City Council approves FY2026 FRS amendment, Tyler contract extension, annexation timeline and other actions; adopts opposition letter to Eastern Gulf drilling

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(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 Public Works Department has limited staff and is not equipped to perform concrete services. For these more comprehensive projects, it is necessary to outsource the work to vendors who have the equipment, expertise, and personnel. | attachments=3 | reports=1

The Public Works Department has limited personnel and is not equipped to perform landscaping maintenance services. For these more extensive projects, it is necessary to outsource the work to vendors who have the equipment, expertise, and personnel. | attachments=2 | reports=1

The City of Destin issued Request for Proposals (RFP 25-11-PW) seeking qualified firms to provide Disaster Debris Monitoring Services in support of post-disaster recovery operations. The contractor(s) selected by City Council at their November 17, 2025, meeting will provide monitoring of debris removal, temporary debris management site operations, truck certifications, and FEMA compliant documentation to ensure proper reimbursement under the Public Assistance Program. These contracts (3-year with two possible 1-year extensions) are pre-positioned, as-needed agreements activated in the event of a natural or man-made disaster requiring debris clearance and disposal. | attachments=5 | reports=1

The City of Destin issued Request for Bids (RFB 25-13-PW) for the Mattie Kelly Outfall Project, which includes the installation of a new stormwater outfall structure, road reconstruction, and related drainage improvements. The project is part of the City’s stormwater capital improvement program, aimed at improving flood control, water quality, and stormwater conveyance in the Mattie Kelly Park area. Council awarded the contract to RBM Contracting Services, LLC on Nov 17, 2025. | attachments=4 | reports=1

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Announcements

In 2024, the City issued formal notice of its intent not to renew its Tyler Technologies (Munis and Energov) agreement, and in 2025 began transitioning permitting, licensing, development, and code functions to MyGovernmentOnline (MGO), financial functions to Aclarian, and HR/payroll functions to UKG. Council approved a six-month overlap through December 2025 to support case closure and data migration across these systems. While substantial progress has been made with all three transitions, several new, material requirements emerged in late 2025 that were not known when the original transition plan or overlap period was established. These requirements directly affect federal audit obligations, public-records compliance, and the completion of active development cases. | attachments=1 | reports=1

The CRA Advisory Committees (CRA-AC) have made several motions over the past year that have not been advanced. The city manager requested staff to bring to the city council a list of pending requested actions from the Harbor and Town Center CRA-ACs, from CY 2025, to give the council an idea of the scope of the requests prior to those requests being placed on the CRA Board’s agenda(s). | attachments=1 | reports=1

At the regular council meeting on November 17, 2025, Council passed Ordinance 25-19-CC on second reading. In addition, council passed a motion to bring back a budget amendment in an amount not to exceed $532,570 to fund the FRS initiative from the fund balance. | attachments=1 | reports=1

At the Okaloosa County Commissioners Regular Meeting on November 18, 2025, the Board approved a motion to issue a letter supporting the permanent protection of the Eastern Gulf Test & Training Range (EGTTR) from oil drilling and related energy exploration activities. The request for this letter came from Okaloosa One EDC, which asked the County to convey its support to President Trump and the State Representatives. | attachments=5 | reports=1

On July 8, 2024, City Council voted to "go forward with annexation efforts covering all proposed areas on [sic] the next election cycle (November 2026)" and "for the city to discuss what they can spend [on the] initiative" and to determine the communities' requirements for agreement with annexation. | attachments=2 | reports=1

Four Prong Lake is a closed drainage basin with no natural outfall. After heavy rains, stormwater runoff raises the lake's elevation and threatens flooding of private residences. An emergency outfall project was developed to mitigate this threat. The city is in the process of securing additional funding to complete the Four Prong Lake Outfall project. Further design work will need to be done to determine a cost estimate for the project. The City has secured a $1M grant from FDEP and is seeking additional FDEP grants at this time. | attachments=3 | reports=1

Choctaw Engineering, Inc., on behalf of Drury Destin, LLC, is requesting approval of a Major Development Order application for a 320-unit hotel with approximately 4,000 square feet of conference center space. The proposed development is to be located at 1001 Highway 98 East (Parcel ID: 00-2S-22-0000-0013-014A). The existing site is 10.27 acres. | attachments=22 | reports=1

On June 20, 2025, Governor DeSantis approved Senate Bill 784, which amended section 177.091, Florida Statutes, effective July 1, 2025. The new law requires that counties/municipalities administratively approve plat (or replat) submittals which comply with section 177.091, Florida Statues without requiring separate/additional City Council. | attachments=2 | reports=1

On April 5, 2021, City Council unanimously approved the scope of work and budget to completely rewrite the Land Development Code (LDC). Since then, staff and consultants from 3TP Ventures, have diligently advanced the project through comprehensive review and drafting. Major activities included: Review of Comprehensive Plan Policies Developing Planning Areas and their associated Intent Statements Review of the LDC text chapter by chapter Following extensive internal and public review since early 2023, the final staff draft of Article 1 was presented to the City Council at its workshop on September 23, 2024. Public comments and recommendations from the Local Planning Agency (LPA) and other boards have been incorporated. Staff used the discussion and guidance provided at the Council workshop and incorporated changes. Further refinements were made based on re-reviews by new incoming staff, and the LPA's recommendation of approval for Article 1 at their November 6, 2025 meeting. | attachments=3 | reports=1