BAKER, Fla., March 18, 2024—A group of concerned north county citizens met in Baker Saturday to discuss an upcoming survey about to kick off as part of a planning study designed to guide future development in north Okaloosa County.

Saturday’s meeting, held at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, was organized by a group of north county residents who rally under the name Tame North Okaloosa Growth to “stop runaway growth in north Okaloosa County” and to “preserve and protect the rural and agricultural character, lifestyle and quality of life and outdoor activities.”

A similar meeting was also held in Crestview for rural residents east of the Yellow River.

Once the study is complete, it will consist of a comprehensive plan, also known as a comp plan, to provide guidance to landowners and developers and to help guide Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners with future development in unincorporated areas of north Okaloosa County.

A survey for north county residents is one of the first steps toward developing the comp plan. The survey and plan do not include the cities of Crestview or Laurel Hill, only unincorporated areas of north Okaloosa County.

The study will be conducted by Inspire Placemaking Collective, the consulting firm hired by the county commissioners.

Inspire has an interactive website where respondents can provide input toward the planning study. As of this writing, it consists of a timeline of events, frequently asked questions and an interactive map where people can share their thoughts about the future of north Okaloosa County. There have only been 34 comments on the map so far; however, a number of thumbs up and thumbs down about the comments have been made.

Resident involvement

During Saturday’s meeting, Crestview resident Lane Watkins presented information about what happens after a comp plan is formulated and how to respond to the upcoming survey.

He stressed that everyone needs to do their own homework and form their own opinions about future development of north Okaloosa County.

Above all, he said, is to be professional and polite.

According to Watkins, population of the north county is about 38,000; therefore, at least 3,800 people need to respond to the survey. He asked everyone to “recruit to get our fellow citizens involved in this.”

Currently, rural areas in north Okaloosa County are zoned for one unit (or home) per 5 acres. The concern expressed at Saturday’s meeting was that rezoning could change to four units per 1 acre to allow for subdivisions throughout the now rural agricultural areas.

Another point voiced during the meeting was the need for the county to limit future growth until infrastructure can catch up, such as ensuring roadways (i.e., State Road 85) are capable to handle increased traffic and traffic lights are installed at locations such as Galliver Cut Off.

A growth in student enrollment at Baker School due to increased development was also a concern.

Because Saturday’s meeting was not an official one, elected officials were not invited to participate; however, District 3 Commissioner Nathan Boyles attended and was ready to answer questions if asked.

Town halls

As part of the study process, two town halls have been scheduled for next week on March 25 at the Baker Area Community Center and March 27 at the Crestview Community Center. Meetings start at 6 p.m. both nights and are scheduled to last until 9 p.m.

These meetings are to enable Inspire to get public input regarding issues that are of most concern to north county citizens.