Of the six charter amendment questions Fort Walton Beach voters decided Tuesday, only one has a complete, official result: Question 1, which moves city elections to coincide with the November general election cycle, passed with 84 percent support.

• The Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections reported 1,344 votes in favor and 256 against, out of 1,600 ballots cast across nine precincts. Turnout ranged from about 8 percent to 24 percent depending on the location.

Full results for the remaining five questions are not yet available. A circuit court order, issued Feb. 27 at the request of the FWB Watch Group, prohibits the Supervisor of Elections from including Questions 2 through 6 in election night reporting or posting those results on the SOE website. The order also bars the Fort Walton Beach Canvassing Board from certifying those results until the litigation concludes, including all appeals.

Precinct-level voting reports from Election Day show how in-person voters voted on all six questions. But those reports account for only 1,072 of the 1,601 total ballots cast. The remaining 529 — cast by mail or during early voting — are not reflected in the precinct data.

The five questions still awaiting full results cover term limits and vacancy procedures, council meeting governance, changes to city officer duties, elected official compensation, and the repeal of the voter-approved 3% cap on annual budget expenditure increases. Whether those results are ever certified will depend on the outcome of the Watch Group’s lawsuit.

What voters saw

All six questions appeared on the ballot despite the court order. Ballots had already been printed before the Feb. 27 ruling, and there was no way to remove the challenged questions from the physical ballots. Voters cast ballots on all six, but under the court’s order, results on Questions 2 through 6 were not included in election night reporting.

Question 1, the only question not challenged in the lawsuit, asked whether to move mayoral and council elections to the November statewide general election cycle in even-numbered years. 

Turnout and voting method

Of the 1,601 ballots cast across the nine Fort Walton Beach precincts, 1,072 were cast in person on Election Day, 335 by mail and 194 during early voting. No provisional ballots were recorded.

Ferry Park was the city’s largest precinct by turnout, accounting for 475 of the total ballots. The Golf Course precinct followed with 268. New Heights and Westwood each had 23.

Election Day precinct data

The following table shows Election Day in-person results by precinct on all six questions. These figures do not include the early and mail-in ballots that made up roughly one-third of all votes cast, and should not be interpreted as final or indicative of the overall outcome on any question.

The legal backdrop

The FWB Watch Group filed suit Jan. 14, challenging the ballot language on Ordinances 2196 through 2200 — corresponding to Questions 2 through 6. The lawsuit argued the questions failed to meet the requirements of Florida Statute 101.161, which mandates that ballot summaries provide clear and unambiguous explanatory statements of each amendment’s chief purpose.

The complaint said the questions bundled multiple policy changes under vague descriptions that did not inform voters of what they were approving.

On Feb. 27, a circuit court judge sided with the Watch Group in part. The order allowed the election to proceed but prohibited the Supervisor of Elections from including results for Questions 2 through 6 in election night reporting or on the SOE website, and barred the canvassing board from certifying those results until the litigation concludes, including all appeals. 

• The judge will hear additional arguments now that the election has taken place. If the city prevails at a final hearing, the sealed results will be released and certified. If the Watch Group prevails, the results will not be used.

The six questions

Question 1 (Ordinance 2195): Moving City Elections to November General Election Dates. Passed, 1,344-256 (84%).

Question 2 (Ordinance 2196): Non-partisan City Elections, Stricter Term Limits, Filling Vacancies, and Filing Fees. Amends Sections 3, 4, 5, 7 and 25. Full result not released.

Question 3 (Ordinance 2197): Council Meetings and Governance. Amends Sections 6, 8 and 9. Full result not released.

Question 4 (Ordinance 2198): Changes to Remove Outdated Language and Enhance Efficiency of City Operations. Amends Sections 11-14 and 16-22. Full result not released.

Question 5 (Ordinance 2199): Authorizing Compensation to City Elected Officials. Amends Section 33. Full result not released.

Question 6 (Ordinance 2200): Deleting Charter Section 35 which Establishes Limitations on Increases to Annual Budget Expenditures. Full result not released.

This story will be updated as official results and additional details become available.