The City of Fort Walton Beach’s $3.5 million plan to renovate Liza Jackson Park has hit a snag with federal permitting delays, but city officials say they’ll move forward with bidding the project anyway and start with upland improvements.
- Public Works Director Daniel Payne told the city council at their Oct. 28 meeting that plans for the boat ramp overhaul are complete, but permitting for water-related work from the Army Corps of Engineers remains delayed. The ongoing government shutdown isn’t helping the situation.
“At some point in time we feel like we just gotta put it out there,” Payne said, referring to issuing bids for the project despite ongoing permitting uncertainty. He referenced similar delays the city faced with The Landing project that dragged on for years.
Bids are scheduled to be posted by Nov. 6, with a pre-bid meeting set for Nov. 18 and bid submissions due Dec. 16.
Since the water-based improvements don’t represent the majority of the project, the city wants to get moving on upland portions — the new playground, restroom facility, pavilions and expanded parking. The bid package will include a line item for the boat ramp extension, pier and waterfront work to give the city cost estimates, but those portions won’t move forward until federal permits are approved.
The project’s funding strategy has also shifted since Okaloosa County Commissioners approved a $1 million partnership in May. City officials initially considered including Liza Jackson in a combined $10 million debt package along with the recreation center expansion, but Finance Director Nicole Nabors now recommends a different approach.
The city expects to receive a $1.6 million grant reimbursement from The Landing project during the current fiscal year. Those funds will go into the Community Redevelopment Agency account, allowing the city to pay for its $2.5 million portion through CRA funding and half-cent sales tax revenue rather than taking on additional debt.
- “I felt it was more financially prudent to not add Liza Jackson Park back in and pay for that out of CRA funding,” Nabors told the council. “So we’d have a lower debt cost.”
The original funding plan outlined in May included $750,000 from the half-cent surtax, $750,000 from CRA funds, and the $1 million from the county’s tourist development tax. The county’s contribution will be reimbursed on an actual expense basis up to $1 million after project completion.
The park currently has 178 parking spaces. The renovation will retain 60 existing spaces and add 126 new spaces — 54 for boat trailers, 69 regular spots and three handicap spaces. The design also calls for extended launch lanes, dock extensions, a new playground, restroom building and pavilions.
The improvements are intended to complement the county’s April purchase of the adjacent former Red Lobster property at 326 Miracle Strip Parkway for $3.5 million. That 1.84-acre waterfront site includes over 100 parking spaces and could potentially house exhibits related to the SS United States artificial reef project.
