Logan Browning

The City of Fort Walton Beach's Consolidated Plan for 2025-2030 focuses on providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanded economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals and seniors. The plan addresses the needs of the homeless and near-homeless, emphasizing community development projects that reduce physical, social, or economic decline in low-income neighborhoods. Key priorities include public services, public facility improvements, and housing rehabilitation, with a commitment to citizen participation and collaboration with public and private agencies.

The strategic plan for Fort Walton Beach CRA focuses on eradicating blight conditions by promoting reinvestment and revitalization through higher density mixed-use developments, creating a pedestrian-friendly environment, and enhancing waterfront orientation. Key goals include promoting sustainable redevelopment, ensuring a safe multimodal transportation system, improving infrastructure quality, enhancing housing options, and achieving economic sustainability. The plan also outlines specific projects and objectives for fiscal year 2024-2025, including crime prevention through environmental design, economic incentive grants, wayfinding signage, park improvements, and updating the CRA strategic plan.

This session focused on establishing goals and direction for the coming years of the City of Fort Walton Beach. Key discussion points included: a pay class study to address employee retention and turnover; enhancing public safety services; utilizing the half-cent surtax for infrastructure projects; and the implementation of a community dashboard to track key performance metrics. The strategic planning process also involved prioritizing major projects such as the downtown master plan, landing renovations, and the commerce technology park master plan. A community quality-of-life survey was also discussed as a means of gathering citizen feedback.

The city council meeting included an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, and approval of the agenda with an amendment to postpone item 10.1 until September 24th. A proclamation for Constitution Week was read. Employee recognitions were given for years of service. The consent agenda was approved. Public comments included concerns about a missing item from the mayor's office, an announcement about the Battle of the Bridge, and discussion of ordinances on first and second reading, including an ordinance amending the city's code to establish a pension advisory committee and an ordinance amending the Land Development Code regarding bus stops. Significant discussion surrounded the removal of commercial bus stops, with public comments expressing concern for the impact on lower-income residents and those without cars. A request to reconsider the ordinance or find alternative solutions was made.

The Fort Walton Beach City Council discussed moving the city’s municipal election date from March to November. The Supervisor of Elections presented the pros and cons of this change, including shared costs, reduced staff workload, and potential impacts on voter turnout and candidate qualifying periods. The council voted to direct staff to prepare an ordinance to move the election date to November.