The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday morning unanimously approved a list of 33 candidate projects that would be funded by the county’s half-cent infrastructure sales surtax if voters renew the program in the upcoming November election.
- The list, presented by Public Works Director Scott Bitterman, outlines planned projects for unincorporated Okaloosa County’s share of the surtax dollars. It includes road and intersection improvements, stormwater projects, sidewalk and pedestrian upgrades and public safety investments.
Okaloosa County voters first approved the half-cent sales surtax in a 2018 referendum. The 10-year tax took effect on Jan. 1, 2019, and is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2028. The Board of County Commissioners has placed the renewal on the November 2026 ballot.
Bitterman told Commissioners that every project proposed in the original 2018 needs list has either been completed or is in active construction or design. The Surtax Advisory Committee approved the new needs list at its July 2026 meeting before it came to the full commission Tuesday.
Commissioner Paul Mixon noted the list does not lock future boards into specific projects.
“We’re not committing future boards, but we’re making more of an informational acceptance, not approving specific projects,” Mixon said. “Those will all come back at different times as we move forward with surtax.”
Mixon added that Public Works has expanded its output because of the surtax funding.
- “Public Works has been able to multiply their productivity and their accomplishments because of having money to do that,” he said. “I know that our municipalities are definitely in favor of continuing because it gives them the resources to do things.”
Commissioner Drew Palmer called the surtax a “game changer” for the community and praised the stewardship of the program.
“When it was first voted on, it was a list of promises,” Palmer said. “And I think now based on the stewardship that you guys have shown, you and your team and the surtax committee has shown, we have a list of accomplishments.”
Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who has served on the commission for 12 years, said that before the surtax, residents calling about road repairs and other needs were told their projects could be seven years away. The surtax, she said, has allowed the county to respond to those requests far more quickly.
Ketchel also urged voters to support the surtax renewal and reject a proposed homestead exemption she said could gut county revenue.
- “If the homestead exemption would pass, heaven help us, because we won’t have the money to do anything to run the systems that we have in the county,” she said.
Chairman Trey Goodwin highlighted the Gap Creek stormwater improvements as a particularly important project on the list, citing a significant community push in the drainage area, which spans multiple jurisdictions.
Commissioner Sherri Cox thanked the Surtax Advisory Committee members for their work in what she called “under celebrated positions.”
The full list of 33 candidate projects includes:
- College Blvd. intersection improvements
- Santa Rosa Blvd. improvements
- Mar Walt Drive improvements
- West 98 Collector
- Northwest Crestview Bypass
- Gap Creek area stormwater improvements
- Hollywood Blvd. improvements
- 3rd Ave. stormwater improvements
- Eglin Drive sidewalk
- Poquito Road and Sunset Lane intersection improvements
- Sunset Blvd. area stormwater improvements
- Rocky Bayou area stormwater quality
- Commons Drive improvements
- Edgewater Drive sidewalk
- Bluewater Blvd. pedestrian improvements from SR 20 to Oakmont Drive
- Oakmont Drive pedestrian improvements
- Antioch Road improvements
- Log Lake Road improvements
- Rocky Bayou Drive multi-use path from Forest Road to Crossing Blvd.
- Rocky Bayou Drive and SR 20 intersection improvements
- Redwood and SR 20 intersection improvements
- John Givens Road and Adora Teal Way intersection improvements
- Dirt to pave on antiquated platted roads, “The Last 8 Miles”
- Sidewalk improvements
- Pavement preservation and equipment
- Land acquisition for parks and conservation
- Multi-purpose building at OCSO training center
- 911 radio recorder
- Evidence section fire suppression upgrades at OCSO headquarters
- Larry Ashley training center elevator
- Multi-function crisis command and mobile E911 vehicle
- Facilities
- Debt service
One Response
Seems most of these projects are for the south end of the county and the sheriff’s boondoggle. A couple projects in the north end. Vote wisely, especially if you’re a north county resident.