FLASHBACK Okaloosa

Okaloosa County PIO

Welcome to Flashback, a podcast by the Okaloosa County Public Information Office. Get ready to dust the nostalgia off your sleeve as we talk with Okaloosa citizens who share with us how things used to be. I’m your host Nick Tomecek. Its time to step into your imaginary DeLorean tap your flux capacitor and Flashback!!!

  1. 12/10/2025

    The Chicago Connection: Was Capone in Okaloosa County, Florida?

    Rumors, stories, and speculation have existed for decades about whether the notorious criminal Alphonse Capone ever visited or did business in Okaloosa County, Florida. Listen as FLASHBACK explores this question.

    31 min

  2. 07/03/2025

    Okaloosa Island Pier - Fort Walton Pier

    Whether you’re an angler, people watcher, beachgoer, seagull or great blue heron,  and yes of course, a fish, the pier has something for everyone. The pier invites gathering. It invites exploration and wonder. It welcomes curiosity and camaraderie. We don’t know the future and if she can live another 26 years without serious injury, but we do know we will always love our pier and cherish the memories made.

    34 min

  3. 04/03/2025

    Crab Island, Destin, Florida - Origin Story

    Listen to those who remember when Crab Island was an actual island and how it has evolved over the years.

    27 min

  4. 11/26/2024

    Thanksgiving in the 1900s in North Florida, Camp Walton, Okaloosa

    Thanksgiving in the 1900s in North Florida, Camp Walton, Okaloosa

    10 min

  5. 10/30/2024

    Legend of the Lady's Walk at Pirate's Cove, Santa Rosa Sound, Florida

    As you listen, this episode was recorded in the spooky month of October, but this episode is timeless in that it tells of a local ghost story that I have heard many times and in many different versions – The Legend of the Lady’s Walk. Those of you who live on the Santa Rosa Sound in Mary Esther or in Fort Walton Beach are probably very familiar with this story and may have even been frightened as a child by the prospects of its truth. I will give you three versions. Each version was told in a 1983 article from the Playground Daily News, written by Brian Massey. He quotes each version verbatim.

    12 min

  6. 07/03/2024

    The Vale of Paradise, the Chicago Connection, and the Valparaiso Inn

    Today on Flashback, I want to you to imagine this town, our County with only two or three hotels or inns. Dirt roads abound. A commercial airport has not yet been created. The railroad in the County is still relatively new and the only way to get to Okaloosa County by land is by rail. No bridges have been built and places like Destin are minor blips on a map, let alone the consciousness of would-be vacationers. In fact, vacationing in Okaloosa County isn’t even a thing.   Mail was delivered by boat and yes people would come by boat if not by rail. This is a story about the early days of tourism in our County centered around a vacation rental dating back to the 1920s that is no longer with us today. The Valparaiso Inn

    32 min

  7. 04/02/2024

    FLASHBACK: The Mary and Esther in Mary Esther, Florida - and a Charles Lindbergh story

    The early settlers of Mary Esther were cattlemen, preachers and hard-working folks who created this quiet bedroom community in Northwest Florida's Panhandle between Pensacola and Destin-Fort Walton Beach. We explore the early history of the City of Mary Esther and a short story of how Charles Lindbergh came to visit Mary Esther, Florida.

    26 min

  8. 01/22/2024

    FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Black Sunday 20 years later and the creation of Beach Safety

    Okaloosa Beach Safety and other area lifeguard programs were created out of the tragedies on June 8, 2003, also known as Black Sunday. Listen to how Okaloosa County and Destin evolved into having a robust, professional lifeguarding program that continues to save lives every year through water safety education, contacts and rescues.

    27 min
See All (31)

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Welcome to Flashback, a podcast by the Okaloosa County Public Information Office. Get ready to dust the nostalgia off your sleeve as we talk with Okaloosa citizens who share with us how things used to be. I’m your host Nick Tomecek. Its time to step into your imaginary DeLorean tap your flux capacitor and Flashback!!!

Information

  • Creator
    Okaloosa County PIO
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    FLASHBACK Okaloosa