At a special meeting, the council voted 4-0 to appoint Peacock as the clerk. She topped two other finalists: Amanda Ojeda, who owns a childcare center in Pensacola and has an extensive administrative background, and NyKole Krivda, who recently served as the vice president of the Hillsborough County Black Chamber of Commerce and also has an extensive administrative background.

A total of about 25 applicants sought the city clerk position, Crestview City Manager Jessica Leavins said.

After the council interviewed the top three candidates on Tuesday, Councilor Brandon Frost noted that Peacock was the only candidate to say she has city clerk experience. He also said that the city likes to promote from within.

Councilor Shannon Hayes said being a city clerk is not something a person learns in a few months.

“Natasha has demonstrated and expanded her knowledge with further education,” said Hayes, who praised her 13 years in the clerk’s office, mostly as deputy city clerk.

“You all bring different qualities to the table,” Councilor Doug Capps told the candidates. “I feel Natasha is the most qualified.”

Peacock’s ability to efficiently and accurately fulfill public records requests also impressed council members.

Peacock began serving as the interim city clerk after former City Clerk Maryanne Girard submitted her resignation last November. Girard, who became Crestview’s first council-appointed city clerk on Nov. 15, 2021, resigned after citing “a troubling erosion of trust and respect” between her and some council members in recent months.

Earlier last year, the council had Girard undergo public records training after city officials received some complaints about her handling of public records requests.

In her application letter to the council for the city clerk position, Peacock noted that she processes five to 25 public records requests daily.

“When you appoint me as City Clerk, you are making an investment in continuity, stability, and excellence,” Peacock said in her letter. “I am not a candidate who will need time to learn your systems, build relationships, or understand your community’s unique needs.”

As interim clerk, Peacock was paid $27.05 an hour, according to Leavins. Peacock’s pay rate for serving as the city clerk will be negotiated.

Bullard, who was elected to his four-year term in November 2022, resigned from the council on Dec. 31 after citing increasing professional obligations, personal responsibilities, and ongoing health considerations.

Precinct 2 covers the city limits south of Interstate 10. The unexpired term expires in November.

Seven applicants sought to fill the Precinct 2 seat. On Tuesday, the council interviewed the three finalists before unanimously choosing Echols over Louis Rodriguez and former City Councilor Andrew Rencich.

“The things I want you to know about me, first is, I’m a Christian,” Echols, who has served in multiple leadership roles with the First Church of God in Christ since 1998, said in his opening presentation to the council. “I believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I think without him, I would not have life at all.”

Echols also said he is the husband of one wife of 45 years, and that they’ll celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary on Feb. 16. The couple has three children and six grandchildren and has lived in Crestview since 1998.

“We came here from a little north of here, place called Minot, North Dakota,” Echols said. “So we came here with the intent that we would much rather shovel sand than shovel snow. I came here by way of the Air Force. I served in the Air Force for 27 1/2 years” and retired in 2020 with a total of 47 years of military, Department of Defense contractor, and civilian service.

‘Listening with understanding’

Echols, who as a councilor will no longer serve on the city P & D Board, said serving seems to be a point of nature for him.

“I have a deep, deep desire and passion for the long-term growth, public safety, and budgetary health of Crestview,” he said. “When appointed, I will serve with integrity and transparency, listening to the residents, working with fellow members of the council, working with the city clerk, working with the staff and the city as well as the residents, to make a balanced decision of all the things that we need in Precinct 2” and “for the entire city.”

Echols said he learned via his time with the military “that the best skill that you can have is the skill of listening: listening with understanding before you make a decision, making sure you have all the facts to come up with the best solution.”

While being interviewed by the council, Echols was asked by Precinct 1 Councilor Dusty Allison to share his favorite part about Crestview.

Echols replied by saying people in the Hub City care for each other, such as by holding open a store door for others and allowing other motorists to get out in traffic on State Road 85. He said while Crestview is growing fast, it retains a small-city atmosphere that he cherishes.

In answer to another question from Allison, Echols said his goals as a councilor are making sure local children are safe in their schools and the city is adequately prepared for major storms and other disasters.

Handling criticism

Communicating with residents and being transparent and readily available are ways a councilor can become successful in the community, Echols said in reply to a question from Group 1 (At Large) Councilor Shannon Hayes.

In response to a question from Group 2 (At Large) Councilor Brandon Frost, Echols said his approach to transparency includes reaching out to residents about issues such as traffic on SR 85 and the location of the city’s red-light cameras.

And in reply to a question from Precinct 3 Councilor Doug Capps, Echols said as a councilor he would handle criticism by being respectful of it and not disrespectful of the person making the criticism.

At the end of the special meeting to interview the three finalists, the council selected Echols in a 4-0 vote.

Before the council made its selection, Frost said that Echols cares about kids’ safety and public safety and is transparent.

“Every time I’ve talked with him, he’s always been polite, knowledgeable and willing to learn,” Frost said.

Also before the council’s final decision was made, Allison noted that Echols attends nearly all of the City Council meetings, and Hayes said Echols has been taking notes at the meetings and “is very well-spoken.”

Rodriguez has pre-filed to run for the Precinct 2 seat’s next full four-year term. That contest will be decided by city voters in the Nov. 3 general election.

Rencich served as Crestview’s Group 2 (At Large) councilor from early 2019 to late 2024.

The city pays $420 per month, or $5,040 annually, to each of the five councilors. Each councilor also receives $5,000 in discretionary funds from the city each year.

The County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the establishment of the new board, which among other events and activities will help organize:

• An America 250 grand parade near the county courthouse in the county seat of Crestview
• A memorial service honoring Revolutionary War patriot ancestors
• A public gala event
• Educational programs in local schools
• Other activities to educate young people about the history of the revolution and the principles of the nation’s founding fathers.

The U.S. president and Florida’s governor “have issued proclamations recognizing 2026 as the year we celebrate the Revolutionary War and the founding of the United States of America establishing our new Republic,” county officials said in a resolution establishing the county America 250 Commission.

At the County Commission meeting, District 2 County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who serves as an officer of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Choctawhatchee Bay Chapter, said many of her ancestors fought for the Revolution.

“We often talk about our country and how divided it is today,” Ketchel said. “Do you not think it was divided during the Civil War? Do you not think it was divided during (the Civil Rights Movement)?”

However, “A lot of really good stuff has happened, and we’re a lot further than we were, and we’re not where we want to be yet but we’re going to be there, and I’m so glad to celebrate the birth of this nation,” she added.

America 250 celebratory events and activities in Okaloosa County will include those sponsored by governments, private and nonprofit organizations, and the public at large. The events and activities will “honor the men and women who fought for and died to form our first government (and) military services; and gave their all standing up to tyranny, and taxation without representation and a lack of personal and religious freedoms that came with being a colony of Great Britain,” county officials said in the resolution.

The county America 250 Commission will be chaired by the president of the Sons of the American Revolution, Emerald Coast Chapter or his designee. The vice-chair will be the regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Choctawhatchee Bay Chapter or her designee. The other 16 commission members will be:

• The local member of the state of Florida America 250 Commission
• Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Director Jennifer Adams
• Okaloosa County School District Superintendent Marcus Chambers or his designee
• An Okaloosa County member of the Florida State Historical Commission
• A member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, West Florida Chapter
• One executive director/president of the chamber of commerce community to be selected by the leadership of the chambers in Crestview, Niceville/Valparaiso, Fort Walton Beach and Destin
• One city mayor within the county to be designated by the Okaloosa County League of Cities
• One commanding general, or his designee, representing the U.S. military community
• One representative from the leadership of the Fort Walton Beach Krewe of Billy Bowlegs
• Sabu Williams, president of the Okaloosa County branch of the NAACP
• The district commissioner of the Choctaw District of the Gulf Coast Council of Scouting America
• Five members; one appointed by each county commissioner.

The county America 250 Commission will have the authority to develop rules of business/meeting procedures, collect and spend private financial and in-kind donations, create logos/emblems/branding, request public donations and grants, recruit volunteers, form sub-committees and working groups, and provide monthly updates to the County Commission, according to the resolution.

With the council’s action, e-bikes and motorized scooters join skateboards, roller blades and roller skates as the types of “micromobility devices” that are prohibited from streets and sidewalks in the downtown area. Wheelchairs and “power-driven mobility devices” for disabled people are not prohibited.

The new ordinance aims to help make downtown 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 project was completed last spring and 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 improvements included new sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, and landscaping, as well as the milling and resurfacing of Main Street.

A first-time violator of the new ordinance will receive a written warning. A second-time violator will be fined $150, a third-time offender will be fined $350, and anyone who commits a fourth or subsequent violation will face a $500 fine. Each violation is a non-criminal infraction.

The City Council authorized the agreement on Monday. The $30 million represents a not-to-exceed limit.

City Councilor Dusty Allison had an excused absence from the meeting.

Final interest rates and repayment schedules for the loaned money will be determined at the time of bond issuance, and debt service will be paid from non-ad valorem revenues or other designated funding sources, city officials said.

After the council meeting, City Manager Jessica Leavins told the Crestview News Bulletin that city officials hope to close on the loan by the end of February. Examples of funding sources that will be used to pay off the loan, she said, include city utility fund revenue and local option half-cent infrastructure surtax money.

The money to pay off the loan “is not coming from property taxes, which is great,” City Councilor Shannon Hayes said during the meeting. “So, it means we’re not going to have to raise our taxes for our citizens.”

Established in 1998, the Florida Municipal Loan Council helps cities, counties and other local governments finance projects more cost-effectively by leveraging the benefits of larger, pooled financings, according to information from the Florida League of Cities.

Projects

Here are the projects that will use loan proceeds:

The ROC

In mid-December, the city closed on the purchase of Central Baptist Church’s Recreational Outreach Center, aka “the ROC,” for about $1.4 million. The center, which consists of a gym and a five-lane, 25-yard, 56-person capacity pool, stands at 1105 S. Pearl St.

The city has had a new HVAC system installed at the ROC and upgrades to the gym floor are nearing completion. The gym remains open for basketball games. The pool, which continues to be operated by the nonprofit Emerald Coast Fitness Foundation, remains open.

Fire Station 3

Crestview officials are hopeful that renovations to Fire Station 3 at 585 Brookmeade Drive will be completed later this year. Because of an HVAC system-related mold problem and structural issues at the station, staff members have been working out of North Okaloosa Fire District Station 84 on John King Road since last spring. The renovations are estimated to cost a little over $2.6 million.

Public works facility

City officials intend to start construction of a new public works facility before the end of this year. Plans call for it to be built by the city wastewater treatment plant, which stands next to Arena Road in the heart of the bypass project area. The estimated construction cost is a little over $20.1 million.

Among other problems, the existing public works facility east of State Road 85 and just north of Long Drive dates to the 1950s and does not provide enough space for employees and equipment, city officials said. It eventually will be demolished to make room for a planned public safety building that will house Fire Station 1 and the city police station.

The existing police station next to Old Spanish Trail Park will not withstand a strong hurricane and eventually will be demolished to provide more room for the park to accommodate the needs of the city’s sports programs.

During a budget workshop last summer, “We realized that some of these dreams” to get the projects listed above completed “may be out of our financial reach without raising taxes, (but) this City Council has been adamant that we will not be raising taxes,” Leavins said during Monday’s meeting. “So this plan (to borrow money for capital projects) that is before you is the plan that we discussed back in the summertime that doe not include any changes to the ad valorem rate.”

Hayes said he’s glad the city is making progress on the capital projects now.

“If you wait until later, you’re going to pay more” because of inflation, Hayes said.

“I just wanted to reiterate that…we are not raising property taxes to fund this loan,” City Councilor Doug Capps said.

Deloach didn’t attend the meeting to address how much park land would be included at Independence. Instead, she talked about the potential effects of the massive overall planned subdivision on the nearby, existing community.

The 10-phase Independence development eventually could have up to 1,222 single-family residential homes on 611 acres north of U.S. Highway 90, about five miles east of downtown Crestview, and directly east of Clint Mason Road. The subdivision’s developer is D.R. Horton Inc.

Deloach lives on Mt. Olive Road, a little east of the Independence site. At Tuesday’s meeting, she said much of U.S. 90 remains a two-lane road, and that at least 56% of homes have at least two vehicles.

“So, putting that number into mind, that’s how much more traffic we could possibly expect on Highway 90 or going out onto (State Road) 285, which is a two-lane highway,” Deloach said. “And I don’t know about anybody else, but driving on (State Road) 85 at any time of the day, that can be a nightmare, just to get to Walmart to get groceries” or other items. So, has that (anticipated traffic spike from Independence property owners) been taken into consideration? And if we look at expanding Highway 90, how does that impact property owners that are already out there and their land?”

The Independence project site stands within Commission District 1, which is represented by Commissioner Paul Mixon.

Mixon said that, unfortunately, U.S. 90 “is not something that we have the authority to fix a pothole on. It’s a state highway, and so we are at the will of the state for the repairs or expansions of that highway.”

He added that the widening of SR 85, as well as the widening of U.S. Highway 98 in southwest Okaloosa County, are projects that the Okaloosa Walton Transportation Organization have prioritized ahead of the widening of U.S. 90.

Mixon said he would like to see a traffic light eventually installed on U.S. 90 next to the Independence development.

“I don’t think it’s necessary yet,” he said.

In early 2022, the commission approved the establishment of an overlay district and specific development-related requirements for Independence. They include various safeguards for Eglin Air Force Base flight operations, a 35-foot residential building height limit, and a prohibition against access to the district parcels from Clint Mason Road.

County staff members approved the development order for Independence’s first two phases in early 2024.

On Tuesday, the commission approved an agreement with D.R. Horton that requires the overall Independence site to include a total of a little over 22 acres of neighborhood parks.

Bullard, who was elected in November 2022, resigned from the council on Dec. 31 after citing increasing professional obligations, personal responsibilities, and ongoing health considerations.

Precinct 2 covers the city limits south of Interstate 10. Bullard’s term expires in November.

The application period for Precinct 2 residents interested in serving the final year of his term ran from Dec. 15 to Jan. 2.

The applicants are Louis Rodriguez, Scott Delaney, Sylvester Echols, Joseph Warren, Eric Johnson, Andrew Rencich, and Erik Register.

At a special council meeting set for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, the current council members will rank the applicants and interview the top three before choosing the new councilor, according to information from City Manager Jessica Leavins.

Rodriguez has pre-filed to run for the Precinct 2 seat’s next full four-year term. That contest will be decided by city voters in the Nov. 3 general election.

Rencich served as Crestview’s Group 2 at-large City Councilor from early 2019 to late 2024.

Each of those seats has a four-year term.

The qualifying period for each seat is from noon Monday, June 8 until noon Friday, June 12. However, several candidates have already pre-filed their candidacy paperwork.

For example, longtime District 2 County Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel and longtime District 4 County Commissioner Trey Goodwin have pre-filed to seek re-election in the Aug. 18 primary election. Ketchel and Goodwin, both of whom are Republicans, have served on the commission since 2014.

In the nonpartisan primary election contest for the District 3 School Board seat, Crestview-area resident Cynthia West and Baker resident Mitch Reed have pre-filed as candidates. Linda Evanchyk has served as the District 3 School Board member since 2018.

Some candidates have also pre-filed for the nonpartisan Crestview City Council races that will be decided in the Nov. 3 general election.

Frederick Butts has pre-filed for the Precinct 1 seat currently held by Dusty Allison. Louis Rodriguez has pre-filed for the Precinct 2 seat, and Jillian Harker and incumbent Doug Capps have pre-filed for the Precinct 3 seat.

Ryan Bullard, who was elected to the Precinct 2 seat in November 2022, recently submitted his resignation after citing increasing professional obligations, personal responsibilities, and ongoing health considerations. His resignation takes effect today.

Applicants interested in serving the final year of Bullard’s term have until 5 p.m. Friday to submit their applications. The council plans to choose the top candidate on Jan. 12.