlike any other. Read about the Blessing of the Fleet in Destin Life, May 2019, at MyDestinLife.com.
Another community icon, Kelly Windes, talked about charter fishing and how the events and legends have formed the flavor of Destin life. Kelly has also played a huge part in the Destin Fishing Rodeo (going on all this month). He once caught a Warsaw, 336 lbs. that still holds the largest record!
Have you ever visited a U.S. Coast Guard station? We did! Operations Petty Officer Sistrunk led the tour of the emergency vessels which allows the 30 active duty Coast Guard members to maintain safety in and around the Destin Harbor. Sistrunk said they’ve received 116 calls for service since last October with 1300 hours of patrolling the 20 square miles of water. Call Channel 16 for an emergency if you’re on the water whether by boat, kayak, etc.
Then, a refreshing cruise aboard The Southern Star, Destin’s original Dolphin Cruise that’s even been touted on CNN and National Geographic Explorer. A relaxing, yet informative time was spent searching for dolphins, which we were delighted to see. The Southern Star is an 80-foot U.S. Coast Guard approved motor vessel that can accommodate up to 149 passengers. Captain Cliff said owners Steve and Wendy Wilson have provided 473 cruises since January, employ 17 year-round and up to 35 in-season and carry as many as 122,000 passengers in a year.
Our final stop was at Clement Taylor Park where we heard all about the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance’s (CBA) initiatives with a $3.9 billion economic impact—just on crab island! CBA, a non-profit, discussed shoreline restoration, solutions to storm-water runoff, invasive species removal, maintaining water quality, seagrass monitoring, education such as its “grasses in classes” program, and other research. We were able to view some examples at the park!
And all of this was only one day! Can’t wait for October’s tourism day. Stay tuned…
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