Congressman Jimmy Patronis sent a letter on Tuesday to the Coast Guard urging the agency to replace broken navigation lights at Destin’s East Pass that he said have been out since at least 2021.

• The letter comes two months after the Destin City Council unanimously approved sending letters to Patronis and other lawmakers requesting their help addressing ongoing navigation and safety issues at the pass.

The lights on markers three and four in the pass — the sole inlet connecting the Gulf to the Destin Harbor — pose safety risks in one of the busiest boating channels in the country, Patronis wrote to Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday.

Patronis cited vessel traffic data showing more than 1,500 boats enter and exit the harbor on weekdays and more than 2,000 on weekends. He compared that to the Port of Los Angeles, which he said handled 1,807 vessel arrivals during all of 2024.

The Congressman also pointed to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission accident data, saying that when adjusted for population, Okaloosa County’s boating accident rate was 530% higher than Miami-Dade County, which had the most total accidents in the state.

• Accidents near East Pass doubled from 2021 to 2024, with roughly 70% of all Okaloosa County boating accidents occurring near the pass, according to the letter.

“The broken navigational lights on Markers Three and Four in Destin’s East Pass pose an unacceptable risk in a busy boating channel in America,” Patronis said in a statement. “The people of Northwest Florida deserve a resolution, and I intend to get them one.”

Patronis noted the Coast Guard has taken interim measures in recent months but said a large vessel recently collided with the East Jetty despite those efforts. Full restoration will require replacing both markers, he wrote.

Years of concerns

The city’s October request followed years of concerns about improperly placed channel markers, insufficient lighting and inadequate maintenance. A 2016 accident at the pass resulted in two deaths.

“For a city that calls itself a world-class fishing community, our current entrance conditions are far below standard,” John Stephens, vice chairman of the Destin Harbor and Waterways Board and a former city councilman, told the council Oct. 6. “If you look over to Orange Beach, their entrance is well lit up, it’s easy to navigate, and that’s exactly the level of safety and professionalism we should be aiming for in Destin.”

The Coast Guard repositioned buoys 1 and 2 to a deeper part of the ebb shoal this year, improving navigation, Stephens said at the time. But other concerns remained unaddressed.

• The city requested the Coast Guard repair and upgrade the East Pass marker, install a new day marker at the end of the west jetty, add lighting to all existing nun and can buoys, and keep buoys 1 and 2 in their new positions while adding illumination.

The council had previously passed a motion in November 2024 prioritizing lighting on the jetties first, followed by navigation lighting on channel markers. Stephens said no progress report had been provided on that action as of October.

Patronis’ letter also referenced Okaloosa County’s tourism economy, which he said generates $3.3 billion in direct visitor spending and supports 51,000 jobs. More than 29,000 saltwater fishing licenses have been issued to county addresses, according to the letter.

Patronis expressed support for funding in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that would provide more than $4 billion for Coast Guard shore facilities.