The Okaloosa NAACP will host a public workshop Monday evening to present a redistricting plan for Fort Walton Beach and gather community input before submitting the proposal to the city council in April.

• The workshop is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the City Hall Annex/Growth Management Office at 105 Miracle Strip Parkway SE.

The proposal would establish four single-member council seats representing specific districts, three at-large council seats, and a mayor elected citywide. The NAACP argues the system would enhance local representation and ensure diverse perspectives are reflected in city leadership.

“Community participation is vital,” said Sabu Williams, president of the Okaloosa County NAACP. “Redistricting determines the representation of each neighborhood.”

Williams said the workshop will allow residents to review the proposed plan, ask questions, and provide feedback before the proposal is finalized.

The Fort Walton Beach City Council voted unanimously in October to form a study group exploring the shift to a hybrid government structure following Williams’ initial presentation. At that meeting, Williams emphasized the NAACP’s recommendation for four district seats and three at-large seats was just a suggestion for the study group to consider.

The city currently operates under a council-manager system where all seven council members and the mayor are elected at-large, meaning every voter casts ballots for each seat.

Williams told the council in October that the proposal was not about race or party politics but about ensuring all city neighborhoods have dedicated representation. He noted that under the current system, all council members could theoretically come from the same neighborhood.

The NAACP’s written proposal presented in October cited Fort Walton Beach’s demographic composition as justification for the change. According to 2023 census estimates, the city’s population of approximately 21,000 is 64.8% white non-Hispanic, 12.5% Black or African American, 11.5% Hispanic, and 5.2% Asian. The city’s poverty rate of 13.8% exceeds both Crestview and Okaloosa County averages.

Williams pointed to nearby cities that have adopted similar structures, including Crestview, which switched to a system combining precinct-based and at-large council members in 2018, and Apalachicola, which uses a hybrid model with two district seats and three at-large positions.

The NAACP invitation encourages all residents, community organizations, neighborhood leaders and stakeholders to participate in the workshop.