The Destin City Council on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the protection of shorebird habitat on and around the city’s Norriego Point Park and the adjacent state-acquired property, adding a conservation layer to the ongoing debate over the future of the approximately 4-acre Holiday Isle site.

• Resolution 26-13 formally expresses the council’s support for protecting imperiled shorebird nesting areas at Norriego Point and the state-owned parcel, and backs the efforts of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Audubon Florida to promote conservation practices, public education and habitat stewardship.

The resolution directs the city clerk to transmit copies to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, FWC, Audubon Florida and members of the local legislative delegation.

Representatives from Audubon Florida addressed the council before the vote. Collette Lauzau, the organization’s program manager, thanked the city for considering the resolution and described the conditions that make the area important for nesting birds.

“Black skimmers and least terns currently nesting there depend on quiet, undisturbed stretches of beaches to forage, nest, and rest,” Lauzau told the council. “These birds are aerial fishers that rely on the same productive coastal waters that have earned Destin its reputation as the world’s luckiest fishing village.”

Brian Cammarano, Audubon Florida’s shorebird stewardship coordinator, said the organization looks forward to promoting stewardship within the community through its Share the Shore initiative while monitoring nesting activity throughout the summer.

• “We are grateful for the support of the city of Destin and the local community in taking steps to protect these birds and help keep our coastal habitats functioning for wildlife,” Cammarano said.

City Attorney Kim Kopp noted that FWC had reached out to the city, along with Audubon Florida, regarding shorebird protection in the area. She said the site has become a sensitive nesting area and that staff strongly recommends conservation future land use and zoning for the state-owned land — the same designation that already applies to the city’s adjacent Norriego Point Park.

Mayor Bobby Wagner said he had consulted with Nick Vitale, a regional shorebird biologist with FWC, who confirmed four nesting or breeding sites in the area classified as tier one and tier two. Wagner said one of those sites is the state-acquired property, with three others nearby.

• “They have confirmed that by this April, there’s several sightings, there’s several nesting and breeding sites, and there’s a lot of things that go with that that we’ll need to do to protect them all,” Wagner said.

Councilman Dewey Destin said the area has a long history as shorebird habitat, noting that nesting activity was disrupted only during heavy construction on the site.

“When I was five years old, we would go over there, and the birds were nesting by the hundreds, if not thousands,” Destin said. “So we need to go back to the way it was since it’s now been acquired by the state.”

After the resolution passed, Destin made a separate motion to invite Okaloosa County to adopt a joint resolution supporting shorebird protection. He also moved to send the mayor, city manager and city attorney to the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners meeting the following morning to extend that invitation. Both motions passed 7-0. City officials attended the BCC meeting on May 19 as directed.

The resolution comes as the broader dispute between Destin and Okaloosa County over who should manage the state park property remains unresolved. A meeting between Councilman Destin and County Commissioner Drew Palmer with state officials, originally scheduled for April 30, was canceled. A rescheduled window of May 12 to 15 also passed without a meeting taking place.

Kopp told the council the meeting had not been rescheduled as of May 14. Destin said he had been assured by the city’s legislative representatives in Tallahassee that the meeting would take place but that timing remained uncertain due to the ongoing state budget process.

• “We just don’t know when because they are having a terrible time passing a budget, it appears, and are still there,” Destin said.

Councilman Kevin Schmidt asked whether the city’s position on the park lease — established in Resolution 26-05, which asks the state to designate Destin as the managing entity — would be reiterated at the BCC meeting. Kopp confirmed that the resolution remains in effect.

“Until council rescinds that resolution, your position is you would like to lease and manage the park, and have that be done by the city, not the county,” Kopp said.

Schmidt also raised questions about the state legislators involved in the property’s acquisition, noting they were “the same state legislators that signed in the budget amendment at midnight before the budget was done to purchase the property.”

The city council adopted Resolution 26-05 on March 16, requesting the state authorize Destin to serve as lessee and local managing entity for the park property. That resolution included a commitment of up to $5 million in municipal funding for redevelopment, restoration and conservation management of the site.

As of the May 18 meeting, no entity holds a leasehold interest or has an approved management plan for the property.