Okaloosa County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with the purchase of a 1.7-acre waterfront property at the northeast corner of the Shalimar Bridge, setting the stage for a new public park that would bear the name of longtime county attorney John Dowd Sr.
- The board approved a purchase and sale agreement with the seller, John Dowd Jr., for $3 million plus roughly $50,000 in closing costs.
The property at 901 Eglin Parkway North sits along Garnier’s Bayou and features mature live oaks, an existing seawall, and access to public water, sewer and electric service. Chairman Trey Goodwin said the parcel has approximately 235 feet of water frontage, citing Okaloosa County Property Appraiser Mack Busby.
Under the agreement, the property would become “John R. Dowd, Sr. Park” — or “Dowd Park” — and carry a 40-year deed restriction requiring it remain in use as a public park. The county would also install an individual marker honoring the elder Dowd’s legacy, developed in consultation with his son.
The total project cost, including acquisition and park development, is estimated at roughly $6.5 million. County leaders plan to split the bill three ways:
- Approximately $3.5 million from the county using tourist development tax revenue.
- $1.5 million from the Town of Shalimar through an interlocal agreement.
- and $1.5 million from a state legislative appropriation currently being pursued during the 2026 session.
All three funding sources are built into the agreement as contingencies. If the legislative money doesn’t come through, or if the Town of Shalimar doesn’t commit $1.5 million by April 30, or if an appraisal doesn’t come in at 90% or more of the purchase price, the deal falls apart and the county walks away.
Shalimar Mayor Mark Franks spoke in favor of the purchase, calling it a rare chance to preserve public access to the waterfront.
“Waterfront land is finite,” Franks told commissioners. “Once it is developed privately, we rarely get a chance to reclaim it for community use.”
Franks said the interlocal partnership reflects fiscal prudence and a shared vision, and that the park would support recreation, environmental stewardship and economic vitality. He called the project an investment in residents that signals a commitment to balanced growth and leaving something better for the next generation.
Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey, who presented the item, framed the acquisition as the latest in a string of municipal partnerships the county has pursued for waterfront parks, citing similar collaborations with Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther and Cinco Bayou.
Coffey said the new property compares favorably to the three-quarter-acre parcel the county purchased on the southeast corner of the Shalimar Bridge in 2023 for $900,000. The new site is roughly 2.25 times larger, sits at a higher elevation, has no wetlands, and already has a seawall protecting the shoreline — features he said justify the higher price tag.
- “This property has the utilities there, it has the trees, it has a shoreline that has a seawall,” Coffey told commissioners. “Plus it has a lot of other things — not a big giant billboard next to it.”
Coffey said he appealed to Dowd’s sense of family legacy during negotiations, telling the seller that without the park deal, the property would likely be subdivided into residential lots and his father’s connection to the land would be lost.
Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, whose District 2 includes the property, called it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and said she had received strong support from state Rep. Patt Maney and Sen. Jay Trumbull, who she said offered to pursue $1.5 million in state funding without being asked for that amount.
“This is such a beautiful piece of property,” Ketchel said. “I think our constituents would be thrilled in the long run.”
Commissioner Paul Mixon raised concerns about the purchase price, noting there was no appraisal in hand and that $3 million exceeds any other vacant parcel sale in the area. He also flagged the condition of the existing seawall as a potential cost driver, pointing to the county’s experience at Cristobal Landing in Mary Esther, where a shorter stretch of seawall cost $1 million.
- “Fiscal stewardship is still our job,” Mixon said. He asked for the deal to come back before the board after due diligence is completed.
Goodwin shared similar reservations, noting that Busby’s assessed value on the parcel sits at roughly $1.5 million — and that even accounting for the gap between assessed value and market price, $3 million represents a significant jump.
“$3 million is a big lift,” Goodwin said. But he added that the property’s extensive water frontage makes it difficult to find comparable sales, and said he could support the deal with additional protections in place.
At Goodwin’s request, Ketchel amended her motion to require that the board vote again to confirm that all contingencies and due diligence requirements have been satisfied before the deal closes. The amendment passed with the full motion on a unanimous vote.
Coffey said closing is targeted for no later than Oct. 31 to allow time for the state legislative and budget process to play out. He said a new interlocal agreement with the Town of Shalimar would come before the board in the coming weeks.
Potential park amenities discussed Tuesday include parking, restrooms, pavilions, a fishing pier, trails, temporary boat slips and picnic areas. Coffey said the county plans to apply a phased construction approach it has used successfully at other recent park projects, rather than bidding out the entire build at once.
“We’re getting away from trying to do one mass thing,” Coffey said. “We’re finding those prices come back in the millions, when we can do a hybrid and it’s actually coming together much more affordable.”
One Response
I love that this was approved! Now if we could get the commissioners and tourism to purchase for the property out in Poquito Bayou to bring a nice woodlands park that would be a huge bonus!