The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to purchase a three-story former bank building and two vacant lots in Cinco Bayou for $2.95 million, part of a $4.1 million project that will create tourism department offices and expand a popular boat ramp facility.
- The project includes the acquisition of a 13,859-square-foot office building at 198 Eglin Parkway NE (next to Whataburger) and two vacant lots at 4 Lucille St. and 254 Seaway St., plus funding for building repairs and redevelopment of the boat ramp parking area.
“I want to thank you this morning for allowing us to come and speak in favor of the two projects,” said Jean Hood, Town of Cinco Mayor. “I’m convinced that these two projects will be a very positive partnership between the county and the Town of Cinco Bayou.”
The purchase addresses immediate space needs for the county’s Tourism Development Department, though it will not become a new welcome center, according to Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey, who presented the proposal.
- “Tourism is growing. We’ve got staff double stacked, triple stacked in offices,” Coffey said during the meeting. “This will provide 20 offices… and serve as a tourism headquarters.”
Currently, the department has converted its conference room and break room into office space, split existing offices, and reduced visitor center space by more than 50% to accommodate growth, according to county documents.
The property purchase will allow the county to quickly establish needed office space within 4-6 months while simultaneously partnering with Cinco Bayou to upgrade the heavily used boat ramp.
- “The Town has been after these lots… probably going over a decade,” Coffey explained.
The project funding comes from multiple sources: $3.1 million from Tourism Development end-of-year funding, $750,000 from Cinco Bayou Tourism Development Tax funds, $100,000 from Cinco Bayou Community Redevelopment Agency funds, and $150,000 from county Boater Improvement Funds.
Commissioner Trey Goodwin, who attended a recent Cinco Bayou town meeting about the project, noted that while no residents opposed the project outright, several expressed concerns about vagrancy, boat trailer traffic routing, commercial use of the facility, and alcohol and drug use in the area.
- “I think we can address all those things,” Goodwin said. “If we focus on and work with the city on security—cameras, fencing, buffers, lighting that doesn’t create light pollution, and hours of operations—I think we could address all those concerns.”
Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel emphasized the importance of preserving the mature oak trees on the vacant lots.
“The two lots have some beautiful old live oak trees, and I would hope if we go into place parking that we would consider not clear-cutting all of them,” Ketchel said.
- Mayor Hood agreed: “I’m very much in favor of saving as many trees as we can.”
The redeveloped boat ramp area will include additional boat parking, bathrooms, stormwater management, cameras, lighting, buffers for neighboring residential properties, boat dockage improvements, and shoreline stabilization. The county will operate and maintain the boat ramp facility.
Under the approved interlocal agreement, the county will vacate Seaway Street between its properties, allowing for optimal redesign of the area. The agreement includes deed covenants protecting both parties’ investments for a minimum of 30 years.
- The property acquisition is expected to be completed by March 28, following a due diligence period ending March 14.
