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Okaloosa County Commissioners reduced their share of school resource officer funding by $500,000 while approving $600,000 in surtax funds for the animal control startup, both actions coming out of Tuesday’s meeting. The Cinco Bayou environmental incident remains under investigation, according to Chairman Trey Goodwin, and Harbor Docks Charities has set its 40th annual “Take a Kid Fishing Day” auction for Aug. 29.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Cinco Bayou environmental incident remains under investigation, Goodwin says
Okaloosa County Chairman Trey Goodwin provided an update on the environmental incident in Cinco Bayou at the end of Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting.
Goodwin said the incident first came to light Sunday and remains under investigation, with multiple agencies now involved. He described it as a significant event that stretched multiple miles of the bayou and has not yet resolved, though conditions are changing.
- “We don’t know exactly what it was,” Goodwin said. “Don’t know if it was a spill. Not sure yet.”
According to Goodwin, the incident killed thousands of fish and thousands of crabs. He said the odor was a sulfur-type smell that would burn the nose and eyes, and the water turned gray.
“Fish were trying to escape the water,” Goodwin said. “There were flounder trying to swim out on the bank. Eels coming out of reefs trying to climb up sea walls. Crabs that were climbing up pilings.”
Goodwin said the source has not been identified and that agencies are pursuing the typical suspects.
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GAMES
WordroW: August 5, 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.
GIVING BACK
Harbor Docks Charities sets 40th annual ‘Take a Kid Fishing Day’ auction for Aug. 29
From giving back to investing in the future, FPL is powering strong communities. Learn more here.
Harbor Docks Charities will hold its 40th annual Take a Kid Fishing Day Auction on Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Harbor Docks Downstairs Bar.
Doors open at 6 p.m. for the silent auction, and live auction bidding begins at 7:30 p.m. A $20 cover charge includes food and a bidder number. Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce CEO Ted Corcoran will host the event and serve as auctioneer.
Packages available during the silent and live auctions include a weeklong vacation in Livingston, Montana, overnight fishing trips, restaurant packages and Yoshie’s catered Christmas or office party for up to 30 people.
Proceeds help fund the annual Take-A-Kid Fishing Day, held the first Sunday in November.
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BUSINESS
Okaloosa Commissioners approve $600K in surtax funds for animal control startup
Okaloosa County Commissioners on Tuesday morning unanimously approved $600,000 in infrastructure surtax funding to cover startup capital costs for a county-run animal control service, as its longtime contract with the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society nears its end.
- The allocation will pay for immediate capital needs as the county builds its own operation. County documents identify animal sheltering facilities as the largest expense, along with vehicles, vehicle kennels, specialty equipment, computers and public safety radios.
Okaloosa has contracted with PAWS for more than 20 years to provide animal control and sheltering for unincorporated areas. The nonprofit’s executive board voted on April 30 to end the contract on Sept. 22 with no extensions. Because providing animal control is a statutory obligation, the county must stand up a replacement. Commissioners approved an “Animal Control Light” model on June 16, limited to statutorily required services, and directed staff to also pursue a solution with the City of Crestview.
Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey said the county is pursuing a two-part plan divided between the north and south ends. On the north end, the county is working with Crestview, which brought its own animal control in-house.
He said the arrangement would triple Crestview’s capacity. County documents estimate the cost of retrofitting a Crestview building at $750,000 to $1.2 million, with the county as the larger contributor because the city would provide the property.
On the south end, Coffey said, the county is preparing to hire staff directly and is working to either contract for sheltering or build its own facility. Destin, Mary Esther and Fort Walton Beach are all contracting with PAWS through next year.
WEATHER
Today’s weather outlook
TODAY: Sunny, with a high near 88. Southwest wind 0 to 10 mph.
TONIGHT: Mostly clear, with a low around 79. Southwest wind 0 to 5 mph.
SCHOOL
Okaloosa County reduces its share of school resource officer funding by $500,000
Okaloosa County Commissioners voted 3-2 on Tuesday to reduce the county’s contribution to the school resource officer program by $500,000 in the coming budget year, a compromise that pulls back from a proposal last month to eliminate the county’s $4.4 million share entirely.
The votes marked the first concrete action on a funding question that has run through the county’s budget process and included debate at the commission’s July 21 budget workshop, where commissioners discussed whether the county should keep funding half of the program.
Chairman Trey Goodwin, who brought the item forward, said he had met since that workshop with Superintendent Marcus Chambers, School Board member Brett Hinely and Sheriff Eric Aden to look for common ground. He said he went into the meeting seeking a $2 million reduction and came out at $500,000.
Key points from Tuesday’s discussion:
- The $500,000 reduction changes who pays, not the number of officers. Sheriff Eric Aden said service would shrink only if the school district does not cover the difference.
- Commissioners voted unanimously to direct staff to plan a two-to-three-year phase-down toward an even split with the district after state Safe Schools funding is set aside.
- A third motion, to lower the county’s property tax rate by a corresponding $500,000, failed 4-1.
- The school district had already braced for a change. At its July 27 workshop, CFO Julie Perry said $1.6 million was set aside in the proposed budget for a possible increase in the district’s SRO costs.
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Jared
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