City Manager Jessica Leavins told the council the city has fielded repeated questions from residents about home-based businesses as the style of business has picked up popularity in recent months. She said staff wanted direction before writing an ordinance amending the city’s land development code.

Under the guidelines Leavins presented, a stand could be no larger than 20 square feet and no taller than 8 feet. Customers would park in the seller’s driveway rather than on the right of way or in yards, and stands could only operate during daylight hours any day of the week.

The time restriction mirrors existing rules regarding yard sales.

“We’re not trying to discourage small business, while at the same time we want to make sure that there are regulations to keep everyone safe,” she said.

The city cannot regulate what is sold, as that is determined by the state. Leavins said the only thing the city can influence is what she described as “home occupation.”

After a question posed by Mayor Pro Tem Doug Capps on whether the businesses face outside review, such as from a health department, Leavins said state rules govern health and safety concerns.

As to who handles complaints, Leavins said those would be dealt with by code enforcement officers.

Councilman Shannon Hayes said his main concern was stands lingering, comparing them to yard sales that stretch past a weekend.

“They’ll start Friday and they’ll still be there next Friday,” Hayes said. “It’s not just sitting out their side of the road until the next morning.”

Councilwoman Dusty Allison said many of the sellers are stay-at-home mothers adding to household income and noted that she is glad that the city’s role would be small in scope.

After a question from Councilman Sylvester Echols, Leavins said the city’s ordinance would not overrule current regulations set by a homeowners association.

Mayor JB Whitten asked whether the council was comfortable with having staff return at a later date with a draft ordinance, and members agreed. Any ordinance would first go before the Planning and Development Board before returning to the council.

The agreement divides operating costs for animal control and shelter 50-50. A new shelter will be built in one of the city’s existing buildings, with the county covering 65% of the costs. Crestview is contributing the land and structure, according to Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey.

Coffey said the building was constructed in 2020 and is about 7,500 square feet.

The county’s animal control budget had been slated to rise to about $900,000 this year, and county officials say the partnership will reduce that ask to $450,000. Coffey said Crestview currently spends $600,000 a year on animal control, meaning the county’s half would be $300,000.

The city will still need to provide officers and vehicles.

The move follows the county moving to stand up its own animal control operation this summer after the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society declined to renew a service agreement with the county it held for more than 20 years.

Commissioners in June chose a scaled-back model, known to county officials as animal control light, that only responds to bites, cruelty and neglect cases and loose livestock over strays and owner surrenders.

Coffey said Crestview provides higher services than that, falling somewhere between a full-service animal control model and the county’s limited model.

Coffey said the county will initially operate the limited version in the unincorporated areas and then grow toward the city’s service levels as resources grow.

Commissioner Trey Goodwin noted that the final cost remains unsettled.

“It just reminded me how expensive this venture is probably going to get,” he said.

“In my tenure, we’ve never had in house animal control,” he added. “In fact, I’m not sure anybody sitting up here has ever worked with Okaloosa County running its own animal control, so this is new.”

Crestview City Manager Jessica Leavins told commissioners the partnership would help both governments respond more effectively.

“Animals don’t know jurisdiction lines,” Leavins said.

Coffey said the agreement would also allow county inmates to work at the facility.

Before the issue came up, commissioners voted to add an item to the agenda to approve the purchase of two fully assembled animal patrol vehicles for no more than $44,000, including shipping, with advance payment.

Public Safety Director Pat Maddox said the county first tried to reuse three low-mileage F-250s, but the animal control beds cost up to $20,000 each and would take up to 10 months to build.

The assembled vehicles, which have air conditioning in the animal compartment, can arrive in two weeks.

The proposal would eventually eliminate property taxes on homesteaded properties under $250,000 by 2028, phasing out ad valorem revenue that cities rely on for public safety, infrastructure and quality of life services.

Destin Mayor Bobby Wagner said his city, which already has one of the lowest property tax rates in Florida, would lose roughly $937,000 per year, a 6.28% reduction. He noted that 51% of Destin’s homesteaded residents currently pay an average of $197 per year to the city, meaning most homeowners would see their bill drop to zero under the full exemption.

“It’s easy to say yes to lower taxes,” Wagner said. “The harder decision for the voter and for us in office will be if income is lower, what outputs are we going to cut?”

Wagner said Destin’s financial standing, with a “rainy day” fund twice the state requirement, gives the city some cushion, but cautioned against treating the measure as a cost-free win for taxpayers.

“No taxes is a great bumper sticker,” he said. “But as an elected official, I have to live withing the reality of a balance sheet.”

Wagner also dismissed the Legislature’s stance on local government waste at a time when the state recently paid $84 million for Norriego Point when it was sold for a fraction of that price.

In October 2025, the State of Florida acquired four acres of land on Norriego Point, land built by dredging Destin Harbor, from Pointe Mezzanine LLC. The land was owned by Bobby Guidry, an Okaloosa County megadonor who was convicted in the largest riverboat gambling fraud in Louisiana history in the mid-90s

“Those that are doing the right thing and being accountable to the taxpayers of their districts are getting impacted for something they didn’t do,” Wagner said.

In Crestview, City Manager Jessica Leavins said the impact would be steeper. With 41% of the city’s property homesteaded, Crestview stands to lose $2.7 million in the first year, about 20% of the general fund, rising to nearly $3.9 million by 2028, a loss of around 30%

“$2.7 million is a lot of money,” Leavins said. “20% of any budget is going to be a substantial number, and that’s just the first year.”

Leavins said the city is already exploring creatives solutions but acknowledged that some service reductions are likely unavoidable.

“We’re looking to minimize that as much as possible,” Leavins said.

She also raised concerns about a provision in the bill’s final language, Section G, which allows municipalities some flexibility in how they spend their remaining property tax revenue beyond core services, but that language is vague and open to interpretation.

“If it’s broad and we are allowed to continue to fund those services, we are going to do our best to find a way,” Leavins said.

Leavins added that the city will take a more conservative approach to this year’s budget cycle, avoiding new positions or projects that might need to be cut in the future.

Florida League of Cities Vice President, and Shalimar Mayor, Mark Franks said the proposal, regardless of its intent, moves the decision-making process away from local communities and puts the purse in Tallahassee.

“A proposal this significant warranted more time and a comprehensive fiscal analysis before moving forward,” said Franks. “Eliminating property taxes doesn’t eliminate the cost; it just shifts the burden, and no one has shown how the math works.”

Franks said Florida’s cities remain partners in the success of the state, but need tools, like property tax income, to care for the wellbeing of their residents.

“When you remove the ability for communities to fund their own services locally, those decisions inevitably move further from the people they affect,” said Franks.

All three officials emphasized the importance of voter education ahead of November’s election. Leavins invited Crestview residents to attend budget workshops, the first scheduled for July 15, and urged them to contact their council members directly if concerns arise.

Wagner said his focus between now and election day will be ensuring residents understand the trade-offs before they cast their vote.

“If you want lower taxes, what are you willing to give up?” Wagner said. “As long as we have an educated vote on what we’re willing to give up, then the will of the people must be. Because that’s what democracy is supposed to be.”