“I’m well within my rights to own as many properties as I want,” Bullard told the News Bulletin. “My primary home ownership is within the precinct.”

In a Bullard-written letter partially read by Mayor J.B. Whitten at the Dec. 8 council meeting, Bullard said he would be resigning from the council because of “increasing professional obligations, personal responsibilities, and ongoing health considerations that require my full attention at this time.”

Bullard, who is a licensed mental health therapist and the founder and clinical director of BeHealthy Counseling in Crestview, was elected to his four-year council term in November 2022. Precinct 2 covers the city limits south of Interstate 10.

Citizen complaint

Whitten today told the News Bulletin that information in a Nov. 29 “citizen complaint” indicated that Bullard had moved outside of the city limits.

The emailed complaint included a copy of an Okaloosa County Property Appraiser’s Office record that shows Bullard and his wife own a residence in a subdivision that stands in the unincorporated area adjacent to southeast Crestview. The complaint also included a screenshot of an announcement by the subdivision’s homeowners association that shows Bullard was elected to the HOA board.

“The citizen sent some proof, so I opened an investigation,” Whitten said. “So did (county) Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux. I had what I thought was a verifiable complaint about (Bullard) living outside of the city limits. If you’re elected to an HOA of a subdivision outside of the city, it would strongly show that you’re living outside the city limits.”

According to Crestview’s city charter, council members from precincts 1, 2 and 3 shall reside in their respective precincts.

“If at any time a council member elected from a precinct moves his or her official residency from said precinct, a vacancy shall automatically occur in said office,” according to the charter.

Whitten said he was out of town during the first week of December and was unable to talk with Bullard in person about the citizen complaint. The mayor said he received Bullard’s resignation letter via a Dec. 7 email.

“Bullard sent his resignation letter to me and to Paul Lux,” Whitten said. “After I received it, there was no reason for me to continue my investigation. I didn’t find (Bullard) in violation of the charter, but I had enough evidence to do so. I never talked to him because he submitted his resignation.”

Bullard said it was inappropriate for the mayor to conduct an investigation.

“He should have called me or notified me and the fact that he didn’t is disturbing,” Bullard said.

He said neither the city charter nor Florida law grants the mayor authority to investigate a sitting council member. Under Article IV, Section 7 of the Florida Constitution, matters involving elected municipal officials fall under the authority of Florida’s governor, not local officials, he said.

According to the city charter, however, “The mayor shall have the power to make general investigations into the official conduct and affairs of all city officers or employees of the city, and may examine the conditions of all city books, papers, records, property, and equipment. It shall be his/her duty to make a report to the council of all violations or neglect of duty or any misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance in office, neglect of duty or improper conduct on the part of any city officer or employee that may come to his knowledge.”

‘No conspiracy’

Bullard said he has always maintained a home in Precinct 2.

“Buying another home is permitted,” said Bullard, who added that he serves on both the HOA of the neighborhood that contains his primary residence and the HOA of the neighborhood where his second home stands.

“I resigned for some health concerns and to focus on my business,” he said, “and I wish (Whitten) and others would leave it at that. Those reasons were truthful when written and remain truthful today. I chose to step away quietly and responsibly to focus on my family and my work. I did not seek attention, speculation, or conflict. It’s disappointing that a straightforward personal decision has been publicly reframed without communication, context, or legal basis.

“There’s no conspiracy. I’m disappointed to see that J.B. would jump on the conspiracy bus” with people posting assumptions on social media.

Bullard added that if he no longer met residency requirements to serve as the Precinct 2 councilor, he would have said so in his resignation letter.

The following information from Whitten is from his “investigation into residency of Councilman Ryan Bullard:”

“SEQUENCE OF EVENTS Dec. 1: At 10:30 AM, I contacted our City Attorney, Jon Holloway, briefed him on the situation and we agreed to meet in person at 3PM today. At about 2:3PM, Jon called me and said that he was still out of town and would not be back in time for the 3PM meeting and since I had to leave for an event at 4PM, we discussed this situation over the phone. He agreed that in accordance with the city charter, I was authorized to conduct the investigation that I was embarking on. He recommended that I notify Councilman Bullard of the allegations against him and if he admitted them to be true, ask for his resignation. If he denied or admitted but did not want to resign that I would then refer the matter to the County Supervisor of Elections who is responsible for determining eligibility of elected individuals.

“I told him that I do not like to conduct those kind of situations over the phone, so would need to ask Councilman Bullard to come in. The problem with that was that I was tied up with another event the rest of this day and I was leaving for Orlando in the morning with no return to office until next Monday. We both agreed that waiting until I returned would be all right. At 4:48PM, Attorney Holloway called me and informed me that a citizen had emailed the Supervisor of Elections the same information that I had received and that he was going to conduct his investigation. At this point, I will stand down, monitor what is going on external to the city, then make a determination of what, if anything, I need to do next.

“On the 3rd of December at 9:45 AM [EST], while I was still in Orlando, I called Jon and asked for an update. He told me that Ryan was meeting with the Supervisor of Elections the next day, Thursday, the 4th, and that he would call or text me afterwards with an update. On the 4th of December, at 4:56PM, I texted Jon and requested an update. He told me that he expected a resignation letter from Ryan by the next day with a resignation date of the 31st of December. I never did receive anything until the 7th. On the 7th of December, at 9:53PM, I responded to an email that Councilman Bullard sent to me at 7:54PM with his resignation from the Council, effective the 31st of December.

“On the 8th of December, at 2:02PM, I called the Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections, Paul Lux and left a voicemail that I needed to talk to him. At 4:18pm, I missed a phone call from Paul Lux and he left me a voicemail to call him back. At 5:06pm, I returned Paul’s call and left him a voicemail. He called right back at 5:07PM. I asked him if he was done with his investigation and he informed me that he was done. With no further action by the SOE and Councilman Bullard’s resignation, I consider my investigation closed. (Signed) Crestview Mayor JB Whitten.”

Lux today said Bullard told him that he is staying in his second home while his primary residence is being renovated. Lux also said Bullard’s homestead exemption still applies to his first home.

After Hurricane Ivan destroyed a sitting Okaloosa County commissioner’s home in 2004, the commissioner had to live outside of his commission district while the home was rebuilt, Lux recalled.

Looking ahead

On Monday, city officials began accepting applications from candidates seeking to fill the remainder of Bullard’s unexpired term that expires next November.

Eligible candidates must be at least 18 years old, a United States citizen, and a resident of Precinct 2, and also must hold an Okaloosa County voter registration card.

All applicants must submit their application by 5 p.m. Jan. 2. Interested individuals can apply online at cityofcrestview.org.

For more information, contact the interim city clerk at (850) 682-1560 ext. 250 or cityclerk@cityofcrestview.org.

The council unanimously approved the first reading of the ordinance on Dec. 8. If adopted, the ordinance would take effect immediately.

Currently, skateboards, roller blades and roller skates are prohibited from streets and sidewalks in the downtown area. Wheelchairs and “power-driven mobility devices” for disabled people, however, are not prohibited, and they would not be under the proposed ordinance.

The potential addition of e-bikes and e-scooters to the list of “micromobility devices” that are banned from downtown streets and sidewalks would help make those sidewalks safer for pedestrians and prevent deterioration of the city’s Main Street streetscape project, according to city Development Services Director Barry Henderson.

The nearly $5.7 million streetscape project that was completed this past spring consisted of various upgrades to a six-block portion of Main Street, generally between Industrial Drive and U.S. Highway 90, and to sections of adjacent streets. The upgrades included new sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, and landscaping, as well as the milling and resurfacing of Main Street.

According to city information, a first-time violator of the proposed ordinance would receive a written warning. A second-time violator would be fined $150, a third-time offender would be fined $350, and anyone who commits a fourth or subsequent violation would be assessed a $500 fine. Each of the violations would be a non-criminal infraction.

The 10,500-acre park stands about seven miles east of downtown Crestview. The park’s main road, Jericho Road, runs through the park’s 6,850-acre section between U.S. Highway 90 and I-10, then crosses the interstate via an overpass to the park’s 3,650-acre section. The potential interchange would incorporate the overpass and provide tenants with another way to access the park besides U.S. 90.

“The conversations (on the possible interchange) are very favorable,” Mixon, who is the District 1 County Commissioner, told the delegation. “There will be more discussions like that in the future.”

The delegation consists of state Sen. Don Gaetz, state Sen. Jay Trumbull, District 3 state Rep. Nathan Boyles, and District 4 state Rep. Patt Maney. At its meeting at the County Administration Building in Shalimar, the delegation considered local bills, heard presentations from government entities, and took public testimony on proposals for Florida’s 2026 Regular Legislative Session that convenes on Jan. 13.

Major park projects

On Oct. 30, Pontiac, Michigan-based Williams International broke ground on the first phase of its four-phase project at the Shoal River Industrial Park. Williams International, which designs and builds aviation gas turbine engines, plans to build a 1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility on its almost 107-acre site that stands next to Jericho Road and almost a mile south of U.S. 90.

The facility is expected to result in more than 300 high-wage jobs and a total capital investment of over $1 billion, the largest in Northwest Florida’s history, according to Okaloosa County officials.

William’s International’s 250,000-square-foot first phase might be completed around early 2027. The company will be the industrial park’s first tenant.

In late 2024, county officials helped break ground at the park on a wastewater treatment plant that will serve the park and future nearby residential subdivisions. The plant might be completed in late 2026.

After hearing from Mixon at Monday’s Legislative Delegation meeting, delegation members heard remarks by Crestview Mayor J.B. Whitten, who serves as a First District director of the Florida League of Cities.

Whitten said the League supports legislation that addresses the shortage of affordable housing in northwest Florida. He also urged delegation members to continue working on lowering homeowners insurance costs.

While legislators look at ways to potentially reduce or eliminate property taxes, the League of Cities “supports local authority over equitable property taxes,” Whitten said.

Fire district needs

The dozens of officials who made brief presentations at the delegation meeting included the leaders of a few fire districts.

Miranda Sargent, representing the Blackman Fire District, asked the delegation to support a planned expansion of the district’s Station 70 that would include an approximately 3,000-square-foot addition.

Scott Moneypenny, chairman of the Almarante Fire District Board of Directors, asked the delegation to support a requested state appropriation of about $579,000 to replace one of the district’s 20-plus-year-old fire trucks.

Delegation members also heard from Holt Fire District Commissioner Jim Connors.

“Holt needs a firehouse,” Connors said. “We have the property, we have the plans, we have the permits. We don’t have the money. The plans have divided the firehouse into three sections. We can operate with two of the sections completed … which would run about $4 million. So if you find $4 million in Tallahassee, we’d be happy to spend it for you.”

He said the district also needs a new fire truck, which is estimated to cost about $489,000. The district’s existing three trucks consist of a 2005 model, a 2003 model and a 1996 model, he said.

The district’s annual budget totals $160,000, Connors added.

“It would take every dollar that we had for the next three years to almost buy that truck,” he said.

The existing tax, which voters approved in November 2018 and took effect in January 2019, is set to expire at the end of 2028. With majority approval next fall, the tax would be renewed and be in place from January 2029 through December 2038.

At Tuesday’s commission meeting, Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Chairman Gordon King asked the commission to approve placing the potential renewal of the surtax on next November’s ballot.

Supporting the FWB Chamber’s request, King said, are the Crestview, Destin and Niceville chambers of commerce, the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors, and the One Okaloosa Economic Development Council.

Everyone who makes a purchase at a business where sales tax is applied pays the half-cent surtax, according to county information. Collections of revenue from the existing surtax began in January 2019. Since then, the tax has generated more than $136 million, and those dollars were leveraged using matching grants for a total of $279 million, according to county information.

King said property taxes would have to increase by 19% to generate the same revenue as the surtax.

The surtax money has been monitored by a citizens’ oversight and advisory committee and spent on initiatives such as public safety improvements, road and bridge projects, and flood control and water quality projects.

Examples of projects and initiatives that have or will utilize sales-tax revenue include the southwest Crestview bypass, emergency services communication equipment that enhances communications between first responders and enhances response times, upgrades to John King Road in Crestview, improvements to County Road 2 near Laurel Hill, and the stabilization or paving of over 200 miles of dirt roads, most of which are in the north county.

Current and completed surtax projects are listed at https://myokaloosa.com/bcc/infrastructureprojects.

King said more than 56% of surtax dollars comes from tourists who visit Okaloosa County.

“So, every summer, they come and spend their money, and they’re helping to repair and replace and improve that infrastructure that we the citizens have the benefit of using,” he said.

King, who is the CEO of the Okaloosa Gas District, also told commissioners, “As the business community, we’ve seen the results of what you’ve done” with surtax-funded initiatives. “We realize it takes years of planning for the staff to put these projects in place. That’s one of the reasons we’re back here today, asking you to renew that tax for another 10 years.”

Unlike when the existing surtax was pitched by local officials, the county now has a track record of many completed initiatives that utilized surtax dollars and that can be shown to local residents, District 5 Commissioner Drew Palmer said.

The potential facility near northeast Okaloosa County is being proposed by Reliant Carbon Capture & Storage, of Greenwood Village, Colorado. According to county information, the company wants to build a carbon capture sequestration project called the Pine Hills Storage Hub on about 74,000 acres of working forestland in Covington County, Alabama, just north of the towns of Florala and Lockhart. Those towns stand just northeast of Laurel Hill.

The proposed project is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing carbon dioxide, which is odorless, and storing it permanently underground instead of releasing it into the air.

“The project proposes to construct a stainless-steel pipeline from north Alabama, which would transport liquified carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants to be injected beneath the land surface at the Pine Hills site in southeastern Alabama,” Okaloosa County Deputy County Administrator of Operations Craig Coffey said in a report to the commission.

He said that in November 2024, Reliant entered into an easement agreement with the Yulee, Florida-based Rayonier Inc. timberland management firm on the working forestland in southeast Alabama. At the proposed storage hub, the CO₂ would be injected over 3,000 feet below the surface into deep porous rock formations and below drinking water sources, Coffey said in his report.

He noted that the proposed project requires the approval of the EPA and the Alabama Oil and Gas Board. Reliant’s applications to the EPA for an underground injection well are still early in the process, he said.

‘Cascading events’

As for long-term implications, the proposed project “has the potential to cause a host of cascading events that could affect us dramatically in our county,” Coffey said at the commission meeting. “Those cascading events range from seismic activity to contamination of groundwater. If you think about groundwater, you have the Yellow River, the Shoal River, and the Choctawhatchee River, which feed our estuary systems.”

Coffey also said potential contamination of well water from the proposed project might not show up for years, with people possibly getting cancer or experiencing other health problems.

The Walton County Commission on Nov. 12 sent a letter of opposition against the proposed project to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, EPA leaders, and the Alabama Oil & Gas Board.

According to information from Reliant cited by Okaloosa County officials, “Energy demand is soaring and fossil fuels (coal and natural gas) will remain part of our realistic energy mix for years to come. (Carbon capture and storage) helps American industry and people to continue to utilize fossil fuels for power while reducing the environmental impact.”

In May 2024, Alabama’s governor signed major carbon capture and storage legislation into law. According to information from Reliant, the law confirms that:

• Surface landowners are the legal owners of the underground pore space used for CO₂ storage
• Operators of carbon capture and storage areas can now combine storage facility areas with consent from at least 66.6% of landowners, promoting the development of large-scale sequestration projects
• An Administrative and Long-Term Trust Fund has been established under the Alabama State Oil & Gas Board to support oversight and post-closure monitoring of storage sites
• The bill creates a formal process for issuing a Certificate of Project Completion, at which point title and monitoring responsibility for sequestered CO₂ is transferred to the state of Alabama.

‘Appalled’

At the commission meeting, District 1 Commissioner and Commission Chairman Paul Mixon said the northeast corner of Okaloosa County is closest to his district. After noting the potential impact of the proposed Reliant project to various waterways in the area, he suggested the commission “take extremely strong opposition” to the project.

District 4 County Commissioner Trey Goodwin said the proposed project has potential implications for all commission districts, as well as multiple counties in Florida. He added that the proposed Pine Hills Storage Hub would basically be “a dump.”

The proposal to transport liquified carbon dioxide from north Alabama to southeast Alabama “is sort of like saying, ‘I’ve got some garbage in my yard and the way I’ll clean it up is I’ll put it in my neighbor’s yard,’” Goodwin said.

The aquifer that provides drinking water to Okaloosa County “is the envy of everybody, and everybody wants that water, so we have to protect that aquifer,” said District 2 Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who thanked local residents for notifying her about Reliant’s proposed project. “I’m appalled that Alabama wants to do this” project. “It’s not just the water. We could end up having seismic activity.”

In other business on Tuesday, the commission agreed to have Goodwin serve as the commission’s chairman and District 5 Commissioner Drew Palmer serve as vice chairman for the 2026 calendar year.

“This decision is a result of increasing professional obligations, personal responsibilities, and ongoing health considerations that require my full attention at this time,” Bullard said in his letter. “Serving the residents of Crestview has been an honor, and I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me. I am proud of the progress we have made together and confident in the continued success of our city.”

Whitten did not read the rest of Bullard’s letter at the meeting. Here is the remainder of the letter:

“As one of my final actions this year, I have chosen to donate my remaining discretionary funds to two local nonprofit organizations that directly serve and support our community,” Bullard wrote. “Supporting these organizations reflects my ongoing commitment to the wellbeing and growth of Crestview.

“It has been a privilege to serve alongside each of you, and I appreciate the opportunity to have contributed to the city’s work. I look forward to supporting Crestview in other capacities and remain committed to our shared vision for its future.”

Bullard joined the council after being elected to his current four-year term in November 2022. He represents precinct 2, which covers the city limits south of Interstate 10. His term expires next November.

When reached by phone today, Bullard said his resignation is “due to health concerns, and I’m a business owner: I’ve had a good increase in my professional obligations.”

Bullard is the founder and clinical director of BeHealthy Counseling in Crestview. According to the company’s website, he has advanced clinical expertise in trauma, perinatal and postpartum mental health, personality disorders, adolescent development, and mood disorders.

Funding

Each of the five city councilors receives $5,000 in discretionary funds from the city each year. Bullard said he is giving $2,500, or half of his discretionary funds, to the Homelessness & Housing Alliance and the other half to the Crestview Pregnancy Center. The money for the pregnancy center will support parenting education for new moms.

In addition to the discretionary funds, the city pays $420 per month, or $5,040 annually, to each city councilor. Bullard, however, said he elected not to receive any of the latter type of pay.

“I enjoyed being on the council,” he said. “I’m proud of how hard I fought for my community and am grateful for those who knew my character.”

Bullard said he was honored to push for the city’s smoking ban in city parks, play a big role in the renovation of Twin Hills Park, help get better pay for city firefighters, and use his professional expertise for the city’s first ever employee-assistance program.

“I’m the only one on the council who had young kids who utilized the park,” he said.

Bullard also noted that he hasn’t always seen “eye to eye” with Whitten, and that he was disappointed that the mayor read only a portion of his resignation letter at the council meeting.

“It kind of hurt a little bit,” Bullard said.

Whitten today said he read “what the council and the public needed to know: that he resigned. I didn’t think where he donated the money to was relevant. It’s a public record, if anyone wants to read the full letter. If he’s unhappy, that’s fine. I don’t really care.”

Seeking applicants

At the council meeting, City Manager Jessica Leavins said the council will utilize an appointment process for Bullard’s replacement. City residents who live within the city limits south of I-10 are eligible to apply for the precinct 2 council seat and serve the final year of Bullard’s unexpired term.

Leavins said information for applicants interested in filling the soon-to-be open seat will be posted on the city’s website, www.cityofcrestview.org, early next week.

“We’ll begin taking applications, and then we’re going to do our best to plan those interviews (of the top candidates) for right before the first (council) meeting in January,” she said.

The first council meeting of 2026 is set for Jan. 12. The new council member will be chosen either at the special session right before the regular meeting or at the regular meeting.

Whitten, who is a retired U.S. Air Force member and Florida high school teacher, serves on the Florida League of Cities Board of Directors and has served as Crestview’s elected mayor since April 2019. Before that, he served four years on the City Council.

Last month, Whitten was one of 33 mayors from various-size towns and cities across the U.S. to participate in the Mayors Foreign Policy Summit hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations and the United States Global Leadership Coalition in Washington, D.C.

During a panel discussion at the two-day summit, Whitten and other mayors talked with staff members of U.S. representatives and senators about international events affecting the mayors’ cities. A large part of the discussion focused on cartels shipping illegal drugs to the U.S. from Venezuela, Whitten said.

“My biggest problem that I see in Crestview is the drug trade, drug use, and the overdose problem” from opioids such as fentanyl, he told the News Bulletin today. “Basically, we as a country have given up on Latin America: We don’t fill a lot of our ambassador spots over there. To help me and my city, we need to look at that effect.”

Even if the U.S. shuts down the drug boat traffic from Venezuela, cartels will find other ways to get drugs here, Whitten said.

“The cartels are not going to give up the drug trade: It’s too financially rewarding to them,” he said. “It’s great we can shut down the (U.S.-Mexican) border, but the cartels will find a way. So little of our federal budget goes to our foreign relations. If we have no relationships with those countries, you’re affecting my city.”

Council on Foreign Relations President Michael Froman said mayors are “essential actors” in U.S. foreign policy.

“Cities are where international trade, immigration, and technological innovation intersect with people’s daily lives,” Froman said on Friday in a statement about the Mayors Foreign Policy Summit. “By bringing together mayors from across the country, we’re strengthening the crucial but underdeveloped link between local leaders and the policy community in Washington, not to mention the rest of the world.”

For more information about the Council on Foreign Relations and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, visit cfr.org and https://www.usglc.org/.

Medcrest connects to West Redstone Avenue, which connects to other streets farther south on the way to Lowe’s and other businesses.

Once completed, the new road will allow motorists to travel from downtown Crestview “and get to the Lowe’s area without ever having to get on (State Road) 85,” Capps said.

Also during the networking breakfast, which was sponsored by Community Bank and took place at the Crestview Community Center, Capps provided updates on these city projects:

• A traffic light is in the works for the busy East Redstone Avenue-Brookmeade Drive intersection, which earlier this year was realigned for smoother traffic flow
• Expansions of the parking lot and the driving range netting at the city’s Blackwater Golf Club on Antioch Road are underway
• Design/survey work for a new city public services facility is making progress.

Breakfast attendees also heard remarks from District 2 Okaloosa County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel. She praised Williams International, which recently broke ground on its huge manufacturing facility at the Shoal River Industrial Park east of Crestview.

Williams International will provide over 300 high-paying jobs “and more than a billion-dollar investment to this area,” Ketchel said. “The company builds (aviation) turbine engines that will help civilians and military markets.”

On another note, Ketchel talked about the 4.5-mile, photoluminescent bridge-to-bridge multi-use path that the county recently opened along U.S. Highway 98 on Santa Rosa Island.

“We just made the Guiness Book of Records for the longest photoluminescent path,” she said.

Ketchel then spoke about an issue that she said probably gets resuscitated every four or five years.

President Donald Trump, “probably mistakenly, decided to drill the eastern Gulf” for oil, she said.

Eglin Air Force Base officials, each Okaloosa County commissioner, and lobbyists, senators and congressmen who represent the Emerald Coast have engaged in opposing such drilling, Ketchel said.

The pacts consist of a $500,000 donation agreement with Coastal Conservation Association Florida and a $1.5 million interlocal agreement with Visit Pensacola.

The partnerships between the county and the two organizations “will foster amazing adventures for generations of visitors and create a tourism economy that will benefit the state and the entire Northwest Florida region,” County Commission Chairman Paul Mixon said today in a news release.

In early 2026, the 990-foot-long and 101-foot-wide SS United States is scheduled to be deployed in the Gulf and become the world’s largest artificial reef. The ship will be deployed about 22 nautical miles southwest of the Destin East Pass and 32 nautical miles southeast of the Pensacola Pass.

In 2024, county officials paid $1 million in tourist-development or “bed tax” money to buy the long-dormant SS United States. It eventually was towed from Philadelphia to Mobile, Alabama.

County officials earmarked a total of $10.1 million in bed-tax money to purchase, tow, and remove hazardous materials from the vessel, and create an on-land museum for the ship.

The museum might be established on the former Red Lobster restaurant property next to the Santa Rosa Sound in Fort Walton Beach.

This past spring, the county officials purchased the property for $3.5 million in county bed-tax money. While plans have not been finalized, county officials said the nonprofit SS United States Conservancy would manage the museum.

Money from CCA Florida

The $500,000 donation from the nonprofit, Orlando-based Coastal Conservation Association Florida toward the artificial reef project will be provided in two annual installments, starting Jan. 1, 2026, and ending Jan. 1, 2027, according to county Tourism Director Jennifer Adams.

In recognition of the donation, the county will provide the association with various in-kind benefits, including:

• Prominent logo placement and hyperlink on the county’s SS United States Project website and printed materials in perpetuity
• Public recognition through a dedicated social media post, inclusion in related posts and press releases, and acknowledgement at all major project events
• Museum exhibit representation, including a display at county-operated exhibits and coordination for a permanent feature with the SS United States Conservancy
• Commemorative items and access privileges, such as 10 aluminum portholes from the vessel, guided access/tours for documentation, and opportunities to participate in sendoff and deployment events
• On-site recognition, including a donor plaque mounted about the ship and banner space on the deployment vessel for media visibility
• A speaking opportunity at the pre-deployment press conference.

“CCA Florida is proud to once again partner with Okaloosa County, building on our long-standing collaboration on artificial reef projects and redfish stock enhancement,” CCA Florida Executive Director Brian Gorski said in the news release. “This partnership demonstrates how coordinated efforts between public agencies and nonprofit organizations can effectively serve our communities while advancing the health and resilience of our marine ecosystems. This project is particularly meaningful, as it represents the largest single donation in CCA Florida’s 40-year history. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to the creation of the world’s largest artificial reef.”

Money from Visit Pensacola

In the county’s agreement with the not-for-profit Visit Pensacola, the destination marketing organization will, within 60 days of deployment, pay $1 million toward deployment costs and will contribute $100,000 annually for five years to joint marketing efforts.

According to Adams, the county and Visit Pensacola will adhere to a marketing plan to maximize exposure, tourism, and regional collaboration.

Visit Pensacola will participate in progress meetings, inspections, deployment events, and join promotion efforts, and the county will manage permitting, compliance, monitoring, and full project execution.

Both parties agree that public announcements and promotional events will be coordinated to ensure alignment in messaging and marketing, according to Adams.

Visit Pensacola is set to approve the funding agreement in December.

“Visit Pensacola is thrilled to partner with Okaloosa County on this historic initiative,” Visit Pensacola President and CEO Darien Schaefer said in the news release. “With the addition of the SS United States and Pensacola already home to the USS Oriskany, Northwest Florida is becoming one of the world’s most extraordinary destinations for divers and marine exploration.

“The transformation of the SS United States into the world’s largest artificial reef creates a rare opportunity to elevate our entire region on the global stage. Together, we’re bringing unmatched environmental value to the Gulf while creating new tourism and economic opportunities that will benefit our destinations for generations. This collaboration showcases what’s possible when our region works together with vision, purpose and a shared commitment for sustainable growth.”