The Fort Walton Beach City Council will discuss whether to merge with Shalimar Little League or continue with Cal Ripken Baseball (coed) for the city’s youth baseball programs.
- The upcoming Tuesday discussion on Sept. 23 comes after Shalimar Little League President Ed Hartley presented the opportunity during the Sept. 9 council meeting.
“It would be nice to have seven more fields and grow our league that much bigger – to have that many more kids play baseball and softball,” Hartley told council during his presentation.
Hartley’s proposal came after City Recreation Coordinator Sean DeWitt approached him about bringing Little League to Fort Walton Beach. While Hartley said he cannot give the city its own Little League franchise due to boundary restrictions, he offered to merge the programs and utilize both organizations’ facilities.
The partnership would combine Shalimar’s 570 current players with Fort Walton Beach’s program. Shalimar operates from a county-owned facility that is being expanded with new turf fields. SLL will go from four to six fields.
- “I know there is a lot of division between Shalimar and Fort Walton, but I feel like we can come together for the best of the young players to expand and grow to more competitive play,” DeWitt said during the earlier September meeting.
According to Tuesday’s agenda, staff will present council with the option to form a partnership with Shalimar for a Little League presence in Fort Walton Beach or continue with Cal Ripken for youth baseball. The city announced a partnership with Cal Ripken Baseball in September 2024 for 10U and 12U coed baseball leagues.
Under the proposed Shalimar partnership, the Little League charter would be amended to include both Shalimar and Fort Walton Beach, with both entities working together on field space. According to city documents, the city would initially have two nonvoting members appointed to the board, with a voting member position available when allowable.
- Shalimar has set an Oct. 1 deadline to finalize any partnership and inform Little League Headquarters in Pennsylvania of their intent.
During the September 9th discussion, Councilman Bryce Jeter raised concerns about long-term governance and protecting the city’s interests, suggesting the need for an extended agreement.
“I don’t want to see us go head-over-heels for some awesome partnership and then three or four years from now, the board vote all of our city members off and then we’re just giving free fields to a Little League board,” Jeter said.
The naming of a merged organization was also briefly discussed, with Hartley suggesting “Shalimar-Fort Walton Beach Little League” while remaining open to alternatives.
Recreation Manager Wendy Riggs also supported the concept, saying the combined program would be stronger than separate divisions and “it’ll be better if it’s bigger.”
The Fort Walton Beach City Council meets Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 107 Miracle Strip Parkway S.E.
