FORT WALTON BEACH, FL – The Emerald Coast Association of Realtors® (ECAR), in conjunction with The Building Industry Association of Okaloosa & Walton Counties (BIA) are proud to sponsor the Future Builder of America (FBA) Chapters in Okaloosa County. ECAR donated the cost to sponsor twenty student FBA participants at eight schools that currently offer a Construction Academy in Okaloosa County. Local Schools include: Fort Walton Beach High School, Choctawhatchee High School, Baker School, Laurel Hill School, Crestview High School, Bruner Middle School, Pryor Middle School and Shoal River Middle School.

Through this sponsorship, ECAR and its members will have the opportunity to visit with the FBA chapters and share the success of their business, which in turn reinforces the decision that our students are making to be part of the construction industry.

The FBA Building Construction Technologies program offers a sequence of courses that provides coherent and rigorous content and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers that support both students who plan to enter the workforce immediately after graduation and those who plan to attend college. Students continuing to college may obtain dual credit (both high school and college credit) while attending high school.

“We are excited to partner with the BIA Foundation and be a part of this journey with our youth! This not only supports them now, but our community as a whole, as we invest in our future with them,” explained ECAR President, Joe Capelotti.

Alan Baggett, Executive Vice President of the Building Industry Association of Okaloosa & Walton Counties, Inc. continued, “We see this as the beginning of a renewed partnership that will benefit Okaloosa students and the home building industry in this area for years to come.”

The Future Builders of America (FBA) is a program of Home Builders Institute and is recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt organization. It was founded by the members of the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) in 2000 as a workforce development and student leadership program for the building industry in Florida. The building industry plays a vital role in Florida’s economy in both residential and commercial construction. FBA is a conduit for educating and training students in construction related programs and for employment opportunities in the construction industry in Florida and the United States.

The Emerald Coast Association of Realtors® is one of 1,500 local chapters of the National Association of REALTORS®. Officially, ECAR covers Okaloosa and Walton Counties and has more than 5,200 Realtor® members from across the Florida Panhandle. The term, REALTOR®, is a trademark for use exclusively by members of the National Association of REALTORS®, whose members subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics.