The City of Destin held a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday morning for the completion of the Norriego Point Recreation Area, a project years in the making that was officially opened on March 5, 2026.
- Mayor Bobby Wagner welcomed attendees to the event, acknowledging that the project had been more than a decade in the making with contributions from past and present leadership.
“The wheels of government move very slowly, but sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse,” Wagner said. “But now you can see the fruits of decades of leadership.”
Wagner described the area as a peninsula that represents what Destin offers — a working harbor, a pass to nearby fisheries and Crab Island. He said the project is ADA approved and shared that fishermen had been sending him photos over the past month of families with wheelchairs at the end of the point.
- Wagner shared a message from one fisherman who said he had fished out of the docks for 30 years and had never seen a wheelchair at the end of the point until recently.
The park includes dune walk-overs, a boardwalk that loops around the property, designated parking, restrooms and showers, a pavilion and ADA access.
Duncan Greer of Taylor Engineering said the project is a Natural Resource Damage Assessment environmental and recreational amenity project stemming from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
“It is a long time coming,” Greer said.
Greer said approximately $15 million went into the project, with a partial cost share from the City of Destin. He thanked the Destin City Council, the mayor, and Gorman Marine Contractors, which handled the recreation phase of the project.
- Wagner said residents can expect a similar style and amenities at the future Joe’s Bayou Park, recreation area and boat launch.
Shane Moody, CEO of the Destin Chamber of Commerce, recalled that Councilwoman Sandy Trammell and Councilman Jim Bagby were in their first eight-year roles when the project was approved, and that Greg Kisela was city manager during his first stint. Moody also credited former Mayor Sam Seevers for her work securing oil spill funding for the project.
“The work she put in to get that money for us to do this — I was there with her and Kisela, and it was amazing the hours that she put in,” Moody said.
Moody said he evaluates government projects by three measures: whether they are generational, transformational and economically viable. He said the Norriego Point project meets all three.
“Generations to come will enjoy this piece of property. It’s transformational because it changes what could be,” Moody said. “And then yes, it’s economically viable.”
Lisa Firth of the Parks and Recreation Department thanked all involved for their work, along with county staff who clean the beach each morning and her parks and recreation team, which maintains the bathrooms and the area two to three times a day.
“When I’m out here, it’s like a little Disney World,” Firth said. “There’s so many people out here.”
Wagner closed the speaking portion of the ceremony by addressing the city’s fiscal approach. He said Destin is in the top 10 of Florida’s 411 cities for the lowest ad valorem tax and emphasized the city’s strategy of partnering to stretch local dollars.
Wagner said the community has just over $200,000 of local taxpayer money in the $15 million project.
“For a community that’s getting about $12 million of local dollars, we go find $70 million collectively to go spend in the seven square miles,” Wagner said.
Wagner thanked current and past council members before the ribbon cutting.
