The Destin City Council unanimously approved an agreement Monday night allowing Destin High School to use and modify a city softball field for its baseball team, ending a three-year period without a home field for the school’s baseball program.
- The agreement addresses the high school’s need for a home field after losing access to the Destin Elementary School baseball field on April 1, 2024.
Under the 15-year agreement, Destin High School will pay to convert Field D at Morgan Sports Center from a softball field to a baseball field and will invest approximately $50,000 – $75,000 to meet High School’s needs.
The school will have exclusive use of the field from January through April each year for practices and games, paying an annual fee starting at $10,065 and increasing by 3% annually.
“We’re excited about this opportunity,” said Donald Williams, executive director of Destin High School. “We’ve worked closely with the Council and Parks and Recreation department to get this across the finish line.”
- Williams emphasized the importance of the agreement, stating, “A city that doesn’t put resources into its youth doesn’t have a future.”
The agreement includes provisions to allow the city to continue using the field for summer tournaments. Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Firth said minor modifications to the infield grass will enable the field to accommodate both high school baseball and youth softball tournaments.
“If we could just keep that grass a little shy into the baseline, we could move the 90-foot bases that the high school needs to an 80-foot base when we need them for the tournaments,” Firth explained.
Several council members expressed support for the agreement while emphasizing it’s not intended as a permanent solution.
- “I don’t look at this as a permanent solution,” said Councilman Dewey Destin. “A permanent solution would be a new, nice field somewhere.”
Destin proposed directing city staff to approach the Okaloosa County School District about potentially building a new baseball facility on district-owned property, with the city contributing funds.
The council approved the agreement with the addition of a five-year review clause and authorized the mayor to sign once final language is approved. They also discussed adding a termination clause to allow the school to end the agreement if they secure their own field in the future.
Destin High School students and officials attending the meeting expressed gratitude for the city’s support.
- “Thank you for even considering it, to keep the hope and my dream to play baseball in Destin,” said Palmer Robbins, a junior at Destin High School.
Dr. Diane Kelly, the new principal of Destin High School, emphasized the importance of baseball beyond sports. “Baseball represents all of those things, all of those skills that it takes for our young people to take into adulthood, specifically things like resilience, experience, teamwork, and the opportunity to be seen and valued as an athlete, perhaps even for scholarships,” she said.
Councilman Johnny King shared his personal experience of not having a home field when he played football at Fort Walton Beach High School, saying, “I understand the feeling of not having a home. I think that you guys deserve a really nice place to call home.”
The agreement aims to provide a home field for the high school team while preserving the city’s ability to host tournaments and other events at the sports complex. Mayor Bobby Wagner thanked Councilman Geile for leading the charge in the negotiations, acknowledging the additional time volunteered to represent the city in this matter.
