DeFUNIAK SPRINGS An almost four-year project came to fruition Thursday as numerous community leaders celebrated the completion of the Walton Works Public Safety Complex with a ribbon cutting.
The complex, located at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in DeFuniak Springs, is comprised of a fire tower and a driving pad to be used jointly by Northwest Florida State College and the WCSO.
The complex is an addition to the Walton Works Training Center of Excellence, which was completed earlier this year and is designed to help expand public safety training in Walton County.
“This is an opportunity to create the best and brightest here, and if you want the best and brightest you have to have control over it,” said Walton County Sheriff Mike Adkinson. “You need to have a hand in the way they’re being trained for the future.”
“Would the grandparent have to be a full-time resident of the state of Florida? We know that Florida attracts snowbirds, people who are here for a period of time but not necessarily full-time residents,” Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Windermere, said.
“They’d have to be full-time residents of Florida. The (university system’s) Board of Governors would actually set up the way they mechanically do that, but it would require an attestation by the grandparent,” Maney answered.
Other lawmakers asked for a definition of “grandparent” to be written into the bill.
“In these crazy times we live in, what is the definition of a grandparent, and how far do we expand that?” asked Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach.
For more information about GCSC s services for military members and veterans, visit the Military/Veteran Service Center in the Student Union East from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Panama City Campus; or call 850-769-1551, ext. 3210.
Or, visit the Tyndall Air Force Base Education Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or call 850-913-2910.
Meanwhile, NWFSC received the additional Bronze Distinction in the Small Public category from the designating organization at MilitaryFriendly.com.
“Northwest Florida State College strives to be the first choice in higher education for our region’s veterans,” said Dr. Devin Stephenson, NWFSC president. “We are proud to support our nations’ finest by providing the best educational experience possible.”
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS Northwest Florida State College has taken a more hands-on approach to its Chautauqua Center.
The college remodeled two buildings on the DeFuniak Springs campus and transformed them into the Walton Works Training Center of Excellence, which hosts 10 new workforce-ready programs. Among them are law enforcement, fire academy, emergency medical technician, paramedic, cybersecurity, drone technology, electrical welding, construction and HVAC.
Michael Erny, the dean of career education, said the programming began in January.
“We think this will be a game changer for that area, bringing these programs and bringing this life and activity to the campus that wasn’t serving the work force directly for so long,” Erny said. “Now we’re able to provide that. We’re really in position to make a difference with the local work force.”