According to the Daily News, the term Emerald Coast was coined in 1983 by a junior high school student, Andrew Dier, who won $50 in the contest for a new area slogan [REF].
Deep-sea fishing is a huge draw for the area, with Destin holding the nickname "World's Luckiest Fishing Village" [REF] (and several saltwater world records) and Panama City Beach hosting the annual high-dollar Bay Point Billfish Invitational.