COMING SOON

Ferry Park to get new bathroom near the playground

The Fort Walton Beach City Council held a meeting on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, and one of the items on the agenda was the purchase of a prefabricated restroom building at Ferry Park.

• The decision was made to replace an existing restroom facility at the park, which has been a topic of discussion for replacement for several years.

The current restroom, located by the playground and disc golf course, is beyond repair and in need of replacement, according to the city. The city had volunteers come forward to repair and upgrade the restroom located by the multipurpose field, but it was decided that a new facility was needed near the playground.

The has city utilized the state contract through Sourcewell for multiple restroom buildings in the city, including Garniers Beach, Elenor Johnson Youth Center, and Mooney Park/Golf Course. The prefabricated concrete restroom facilities are vandal-proof, according to the city.

The delivery timeline for the project is approximately 6 months from the time of the order. Some of the work required for the preparation and installation of the restroom building will be performed by the city staff, including the demolition of the existing building at the park.

The new restroom will be the same model as the one located at Mooney Park, but with different colors. It will have 4 separate individual restrooms, as well as an automatic lock system that can be set for open and close times. The total cost of the prefabricated restroom facility is $141,456.69.

THINGS TO DO

Get ready to take aim at the 12th Annual Mike Josey Memorial Sporting Clay Tournament

The Building Industry Association of Okaloosa & Walton Counties has announced the 12th Annual Mike Josey Memorial Sporting Clay Tournament. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at the Element Training Complex located at 4418 Cooper Lane in Holt, Florida.

• Registration begins at 8:00am, followed by a shot-gun start at 9:00am. Lunch will be provided to all participants, giving you a chance to refuel before getting back to the action.

The cost to participate is $175 per person, which includes 100 clays, 12 gauge shotgun shells, and lunch. However, please note that due to limited inventory, 20 gauge shotgun shells will not be provided, so you’ll have to bring your own.

Shooters will be placed into teams of six and trophies will be awarded to the first, second, and third-place winners. But remember, you must provide your own shotgun, and transportation to the event will not be provided, so plan accordingly.

Whether you’re a seasoned shooter or new to the sport, this tournament is the perfect opportunity to have some fun and meet new people. Not to mention, all proceeds go towards supporting the BIA’s “Mike Josey Memorial Sporting Clay Scholarship Fund.”

• Don’t miss your chance to take part in this exciting event! Register now for the 12th Annual Mike Josey Memorial Sporting Clay Tournament and get ready for a day of shooting, camaraderie, and a whole lot of fun.

COMING SOON

Contractor selected for Phase 1 of The Landing Park renovations in Fort Walton Beach

On Tuesday, February 14, 2023, the Fort Walton Beach City Council awarded the Phase 1 construction for the Fort Walton Beach Landing Improvements to GLC Contracting, Inc. of Fort Walton Beach.

• Work on Phase 1 will consist of construction of a new boardwalk, parking lots, grading, drainage, curbs, sanitary, potable water, amphitheater, entry canopy, and other necessary improvements.

On May 26, 2022, the City received the highly-anticipated permit from the Army Corps of Engineers for the Landing to construct the improvements. However, after issuing an Invitation to Bid (ITB) in September 2022, no bids were received. 

• The City decided to split the proposed improvements into two phases in order to encourage more participation. On October 24, 2022, the Phase 1 improvements were put out to bid. 

On December 8, 2022, GLC Contracting, Inc. submitted a bid in the amount of $2,479,665, which was substantially more than the city was expecting when this started years back. The increase in cost was mainly due to the excessive wait time for permitting from the Army Corps of Engineers that saw material costs increase over the last 2 years.

Funding for the Landing Improvements will come from multiple sources, including:

• CRA funding for engineering design and permitting and a portion of the construction. 
• NRDA grant funding for the boardwalk, seawall and pocket beach improvements ($1,600,000). 
• RESTORE Act funding for the covered performance stage and other infrastructure improvements ($1,100,000). 
• TDC funding for a portion of the covered performance stage ($500,000). 
• Half-Cent surtax revenues for a portion of the construction.

As far as a timeline goes, the city will issue a notice to proceed with construction in April and will be working with the contractor to minimize impacts to events that are scheduled to take place at The Landing throughout the year.

• Phases 2 & 3 will be staggered to also reduce impacts to the usage of the park and to also allow for 1 section to be complete before starting another.
• The project is estimated to cost $6 million overall, with an estimated 2024 completion.

COMING SOON

Freedom Beacon Tech Park: Developer provides update on 50-acre project in Fort Walton Beach

Jay Odom, the developer behind the Freedom Beacon Tech Park, 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, 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 Beacon Tech Park. “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 Beacon Tech Park 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.

COMING SOON

ALDI grocery store coming to Fort Walton Beach

The former Regal Cinema location on Mary Esther Cutoff has been purchased for $2.3 million by M&P Developers FWB, LLC. The 1.24-acre property will soon be transformed into a 19,680 sq. ft. Aldi grocery store, with the exact same footprint as the Niceville location that opened in 2022.

• The new grocery store, located at 427 Mary Esther Cutoff, will sit just in front of Publix.

The proposed parking spaces for the new store will include 99 spaces, with 37 on-site and 62 off-site. The store will also include 5 ADA compliant spaces, including 14 compact spaces along the right of way, according to site plans.

Aldi has a typical build time of 12 months for these stores, so the new store in Fort Walton Beach could potentially be open in the first quarter of 2024. A demolition permit has already been submitted.

The expansion of the Aldi brand is part of their “coast to coast” expansion plan, which was announced in February 2021. The plan included the opening of 100 new stores, as well as 500 pickup sites across the country, with Florida included in the expansion.

The new regional headquarters and distribution center in Loxley, AL will serve up to 100 stores in Alabama, southern Georgia, Mississippi, the Florida Panhandle, and Louisiana, according to Supermarket News.

Stay tuned for further updates on the progress of the new Aldi store in Fort Walton Beach.