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Fort Walton Beach Project SEARCH site recognized among Florida’s top performers

Photo of four Project SEARCH leaders. Left to right: Lisa Bloodworth/Senior Director of Transition and Support Services with GCE, Carly Detlefsen/Program Specialist with Project SEARCH, Mei Lanie Bilbow/Employment Transition Specialist with GCE, and Vlady Fierro/Employment Transition Specialist with GCE.
Left to right: Lisa Bloodworth/Senior Director of Transition and Support Services with GCE, Carly Detlefsen/Program Specialist with Project SEARCH, Mei Lanie Bilbow/Employment Transition Specialist with GCE, and Vlady Fierro/Employment Transition Specialist with GCE

Among Florida’s 45 active Project SEARCH sites, only five earned the Florida Project SEARCH Excellent Outcome Award for the 2024-2025 program year, including Global Connections to Employment’s (GCE) site with Okaloosa County School District at Hilton Garden Inn Fort Walton Beach.

Presented at the Florida Project SEARCH Annual Conference, the award recognizes programs that achieve employment outcomes between 77% and 99% for graduating participants. The recognition places GCE’s Fort Walton Beach site among the highest-performing Project SEARCH programs in the state.

The program also received recognition on a global scale. Project SEARCH operates approximately 800 sites worldwide, and GCE’s Fort Walton Beach location was one of 166 sites to earn an Excellent Outcome Award, placing it among the top 21% of programs internationally.

The award reflects the program’s success in preparing young adults with disabilities for competitive, integrated employment through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on workplace experience. Participants develop professional skills including communication and customer service while rotating through a variety of worksite assignments.

Project SEARCH serves students ages 18 to 21 who have completed their high school credits and deferred their diplomas. During their final year of high school, interns gain real-world job experience while exploring career interests and building the skills needed for long-term employment success.

The Fort Walton Beach Project SEARCH site celebrated five graduates in May 2025 following the completion of a year of workplace training and career development. The program continues to expand its impact, with 10 interns enrolled for the upcoming school year.

The site is supported through a partnership between Okaloosa County School District, Global Connections to Employment (GCE), Vocational Rehabilitation, Agency for Persons with Disabilities and Innisfree Hotels. Together, these partners provide students with opportunities to develop workplace skills, increase independence and prepare for meaningful careers.

This statewide and international recognition highlights the ongoing success of the program and the collaborative effort behind helping young adults with disabilities transition from the classroom to the workforce.

For more information on GCE’s Project SEARCH, visit gce.org/project-search.