Okaloosa County agrees to buy $900K parcel in Shalimar for new waterfront park

Collin Bestor, Northwest Florida Daily News
·2 min read
A hand drawn sketch of the new amenities for the upcoming waterfront park in Shalimar. The project is expected to cost $3 million to complete.
A hand drawn sketch of the new amenities for the upcoming waterfront park in Shalimar. The project is expected to cost $3 million to complete.

SHALIMAR - To enhance tourism and recreational activities within the county, the Okaloosa County Commission has entered an agreement with the town of Shalimar to purchase a vacant 0.77-acre parcel off Eglin Parkway near the Shalimar Bridge with the hope of converting it to a new waterfront park.

Here's what we know.

What caused the agreement?

According to Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey, it's no secret that the area around the bridge has seen some issues with vagrancy in the past.

Locals who use the bridge are unhappy seeing trash and unclean conditions.

“I’m very excited about this because this has been such an eyesore as we come over the bridge,” Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel said. “I think we finally have a win for the Town of Shalimar and for the citizens of Okaloosa County where we don’t have to have trash everywhere and the homeless on this particular piece of property.”

What's Coming?

As with most of southern Okaloosa County, water-related activities are the top draw for tourists and residents alike. As the area's popularity has grown, so has the demand for accessible waterfront locations. The new park could bring the following to the site:

  • Parking.

  • Bathrooms.

  • A fishing pier.

  • An elevated observation platform.

  • Temporary boat slips.

  • Picnic pavilions.

  • A small store or bait shop.

  • A new town entrance sign.

  • Creation of a living shoreline of sea wall with dockage.

How will this be funded?

The parcel has been valued at $900,000, well below a recent appraisal of $3 million. The preliminary budget for the project is $3 million.

The Town of Shalimar will carry 16.66% of the cost, while the county will be responsible for 83.33% remaining. Funding from Shalimar will come from the allocated tourism dollars that were given out in the Tourism Interlocal Agreement.

“Between the Town’s current balance of TDT collections and future TDD allocations, the Town has agreed to contribute up to $500,000 or 16.6% towards the project, which is approximately 10 years of the Town’s allocated TDD revenue,” Coffey said.

"It's a win-win," Shalimar Mayor Mark Franks said. "It's a long time coming. It's a beautiful spot; we're excited about what the park it is about to become. We are going to get Shalimar to where it needs to be, step by step."

What's next?

The county hopes to close on the purchase by late October or early November. There is no timeframe yet for when the project will be completed.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Okaloosa County moves forward on new waterfront park in Shalimar