Okaloosa County commissioners move to repeal Crab Island vessel exclusion zone

Okaloosa County commissioners voted to repeal the 2015 ordinance that established a vessel exclusion zone near Crab Island, citing recurrent maintenance costs and shifting sandbars that have limited the zone’s usefulness to emergency responders.

County staff presented the request during a public hearing, saying the exclusion zone was originally created to give emergency services an unobstructed corridor to Crab Island. "This zone was established back in 2015 in an effort to provide an unrestricted corridor for emergency services to be able to get in and out of Crab Island," presenter Mike Norberg said. He told commissioners that the zone has become shallow because of shifting sands and that emergency agencies have not used it in recent years.

The county said maintaining the buoys and related hardware has been costly. "Over the last 10 or so years [we've spent] over a hundred thousand dollars just trying to repair, replace, and maintain buoys, and hardware out in this area," Norberg said. He added that the county had consulted local emergency responders, including the sheriff’s office, fire rescue units and Florida Fish and Wildlife, and that those agencies reported they have not relied on the exclusion zone in recent years.

Commissioner Carolyn Kechel said the measure was reasonable given changing conditions. Commissioner Kechel moved to repeal the ordinance; Commissioner Palmer seconded the motion. Commissioner Goodwin told the board he would vote in support. The transcript does not include a recorded tally; the motion was advanced for a vote and accepted by the board (vote tally not specified in the meeting transcript).

If the repeal is implemented, staff said the county will work with a local contractor to remove buoys and hardware to reduce navigation and maintenance concerns. The presentation and commissioners’ discussion did not propose a replacement safety measure beyond removal of the buoys.

Background: the exclusion zone was established in 2015 to create an emergency-access corridor to Crab Island. Presenters said that environmental changes and costs have reduced the zone’s utility and that local emergency agencies can access the area without the exclusion zone’s buoys. The county’s presentation identified shifting sands and maintenance as the primary reasons for repeal.

The board’s action directs staff to coordinate removal of exclusion-zone markers; details on timing and contractor selection were not provided in the meeting record.