The Fort Walton Beach City Council changed course Tuesday night on its long-running effort to study potential fire service consolidation after learning their preferred consulting firm withdrew its bid that could have cost up to $130,000.
- Interim City Manager Dennis Reeves informed the council that AP Triton, LLC, the top-ranked firm among three bidders, pulled out after discovering limited cooperation from neighboring fire districts. The Wyoming-based company’s bid was expected to range between $120,000 and $130,000, though exact figures remained sealed.
The council voted 6-1 to reject all current bids and pursue a two-pronged approach: reaching out to state legislators and local government leaders while simultaneously preparing a new request for proposals (RFP) instead of the previous request for qualifications (RFQ) format.
“The question for me all along for the past eight years has been what’s the best way to provide fire services,” Councilman David Schmidt said. “Obviously it’s a very political subject, it’s a very sensitive subject. And rightfully so, you’re dealing with public safety and fire.”
- The shift to an RFP would allow the council to view cost proposals upfront rather than having them sealed until after vendor selection, City Attorney Jeff Burns explained. The new RFP would maintain the same scope of work as the previous solicitation.
The study’s most recent history traces back to April 2024, when Schmidt proposed exploring consolidation options between the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department and Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District. The initiative faced setbacks when Ocean City-Wright declined to participate financially or administratively in June 2024.
Mayor Pro Tem Nic Allegretto, who cast the lone dissenting vote, expressed concern about repeatedly disrupting fire service operations for a problem he believes may not exist. “We are trying to bring together people that do not wish to be together and we are doing it for reasons that we just believe there could be something there,” he said.
The council will now draft correspondence to multiple stakeholders, including county commissioners, municipal leaders, and fire district boards to gauge interest in examining regional fire service delivery.
- The new RFP will require bidders to make presentations to the council, either in person or virtually, before any selection is made. The previous study scope focused on assessing current fire protection operations, response capabilities, staffing, and resources necessary for service delivery.
Any potential consolidation would require legislative action since the Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District was created through state legislation.
