City officials expect the purchase price to be around $1 million, which potentially could be financed via bond money, City Manager Jessica Leavins told the council.

“There would be some additional refurbishment cost,” Leavins said. “I’m hesitant to go too far into the property (details) because real estate, you know, is all about negotiations, right? But if the council is interested, if there’s some consensus, we will move forward and then we’ll be able to bring back an agenda item next month.”

The council unanimously agreed to move forward with the possible purchase. The next regular council meetings are scheduled for Sept. 8 and 22.

“Considering that it is (an) existing (facility), and that even purchasing it with (refurbishment) is going to be so much cheaper than the alternatives that we had already discussed, I say move forward with it,” Councilor Dusty Allison told Leavins.

In July, council members backed away from pursuing the construction of a major city sports complex after learning it could cost more than $100 million and require a large millage rate hike to help pay off the resulting debt.

“Any positive improvement for our young people, I would support,” Councilor Shannon Hayes told Leavins during Monday’s discussion. “I’m sure whatever (existing facility) you’re looking at, it would be adequate. When you give us more details, we can make a decision.”

The potential purchase of the existing facility is “kind of a bridge to get us to a point where we can financially do something even more” to enhance recreation opportunities, Mayor Pro Tem Doug Capps said.

Unlike the decades-old Twin Hills Park gym, the facility the city is looking to acquire is climate-controlled, Leavins said. On another note, she said city staff members and consultants continue making progress toward the goal of adding more city ballfields.

City staff members “believe that there’s going to be some drawings coming back to us very quickly to prioritize some master planning, which would determine the overall cost to add some fields,” Leavins said. “We’re looking at how we can add those fields at a price point that we’re all happy with.”

In an email to the News Bulletin, the resident said that on Aug. 1, the Clerk’s Office switched to a new company for online foreclosure auctions.

“We used to pay a flat $60 auction fee for each property sold,” the resident said. “With the new Bid4Assets company, it’s now .5% of the sale price! So, if I win a $200k property at auction the fee is now $1,000! I don’t know why they switched but it’s not legal. The statute says they can only charge a maximum auction fee of $70.”

The resident cited the state statute that reads: “If the sale is conducted by electronic means, as provided in s. 45.031(10), the clerk shall receive an additional service charge not to exceed $70 for services in conducting or contracting for the electronic sale, which service charge shall be assessed as costs and paid when filing for an electronic sale date.”

In an email sent on Thursday to the News Bulletin, Embry said the Clerk’s Office did switch contractors related to the online auctioning of foreclosed properties in Okaloosa County.

“There are a multitude of reasons for us terminating our relationship with the previous vendor, the biggest one being the unsustainable increases in fees being charged to the Clerk’s Office for their service,” Embry said. “Essentially, public tax dollars were being expended to sell and/or advertise foreclosed properties under the previous contractor because the $70 statutory fee no longer covered the actual costs incurred by the Clerk’s Office in the on-line foreclosure sale process. Additionally, the Clerk’s Office was expending significant time and resources managing monetary accounts for bidders.

“The current contractual arrangement requires the third-party individuals or entities using and/or participate in the process to bear the cost of the service, rather than the tax paying public. Additionally, the current contractor manages the accounts for people bidding on properties, rather than our county-funded finance department. This is essentially a no-cost contract for the Clerk’s Office that substantially reduces the expenditure of taxpayer money and other resources from being expended unnecessarily.”

Embry noted that the 0.5% convenience fee charged by the new contractor only applies to successful third-party bidders and is in line with the current statute.

“It is significant to note that plaintiffs in foreclosure actions who end up being the successful bidders at the online foreclosure sales are exempt from this convenience fee,” he said, adding, “The third-party bidder convenience fees are charged and retained entirely by the contractor, not the Clerk’s Office. This is something that has been reviewed and approved by legal counsel.

“While I understand that there are some people that are upset over this change, my ultimate goals are to find ways to reduce costs to our taxpayers and maintain the highest level of service to our citizens.”

Beasley Park, 1550 Miracle Strip Parkway, currently has 203 parking spaces, and Marler Park, 1275 Santa Rosa Blvd., currently has 79 parking spaces, as well as 24 boat trailer spaces.

County officials plan to have 151 parking spots added to Beasley Park, bringing its total to 354, and 134 parking spots added to Marler Park, raising its total to 213.

Construction of all the new spaces will begin in about a year, county Public Information Officer Nick Tomecek said today.

At its regular meeting today, the Okaloosa County Commission approved paying HDR Engineering almost $183,000 to provide engineering services, construction bid documents, permitting services and related work for the parking lot expansion projects. Last year, the county paid the Omaha, Nebraska-based engineering firm $22,790 for a task order to investigate the feasibility of adding and/or expanding parking at multiple locations, including Beasley and Marler parks.

“From that task order, viable parking options were identified and staff would like to move these concepts forward to construction,” county Tourism Development Department Director Jennifer Adams said in a report to the commission.

County tourism development tax money will be used to pay for the nearly $206,000 total cost of HDR Engineering’s services.

Currently, Beasley Park is completely full at certain times of the year and is expected to see more visitors when the county’s Bridge to Bridge Multi-Use Path opens, according to Adams.

The 4-mile path, which could officially open in mid-to-late September, runs along the south side of Miracle Strip Parkway (U.S. Highway 98) and between the Brooks Bridge over the Santa Rosa Sound and the Marler Bridge over the East Pass next to Destin.

The path, which contains photoluminescent stones that glow in the dark, is meant for walkers, runners, and bicycle riders only. Unfortunately, county officials continue having to ask motorists to stay off the path.

Adams said the additional parking areas at Beasley Park will be located between Miracle Strip Parkway and the existing parking lot, as well as the area between that lot and the Welcome Center.

“Vehicular access to these new parking areas will be from within the existing parking lot,” she said. “The addition of pedestrian walkways, re-orienting the existing parking to 90 degree (perpendicular) parking, and minor modifications to the existing parking lot pavement are also proposed to in crease parking between these areas. There is no proposed impact to the nearby dunes.”

Adams noted that the existing parking lot at Marler Park is often full.

Construction of the new Brooks Bridge, which could be completed in mid-2027, has tempered use of this park somewhat, but once the new bridge opens the park “will be a center of activity with a new large playground, family picnic area, beach area, and vicinity to the convention center and boat ramp,” Adams said. “This additional parking will support current demand at the park and support the new playground, a new splash pad and integrations into the trails. Vehicular access will be from within the existing internal roadway.”

The addition of a pedestrian walkway has also been proposed for Marler Park, she said.

The Okaloosa County Commission today approved spending almost $800,000 in federal money on the construction of 5-foot-wide sidewalks along Stillwell, which runs past properties in the city limits of Crestview and in unincorporated Okaloosa County.

In a project expected to last 5 1/2 months, Chavers Construction Inc., of Cantonment, will build sidewalks on the south side of Stillwell, which extends 1 1/2 miles between State Road 85 to the west and Monterrey Road to the east.

The sidewalks will be built along a 0.9-mile section of Stillwell between SR 85 and Valley Road and a 0.2-mile segment between Monterrey Road and the east side of Walker Elementary School. Existing sidewalks run along a 0.4-mile portion of Stillwell between Valley Road and the school’s east side.

County officials have received $796,732 in federal funds via a Florida Department of Transportation grant for the construction of the sidewalks. Among seven companies that submitted bids for the project, Chavers Construction provided the lowest responsive, responsible bid.

In a separate but related vote, the County Commission approved spending up to a little more than $229,000 in county half-cent infrastructure sales tax money for other aspects of the overall sidewalk project. This money will pay for a construction contingency, help cover Construction Engineering & Inspection costs, and pay for repairs to a wooden pedestrian bridge by Walker Elementary School.

The bridge, which is located on the existing sidewalk section between Valley Road and the school, has fallen into disrepair since the FDOT grant application was submitted several years ago, according to interim county Public Works Director Scott Bitterman.

The Arts & Learning Center will stand in a leased space that is next to Desi’s Downtown Restaurant and previously housed a Connect With Flowers store.

During a recent survey, Hub City residents indicated a desire for more opportunities that feature family activities downtown. In addition, Crestview Public Library officials have expressed a desire for additional space for classes and programs, such as English as a Second Language classes and pre-school story time, according to city information.

The space for the Arts & Learning Center has room for displays and a dedicated classroom area, which could be used by entities such as the nonprofit, Fort Walton Beach-based Emerald Coast Science Center.

On Monday, the Crestview City Council approved paying $126,650 to Shepheard Development LLC, of Crestview, to renovate the space and make it ADA-compliant. The council also approved paying $43,000 to Colson’s Electric, of Crestview, to provide electrical services for the renovation project.

Mayor Pro Tem Doug Capps had an excused absence from the meeting.

The renovation project is expected to begin this month and be completed by mid-October.

City Community Redevelopment Agency money, a contribution from the building’s owner, Crestview Investment Corp. LLC, and a city Public Services Department in-kind contribution will cover the total project cost.

After the council meeting, City Manager Jessica Leavins told the News Bulletin that a financial institution has offered to pay the $66,000 total cost of a three-year lease of the space at 189 N. Main St. She said the name of the institution will be publicly shared at the Aug. 25 City Council/CRA meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. at City Hall.

In other business on Monday, the council approved paying $752,176.84 to Chapel Branch and Lagniappe LLC, of Chipley, to expand the parking lot and make other upgrades at the Blackwater Golf Club, 4927 Antioch Road.

During the project, which is expected to last about seven months, the parking lot will receive a net gain of 75 parking spaces. The overall project includes clearing and grubbing, asphalt and concrete paving, drainage and curb and gutter work, new striping and signs, landscaping and irrigation work, and construction of a new cart barn.

Okaloosa County Tourist Development Tax and city General Fund money will be used to pay for the overall project.

Besides erecting other roadblocks, Senate Bill 180, which was recently passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, prevents Okaloosa County from implementing any of the recommendations from the nearly $1 million North Okaloosa Planning Study.

Last October, the Okaloosa County Commission acknowledged receiving the study’s final report. The study, which was conducted by Inspire Placemaking Collective, of Orlando, and is also known as the Inspire study, aimed to help guide growth in the unincorporated area north of the Eglin Air Force Base reservation.

Early in the study process, then-county Growth Management Director Elliot Kampert said the county intended to use the study’s final report as the basis of substantially updating the county’s comprehensive plan, which serves as a blueprint for growth.

“When it comes to future development, “There is a glaring need for clarity in the existing comprehensive plan about what’s allowed and what’s not,” Inspire President George Kramer said last August at a town hall session on the planning study.

While the commission acknowledged receiving the study’s final report, it did not vote on going forward with any of the report’s recommendations, such as phasing out conditional density allowances within the county’s Agriculture and Residential Rural land use designations.

Because of SB 180, action on such recommendations will not occur anytime soon.

Analysis of the bill

On Friday, Watkins, who lives just north of Crestview and is a passionate advocate for protecting the north county’s rural and agricultural areas, shared an analysis of SB 180 by Richard Grosso, a land use attorney in the Broward County city of Plantation.

Grosso prepared the analysis for the Tallahassee-based nonprofit, smart-growth advocacy organization called 1000 Friends of Florida.

The new bill “has an immediate and drastic impact on the authority of local governments to amend their comprehensive plans and land development regulations, or issue development orders with conditions opposed by any person or entity,” Grosso said in his analysis. “This new law, which went into effect on July 1, 2025, is extremely limiting. Section 28 of the law, citing federal disaster declarations for Florida counties from Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, immediately renders ‘more restrictive or burdensome’ comprehensive plan and land development code changes adopted by every local government in the state of Florida after July 31, 2024, subject to judicial invalidation, and precludes local governments from adopting such measures until October 1, 2027.”

He said all 67 of Florida’s counties were identified in a federal disaster declaration for at least one of Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, which struck Florida last year.

“Each of those 67 counties, and every city within every county, is subject to the Section 28 prohibition,” Grosso said. “Going forward, whenever a future hurricane makes landfall, the law’s prohibition on new substantive restrictions or procedures that are more restrictive or burdensome will kick in for any counties within 100 miles of the track of the storm (and their cities) and last for a year.”

A ‘bad bill’

Watkins said by approving SB 180, the state took away the power of residents and their local government officials “to control planning and zoning as well as your opportunity to provide input on development and planning during the public review process on such matters. This was a bad bill and needs to be repealed or modified.”

Watkins urges residents to “talk this over with your state representative and senator to make sure they support either repealing this bill or at lease making major modifications to the worst parts.”

At an Okaloosa County Commission meeting in March, District 3 Commissioner Sherri Cox told residents the commission did address the Inspire study.

Because of the Bert Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act “and the restrictions that it gives us on how we can implement the Inspire study legally, we had asked collectively to put this on our (2025 state) legislative priorities (list) so that we could put it before the Legislature,” Cox said.

SB 180, however, prevents the county from implementing the study until at least Oct. 1, 2027.

Grosso’s full analysis of the bill is available online at https://1000fof.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SB-180-detailed-grosso-analysis-.pdf.

It’s part of the city’s Community Development Block Grant 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan. The city has received a total of $164,652 in CDBG money for projects in the first year Annual Action Plan.

The funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and used for projects designed to benefit low- and moderate-income people or areas, or aid in the prevention and elimination of slum and blight.

City staff worked with Crestview’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee and the public to develop the action plan. The City Council on Monday approved the following allocations of CDBG money:

• $43,878 for the design of a paved multi-use recreational path that would run adjacent to Industrial Drive and the railroad tracks and extend between Main Street and Twin Hills Park. The proposed path would provide safer, more accessible multimodal connectivity between downtown and the park.
• $32,930.40 for planning and administration: Among other duties, the city Community Development Services Department administers the CDBG Program and is responsible for conducting all public hearings and meetings, advertising for and accepting applications, reviewing applications, staffing the Citizen’s Advisory Committee, administering funds to sub-grantees, and preparing the Annual Action Plan.
• $32,000 for improvements to the nonprofit Crestview Manor assisted living facility on North Pearl Street. The upgrades include replacing ceiling tiles and ceiling fans throughout the facility and repairing/repainting parts of the facility’s exterior, such as a back door.

• $31,145.80 for security cameras at downtown city facilities, such as the Community Redevelopment Agency office building on Main Street, Wilson Street Park, and the future Arts and Learning Center at 198 N. Main St.
• $12,348.90 toward the operational costs of the nonprofit Crestview Resource Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Among other types of help, the center provides counseling, legal, and veteran services, HIV testing, and training in financial literacy, job readiness, and basic computer skills.
• $12,348.90 to buy equipment, such as tables and chairs, that is necessary for instruction, and to pay for specific types of instruction at the future Arts and Learning Center.

The City Council approved the funding allocations in a 4-0 vote. Mayor Pro Tem Doug Capps had an excused absence from the meeting.

“I believe FPL dropped the ball” by allowing the solar farm breach to occur, Gaetz said at the meeting, which took place at Holt Fire District Station 21, 490 U.S. Highway 90.

The Kayak site, which has significant slope, encompasses about 500 acres south of Interstate 10 and off Trawick Creek Road. The breach occurred on June 8 after 7 inches of rain fell in a three-hour period.

The largest of the ensuing sediment discharges occurred along the Kayak site’s east boundary, where the east berm and embankment of a stormwater conveyance swale eroded.

Among other areas of concern, up to 5 feet of sand interspersed with red clay from an uncontrolled release of stormwater was found in a wetland nearly spanning the Wilkinson Creek valley.

“This sediment discharge completely filled and covered the channel of Wilkinson Creek to the extent its original course was difficult to visually discern,” officials said in FPL’s wetland and stream restoration plan for the Kayak site.

Gaetz, R-Niceville, and District 3 state Rep. Nathan Boyles, R-Holt, hosted Monday’s meeting, which focused on what led to the breach, what FPL is doing to fix it, and what the company will do to prevent another breach from occurring.

“We’re going to make sure FPL doesn’t fail at making it right,” Gaetz said.

Boyles, whose property in Holt was impacted by the runaway sediment, said the overall issue “is just as important to me, both personally and as your state representative.”

Later during the meeting, he said, “There were zero other stormwater ponds that failed in northwest Florida the day we had this rain event.”

Boyles added that he thinks FPL gets the message that it doesn’t receive a pass by chalking up the massive June 8 rainfall to “an act of God.”

J.T. Young, vice president and general manager of FPL Northwest Florida, and Mike Sole, FPL’s vice president of environmental services, answered questions from many of the more than 80 residents who attended the meeting.

“We are certainly focusing on making this right by strengthening and restoring our stormwater system at the Kayak Solar Energy site,” Young said.

The June 8 breach wasn’t the first time that residents living near the Kayak site had to deal with runaway sediment from the site.

In early 2024, when the solar energy center was being built, heavy rains led to large amounts of sediment being pushed into adjacent creeks and wetlands. An FPL official apologized for that particular mess and said the company would clean up the affected areas and continue to implement its stormwater management practices.

At Monday’s meeting, Young and Sole said that after the June 8 breach occurred, FPL crews began working seven days a week to remove sediment from affected areas, repair the Kayak site’s stormwater system, restore Wilkinson Creek, and make other improvements.

“It is unacceptable for these types of events to occur,” Sole, who once served as the secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said of the breach. “We acknowledge that.”

He said crews have restored the Kayak site berm that failed and have placed sod to help stabilize it. Work continues on the installation of 2,000 linear feet of 24-foot-long sheet pile along the berm that failed “to ensure and give you the comfort that you’re not going to have that kind of breach again.”

The sheet pile goes 20 feet underground, and only 4 feet above grade, resulting in “a very strong, armored berm,” Sole said.

He said crews have also begun creating more capacity in the site’s existing stormwater ponds so more water can be held back and have installed more outfall structures along the site’s northern pond to improve the controlled release of water after a major rainfall.

A copy of the Kayak Solar Energy Center Wetland and Stream Restoration Plan is available at fpl.com/kayakrestoration.

In addition to other completed and ongoing interim improvements, the Kayak site’s overall stormwater system will undergo a complete redesign, which will be reviewed by an independent engineering firm, Sole said. The firm is HDR Engineering, which is based in Omaha, Nebraska and has offices in Crestview and Pensacola.

“Once the third-party engineer finishes their review, they’ll give us the results,” Sole said. “We will make any final changes to that final stormwater design, and we will then submit it to the DEP for their review and approval. Hopefully this will happen in a very quick period of time.”

Sole thanked residents at the meeting for their patience.

“None of you asked for this,” he said of the solar farm breach. “None of you deserve having this disturbance in your life. Again, we thoroughly apologize but appreciate your patience as we move forward to try to make this right.”

Near the end of the meeting, Gaetz encouraged residents to contact him or Boyles if FPL fails to give the residents straight answers to their questions about the restoration of the Kayak site and adjacent areas.

“We will hold FPL accountable and get a straight answer,” Gaetz said.

District 3 Okaloosa County Commissioner Sherri Cox, who was unable to attend the meeting in Holt because of a personal matter, said at Tuesday’s commission meeting that residents also can contact her with any concerns they might have about the restoration work.

Cox said she has visited the Kayak site several times and has talked with several homeowners who have been affected by the breach.

“I’m pleased to say that, by my best estimates and the hundreds and hundreds of dump trucks and (pieces of) earth-moving equipment that are out there, they do appear to be making their best effort and being a good community partner in this,” Cox said of FPL. “It will take time and patience.”