Okaloosa commissioners adopt budget, approve infrastructure contracts and funding; residents raise safety and road concerns

The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously adopted final budget and millage resolutions, approved capital and infrastructure contracts and grants, and confirmed Scott Bitterman as the county's permanent public works director.

The board also heard public comment urging attention to environmental and public-safety risks tied to plans to sink the SS United States as an artificial reef, a request to ensure the West Highway 98 Collector Road will not take private property on Green Drive, and a personal appeal to recognize September as Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

Why it matters: The actions move county capital projects and programs into implementation and secure grant matches and contracts the county said will expand airport fueling capacity, add multiuse paths, and fund preliminary planning on local waterways. Public comments raised potential health and safety questions and pressed the board to clarify that planned roads will not take private property without negotiation.

The board's highest-profile business included unanimous approval of the county's millage and final budget resolutions presented by staff; staff read the all-funds budget figure during the meeting (stated verbally as "$687,000,249 and 400 or excuse me, $249,428") and the board approved the final budget resolution. Commissioners also approved a capital improvement update ordinance required by state law.

Infrastructure and contracts

- Airport fuel farm expansion: The board awarded a construction contract to MDM Services Inc. for $4,028,051.14 to add four 30,000-gallon jet fuel tanks, which county staff said will increase on-site jet-fuel capacity to about 250,000 gallons. Staff said grant funding had been preapproved for the project, including a $3,541,362 FAA grant (described in the meeting as a 90/10 split) and an FDOT grant referenced by staff; the board authorized the chairman to sign the contract and approved the award unanimously.

- College Boulevard / Forest Road multiuse path: The board approved a construction contract with C.W. Roberts for $1,720,830.92 to build a roughly 2.5-mile, 10-foot-wide multiuse path in the Niceville area (College Boulevard from Palm Drive to Forest Road, and Forest Road to Rocky Bayou Drive). County staff corrected the path width from 12 feet (packet) to 10 feet during the presentation.

- Gap Creek channel planning study: The commissioners approved allocating $250,000 in county surtax reserves as the county match to a state appropriation for a Gap Creek channel inventory and planning study. Staff said the study will map the channel between John Cole Avenue and Beale Parkway and recommend actions to address blockages, stormwater structures, water quality and flooding.

Land-use and local projects

- Vacation of alleyway in Port Dixie (Block 85): The board approved vacating the north half of a 20-foot alley adjacent to Lots 25'28, a 10-by-140-foot strip. Under the county policy noted in the meeting, the applicant will pay $6,734 based on adjacent non-homesteaded property value. The motion passed unanimously.

Policies and intergovernmental items

- Court technology interlocal agreement: After receiving additional information requested at a prior meeting, the board approved replacing a prior interlocal agreement with Escambia County for court technology services. County staff said the interlocal arrangement is the most cost-efficient means to provide those services and that court administration will provide sufficiently detailed billings. The vote was unanimous.

Personnel and proclamations

- Appointment: The board unanimously ratified Scott Bitterman as the county's permanent public works director. Bitterman served as interim director for the prior six months, and county staff introduced him and recommended confirmation.

- Proclamations: The commission adopted several ceremonial proclamations unanimously, including Constitution Week (Sept. 17'23 as read in the meeting), National Sickle Cell Awareness Month (September) and a resolution designating September 2025 as National Estuaries Week in Okaloosa County.

Public comment highlights

- Sickle cell awareness: Danielle Gadsden, who identified herself as someone living with sickle cell and raised in Okaloosa County, urged recognition of Sickle Cell Awareness Month and thanked the county for inclusive opportunities when she was young. Gadsden said, "They made accommodations for me. They helped me, and I was able to learn and experience something that not a lot of people got to."

- SS United States artificial reef and contamination concerns: Jonathan Razowicz, a licensed mariner, warned of diver safety risks if the SS United States is sunk as an artificial reef and said interior spaces could become confusing and dangerous in low light. He summarized SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) lighting standards and said, "this becomes a death trap" if divers cannot find exits or have insufficient decompression time. Nicole Chase, identifying herself with the Estes United States Preservation Foundation, told the board her group obtained lab results showing hexavalent chromium in paint samples and said, "The observed value for hexavalent chromium was 4,820,000 parts per billion," which she contrasted with EPA and WHO guidance in her remarks. She requested that the board review the county contract remediation language and documentation included in the contractor's scope.

- West Highway 98 Collector Road / Green Drive: Resident Keith Masser said a public information drawing showed the collector routed down Green Drive, which he said is a dead-end that terminates on private property; he asked the board to go on record that Green Drive would not be connected and no private property would be taken. Commissioner Trey Goodwin (identified in the meeting as the commissioner for that district) told Masser he would not vote to take private property and said, "I am not going to vote in support of taking private property from anybody," adding that negotiated purchases from willing sellers are a different matter. Commissioner Kessel (presented in the meeting) echoed that she would not take Green Drive.

Other discussion

- Legislative priorities: Staff presented a draft of the board's 2026 legislative priorities, adding a request to widen State Road 85 as a primary county priority, and listing a set of policy statements and appropriation requests. Commissioners discussed adding language on homestead exemption cleanup and a clarification to Florida Statute 790.06513 related to firearm purchase age and corrections personnel; staff said they would bring back edits and finalize the program before the Oct. 30 delegation meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (minus items 4, 5 and 25): Approved (motion by Commissioner Ketchum; second Commissioner Goodwin)
- Proclamation, Constitution Week: Approved unanimously (mover on record when read by Commissioner Ketchum)
- Proclamation, Sickle Cell Awareness Month: Approved unanimously (motion Commissioner Palmer; second Commissioner Kechel)
- Resolution, National Estuaries Week (Item 25): Approved unanimously (motion Commissioner Goodwin; second Commissioner Cox)
- Ordinance, FY25 Capital Improvement Update (Chapter 163, Florida Statutes requirement): Adopted unanimously (motion Commissioner Cox; second Commissioner ??? in record)
- Vacation, alleyway in Port Dixie (Block 85): Approved unanimously (motion Commissioner Kechel; second Commissioner Palmer)
- Interlocal agreement with Escambia County for court technology services: Approved unanimously (motion Commissioner Kechel; second Commissioner Palmer)
- Appointment of Scott Bitterman, public works director: Ratified unanimously (motion Commissioner ???; second recorded)
- Airport fuel farm construction contract (MDM Services Inc.): Award approved unanimously; contract amount $4,028,051.14
- College Boulevard/Forest Road multiuse path (C.W. Roberts): Award approved unanimously; contract amount $1,720,830.92; path width corrected in meeting to 10 feet
- Gap Creek channel planning study: Approved unanimously; county match allocation $250,000 (surtax reserve)
- FY 25/26 aggregate and MSTU millage and final budget resolution: Approved unanimously (staff presented millage figures: aggregate millage 3.9613 mills; county property tax millage 3.8308 mills; the county described the all-funds budget number verbally during the meeting)

Meeting context and next steps

Several capital projects approved at the meeting rely on external grant funding and contractor performance; staff said grant awards and disbursements are pending for some items (airport fuel farm). The Gap Creek study will be an early planning step in a complex, multi-jurisdictional watershed effort. The West Highway 98 Collector Road concern raised by residents will be routed back through public works for review and returned to the board for any formal record or agenda item, staff said.

Ending note: Commissioners asked staff to finalize legislative priorities with suggested edits and to return with any additional information requested by board members. The meeting concluded after the public hearing portion and final budget votes.