Destin City Council adopts fee updates, approves public safety contract, and advances grant and procurement actions

(Note: Individual speakers will be limited to 3 minutes. At the discretion of the mayor, this 3 minute allowance may be adjusted depending on the level of business coming before the City Council)

The City of Destin is geographically vulnerable to tropical storms, hurricanes, and other severe weather events due to its coastal location along the Gulf of Mexico. In the event of a disaster, timely and compliant debris removal is essential to public safety, environmental protection, and the restoration of essential services. While the City has historically engaged disaster debris removal contractors, it has never retained a dedicated debris monitoring consultant. Debris monitoring is a federally recognized best practice that helps ensure that all debris removal activities are conducted in compliance with FEMA requirements, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, and environmental protection standards. The monitoring process documents removal activities, validates contractor performance, and ensures that debris quantities and types are accurately recorded for FEMA reimbursement. | attachments=1 | reports=1

The Four Prong Lake project is anticipated to cost significantly more than the city has currently budgeted. The city plans to seek implementation funding through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Resilient Florida Grant Program. | attachments=1 | reports=1

attachments=1

attachments=1

The City Council recognizes that the unregulated rental of livery vessels by the public impacts the welfare of the historic working waterfront, and jeopardizes the health, safety and welfare of the city's residents, property owners, and visitors. [Code of Ordinances 13-140] City Council initially discussed proposed ordinance 25-05-CC (amending Article VIII – Permitting of Livery Vessel Rentals) at a public hearing on May 19, 2025, and referred the proposed ordinance to the Harbor and Waterways Board (HWB), which discussed it on May 22, 2025. Based on input from the Council and the HWB, city staff updated the proposed ordinance, which was discussed again by City Council at a public hearing on August 4, 2025. City Council deferred a decision to allow further discussion at a subsequent meeting. | attachments=4 | reports=1

The City contracts with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s (OCSO) office for law enforcement services. The current contract expires on September 30, 2025, which coincides with the City's fiscal year. The proposed changes for the 2025 contract include cost increases due to rising costs and COLA increases. | attachments=2 | reports=1

On August 18, 2025, City Council directed staff to move forward with offering employees the option to join the Florida Retirement System (FRS) effective October 1, 2025. This transition will operate alongside the existing Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), allowing current employees to elect to remain in TSP or join FRS. Participation in FRS requires adoption of an ordinance, completion of administrative agreements with the Florida Division of Retirement, and adjustments to the City’s payroll and benefit systems. The City must also amend and restate its current Thrift Plan document to reflect the dual-plan offering and ensure compliance with applicable laws. To accomplish these tasks, the City will need specialized legal services from an ERISA attorney to guide the amendment of the Thrift Plan, assist with compliance requirements, and advise on transition implementation steps. | attachments=1 | reports=1

The City has adopted a fee resolution for Short Term Rentals (STRs), including condominiums, which may increase the total number of STRs under management by up to 4,000 units or more. To help manage this expanded program, certain administrative functions may be outsourced. This item presents the Council with two options for selecting a vendor to assist the City in administering the program: issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) or utilizing a Cooperative Purchasing agreement. | attachments=3 | reports=1

On March 1, 2021, City Council passed a motion to replace the transportation impact fees (concurrency-based) with a Mobility Fee schedule based upon the City's Mobility Plan. On September 16, 2024, City Council adopted the Mobility ​Plan as a comprehensive blueprint for addressing the City's current and future transportation ​needs. On May 19, 2025, the City Council held a Second Reading of Ordinance 25-08-LC, to replace the city's Transportation Impact fees with the Mobility Fees based on the Mobility Plan and Mobility Fee Study. The ordinance was approved by a 5-1 vote. The previous update to transportation impact fees was in 2008. This draft of Resolution 25-17 focuses on incorporating the Mobility Fees adopted in May 2025 into the Schedule of Fees. The Mobility Fees replace "Transportation Impact Fees" and the adjustments can be found beginning page 17 of the attached redlined schedule of fees. This schedule is identical to the schedule adopted on May 19, 2025 with Ordinance 25-08-LC. | attachments=1 | reports=1

The attached Revised and Restated Schedule of Fees assumes the mobility fee updates to the Schedule of Fees are adopted matching the fee tables presented in the May 19, 2025 Ordinance 25-08-LC (See August 13, 2025 Agenda item "Resolution 25-17 Restated Schedule of Fees Adoption - Mobility Fees"). This agenda item proposes two updates to the Schedule of Fees: 1. Increases Public Records Request fees from $21 per hour to $28 per hour (redlined version page 30). 2. Adjusts library service fees to replace video cases or audiobook cases from $1-$3 to "Replacement cost" (redlined version page 4). On February 3, 2025, City Manager Item F "Pass-through Payment Processing Fees Determination" was passed with a motion of 6-0. Customers can avoid paying a credit card processing fee if they make their payment(s) by check or cash. This version of the Schedule of Fees makes clear that credit card processing fees of up to 3% may be passed through to customers. This is a statement inserted at the beginning of each major section of the Schedule of Fees (redlined version pages 3,6,21,28). . | attachments=2 | reports=1

The City of Destin entered into a continuing services contract with S.H. Hayes Enterprises LLC on September 20, 2021, for miscellaneous concrete work including sidewalks, curbing, and related infrastructure repairs (amended once in 2023). The contract has been renewed annually in accordance with its terms. At the August 4, 2025, Council meeting, the contractor requested adjustments to the unit prices to reflect increases in materials and labor costs. Council opted to table the request and directed staff to prepare a new Request for Bids (RFB) to allow competitive pricing for the work going forward. Following that meeting, S.H. Hayes notified staff that they are willing to continue performing the work at the previously agreed-upon contract unit prices, without any increase until the end of the contract period (final renewal in December 2025 for Calendar Year 2026). | attachments=1 | reports=1

The Destin City Council created a Youth Council to engage local teens, gather their perspectives on how city policies affect young residents, and offer them opportunities to contribute to the city’s decision-making by providing recommendations on youth-related matters. Members of the Destin Youth Council must be high school students who maintain a minimum GPA of 2.25 and reside within the city limits of Destin. Each term lasts one year, beginning in August and ending in July of the following year. Students may reapply annually as long as they continue to meet the grade level and eligibility requirements. | attachments=13 | reports=1

On August 4, 2025, Councilmember Bagby moved to direct city staff to develop and return with a justification for establishing a slow speed zone in Joe's Bayou, based on the criteria outlined in Florida Statute 327.46(1)(c), including but not limited to: •Presence of blind corners, •Unsafe levels of vessel traffic congestion, •Navigational hazards, or •Credible data indicating a threat to boating safety (such as accident reports or citations). The motion further states that once the city and the county agree that such justification exists, an ordinance may then be drafted to formally establish the slow speed zone. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Hebert and passed 7-0. | attachments=5 | reports=1

As previously discussed with the City Council on June 2, 2025, Bradley Touchstone, a specialist in complex bridge design with over 32 years of experience, has volunteered to contribute to the aesthetic design of the US 98 Marler Bridge. Minutes from the June 2nd meeting included the following information on this item: Mayor Wagner updated the council on the ongoing PD&E study for the Marler (Harbor) Bridge at the state level. A longtime local resident with 32 years of bridge architecture experience has volunteered to help ensure the bridge becomes a distinctive “gateway” landmark rather than a standard utility bridge. The mayor proposed forming a bridge aesthetics/design committee to guide design, functionality, and public input, creating a design manual that reflects Destin’s heritage as a world-class fishing village. He emphasized starting early so the community’s vision is incorporated into FDOT’s process, with the goal of a landmark structure that could stand for over a century. While initially suggesting a new committee, he acknowledged a preference for fewer committees and framed the effort as an objective for future council consideration. Councilmember Trammell suggested assigning the design review role to the existing Harbor CRA Advisory Committee instead of creating a new body, noting that a similar bridge improvement effort was discussed with the CRA about 20 years ago. She recalled prior coordination with FDOT on bridge lighting, which FDOT declined at the time. This agenda item explains staff's request to assign tasks to a Board or a Committee related to the future bridge replacement of the Marler Bridge on US 98 over the East Pass. The CRA Advisory Committee was mentioned as an option during the June 2nd Council meeting; however, staff identified that the Harbor & Waterways Board could be an option as well. | reports=1

This item is informational only. | attachments=1 | reports=1

This item is informational only. | attachments=1 | reports=1

attachments=2

reports=1

On 7/21/2025 Councilmember Bagby moved to allow City employees the option to transition from the current Thrift Savings Plan into the Florida Retirement System beginning FY26, starting October 1st, 2025. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Trammel and passed 6-0. | attachments=2 | reports=1

City Staff and Okaloosa County Staff have been collaborating on a mutually beneficial and code compliant parking lot for the Shores at Crystal Beach public access since December 2022. The Shores at Crystal Beach is to be located at 2942, 2966, & 2970 Scenic Highway 98. Staff have provided City Council with the most recent draft of the civil plans for the Shores at Crystal Beach to ensure that the proposed work is compliant with the Land Development Code (LDC), while still meeting the intent of the original purchase of the property, to which the Council provided positive feedback. The Shores at Crystal Beach access consists of two (2) separate parking lots, with the westerly parking area designed for standard vehicle parking spaces only, while the easterly parking area is designed to accommodate parking for only Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs). To date, the City does not currently have adopted ordinances that govern the minimum parking stall widths/depths and/or drive aisle widths for LSV parking. | attachments=1 | reports=1

attachments=1

attachments=2

attachments=1

reports=1