Gulf County Is Calling This Winter

Find Your Winter Escape Reconnect, relax, and escape the chill Winter in Gulf County is all about slowing down and soaking it in. The salty air, the soft sand, and the time spent together create something special. Whether you're here to explore quiet trails, cast a line, or simply enjoy the sunset, this is the perfect time to embrace the peaceful pace of our coastal community. Make this season unforgettable.

Stay Cozy in Gulf County Whether you travel with pets, prefer to park the RV, or just need a place to drop your flip-flops, we’ve got a stay for every style. Make this winter your most relaxing yet.  Explore Winter Accommodations 10 Ways to Explore This Season From kayaking calm waters to catching the perfect sunset, there’s no shortage of unforgettable moments in Gulf County. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned snowbird, our latest blog highlights the best ways to make the most of your winter stay.

Meet Our Partners Scallop Cove Scallop Cove has it all! Local craft beer on tap, wine slushies, unleaded fuel, full-line grocery, beautiful boutique, and one of the best eateries on the Cape. Patio and indoor seating are available.  (850) 227-1573 https://scallopcove.com/general-store/ Williamson Outfitters Williamson Outfitters is a premier guide service for duck hunting, gator hunting, fishing, gigging, scalloping, and custom boat tours along Florida's Forgotten Coast! Williamson Outfitters is family-owned and operated, and we are driven to provide the trip of a lifetime to those who share our passion for the outdoors! (850) 251-8650 https://floridaducks.com/

Gulf County Visitor Guide GET YOUR FREE TRAVEL GUIDE HERE View Digital Guide Request Printed Guide

850-229-7800 800-482-GULF 150 Captain Fred’s Place Port St. Joe, Florida 32456 www.visitgulf.com info@visitgulf.com

© 2025 Gulf County Tourist Development Council, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive news about Gulf County, Florida.

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A 7-year-old boy was seriously injured after he was run over by a farm tractor in Liberty County on Saturday

A 7-year-old boy was seriously injured after he was run over by a farm tractor in Liberty County on Saturday.

The accident happened at about 6:40 Saturday evening on private property near Bristol.

The Highway patrol said a farm tractor was operating on private property, when for reasons still being investigated, the 7-year-old child walked in front of the tractor.

The child was transported to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare with serious injuries.

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Red tide continues to be found in water samples taken from the St. Joe Bay in Gulf County and has now been found further west off of Mexico Beach

Red tide continues to be found in water samples taken from the St. Joe Bay in Gulf County and has now been found further west off of Mexico Beach.

Red Tide was found in 6 water samples taken from in and around the St. Joe Bay on October the 25th.

Red Tide was found in High Concentrations near Pig Island, Black’s Island and Eagle Harbor.

Red tide was found in medium concentrations from water samples taken from mid St. Joseph Bay as well as from samples taken near Patton Bayou, and Eagle Harbor.

It was also found in High Concentrations in water samples taken off of Mexico Beach in Bay County.

Red Tide is an organism thi0at in large enough concentrations releases a neurotoxin that can kill fish and even affect humans.

Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported to FWC's Fish Kill Hotline in both Gulf and Bay Counties last week.

The Florida Department of Health is alerting people to avoid swimming or wading in the affected water.

Red tide can cause skin irritation, rashes, and eye discomfort in humans.

People with respiratory conditions should use extra caution and avoid affected areas.

Do not harvest or eat shellfish, or distressed or dead fish from the area.

If exposed to red tide, wash your skin, clothing, and pets with soap and fresh water as soon as possible.

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The 62nd Florida Seafood Festival brought thousands of people to Apalachicola over the weekend to enjoy food, fun and music

The 62nd Florida Seafood Festival brought thousands of people to Apalachicola over the weekend to enjoy food, fun and music.

 

And you couldn’t ask for better weather.

 

As always, the oyster eating and oyster shucking contests proved to be extremely popular.

 

The winner in the oyster eating contest was Ian Esplin of Panacea who ate 155 oysters in 15 minutes.

 

Jerry Lampl of Carrabelle came in second in the men's division after eating 147 oysters and Larry Messenger of Fort Walton Beach came in third after downing 138 oysters.

 

The Oyster Shucking contest was won by Joshua Woodward who works at Dat Cajun Place in Panama City Beach.

 

He won an all-expense paid trip to the national oyster shucking competition in Maryland next year.

 

Joey Shearer who works at Shipwreck Raw Bar in St. Joe beach came in second this year – he was last year’s oyster shucking champion.

 

Hunter Duval, who works at the Station Raw bar in Apalachicola came in third.

 

 

 

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The Gulf Coast State College Foundation has received a generous gift that will make college more affordable for students in Franklin and Gulf Counties

The Gulf Coast State College Foundation has received a generous gift that will make college more affordable for students in Franklin and Gulf Counties.

 

The school recently received a donation of $150,000 from Speaker Allan Bense and his wife, Tonie Bense, to support the Gulf Coast Guarantee, a scholarship program that ensures graduating high school seniors in Bay, Gulf, and Franklin counties have access to a quality college education close to home.

 

The Gulf Coast Guarantee is a first-dollar scholarship program designed to ensure graduating high-school students have access to the training and education they need to become part of the region’s evolving workforce.

 

By removing financial barriers to higher education, the Guarantee provides upfront financial assistance to graduating high school seniors from Bay, Gulf, or Franklin counties who enroll full-time at Gulf Coast State College the fall after graduation.

 

You can find out more about the scholarship program on-line at gulfcoast.edu.

 

https://www.gulfcoast.edu/tuition-aid/financial-aid/grants-and-scholarships/guarantee/index.html

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will meet next week in Belle Grade and will take a final vote on a plan to reopen the Apalachicola Bay to oyster harvesting

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will meet next week in Belle Grade and will take a final vote on a plan to reopen the Apalachicola Bay to oyster harvesting beginning in January.

The two-day meeting will be held November 5th and 6th at the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center at Palm Beach State College.

The Bay has been closed to wild oyster harvest since 2020 after the local oyster population collapsed in 2013.

Since then, researchers have been working to find the cause of the collapse and to rebuild the once productive oyster bars.

The FWC has been working on a plan that would allow a limited amount of commercial and recreational oyster harvesting in January and February, with a longer fall harvest beginning in October, 2026.

Under the proposal, oyster harvesting will only be allowed on about 95 acres of oyster bars with more than 400 bags of oysters per acre.

The state will also create an Apalachicola Bay Recreational Opportunity Permit for recreational harvesters who will be selected through a lottery process.

Commercial harvesting would be allowed Monday through Friday, while recreational harvesting would be allowed on weekends.

The FWC has scheduled the issue for a vote on November 5th in the afternoon.

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The 62nd Florida Seafood Festival officially begins tomorrow at Battery Park in Apalachicola

The 62nd Florida Seafood Festival officially begins tomorrow at Battery Park in Apalachicola.

 

The gates open at 10 this morning, and there is no charge to get in the park.

 

The blessing of the fleet begins at 4 o'clock at Riverfront Park with King Retsyo and Miss Florida Seafood leading the pack aboard a shrimp boat.

 

Once the blessing is complete, the king and queen will then officially open the weekend’s activities.

 

There will be live musical entertainment through the evening at the festival’s main stage – with headliners Jonie Stone & Thronefire Collective kicking off at 730.

 

Saturday is the big day of the festival.

 

The Redfish Run begins at 8 AM at the Gibson Inn - The Seafood Festival Parade begins at 10 on Saturday morning. 

 

It costs 5 dollars to get in the park on Saturday, but for the price you get to watch the oyster shucking and oyster eating contest and kids can take part in the hourly blue crab races.

 

There will be lots of music on Saturday including Headliner Entertainer Donovan Chapman at 8:30.

 

The Park will close at 11 PM on Saturday.

 

If you would like to see a full listing of this weekend’s events, just log on to the festival’s official website at www.floridaseafoodfestival.com

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Kite Tales October 2025

October 2025 View this newsletter as a web page In this Issue... October Big Day Highlights World Migratory Bird Day 2025: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities

October Big Day Highlights Eastern Towhee by Andy Wraithmell. On October 11, 2025, people from every corner of the world lifted their binoculars for October Big Day. In a spirit of shared discovery, birders joined together through eBird and Merlin to share observations and celebrate the remarkable variety of birds that enrich our planet. Here are some of the results: More than 870,000 people went birding! 48,830 eBirders submitted 113,510 checklists 7,834 species were observed from 196 countries While the most species were observed in Colombia (1,382), the United States submitted the most checklists (40,204) and had the highest number of participating eBirders (22,937), as well as the most new contributors (433). See the full results on eBird’s Collective Achievement webpage. The greatest success of October Big Day, however, was the incredible global contribution to participatory science. Together, birders submitted 2.1 million individual bird observations, along with 75,022 photos and 2,781 recordings. Each shared sighting adds up to something far greater: a worldwide community connected by curiosity and a love of birds, making real impacts for data collection and conservation. World Migratory Bird Day 2025: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities Hooded Warbler by Matthew Bruce. A Global Celebration of Migration This year’s October Big Day coincided with World Migratory Bird Day, a global campaign that began in 1993 to raise awareness of migratory birds and their conservation needs. Today, World Migratory Bird Day is held globally each year in May and October, falling within peak migration periods in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The celebration is coordinated by Environment for the Americas, in partnership with international conservation organizations, to unite communities worldwide in support of bird conservation. 2025 Theme: “Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities” Every spring and fall, millions of birds pass through Florida on their incredible migratory journeys, resting, refueling and finding refuge in our wetlands, coastlines and backyards. World Migratory Bird Day celebrates these global travelers and reminds us that the places we share with them matter. This year’s theme, “Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities,” focuses on how we can design and manage our towns, cities and homes to better support birds. Why It Matters While World Migratory Day may be over, we continue to share spaces with birds all year. Florida’s position along the Atlantic Flyway makes it one of the most important regions for migratory birds in the Americas. The state provides essential stopover sites for shorebirds, warblers, raptors and waterfowl traveling thousands of miles across the Americas. By making our communities bird-friendly, we can protect these travelers and secure their future for generations to come. Eastern Phoebes are just starting to arrive in Florida. Photo by FWC. How You Can Help in Florida Whether you live in a city, suburb or rural area, there are easy ways to make your surroundings friendlier for birds: Choose Native Plants: Native plants provide the food, shelter and nesting material birds and pollinators depend on. Without them, vital habitat disappears, but with them you can make your yard a haven for birds and wildlife.  Prevent Window Collisions: Each year, millions of birds die after colliding with windows they mistake for open sky. You can stop these preventable deaths by adding window films, installing curtains or using patterned glass.  Turn Off Unnecessary Lights: Artificial lights can disorient and exhaust migrating birds. Use downward-facing or shielded lighting, add timers or motion sensors, and switch off unnecessary lights at night. A darker sky means a safer migration.  Prevent Plastic Pollution: Plastic injures and kills countless birds that ingest or become entangled in it. It also destroys the habitats they need to survive. Always dispose of plastic properly, choose reusable alternatives when possible, and help keep our environment clean for wildlife.  Support Sustainable Choices: Choose products that protect wildlife, like coffee certified to preserve tropical forests where many of Florida’s migratory birds spend the winter.  Get Involved in Conservation Science: Your observations matter. Use participatory science apps like eBird, Merlin, Seek or iNaturalist to record the birds and wildlife you see. Each entry adds valuable data that scientists use to protect species and habitats.  Advocate for Bird-Friendly Cities: Support local policies that promote green spaces, wildlife corridors and native landscaping in urban areas. Sustainable urban planning reduces habitat loss and creates healthier environments for both birds and people.  Connect, Educate, and Inspire: Get your community involved! Partner with neighbors, schools and local organizations to create bird-friendly spaces and raise awareness through events like World Migratory Bird Day. Inspiring others to care builds lasting conservation momentum.

The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail is a network of over 500 sites throughout the state. The Trail is a program of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, supported in part by the Florida Department of Transportation and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida. The Trail is possible thanks to dozens of federal, state, and local government agencies, non-governmental organizations and private landowners.

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