Story behind man murdered in Nassau
March 20, 2026 was the 1st wedding anniversary for Cody Castillo and Makayla Harvey-Castillo. Cody’s plan was to fly home to Crawfordville March 21 to begin his full week off from work and celebrate his 1st year of marriage. Cody and his crew were linesman for Pike Electric LLC and mostly worked three weeks on and one week off while in the Bahama’s on the Island of Nassau since summer of 2025.
What you may not know is Cody’s employer Pike Electric LLC asked him and his crew to extend working during their scheduled week off and he died because he agreed to stay and continue working. Saying no would have saved his life, but no one can predict the future. Even though some crew members declined to stay, Cody sacrificed coming home over the weekend and continued working because he was a conscientious employee with a good work ethic. He was working the day the accident occurred and had agreed to work through March 23 and travel home March 24. Cody was a dedicated leader within his work crew and that is undisputable. I want to emphasize this because the Insurer, Starr Specialty Ins. Co. and their third-party administrators, Gallagher Bassett have denied Cody’s Worker’s Compensation claim which would have assisted in taking care of their newborn child until he is 18 because Cody is no longer alive to financially support his family through work.
Cody stayed at work on the Island for his employer because “they asked him to” and now his wife and child are denied the workers compensation claim for the accident that occurred. They asked him to work longer for the benefit of Pike Electric LLC and he died because he was a loyal employee and said yes NOT knowing he would never be able to celebrate any of his wedding anniversaries.
Makayla and Cody had family plans where she would be the stay-at-home parent and homeschool their children. Makayla is a 7th generation Harvey who has resided in Wakulla County, Florida. She and Cody had future residences planned for both Crawfordville, Florida and his home state of Texas.
Lastly, to everyone who has reached out to Makayla and her family since the very day it all happened, we thank you and are truly blessed to have the positive support and love you have shared. Makayla is sincerely grateful for all the blessings and gifts showering their son and wants to acknowledge that to everyone. Mostly she has told her family to please not let Cody be forgotten.
The Harvey Family
Crawfordville
Visit Wakulla is excited to host Art Walk in the Park on Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Crawfordville.
This community event will bring together local artists, artisans, musicians, food vendors, and visitors for a fun-filled day celebrating creativity and the arts in Wakulla County. Azalea Park will feature artists and artisans showcasing and selling their work, while Hudson Park will offer live music and food trucks for attendees to enjoy.
We are currently accepting applications from artists and artisans who would like to participate. The original application deadline of September 25 has been extended to October 15, 2026, giving interested artists additional time to apply.
If you are an artist or artisan interested in participating, or if you know someone who may be interested, please contact Ashley Rowland-Yost at (850) 408-9392 or ayost@mywakulla.com for an application and additional information.
We hope to see artists from Wakulla County and our surrounding communities join us for what we hope will become a wonderful annual celebration of art, creativity, and community!
Thank you for helping us spread the word about Art Walk in the Park.
Ashley Rowland-Yost
Visit Wakulla
I received my sample ballot and lo and behold, the Wakulla County School Board has a referendum for approval of an increase of property taxes. This underscores the reason why all municipalities and school boards must have a cap or ceiling of what they can spend. More on this on a later date.
Furthermore, the School Board makes it requests to the general election and not just to taxpayers. This is an insidious effort to have the at-large population render the property taxpayers as a minimal voting bloc. Once again, the property taxpayers are taxed without representation.
Why do all students warrant free meals? Should I pay the bill for everyone at a restaurant? Social benefits should not be for everyone. Social benefits should be for assisting the truly needy. Measures like this will only erode the value of hard work and the validity of helping each other.
My money is my resource, not the school board’s. The school board did not work or assist in accumulating resources. In fact, school boards labor to marginalize our hard work and resources by increasing their burden.
The lack of critical thinking, prevalent in our current society, benefits this sort of referendum. If someone pays rent, this measure will increase your rent. Make no mistake about this. Everyone will pay in one form or another.
This referendum highlights the low esteem and low value public education provides. One of the unforeseen benefits of the Florida school voucher program is exposing public education as a low rate of return for the taxes we pay and cannot compete with other educational options.
What the Wakulla County School Board is requesting is that taxes be increased to maintain a lofty jobs program, not a better educational experience. The Superintendent and the entire school board should be ashamed of this referendum.
I urge every voter to reject this measure.
Robert Franco
Surf Road