Jay Odom, the developer behind the Freedom Tech Center, provided an update on the project’s progress to the Fort Walton Beach City Council on February 14, 2023.
- The mixed-use development, which covers 50 acres of land leased from the US Air Force next to the NWFL Fairgrounds, is set to transform the north side of Fort Walton Beach into a bustling commerce center, offering a range of amenities such as jobs, housing, hotel and meeting space accommodations, restaurants, Class A office space, and a 4-acre recreational park.
Odom told the council that the infrastructure for the entire 50-acre development, including water, sewer, power conduits, roads, and curbing, is in place.
The Home2 Suites Hotel, featuring 126 rooms and 4,500 square feet of meeting space, is currently under construction, with steel construction currently up to the first floor. “Opening date is in March of next year,” Odom said.
- Additionally, the development order for the Holiday Inn Express, a second hotel on the site, is expected to be issued soon, with construction starting within the next 30 days.
Odom also shared that work is currently underway for 312 units of apartments with actual construction expected to start in about three months. Furthermore, a local high-tech company has expressed interest in constructing an office building on the site.
As the development continues to take shape, Odom said that his team is also exploring potential restaurants that may be interested in establishing a presence at Freedom Tech Center. “We’re starting to look at restaurants that are interested in being there,” Odom said.
- The development’s flagpole was also approved to stand at 200 feet, making it the tallest flagpole in Florida. The flag itself will be 70 feet by 110 feet, according to Odom.
With its broad mix of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces, Freedom Tech Center has the potential to make a significant impact on the local community.
- “We’re really excited about this. It’s going to be really exciting to see this come together,” Odom said.
5 Responses
Sounds good. But the destruction of the American middle class continues despite such developments. Rent for a small 1 bd apartment is over $2100 under the excuse of COVID19 or something else. Those who own apartment complexes would not be impoverished if they charged $1300 for that apartment. This destruction of our laboring middle class is legal under Democrat rule as well as under Republican rule.
The Choctawhatchee National Forest land was provided to the war department in 1940. When it was no longer needed for military purposes it was to revert back to national forest. Instead our Government representatives have decided to let rich people have it to get richer.
Will the people ever matter again in America?
From my perspective, where is the infrastructure to support such a development? Today there was a minor traffic accident at Beal and Hospital.that blocked traffic a considerable distance back. It’ll be difficult to even get out of a site that like that. Lights on top of lights.
Leasing federally protected land to a private developer is a violation of federal law. How did this deal get approved?
Is there any sign of a new department store being built in this area