Destin City Council approves $2M FDOT TRIP grant, major development orders; rescinds prior FRS action and rejects short‑term rental software bids

The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) contracts annually with the City and provides services which are required for compliance with our National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Municipal Separate Sewer System (MS4) Stormwater Discharge Permit through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The CBA organizes volunteers to collect water quality data and educates the public through mailers, special events, and K-12 stormwater education programs. CBA staff will be at the meeting on October 20, 2025, to provide a program update and answer questions. | attachments=1 | reports=1

(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 Main Street Betterment Alliance of Destin, Inc. is requesting the use of the city streets to hold their Annual 5k run/walk on Saturday, November 8, 2025. They have provided all of the required documentation and have notified the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Destin Fire Control District, and the Okaloosa County Emergency Medical Services of the upcoming request. A map indicates the path of the race. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Posse has pledged their support with two patrol cars and the volunteer race cleaning crew will remove any debris and trash along the race route. | attachments=1 | reports=1

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Announcements

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7/21/2025 : C ouncilmember Bagby moved to allow city employees the option to transition from the current thrift savings plan into the Florida Retirement System (FRS) beginning FY26, starting October 1, 2025; seconded by Councilmember Trammell. Motion passed 6-0 (Clouncilmember Schmidt was absent from the meeting). 8/18/2025 : In order to proceed with allowing City Employees the option to join Social Security and FRS, staff initiated the FRS join process which requires implementation via ordinance. Staff presented first reading of proposed Ordinance 25-19-CC - Amending Chapter 2 - Administration of the Code of Ordinances relating to city membership in the Florida Retirement System (FRS); providing for membership in FRS for the benefit of City of Destin employees. Councilmember Bagby moved to approve Ordinance 25-19-CC on first reading, seconded by Councilmember Trammell. The motion failed 2-3 (Council members Bagby and Trammell voted “yes”; Council members Schmidt, Hebert, and Geile voted “no”; Council members Braden and Destin were absent). 9/4/2025 : Councilmember Destin made a motion that employees be given authority to vote on whether they would like the Florida Retirement System (FRS) to be offered as an option for their retirement, thus allowing staff to make an informed choice rather than speculating about their preferences. Motion was seconded by Councilmember Trammell and passed 4-3 (Council members Destin, Bagby, Braden, and Trammell voted “yes”; Council member Geile, Hebert, and Schmidt voted “no”). | attachments=1 | reports=1

This item is presented for information only. Staff welcomes Council’s feedback and ideas. On August 27, 2025, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Short-Term Rental Compliance Solution Provider. The RFP sought a full-service firm to track and manage the City’s short-term rental program, collect fees, and remit them to the City. A key requirement was the ability to identify (“scrape”) unregistered short-term rentals from online platforms so the City could follow up on compliance. | reports=1

Council had asked staff for cost of development of parking along Calhoun Ave near Hickory St. | reports=1

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Dustin Merritt of Jacobs/Titan Total Program Management, on behalf of the Okaloosa County School Board, is requesting approval for a Major Development Order consisting of 75,000 square feet of classroom space, offices, and a teachers’ lounge. The proposed project is located at 633 Kelly Street (Parcel IDs: 00-2S-22-0000-0001-00C0 & 00-2S-22-0000-0071-0000) and encompasses approximately 29.22 acres. | attachments=9 | reports=1

Jeffrey Petermann of Baskerville Donovan, Inc., on behalf of the City of Destin in combination with the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners, is requesting approval for a Major Development Order consisting of the expansion of the existing parking lot and the construction of an additional parking lot for The Shores at Crystal Beach access. This will consist of expanding the existing western parking lot to include 19 standard parking spaces and one ADA accessible spot, while adding 34 Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV) parking spaces in the new eastern lot, along with a restroom facility, a dune walkover, and the associated infrastructure. The proposed project is located at 2942, 2966, & 2970 Scenic Highway 98 (Parcel IDs: 00-2S-22-0590-0000-00CA, 00-2S-22-0584-0000-0010, & 00-2S-22-0584-0000-0030), totaling approximately 1.80 acres in total. | attachments=11 | reports=1

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