Oh man!... I just got back from Destin/Ft Walton a few hours ago. On the main drag, there are many signs I noticed that tell drivers to share the road with bicyclists. However, I kept thinking that I would never try to ride that stretch of road because it is packed with tourist SUVs all checking out the tourist sites, and the "bike lane" you mention is nonexistent. There is about an 8" margin of road to the side of the main lane, but that is broken up by turning lanes every 300 ft or so. Glad your friend is as well as he is, but tourist filled main drags are death traps for cycles. I almost brought my bike (against my wife's best wishes) but was glad I didn't when I saw that mess of partied out traffic.