Att
This is NOT an official North Okaloosa Planning Study website
Inspire official study website: https://www.inspire-engagement.com/north-okaloosa-plan
Please visit the website and read the report about the vision we have for our county.
Feel free to tell the county “Don’t PJ Adams our North Okaloosa!”
It Ain’t over yet!
· We need to remind our County Commissioners to adopt the recommendations in the North Okaloosa Planning Study to preserve the rural character of our county!
What YOU can do now:
Stay informed! Watch the February 18, 2025,County Commissioners meeting to hear what they’re saying about your community’s future.
Howto Watch:
Visit the County’s homepage: https://myokaloosa.com/
Click on "Meetings and Agendas" on the left side of the screen.
Select the “Video”link for the February 18 meeting.
Or use this direct link: https://okaloosacountyfl.iqm2.com/Citizens/SplitView.aspx?Mode=Video&MeetingID=1923&Format=Agenda
➡️ Skip to 1:03:00 for key discussion (only 15 minutes).
These decisions directly impact your daily life—stay engaged!
1. Attend the Tuesday, March 4, 2025 County Commission Meeting at 8:30 AM at the Crestview County Courthouse.
Urge people who have not signed yet to sign your North Okaloosa Study petition telling County Commissioners to implement the Study Action Plan.
Use this link: https://chng.it/pc4MbMBCLk
• Urge everyone to read your Study Final Report at https://www.inspire-engagement.com/north-okaloosa-plan
Pages 33, 138 and 160 – 164 are important elements of the report
• 3. Follow unofficial People Protecting Okaloosa, Inc. on Facebook
Email each of the 5 County Commissioners individually to tell them in your own words to ensure public participation in any and all developments regarding the Study.
Addresses are below.
North Okaloosa Planning Study update for Wednesday, 2/5/2025
People Protecting Okaloosa
We are not anti growth. Okaloosa County has a Comprehensive Plan and associated zoning for every property in the county. See https://myokaloosa.com/gm/planning/plan We are fine with every property being developed for residential purposes in accordance with the existing Plan/zoning. If every property was developed for residential use in accordance with the existing Plan/zoning, there would be many thousands of new residences in the county.
We welcome all residents who choose to come to Okaloosa to preserve and protect our rural and agricultural characteristics and heritage.
The purposes of People Protecting Okaloosa are two:
1. To inform the citizens of North Okaloosa County Florida of activities undertaken by the governing bodies in Okaloosa County and the State Capitol regarding growth in the County that affect them either directly or indirectly. Growth issues include increasing allowable residential density of residential properties within the County, plans (or lack thereof) to improve traffic in the County, plans (or lack thereof) to provide sewer services, and other infrastructure issues. Typically, increases in residential density are accomplished by amending the Okaloosa County Comprehensive Growth Plan and a companion Land Development Code rezoning ordinance of the area under discussion.
2. To provide information for the citizens of North Okaloosa County Florida on how to contact both elected and appointed governmental personnel so that they can have a dialog where they can discuss their comments, concerns and recommendations.
Presented on these web sites and facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/412667740892358) are sources for information such as county documents or websites where you can research information on the many issues related to county growth. Any opinions expressed by the authors of this website should be considered merely as suggestions for ideas for you to consider when doing your own research and forming your own opinions.
Please scroll down to the free Sign the Petition section, sign the petition and you will also be signed up to receive free periodic updates. Then, click the facebook.com logo at the bottom and follow/like the People Protecting Okaloosa facebook.com page.
How to contact County Commissioners
The Board of County Commissioners need to hear from all of us on this issue. Please be polite and respectful at all times. It is best if you offer solutions and recommendations rather than just complain.
· Paul Mixon pmixon@myokaloosa.com
· Carolyn Ketchel cketchel@myokaloosa.com
· Sherri Cox scox@myokaloosa.com
· Trey Goodwin tgoodwin@myokaloosa.com
· Drew Palmer dpalmer@myokaloosa.com
Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners
1250 N. Eglin Parkway, Suite 100
Shalimar, FL 32579
South office phone: 850-689-5050
North office phone: 850 689 5030 (Mixon, Cox)
Always be civil and constructive
Please, everyone, share this info with all your neighbors and ask them to contact each County Commissioner with your recommendations for this study. If you think traffic is a problem but they never hear from you, they don’t think it is a problem! We find email is the best way to communicate with them directly. USPS mail is also effective but takes longer. The Secretaries to the County Commissioners take phone messages for them. I have never had one return a call. You and a small group (maybe 4 maximum), can also request a face to face meeting and those are quite effective. Making your view known well before any future public meeting that might be scheduled will make sure these officials are well aware of how you feel. Those advocating for higher density without regard to traffic and infrastructure are working with these officials every day – don’t allow them to have the only input. Don’t forget to urge everyone to check the Facebook group page People Protecting Okaloosa, Inc. frequently for updates. Find it at https://www.facebook.com/groups/412667740892358
Meet the North Okaloosa Planning Study
Please read this whole message and share with your neighbors
On Tuesday,March 12, 2024 your County Commissioners (known as the BOCC) will approve a contract with Inspire Placemaking Collective to study the future land use of the county north of the Eglin AFB reservation (The “North Okaloosa Planning Study”). If you own property anywhere north of the Eglin Reservation including the Holt, Baker, Blackman, Laurel Hill, Dorcas, Crestview areas, this is about the future zoning of YOUR property.
The study is designed for YOU to have input, both in the study’s official meetings with citizens and via a website for you to make input.
According to the plan submitted by Inspire, they will hold 2 meetings with you and your neighbors within 2 weeks of the start of the study to find out what your issues and priorities are for growth and development in your county. When the report on your input is approved by the Commissioners, the entire study will be based on your input.
That means we only have a few DAYS to educate and urge our neighbors to think about their priorities for growth in the county.
· Do you want an apartment building next door?
· Do you want to preserve and protect the rural and agricultural character of the north county?
· Does your family farm or raise animals?
· Do we have enough tiny lot subdivisions?
These are some of the things you need to discuss with neighbors.
We don’t have much time to urge everyone to participate in attending the official study Town Halls or to make input to the official study web site, so we have to act fast. If we can get 1000 citizens to voice their opinion, that will carry much more weight than just 100! If we don’t speak up, the County Commissioners will set their own priorities.
We will keep you posted about the time and location of any official meetings as well as howto access the official study website.
Always be respectful, constructive and courteous and you will have an impact.
North Okaloosa Planning Study update for Wednesday, 2/5/2025
Study Final Report is on line! It says protect rural areas!
Here is what you have been waiting for:
Go to the Study website. https://www.inspire-engagement.com/north-okaloosa-plan
· READ: North Okaloosa Planning Study Final Report – See pages 33, 138 and 160 – 164
· See Proposed Urban Development Boundary – One page
Thank you for staying involved in asking our County Commissioners to adopt the recommendations in the North Okaloosa Planning Study to preserve the rural character of our county!! Please discuss this with others and ask them to stay involved.
The Final Report of your North Okaloosa Planning Study was delivered to you and the County Commissioners on 10/15/2024, over 3 months ago. We feel the report made common sense recommendations for preserving our rural characteristics.
The County Commissioners met Tuesday, 2/4/2025. Mr. Wade Merritt of Baker spoke reminding the Commissioners that over 4,000 of you made this Study successful and asked when the public could expect to learn how the county will address the Study recommendations. Keep in mind that the county does not have to do anything with the Study recommendations.
Commissioner Goodwin responded by saying the county is working on a set of possible actions resulting from the Study. I believe he said that he has reservations about the Study recommendations, part of which encourage higher density development around Crestview, especially in light of potential adverse impact to the already terrible traffic around Crestview. Ensuing comments emphasized the need for public participation in any and all developments regarding the Study. We will post any information we learn from the county on this critical topic.
What you can do:
You and your neighbors have been fantastic in your support and input for this study. Please continue to stay engaged. Please talk neighbor to neighbor about your priorities and stay energized.
Keep in mind that those who wish to ruin the rural character of North Okaloosa are communicating their views to Commissioners non-stop. Don’t stop paying attention or communicating.
• Urge people who have not signed yet to sign your North Okaloosa Study petition telling County Commissioners to implement the Study Action Plan. Use this link: https://chng.it/pc4MbMBCLk
• Urge everyone to read your StudyFinal Report at https://www.inspire-engagement.com/north-okaloosa-plan Pages 33, 138 and 160 – 164 are important elements of the report.
• Urge everyone to join, follow, like the People Protecting Okaloosa, Inc. on facebook for updates.
• Encourage everyone to make sure to email each of the 5 County Commissioners individually to tell them in your own words to ensure public participation in any and all developments regarding the Study. Remind them to protect and preserve our rural and agricultural county character. Put in the subject line something similar to: Please keep the public fully participating in plans for the county.
Here are the CountyCommissioner’s emailaddresses:
Check the county website for scheduled meetings and public notices weekly https://myokaloosa.com/
Check the People Protecting Okaloosa, Inc. facebook page often
Always stay civil and respectful and make constructive input to fellow citizens and government officials.
The information provided is the opinion of the author and is intended to encourage you to do your own research and form your own opinions.
Please stay informed, engaged and communicating with one another!
Sincerely, Your People Protecting Okaloosa neighbors.
The sprawl paradox. Density of residential development.
Are you one of the many who tell me you moved here because of the beautiful rural nature of the county and the ability to own a home on a larger lot or perhaps a few acres? How do you feel about the growth in the PJ Adams Parkway or Live Oak Church Road area? There are families who have moved from a congested area like PJ Adams to a more spacious environment in the north of the county. In recent months, if you attended county Planning Board or County Commission meetings you have witnessed what appears to be a determined effort to encourage high density (for example, 4 houses per acre or multi unit structures) residential development. If this were to be applied across the north county, the rural nature of the county would be lost.
Governmental entities refer to proliferation of low density development such as you see from Crestview to the Alabama border as sprawl. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_sprawl They use it as a negative term because they prefer to provide infrastructure to dense, compact concentrations of population. One idea vocalized was that the county should increase the density around Crestview to manage or prevent sprawl from there to the Alabama Border. How does this work? If you increase the density around Crestview, I can still buy 10 acres further north and build a nice home. It simply doesn’t make sense. If you prefer a more spacious environment, if you moved here for the beauty of a spacious rural setting, you need to tell the County Commission to leave the future land use densities as they are.
Traffic, roads, infrastructure and community services…
Has traffic got you down? Of the two primary concerns with the future of our county, one is traffic and roads. The county waited to address PJ Adams Parkway and the area traffic until it was a crisis. The county will tell you it took 10 years to put together a plan to address PJ Adams. According to the County Engineer and Public Works Director, there is no published plan identifying roads that may need work and how the county intends to address them. At least they should explain the methodology they use to determine when a road needs improvement such as adding travel lanes or re-designing intersections. If you can find evidence of the county setting aside funds for one or more major road improvements, please let us know. If we are to analyze future land as in the proposed study, shouldn’t we be also analyzing our infrastructure and planning for the future? If you and others feel traffic is bad, roads inadequate and nothing is being done about it, it is critical that you let your County Commissioners know now.
Say, Hopefully you have planned for an event such as having to evacuate the area due to hurricane or other event. What route would you take out of the county and what do you feel traffic would be like?
All of the above applies equally to any plans for county sewer services according to the Director of Water and Sewer. The state Department of Economic Opportunity has included in letters to the county concern for the proliferation of septic tanks.
Section 2 of the study proposal states “infrastructure and community services” will be part of the study. Ask the County Commissioners what the county intends to include as infrastructure and services before the study starts.
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