Destin City Councilmember Jim Bagby will vacate his seat effective July 21 to pursue his run for Walton County Commissioner.

• Bagby, who qualified for the 2026 Walton County Commission ballot through Florida’s petition process in March, disclosed his plans during the council’s April 7 meeting. He told fellow council members he intends to register as a voter in Walton County ahead of the Aug. 18 primary, which would make him ineligible to continue serving on the Destin City Council.

“The primary is August 18th, and I will be an elector in Walton County and no longer eligible to serve,” Bagby said.

His departure will mark the second vacancy on the council this year. Councilmember Torey Geile resigned from his seat at the same April 7 meeting, and the council appointed former Councilmember Chatham Morgan to fill that vacancy on April 20.

The city is expected to go through another round of applications for an interim appointment to fill Bagby’s seat closer to his departure date.

Bagby brings more than two decades of professional experience in Walton County to his commission race. He previously served as executive director of Visit South Walton, general manager of One Seagrove Place and town manager of Rosemary Beach for 10 years.

He most recently served as district director for Matt Gaetz. Before building his career on the Emerald Coast, Bagby spent 24 years in the U.S. Army.