Rivalry restaurants serve diners’ palates well

An area known for its blue-green waterways and rich ecosystems, Santa Rosa County is currently working on a project that could improve the quality of marine life — and perhaps economic development — for years to come. The county has been working with scientists at the Nature Conservancy since 2015 on the Pensacola East Bay Oyster Habitat Restoration Project — a multi-phase endeavor that’s being funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund.

One of eight Benefit Corporations in Florida, the Walton County-based Amavida Coffee and Tea Company represents a new breed of business — one aimed at balancing the public good with making profit.

The BP oil spill in 2010 wrought havoc in the Gulf Coast states, endangering wildlife, destroying environmentally sensitive lands and devastating Northwest Florida’s tourism industry.

Doctors say these popular pick-me-ups can change the course of your health.

Deja Brew Coffee Shop in Panama City Beach makes sure its coffee beans are fresh roasted — and some even come from owner Jerry Williams’ own Costa Rican farm.

While women have made great strides in a variety of careers and industries, there is still a gender gap when it comes to female aviators. Tallahassee business partners Lacey Smith and Faith Drewry — cofounders of FL Aviation Center — think today’s women need to see more of their contemporaries making a real, viable, everyday career in aviation.

Adjacent to Northwest Florida’s major airports and tucked in smaller, out-of-the way airfields, fixed base operators are a boost to the region’s economy by helping to keep private planes flying — including those owned by visitors who might be taking a jaunt to the coast for lunch or dinner or to Tallahassee for a legislative hearing. But their major product isn’t necessarily fuel. It’s more to do with customer service — and rolling out the red carpet for visitors who could bring future business to the area.

Leon County sees more than 2.35 million visitors in 2015, breaking records.

Everything about transportation affects the development of a region’s economy.

The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opened with great fanfare in 2010.