Fort Walton Beach Agendas: Millage Rate, Senior Living Center, Dumpster Enclosures

Top Fort Walton Beach government boards met on June 23, with agendas covering the city’s upcoming property tax rate, a 100-unit senior living complex, and nearly $360,000 in proposed spending on a dumpster enclosure project and demolition work. The meetings were held as scheduled; final votes were not immediately available as minutes had not been published by the date of this report.

City Council Special Meeting: Millage Rate

The City Council gathered in a special meeting to set the proposed maximum property tax rate for the coming fiscal year. According to the agenda, the council was to discuss and vote on a maximum ad valorem millage rate for FY 2026-27 and to schedule two public hearings for the budget and tax rate.

Preliminary assessments show the city’s taxable property value rose 3.75%, or about $90.9 million, to $2,511,529,806. Keeping the current rate of 4.3282 mills would generate a 3.48% revenue increase in the General Fund ($288,801) and a 5.16% increase in the CRA Fund ($84,832). State law requires cities to set a maximum rate that will appear on property tax notices before final budget adoption. The public hearings were proposed for Sept. 9 and Sept. 23, both at 5:01 p.m.

City Council Regular Meeting

The regular council agenda featured a major development order for a 100-unit senior living center at 27 Robinwood Drive SW. The council was also scheduled to consider a first amendment to the Bayside Breeze Apartments development agreement.

Other notable items included an ordinance to allow commercial use of shipping containers, adoption of the FY 2026-27 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan, and a pension change: Ordinance 2219 would add a five-year Deferred Retirement Option Program option for police officers’ pensions. A consent item authorized spending up to $250,000 for the Steamboat Landing demolition project. The council also accepted a $5,550 Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant for the library.

Community Redevelopment Agency

The CRA board’s agenda included a vote on a $110,256 dumpster enclosure project. Design and concept work for the Walter Martin Streetscape also appeared: a community engagement scope from the engineering firm Kimley Horn was up for discussion. The board was to review bid proposals for demolishing the Steamboat Landing structure — a separate action from the council’s funding authorization — and consider a proposal from The Lighting Company for downtown holiday decorations. An update on nuisance and blight mitigation at three addresses on Miracle Strip Parkway SW (230, 232, and 240) was also listed.

Coming Up

No public meetings of city boards or agencies were listed in the next two weeks as of this report. Residents can find meeting agendas and minutes on the city’s website.

Generated from official meeting agendas and minutes — every underlying document is linked from the city page. Read the primary source before you rely on a detail.