Candidates vying for seats on the Destin City Council tackled a crucial question during a recent forum: What is the number one issue facing Destin today? Their responses highlighted a variety of challenges facing the coastal Florida community, with each candidate offering unique perspectives on Destin’s most pressing needs.

• The forum, hosted by the Destin Chamber of Commerce and Emerald Coast Association of Realtors, featured seven candidates competing for five open council seats in the upcoming November 5 election.

Several candidates pointed to infrastructure as a key issue. Councilman Kevin Schmidt emphasized the urgent need to address “renewal and replacement” of aging facilities.

“Destin’s a little town with big town problems,” Schmidt said. “We are stuck in the old ages on so much stuff around here. Our parks are falling apart, our medians are falling apart, our buildings are falling apart. We have to fix it.” Schmidt also stressed the importance of public safety and making streets safe for families and children.

Councilwoman Teresa Hebert identified budget constraints as the major challenge. “We struggle every year to try and get our budget in line,” Hebert said. “We have projects that we can’t get finished. We have infrastructure areas that need working.” 

• She cited specific examples, such as the community center needing repairs and the Morgan Sports Center requiring new lights at a cost of $1 million.

Growth management was highlighted as an ongoing issue by incumbent Dewey Destin, who helped write the city’s original charter. “We’re still outrunning our infrastructure and approving projects, high density projects that have 50 to 100 units investment without really understanding how we’re going to manage that growth,” Destin said.

He also raised concerns about the city’s debt management, warning about potential over-borrowing for various projects.

Sandy Trammell focused on maintenance, repair, and safety. “We need to clean, renew and repair everything we’ve got,” Trammell said. She emphasized the need to address safety in residential areas, questioning why major highways have 30 mph speed limits while some compact residential areas don’t have lower limits.

• Trammell also stressed the importance of improving infrastructure, noting it’s “not pretty because you don’t see it, but I think it’s most important.”

Rodney Braden pointed to multiple issues, stating there wasn’t just one primary concern. He highlighted code compliance as a major problem, describing his recent personal experiences with the issue. Braden also mentioned the need to revamp the city’s multimodal transportation plan.

Lance Johnson emphasized preserving natural resources and parks, noting their critical role in the local economy. “Nearly all of our economy is based on our natural resources and we need to take a more active role in making sure that those are preserved for the next generation and generation after that,” Johnson said. 

• He also stressed the importance of quality development and redevelopment to enhance residents’ quality of life.

Councilman John Stephens highlighted local infrastructure as the top issue, particularly focusing on traffic congestion and the need for better parking solutions. “We have traffic congestion. We need to figure out some better parking solutions,” Stevens said.

He suggested exploring alternative transportation options, such as water taxis in the Harbor District.

While the candidates identified different top priorities, they largely agreed on the range of challenges facing Destin. The forum provided voters with insights into each candidate’s perspectives and proposed solutions as they prepare for the upcoming election.