After months of back and forth, Okaloosa County and the City of Destin are working toward an agreement on the Holiday Isle park.
Last year, the state purchased four acres on Holiday Isle for $83 million to become a public park maintained by Okaloosa County, but the City of Destin has maintained that the park should be leased and maintained by the city. The sellers had originally purchased the land in 2017 for $7.9 million to develop luxury condos.
At their regular meeting on Tuesday, Okaloosa County commissioners voted 3-2 to send Commissioner Drew Palmer and Destin City Councilman Dewey Destin to Tallahassee to discuss a management concept for the four-acre park.
Before the motion was voted on, Commissioner Sherri Cox said she wanted to see the management of the property “handed off to the city,” which was met with applause.
Residents in Destin and throughout Okaloosa County have shared their hopes for the park to be kept pristine. A countywide telephone survey conducted on behalf of the City of Destin showed a majority of residents were in favor of minimal development.
City and county leaders had meetings in March to discuss a possible interlocal agreement. Earlier this month, Destin City Council approved a conceptual plan for the park that includes more parking spaces and the use of the property’s docks as public transient slips with no overnight use permitted. The City has also committed up to $5 million for improvements.
“It’s been a long process to get here,” said Commissioner Drew Palmer, who has taken some of the criticism for park plans. He said residents were “fighting a good fight.”
“The war on this property is already won,” he added, pointing to the fact that the property will not be developed for condos.
Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel said she was in favor of the city managing the park and that she was sorry the state appointed the county to manage the park.
“I love things left natural around here,” she said. “We have so little property left for future generations. I never wanted this thing.”
Ketchel also mentioned she has spoken to state legislators about turning over management to the City and was told, “We don’t care what you do.”
Ahead of the vote, several residents and Destin leaders encouraged commissioners to support Destin as the managing entity of the park. The city already maintains 14 acres adjacent to the property.
“There’s been a lot of word slinging which I’m sorry for that,” said Destin City Councilwoman Teresa Herbert. “I really hope that after today you can all, as a team, look at this as the right thing to do.”
