Tessa Broadwater’s job is to illuminate our lives, literally. She studied interior design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and now designs lighting spaces for others on the Emerald Coast. “I am a lighting specialist and designer,” she says. “I help select, design and provide lighting fixtures and home furnishings for local and out-of-state builders, homeowners, and architects.”

Tessa grew up surrounded by creativity. Her mother was an art teacher and her father an unlikely combination of carpenter, musician and hydrologist. (I can’t help but note that Broadwater is a particularly appropriate name for a hydrologist.)

Her passion for art presents itself immediately. The first thing you’ll notice upon meeting her is her body art. She apprenticed as a tattoo artist for a time in West Virginia but decided that other media were more to her liking. “I have always appreciated tattoo artists and their designs,” she says. “I learned a lot about the industry and loved every minute of it, but this still didn’t seem perfect for me.”

Tessa had wanted to be an interior designer since she was a child. Her stint at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh taught her about design. She had found her calling. After a long day helping clients fill spaces with light she can be found in a spare bedroom in her own home, which she has turned into an art studio. “My favorite expression in art,” she says, “is working with acrylic paint on canvas. My second favorite would be buying and repainting or refinishing furniture pieces. I can’t handle a blank room or canvas for too long.”

Tessa is a relative newcomer to the Emerald Coast, having arrived here about four years ago. Originally from Frostburg, a small town in the mountainous western panhandle of Maryland, she does not regret the move. “I needed an extreme change and knew this was going to be it. Little did I know that this would be the best decision I’d ever made,” she says.

Tessa worked at The Surf Hut in Miramar Beach for a couple of years before landing a job that allowed her to exercise her passion for design. She now practices her craft at Lighting, ETC., located in the 30Avenue shopping district in Inlet Beach. You can find them on the web at www.lelights.com. They sell all kinds of home furnishings and accessories, not just lighting fixtures.

She feels she’s in a good place right now, both in terms of her location along our beautiful beaches, and in terms of her chosen profession. She says her job with Lighting, ETC. is rewarding. “I love my clients! Every space I work in is different and unique in its own way. The ultimate satisfaction is seeing the results of a happy customer in their beautiful home or business.”

I asked Tessa where she would like to go from here with her career. She’s happy doing what she’s doing for now, she said, but would like to spend time learning more about the building and design trades. “I love learning, and I am constantly learning in this industry. Ultimately, I would love to flip houses while designing and coordinating the whole process. Beyond that, maybe one day creating my own brand and company.”

And what’s on her bucket list? “I love traveling and experiencing new cultures. I would love getting tattooed by some of my favorite artists in various states around the country.”
If you would like to nominate someone for an interview contact Tracy Steely at 850-803-9822. Visit our website at www.facesofwaltoncounty.com.

From Mayor Sheldon

We are all excited about entering this new year, hoping we can soon put the pandemic behind us. There is much hope on the horizon, and we expect to see great things happening in our great City this year.

Through our strategic, business, and financial plans, all adopted in 2020, and in conjunction with our citywide citizen survey, the city has established numerous goals and priorities for 2021.

One of the most important and ambitious projects for next year is the continuation of construction within the Front Beach Road CRA (Community Redevelopment Area). We will begin construction soon on Segment 3, which includes adding a roundabout at the intersection of Front Beach Road and State Road 79. The road will be widened, with tram and bicycle lanes, sidewalks and landscaping added and utilities placed underground from 79 to Lullwater Drive.

By September, we hope to start on Segment 4.1, from Lullwater Drive to Hills Road, and 4.2 from Hills to Hutchison Boulevard. The city issued bonds to finance multiple phases of simultaneous construction in an effort to complete the project.

Improvements to Powell Adams and Alf Coleman roads will also start this year. Segment 2 of Bay Parkway will be completed in early 2021, providing an outlet from State Road 79 to Nautilus Street.

The city has hired state and federal lobbyists to ensure our area gets its fair share in federal and state highway dollars, as we desperately need more lanes on Panama City Beach Parkway. We are also applying for grants to help improve our transportation system.
Through the citizen survey, residents identified traffic flow and road improvements as our greatest challenge. Only one-third of area residents gave positive ratings to the overall quality of our transportation system. We know we have to improve and diversify modes of transportation to relieve our traffic congestion, especially during the busy summer months.
We have many other goals for the year, including continuing our efforts to expand and diversify our economy, by working with economic development partners to bring more jobs to the area.

We are investing in public safety through the addition of body cameras for our police and we are adding four police officer positions, and increasing training for police and fire. We have an expanded Beach Safety plan that will put more full-time lifeguards on the beach during our busy season.

One of our goals last year was to update our website to increase transparency and usability. Our new website is pcbfl.gov. Check it out. Also, remember to look for my biweekly video messages on our City Government Facebook page.

In early 2021 you will start to see beautifully painted sea turtle and dolphin statues around town and we expect to do live theater this summer at Aaron Bessant Park, as we focus on increasing the arts in our community.

And finally, as always, the City will continue its efforts to be mindful of our spending to remain in a strong financial position.

As we enter this new year, let us continue to look forward, and may we all work together to better our community.

If you have concerns or questions you would like Mayor Sheldon to address, email Communications Director Debbie Ward at debbie.ward@pcbfl.gov.

By Glenda Nouskhajian, Principal, Hutchison Beach Elementary School

At a time when things in the world are uncertain, Hutchison Beach Elementary School continues its rich tradition of embracing a global community. Beach welcomes children from around the world as the ‘Newcomer’ school for the Panama City Beach area. This means that students whose first language is something other than English come to Beach to become fully immersed in the English language with highly specialized teachers and paraprofessionals to support them along the way. Currently, there are 12 home languages other than English spoken by our students. All students have the opportunity to join the Foreign Language Club, where they teach each other and our principal how to greet others in their languages. This also allows them to practice new skills and vocabulary in a social, no-pressure context, and just have fun with their new friends.

All students, not just those learning English, are an integral part of the ‘Leader in Me’ leadership culture of the school’s environment. Under the principles of Stephen Covey’s 7 Leadership Habits, students analyze their own data, set personal and educational goals, and even develop trackable plans to achieve them. Students are shown how their individual goals tie into achieving the overall school goal, and how their role is important to the sum of the parts. By the end of the year, Beach students learn how to lead their own parent conferences, showing parents their goals and progress, as well as steps for improvement. Our students carry this life skill with them on to middle school and beyond.

Beach jumped on a growing trend this year, adopting the ‘House System’ of the Ron Clark Academy. Belonging to one of four houses, students get a chance to develop relationships with students across grade levels, which help support and nurture their strengths and talents. Choosing a new service project each grading period, students compete across the houses to provide services or supplies to local non-profit agencies. Giving back to the community and service leadership is part of the culture at Beach.

Cultivating interests and life skills is another important part of the learning environment here. Just about every day of the week, you can find students staying after school to pursue more knowledge about science, running, ukulele, choir, and even debate. There’s a club for just about every interest! Students are responsible for initiating ideas for their own clubs, and take action plans for their club to the principal for approval. Civic responsibility is encouraged through lessons on citizenship, including the second grade’s ‘Oreo Election’ where students vote between the chocolate Oreo and the Golden Oreo, to character education building and anti-bullying campaigns.

Currently on hold due to the Pandemic, but hopefully not gone forever, Beach also enjoys a tradition of exceptional field trips, including but not limited to Washington, D.C., St. Augustine, SeaWorld overnight, and visits to unique local attractions. Tied into state standards, these trips give the opportunity for students to expand their horizons, pique career interests, and experience things they might not ordinarily enjoy.

Beach teachers and staff are committed to making lessons engaging and relatable for children, and offer several classroom transformative experiences a year. Previous transformations have included carnivals, Polar Express, Candyland, Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, and neon-black light. Students enjoy a day’s worth of activities around a thematic unit, complete with costumes, decorations, and hands-on learning.

Whether you are new to Panama City Beach or just looking for a school ‘home’ for your children, you’ve found it at Beach Elementary. Great Happens Here!

Panama City’s beloved Corks ‘N Canvases event has gotten a makeover, so we’d like to cordially invite you to The Big Event Presented by Bill Cramer Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at The Barn at Wicked Wheel! This past year has been filled with challenges for our community, but we are looking forward to coming together and putting our focus on who needs our support: our local children. The Big Event will be filled with many of our signature elements including a silent and live auction, chances to win, and live entertainment by Christon Birge and Katie Spillman! We will have COVID-19 precautions in place, as the health and safety of our guests are our top priority! Another new and exciting addition?! We will be streaming the event LIVE! If you are more comfortable, you can stay at your home, participate virtually, and give back to a BIG cause. Individual in-person tickets will be limited. Stay tuned for more information! If you’d like to secure your spot, sponsorship opportunities are now available! Contact Paula Shell at pshell@bbbsnwfl.org or call 850.763.5437 for more information.

January we are celebrating National Mentoring Month! Now more than ever the children in Northwest Florida need mentors, it’s time for all of us to come together to support the youth in our community. These littles have incredible potential, and now is the time to help defend it. We ask you to make a BIG resolution this year and become a Defender of Potential. Visit bbbsnwfl.org/get-invovled/ or call 850-433-5437 today.

If you were unable to give the gift of mentoring this holiday season, you can still give a gift. Your gift to help Big Brothers Big Sisters can make a big difference in a little’s future. To make a gift during these times when it is needed most you can visit, netdonor.net/page/45648/donate/1. All funds raised will go towards the Bold Steps Campaign and all donors will be recognized on the Defenders of Potential wall in the BBBSNWFL Pensacola home office.

There are many ways you can support our mission. Shop Amazon Smile! Visit https://bit.ly/BBBSSMILE, choose BBBSNWFL as your selected nonprofit, and shop the same Amazon you know with the same products you love. Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida.

We have partnered with our local tax collectors from Pensacola to Panama City to promote our Big Brothers Big Sisters Florida State License Plate. For each plate sold, our agency will receive $25. These funds help support the one-to-one mentoring services that serve over 600 children annually. Visit bbbsnwfl.org/fl-state-license-plate/ to purchase your plate today.

By Julie McConnell, UF/IFAS Extension Bay County

In my 8-plus years as an extension agent one of the most frequent errors I see in home landscape maintenance involves improper watering techniques. Landscape and turf irrigation systems help to establish plants and provide supplemental water when rainfall is scarce, but it is important to manage this tool properly. Many homeowners use the “set it and forget it” approach which not only wastes water and money but may also increase plant stress or decline. Improper irrigation amount or frequency can contribute to poor root growth and increase the occurrence of fungal disease of foliage and/or roots.

Watering seems like a simple task, but if you stop to think about the goals of applying water, it becomes clearer how doing it incorrectly can impact your landscape. Here are some points to ponder:

What are the initial watering needs of my “new” plants?

When new plants, sod, or seed are added to a landscape they will need consistent watering to establish a root system that can support vegetative growth. This is called the “establishment period” and usually requires more frequent irrigation than what is needed for long-term maintenance. The goal of irrigation during establishment is to support the roots of the transplanted plant in a manner that encourages rooting into the surrounding soil. This is a temporary practice and should not continue indefinitely.

Where do I want those newly established roots to grow?

As a very general guide, mature root systems for shrubs should extend 8-12 inches deep. For turfgrass, the ideal root system is 4-6 inches deep.

How do I encourage root establishment to these depths?

Studies have shown that applying one inch of water through irrigation systems to sandy soil typically delivers the water to a depth of 12 inches. Every site will differ slightly, but this is a good rule of thumb to follow. Since you want to encourage rooting depth of 8-12 inches for shrubs, your irrigation output on beds should provide that amount of water. If watering shrubs by hand, approximately one gallon of water per 3-gallon nursery container size is usually adequate.

For turfgrass, you only need the water to penetrate the top 4-6 inches of soil which translates to approximately ½ inch of water per irrigation event. A demonstration of how to calibrate your irrigation system can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odIN5U9IkKM

How is maintenance watering different from establishment?

If planted in the appropriate place, most established shrubs usually do not need supplemental water after establishment unless there are extreme weather conditions such as drought or excessive heat. Turfgrass on the other hand, typically needs supplemental irrigation, however, the frequency is determined by individual sites, turf type, season, and current weather conditions. Automatic irrigation systems should be adjusted throughout the year and equipped with functioning rain shutoff devices. Even with a rain shutoff device, property owners should monitor weather conditions and turn systems off when not needed.

To determine how frequently irrigation should run on turfgrass, monitor grass for signs it needs water such as color change, slight leaf folding, and footsteps in grass not bouncing back. All of these are signs that the grass needs to have ½ inch of irrigation applied. After applying this amount, allow the grass to get back to that stage of letting you know when to water before scheduling another application. Monitor throughout the year and adjust as needed. In our area you may be able to go for weeks or months with irrigation systems shut off if you pay attention to what the grass needs. Detailed guidelines for turfgrass irrigation are available in “Watering Your Florida Lawn” https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/LH/LH02500.pdf.

For more information about these topics please contact our office at 850-249-8091.

An Equal Opportunity Institution. UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Single copies of UF/IFAS Extension publications (excluding 4-H and youth publications) are available free to Florida residents from county UF/IFAS Extension offices.