Fort Walton Beach — Fiscal Year 2023-24 Adopted Budget — reading text

started to focus attention on finding ways to induce private enterprise investment in the City and thus capturing a greater share of the local and regional market. The City’s premier gathering place along the Santa Rosa Sound has been the Fort Walton Landing Park since its purchase in 1986. Building upon that with the complete reconstruction of Brooks Street, including the Brooks Bridge Park in 2013, the City’s downtown waterfront was opened up to an extent never before realized and spurred economic growth downtown. Outside of downtown, the City completed construction of a new Recreation Complex, which has added to the attraction of the City. Downtown Redevelopment: Brooks Bridge Park Recreation Complex – opened Summer 2015 City of Fort Walton Beach, FL 194 Statistical Information DATE OF INCORPORATION: June 16, 1941 FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Council & Manager PAVED STREETS: 93.12 miles GEOGRAPHIC AREA: 7.60 square miles SIDEWALKS: 63.67 miles TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUE: $1,887,116,549 WATER & SEWER LINES: 282.82 miles CITY MILLAGE RATE: 4.9999 STORM DRAIN: 43.18 miles POPULATION: 20,998 POLICE STATIONS: 1 FIRE STATIONS: 2 EMPLOYEES: 362 positions, 317.51 FTE’s LIBRARIES: 1 MUSEUMS: 4 SWORN POLICE OFFICERS: 54 18-HOLE GOLF COURSES: 2 FIREFIGHTING PERSONNEL: 44 ACRES OF PARKS: 206 CITY NEIGHBORHOODS (un-shaded portions are not in the City limits) City of Fort Walton Beach, FL 195 Statistical Information BEAL PARKWAY CHARACTERISTICS: Mostly Residential, CRA District BOUNDARIES: The Beal Parkway Neighborhood includes much of the City’s central core. It includes all lands between Eglin Parkway and Beal Parkway north of Second Street and north of First Street west of Harbeson Avenue. It extends north to Hughes Street and also includes the properties that lie between Robinwood Drive and Beal Parkway and between First Street and Hollywood Boulevard. All parts of the Kelly Subdivision and First Addition to Kelly Subdivision in the area of Comet Street are also included. ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITIES: The Beal Parkway Neighborhood is home to the City's new Public Safety Complex housing police and fire services. The neighborhood includes most of the City's areas in need of code enforcement and rehabilitation activities. The area has one of the highest crime rates in the City. Not surprisingly, the City has targeted funds into this area from the HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Through diligent code enforcement and crime prevention activities, which are presently centered in the Police Department’s Community Policing Program, much progress has been made to improve conditions in this neighborhood. However, there are still many improvements needed. To meet those needs, the City’s Redevelopment Area was expanded to include this area in order to provide additional funding sources to remedy the blight in this area. Substantial land use changes encouraging mixed-uses and de-emphasizing heavy commercial activities will encourage expenditure of private capital in this area. New development is needed to infill parcels which developers have ignored due to lack of infrastructure, which is available in the newer neighborhoods of the City. EAST MIRACLE STRIP CHARACTERISTICS: Primarily Commercial, CRA District, Waterfront BOUNDARIES: The East Miracle Strip Neighborhood lies entirely within the Community Redevelopment Area. The boundaries are Elm Avenue extended to Choctawhatchee Bay to the east; Choctawhatchee Bay to the south; the common property line between the St. Simon’s Episcopal Church/The Boat Marina on south side of US 98 and Beal Parkway on the north side of US 98 to the west; and to the north following First Street from Beal Parkway east to Harbeson Avenue then Second Street and then east to Chicago Avenue. ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITIES: The East Miracle Strip Neighborhood is the former MainStreet area, also referred to as Downtown. This area encompasses the oldest areas of the City and, not surprisingly, is the location of most of the City’s historic structures and sites. Land use is primarily business, which caters to both the local population and the needs of tourists which cannot be met on Okaloosa Island. US 98 and Eglin Parkway (SR85) merge in this area often forming a traffic bottleneck at the foot of Brooks Bridge. The area is central to the redevelopment planning of the CRA and is seeing an upsurge in interest in the redevelopment of prime waterfront properties currently underdeveloped with older single family residences (many locally historic). National historic treasures located here include the Gulfview Hotel site and the Indian Temple Mound. This area includes most of the area forming the designated “Main Street” Program by the Florida Department of State in 1997. The City's museum and new library are also located in this neighborhood. ELLIOTT'S POINT CHARACTERISTICS: Residential, Waterfront BOUNDARIES: The Elliott's Point Neighborhood refers to the southeastern portion of the City. While Elliott’s Point Subdivision and subsequent additions to the original subdivision include lands north and south of Hollywood Boulevard east of Ferry Road, the neighborhood known as Elliott’s Point is that area south of Hollywood Boulevard and east of Chicago Avenue. The eastern and southern boundaries are Choctawhatchee Bay. ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITIES: The Elliott's Point Neighborhood is almost entirely comprised of residential land use. The waterfront properties are all single family residential as are the more eastern inland properties. The western properties are mostly multi- family residentially, although much of the Ocean City Subdivision portion of the neighborhood still exists as single family residential land use. Many of the city’s older homes and most prestigious newer homes are co-located in this neighborhood which is characterized by its Spanish moss-laden Oak trees which canopy the many streets. Unfortunately, many of the older frame vernacular homes are being razed for development of more modern homes rather than restored or improved, although some are receiving additions and a new coat of paint. There are no public schools located within this neighborhood that form a central public place, but there are several churches that serve as neighborhood gathering places. The neighborhood also features public parks like Villa Russ Park, which is surrounded by homes and is concealed from casual notice by passersby. Waterfront access is available at Hood Avenue, the end of Hollywood Boulevard, at Shore Drive east of Bay Drive, at the south end of Bay Drive and at Walkedge Drive where there is also a small boat ramp facility. FERRY PARK CHARACTERISTICS: Residential, Waterfront BOUNDARIES: The Ferry Park Neighborhood is located in the northeast corner of the main portion of the City. The boundaries are Cinco Bayou to the north; Choctawhatchee Bay to the east; Hollywood Boulevard to the south; and Vine Avenue, Buck Drive, Uptown Station, and the Town of Cinco Bayou to the west. City of Fort Walton Beach, FL 196 Statistical Information ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITIES: The Ferry Park Neighborhood is comprised almost entirely of single-family residential homes from the most prestigious to more modest dwellings. Everyone knows the prestigious names Sudduth Circle, Yacht Club Drive and Bay Drive. Unfortunately, the neighborhood includes several properties that are constantly on the list of code enforcement violations, properties that have not been properly maintained and therefore devalue the other well-maintained homes. This neighborhood surrounds the City’s Ferry Park/Docie Bass Recreation Center/Elliotts Point Elementary School Complex located at the intersection of Hughes Street with Ferry Road. Other prominent features include Goodthing Lake, formerly Lake Earl, a brackish body of water with a precarious outlet to Choctawhatchee Bay. Land uses also include a few residence-offices along Buck, Staff and Hospital Drives as well as the former hospital site, now an adult congregate living facility (ACLF) and the County Health Department Offices. There is also a small amount of neighborhood convenience commercial uses along Hollywood Boulevard in the southwestern corner of the neighborhood. At the end of Ferry Drive is the well-known Fort Walton Yacht Club, a private yacht club. GARNIER'S BEACH CHARACTERISTICS: Residential, Waterfront BOUNDARIES: The Garnier's Beach Neighborhood is somewhat isolated from the rest of the City. It lies between the unincorporated area of Okaloosa County known as Ocean City and Cinco Bayou (water body). The boundaries of this neighborhood are at South Street on the north, Choctawhatchee Bay on the east, Cinco Bayou on the South, and Cinco Bayou and Eglin Parkway on the west. The Town of Cinco Bayou lies immediately south of this neighborhood at the foot of the Cinco Bayou Bridge where Eglin Parkway crosses Cinco Bayou. ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITIES: The Garniers Beach Neighborhood is almost entirely comprised of the subdivision named Garniers Beach, which was platted in 1949-50 and is one of the oldest areas of the City. The residential area is small in size, just 247 houses. This neighborhood also includes a waterfront city park, Garniers Beach Park. Commercial uses include a house converted to an insurance office at the southeast corner of South Street and Eglin Parkway; a restaurant located at the southwest corner of Eglin Parkway and South Street; and Mariner Plaza Shopping Center. The neighborhood’s location makes it a wonderful hideaway from the hustle and bustle along Eglin Parkway. The area is similar to Bay Drive/Brooks Street in Elliott's Point in that it has large trees forming a canopy along most of its streets. While most of the homes are modest in size there has been a recent trend where homes are being resold, remodeled and enlarged, especially those facing the Bay and Bayou. KENWOOD CHARACTERISTICS: Primarily Residential BOUNDARIES: The Kenwood Neighborhood is bounded on the north by the U.S. Government’s Eglin Air Force Base Reservation; on the east by Chula Vista Bayou and Garnier's Bayou; on the south by Don’s Bayou, Racetrack Road and Bob Sikes Boulevard; and on the west by Denton Boulevard, Hospital Drive and Lewis Turner Boulevard. ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITIES: The Kenwood Neighborhood is one of the most desired residential locations in the City, blending the prestige of a golf course setting with the natural waterfront tranquility of Bass Lake and adjacent bayous. The City bought the land for the golf course from the Federal Government in the 1960’s for the purpose of providing active and passive recreation opportunities and open space. The City built and maintains two quality 18 hole courses, The Pines and The Oaks. The neighborhood is largely residential and is comprised of single family homes and multi-family complexes, Choctawhatchee high school , Pryor middle school, Kenwood elementary school, the City’s Golf Club, Fire Station #2, and Choctaw Plaza. This neighborhood