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Good morning!
Okaloosa County commissioners are set to explore a penny sales tax initiative that could replace homestead property taxes, part of ongoing conversations around how the county funds services. Destin and Okaloosa opened the new Tarpon Beach Gulf Front Park with 340 feet of new public beach access, and Okaloosa cleared the final hurdle for the “Dowd Park” purchase near Shalimar Bridge. Okaloosa approved the first rate increase for the Dorcas fire district since the county takeover. Plus, four open houses coming up in Mary Esther, today’s Jigsaw is “Local Murals,” and today’s weather outlook.
PARKS+REC
Destin, Okaloosa open Tarpon Beach Gulf Front Park with 340 feet of new public beach access
Okaloosa County and City of Destin officials cut the ribbon Wednesday morning on Tarpon Beach Gulf Front Park, completing a yearslong effort to expand public beach access along Scenic Highway 98.
The park at 3310 Scenic Highway 98 adds 340 feet of beachfront access with free parking, bathrooms and four pavilions. The $16.96 million project was funded through tourism revenue shared between the city and county.
“Thank goodness there won’t be a condo here or a hotel,” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin. “This is going to be open and accessible so that they can come in the future.”
Destin Councilman Kevin Schmidt opened the ceremony and said the project came together through years of work from former and current council members, county commissioners and staff at both governments. “It’s just amazing to be here at the end,” Schmidt said. “The park’s open.”
The Trust for Public Land negotiated the property purchases. The Destin City Council approved the development order in November 2024 and a groundbreaking was held in July 2025.
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GAMES
WordroW: July 16, 2026
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
Can you guess today’s 5-letter word in six tries?
WordroW is Get The Coast’s daily word puzzle featuring local words, places, and phrases from our community. You have six guesses to find the mystery word – green letters are correct and in the right spot, yellow letters are in the word but wrong position, and gray letters aren’t in the word at all.
PARKS+REC
Okaloosa County clears final hurdle for ‘Dowd Park’ purchase near Shalimar Bridge
Okaloosa Commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve the results of a months-long due diligence review of a 1.7-acre waterfront property at the northeast corner of the Shalimar Bridge, clearing the last contingency standing between the county and the closing of its planned purchase of the site for a new public park.
When commissioners first approved the $3 million purchase and sale agreement in March, they added a provision requiring county staff to complete all due diligence — including the appraisal, seawall inspection and verification of funding sources — and bring the results back to the full board for review before the county could proceed to closing. Tuesday’s vote satisfies that requirement.
Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey told commissioners that every item on the checklist came back satisfactory.
The county plans to develop it as a passive, family-oriented park with pavilions, trails, a playground, restrooms, parking, a waterfront observation platform and a shallow wading area. Fishing would not be permitted at the site; the county’s existing park property on the southeast corner of the bridge is being designed to accommodate fishing and boating access.
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REAL ESTATE
4 Open Houses coming up in Mary Esther
Whether you’re searching for your first home, looking for more space, or simply curious about what’s available in Mary Esther, this weekend offers several opportunities to step inside homes across the community. From move-in-ready updates to backyard entertaining spaces and flexible floor plans, these four open houses showcase a variety of options at different price points.
Mary Esther continues to be a popular choice for buyers looking to stay close to Hurlburt Field while enjoying convenient access to schools, parks, boat launches, shopping, and the beaches of Okaloosa County. If you’re planning to spend part of your weekend house hunting, these are four homes worth adding to your list.
Take a look at this weekend’s open houses, along with a few reasons each one deserves a stop.
GAMES
Jigsaw – “Local Murals”
WordroW is brought to you by Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic – keeping your mind sharp and your spine aligned, one game at a time.
Ready for this week’s Jigsaw puzzle?
Each week, we use local pictures from around Okaloosa County as part of our puzzles. They’ll include current dated photos to historical ones. This week…we look at a mural that is VERY close to our office in downtown Fort Walton Beach!
PUBLIC SAFETY
Okaloosa approves first rate increase for Dorcas fire district since county takeover
The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a 6.97% increase to special assessment fees in the Dorcas Fire District, the first rate adjustment since the county assumed oversight of the formerly independent department in 2024.
The increase, based on the five-year average growth rate in Florida personal income as calculated by the Office of the Property Appraiser, is expected to generate an additional $16,311 from non-agricultural parcels within the district. The rates had not been raised since 2022.
Director of Public Safety Patrick Maddox said the increase is necessary in part because a state law prohibits counties from levying special assessments against agricultural land, a restriction that did not apply when Dorcas operated independently. The exemption reduces the district’s revenue by roughly $40,340, or nearly 14%. The approved increase recovers about 40% of that loss.
WEATHER
Today’s weather outlook
TODAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. West wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
TONIGHT: Mostly clear, with a low around 81. West wind 10 to 15 mph.
BUSINESS
Okaloosa commissioners to explore ‘penny sales tax initiative’ that could replace homestead property taxes
The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to pursue a legislative initiative that could eventually eliminate county and city general property taxes on homesteaded properties, replacing them with a voter-approved one-cent sales tax.
The initiative, titled “A Penny to Save Our County Homes, a Zero Homestead Millage Initiative,” was developed by Chairman Trey Goodwin with assistance from Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey and County Administrator John Hofstad. It would require the Florida Legislature to authorize a new type of local-option sales surtax before any county could act on it.
The concept is straightforward in principle: if state lawmakers created the tool, a county could place a referendum on a general election ballot asking voters whether they want to swap general millage on homesteaded properties for a one-penny sales tax. Passage would require a 60% supermajority.
In Okaloosa County, Goodwin said the numbers support the concept. According to the agenda documents, the county currently collects approximately $37 million annually in general millage from homestead property owners. A one-cent sales tax, split between the county and its nine cities under existing state revenue-sharing formulas, could generate enough to replace those dollars entirely, Goodwin said.
More than a third of sales tax revenue in Okaloosa County comes from non-residents and visitors, meaning a significant share of the replacement funding would be paid by tourists rather than local homeowners.
“Not only are you getting it off the homestead bill, you’re actually shifting it to outside dollars, which are the best dollars to use,” Goodwin told commissioners.
The proposal would apply only to county and city general revenue millage. It would not affect school district taxes, independent special districts, fire districts, non-ad valorem assessments, MSTUs or MSBUs.
OK, that’s all I have for you this morning! I hope you have a great Thursday! Help us shape the future of local news and make a meaningful impact on your community. Click here to learn how you can support us!
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Jared
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