Parks+Rec

Cinco Bayou Boat Ramp, new parking area to open Friday ahead of Labor Day weekend

The Cinco Bayou Boat Ramp and its new parking area will open Friday afternoon ahead of the Labor Day weekend, capping a $4.1 million project.

Jared Williams

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The Cinco Bayou Boat Ramp and its new parking area will open Friday afternoon ahead of the Labor Day weekend, Okaloosa County announced.

The county is asking boaters to be mindful of posted signs and the designated trailer traffic pattern at the facility. Commercial activity, including pontoon rentals, is prohibited at all county boat ramps.

The opening is the latest milestone in a $4.1 million project the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners approved in March 2025. That vote included the $2.95 million purchase of a three-story former bank building at 198 Eglin Parkway NE and two vacant lots at 4 Lucille St. and 254 Seaway St.

The bank building now serves as the new Tourism Development Department headquarters, while the vacant parcels were acquired for expanded boat trailer parking.

“I’m convinced that these two projects will be a very positive partnership between the county and the Town of Cinco Bayou,” Town of Cinco Bayou Mayor Jean Hood said when the board approved the project.

In November 2025, the board approved a $120,918 purchase order to CXT Inc. for a prefabricated restroom facility, which was installed at the site in June. The redeveloped parking area includes 16 to 18 spaces for boat trailers, each 53 feet long from curb stop to the end of the divider stripe, according to the county.

The broader project also included stormwater management, cameras, lighting, buffers for neighboring residential properties, boat dockage improvements and shoreline stabilization.

The $4.1 million project was funded through $3.1 million from Tourism Development end-of-year funding, $750,000 from Cinco Bayou Tourism Development Tax funds, $100,000 from Cinco Bayou Community Redevelopment Agency funds and $150,000 from county Boater Improvement Funds.

The county operates and maintains the facility.

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