Okaloosa County Commissioners voted unanimously on June 16 to approve a special selection committee that will oversee procurement for the county’s planned pay-to-park program, advancing a process first endorsed by the board in January.

• The staff document emphasized that all previously approved guard rails remain in place, including free parking for county residents.

Other guard rails set in January call for likely reduced or eliminated fees during winter months from November through February, a revenue-sharing arrangement with the vendor rather than significant upfront capital investment by the county, and no long-term contract lock-in.

Chairman Trey Goodwin said any resident verification system should use modern technology rather than physical stickers.

“I don’t think people need stickers on their cars. That’s old technology,” Goodwin said. “There’s ways to do this in a much more efficient way.”

Goodwin said a verification system could allow residents to tap their phone at a location to confirm their identity through an account, eliminating the need for any fee.

The pay-to-park process was unanimously approved at the Jan. 20, 2026 commission meeting. Staff initially planned to piggyback on existing agreements held by two vendors already operating in the community but were advised by legal counsel to issue a full procurement. The county will now issue an Invitation to Negotiate for pay-to-park services at locations to be outlined in the scope of work.

• Locations previously identified as potential test sites include Beach Access Lots 1 through 7 on Okaloosa Island, Beasley Park, and boat launch parking at Marler Park and Cinco Bayou. 

The county says pay-to-park is a potential alternative revenue source in light of a constitutional amendment on property taxes proposed by the state legislature. Revenue from the program is intended to fund capital improvements and maintenance of park and recreational facilities and could potentially lower the park MSTU rate.

The four-member procurement committee approved by the board includes Coffey, Deputy Director of Facilities and Parks Amanda Maxwell, Deputy TDD Director of Financial and Compliance Charlotte Dunsworth, and IT Deputy Director Hans Steinke.

Commissioner Paul Mixon moved to approve the item as presented.

“This action is just to approve the special selection committee,” Mixon said. “There’s still things that will take place. We’ve had much discussion into this. I think a lot of the points that were brought up have previously been discussed.”

Commissioner Drew Palmer seconded the motion and reinforced that the program is not intended to charge local residents to park at local parks.

• “The intent is never to make locals pay for parking at local parks, and it does affect the whole county,” Palmer said.

Commissioner Sherri Cox had initially moved to table the item in deference to Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel, who was absent and in whose district the affected county assets sit. The motion failed for lack of a second, and Cox joined the rest of the board in voting to approve.

Goodwin used the discussion to address public criticism of the program, including a comment from an earlier speaker who characterized the fees as a tax.

“It’s actually the antithesis of a tax. It’s a user fee,” Goodwin said. “It’s not applied to people without their willing participation. It is a fee that would be assigned to a convenience that someone may take the option to use or not use.”

Goodwin said revenue generation is secondary to other goals of the program. He said the system would help identify and deter illegal commercial pontoon rental operations that he said currently use public boat ramps.

“Our boat ramps are frequently inundated with illegal pontoon operators, and this will help stop that,” Goodwin said. “Those illegal pontoon operations, not only do they abuse the public asset, they also create a danger to the public.”