Party on the Destin Harbor to raise money for Emerald Coast Autism Center at their annual Fleets & Eats event.
With today’s national incidence rate of 1 in 31 children being diagnosed with Autism, everyone has a connection to the autism community. Emerald Coast Autism Center invites you to party on the harbor at their annual Fleets & Eats bar hop event.
Emerald Coast Autism Center (ECAC) provides Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy, education, and vocational training to children and young adults with Autism and other related unique abilities across northwest Florida. ECAC was founded in 2009 by Heidi Blalock and Staci Berryman to fill a need in the community and initially served five clients while sharing their space with another business. Now, ECAC has expanded to two buildings of their own on the Northwest Florida State College campus and provides services to just over 100 children and young adults between the clinic and the school, Emerald Coast Learning Center (ECLC).
The expansion and continuation of services are made possible through special events and donations from the community. Each year, ECAC hosts several fundraising events to be able to continue providing these necessary services to the families that attend, and one of those events is Fleets & Eats – a bar hop on boats in the Destin Harbor.
This year will be the first year since 2014 that ECAC hosts this awesome event, and they’re planning to come back with lots of fun new ideas. The theme for 2025 is Tikis & Tequila. Guests are encouraged to wear luau attire and get ready to ride tiki boats to three local bars. Tailfins Waterfront Grill is the Presenting Sponsor this year and is also the location of the afterparty, where guests will have the chance to win fabulous raffle prizes while dancing to live music and sipping on tequila. The boat hop will include stops at The Edge Seafood Restaurant & SkyBar and Harbor Docks who will each provide heavy hors d’oeuvres and a signature cocktail. Tickets for Fleets & Eats can be purchased online at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fleets-eats-tickets-1623155906009?aff=oddtdtcreator. Guests are able to purchase tickets to attend the whole bar hop or just the afterparty at Tailfins.
There are still sponsorship opportunities available for Fleets & Eats. Sponsor levels start at $250 and all include perks for the sponsoring business. For more information about sponsorships, ticket sales, donations, or general event questions, contact Jordan Eberle at ECACoutreach@ecautismcenter.org or (850) 279-3000 ext. 217.
Other fundraising events for ECAC include the ONE Run 5k in April and Hole in ONE Golf Tournament in September – both of which raise money for the ECAC Scholarship Fund as part of their ONE Campaign. For the ladies, there is a Valentine’s themed event on February 21, 2026 at Wine Bar in Grand Boulevard that will include charcuterie, wine, and silent auction items specifically for women.
