Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Okaloosa County approves purchase and interlocal with Cinco Bayou for boat ramp, tourism offices
Summary
The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to advance purchase of two commercial lots and an interlocal agreement with the town of Cinco Bayou to upgrade a public boat ramp and provide county tourism office space.
The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to allow staff to move forward on purchasing two commercial lots and to enter an interlocal agreement with the town of Cinco Bayou to improve a public boat ramp and to provide office space for tourism staff.
Jean Hood, mayor of Cinco Bayou, told the commission the projects represent a partnership between the town and county and asked for the board’s approval. Deputy County Administrator Coffey outlined the site: a three-story bank building, a public right-of-way called Seaway, and two adjacent commercial lots currently used in part for boat-trailer parking. Coffey said the county and town would cooperate on a site plan, stormwater improvements, public restrooms, cameras, lighting, shoreline stabilization and boat dock upgrades. The county would retain ownership of the lots and would seek to vacate the intervening right-of-way to allow a consolidated, optimal design.
Commissioner Goodwin, who moved approval of the first item, and other commissioners said residents at the town’s workshop raised concerns about vagrancy, trespass, routing of large boat trailers, commercial activity and hours of operation. Goodwin said those concerns can be addressed with security measures, buffers and design choices. A commissioner noted the presence of mature live oak trees on the lots and asked that the design preserve as many trees as feasible.
The interlocal calls for both jurisdictions to approve a final site plan before construction and includes deed covenants to protect the town’s investment for a minimum period (30 years) and shared cost provisions for construction and maintenance. Coffey said due-diligence items — survey, appraisal and inspections — were underway with a March due-diligence completion date and a target closing on or before March 28, 2025.
Ending: Commissioners approved both items unanimously and asked staff to work with the town and nearby residents to address security, traffic routing and tree preservation in detailed design.
