City Council meeting summary

Annual week of recognition of the City's Public Works Department. The week will also be designated nationwide to coincide with National Public Works Week (May 17-23, 2026) | attachments=1 | reports=1

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This is a request from Destin Parks Foundation. One of DPF’s stated purposes per its bylaws is to “Promote incorporation of the Parks into the fabric and culture of our community.” | 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 Blessing of the Youth event will be held on May 13, from 6-8pm @ Harborwalk Village. The ask is to give the youth free parking during the event at the Destin Community Center. | reports=1

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Every seven years, Florida Statutes Section 163.3191, require local governments to evaluate and amend their comprehensive plans to reflect changes in state laws and local conditions. This process is called the Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Report or EAR. The City is required to transmit the proposed EAR amendments to the Department of Florida Commerce within one year of submitting our EAR notification letter. The City's EAR notification letter was sent to the Department of Florida Commerce on April 16, 2026, and the proposed EAR-based amendments must be transmitted by May 16, 2027, or the City will be unable to adopt any further amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. | attachments=3 | reports=1

During the Regular City Council meeting on April 20, 2026, the following motion was passed by Council: | attachments=6 | reports=1

The following are recent updates relating to the state-owned Park Property in Holiday Isle (City of Destin). 1. County-Wide Survey Results On March 26, 2026, the City received results from a COUNTY-WIDE SURVEY that asked randomly-selected County residents what they prefer to see as the public use of the newly acquired land purchased by the State of Florida for a park in Holiday Isle ("Park" or "Park Property"). An outside firm, Cherry Communications (Tallahassee), was utilized by the City for their expertise in conducting phone surveys. This new information was discussed at the Council meeting on April 7, 2026. In sum, the survey showed that nearly 88% of County residents desire for the Park Property to remain natural or with minimal amenities, that over 75% of County residents oppose commercial marina use, and that only 2% of the County supports a marina rental model. The margin of error for survey results is approximately 4.9%. Cherry Communications 207 W. Park Ave., Ste. A Tallahassee, FL 32301 cherrycom.com 2. Adoption of City Council Resolution 2026-05 on March 16, 2026, Requesting City Management of Park and Committing Up to Five Million Dollars. On March 16, 2026, the City Council approved Resolution 2026-05, which is attached to this agenda item as additional background . Resolution 2026-05 respectfully requests that the State of Florida authorize the City of Destin to serve as the Lessee and local managing entity for the Park Property. In the resolution, the City affirms its commitment to managing the Park in a manner that emphasizes environmental stewardship, conservation, passive recreation, and compatibility with surrounding residential and conservation areas. Further, the Resolution provides that the City of Destin is prepared to invest municipal resources into the stewardship and improvement of the Park Property and is willing to commit funding for the redevelopment, restoration, and enhancement of the Park in an amount not to exceed Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) in order to support environmentally sensitive improvements, passive recreational amenities, and long-term conservation management consistent with the character of the surrounding community. The resolution has been forwarded to County and State representatives as directed by the City Council. It is expected that the City Council's resolution will be considered first at the April 7th BCC meeting, and again on April 21st along with any concept plans approved tonight by the Destin City Council, and a Council decision on free park parking for all County residents, as further explained in the Discussion section of this Staff Report. 3. Zoning/Land Use/Development Order Background Information The following background information is provided for public knowledge (and has been previously provided): As discussed at prior meetings both at the City and County level, the current land use entitlements for the State Park property adjacent to the City's Norriego Point Park prohibit all nonresidential uses. Since it appears a condo will not be built on the property, given that the State's purchase was described as for "conservation," the entitlements of the property should be updated so that the property may be maintained for non-residential purposes. This process would include: 1. Amendment to the City's Comprehensive Plan (Future Land Use Designation on the Property) 2. Rezoning of the Property, and 3. Amendment to the existing Development Order. All three of these referenced land use applications would require City Council approvals and public hearings with the public invited to participate, which would occur generally as follows: Public Hearing One: Future Land Use Map (FLUM) amendment at Land Planning Agency (LPA) meeting Public Hearing Two: Rezoning at LPA meeting (Public hearings 1 and 2 would likely be done at the same LPA meeting) Public Hearing Three: FLUM amendment at City Council meeting (first reading of FLUM ordinance) Public Hearing Four: Rezoning at City Council meeting (first reading of zoning ordinance) (Public hearings 3 and 4 would likely be done at the same City Council meeting) Public Hearing Five: FLUM amendment at City Council meeting (second reading of FLUM ordinance) Public Hearing Six: Rezoning at City Council meeting (second reading of zoning ordinance) (Public hearings 5 and 6 would likely be done at the same City Council meeting) Notably, as has been discussed, the docks are legally classified as a residential use tied to a condominium that was never constructed. Without amendment to the Development Order, the docks cannot lawfully be used independently. In order to comply with existing codes, the docks would need to be removed or a Major Amendment to Development Order 21-23 would be required, with an additional public hearing before the City Council. Note that Development Order 21-23 prohibits all nonresidential uses of the docks, including but not limited to slip rentals, commercial uses, or any uses that involve boat traffic at a frequency or intensity not typical of a residential area. The Comprehensive Plan states, in relevant part that: OBJECTIVE 1-2.8: CONSERVATION LAND USE DESIGNATION. The FLUM (Map 1-1), shall identify lands that are environmentally fragile for long-term preservation by designating them as "CON." Environmentally fragile lands shall be referred to as conservation resources, which are defined in Rule 9J-5.003(30), Florida Administrative Code. The protection and preservation of conservation resources shall be achieved through the implementation of the following Policies. Policy 1-2.8.1: Conservation (CON). The FLUM shall designate lands that are natural and coastal resources as "CON." It is the intent of the "CON" land use designation to provide for the long-term protection and preservation of environmentally sensitive natural resource systems. The LDC shall be amended to ensure no development is permitted within "CON" designated areas, other than beach accessways, such as dune walkovers, parking, docks, restroom facilities, and passive recreation. The City’s Land Development Code is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, pursuant to State Law. Importantly: Norriego Point Park, which is adjacent to the newly acquired State Park, contains the Conservation (CON) future land use designation and zoning. The Conservation district is highly restrictive and intended for environmental preservation. Marinas are not permitted in either the Conservation (CON) Future Land Use Designation and Zoning District. Under the City’s Land Development Code (Section 7.12.06(BB) and Table 7-2), development within CONSERVATION (CON) is limited to beach accessways such as dune walkovers, parking areas, docks, restroom facilities (up to one story), and passive recreation. Norriego Point currently holds a Future Land Use Designation and Zoning of Conservation, and this zoning would maintain consistency between the State and City Park. Finally, please note that if the future land use and zoning for this Property are changed, any proposed use would still need to be consistent with all additional applicable provisions of the Comp Plan and LDC, State and federal permitting requirements, any applicable easements, and any required development order amendments. Pursuant to Council directives, the City Manager and City Attorney have contacted appropriate County and State representatives. As of the date of this agenda item, the Property is owned by the State of Florida, and there is no known entity with a leasehold interest or approved management plan for the Property. 4. City Concept Plan Approved, Subject to City's Required Public Processes for FLUM, Zoning and Development Orders During the Regular City Council meeting on April 7, 2026, the following two motions were passed: All of the above motions take into account that amendments to the City's Comprehensive Plan, zoning map, and existing development orders for the property would be required to be obtained per State Law and City Codes, and that the above-described public hearing process would be followed (see Background section). As a reminder, the Concept Plan approved by Council proposed that the existing roadway be modified into a one-way road beginning at the eastern edge of the proposed park. The roadway would run east to west, turn into a new parking area and continue west to east. Traffic would merge into existing roadway to continue two-way traffic back to Gulf Shore Dr. This concept takes up less space than other concepts, and adds roughly 57 new parking spaces. With 58 existing parking spots, there would be 115 total parking spaces. The plan adds new concrete sidewalks, new boardwalks along the seawall and connection to the existing boardwalk. Optional features include 2 beach volleyball courts, a playground, 2 large pavilions and 1 smaller pavilion. Benches would be located throughout the walkways. This concept integrates the existing park into the proposed park for the City to manage as one park. A larger access point for emergency vehicles is included to the beach area. Stormwater would be directed to existing stormwater systems for treatment. On April 8th, the City Attorney forwarded the City Engineer's concept plan Number 1 to the County Attorney and Commissioner Palmer for consideration by the BCC on April 21st, in connection with support of the City's Resolution 2026-05. | reports=1

There are multiple boards and committees that exist within the City, varying in responsibilities and duties. | attachments=3 | reports=1

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On April 5, 2021, City Council unanimously approved the scope of work and budget to rewrite the Land Development Code (LDC). Since then, staff has advanced the project through comprehensive review, public comment and drafting. Major activities have included: Review of Comprehensive Plan Policies Developing Planning Areas and their associated Intent Statements Review of the LDC text chapter by chapter Public workshops with City Council, the Local Planning Agency (LPA) and other advisory boards A draft of Article 7 was presented to the City Council at its workshop on October 28, 2024, and their comments have been incorporated into the proposed Ordinance, along with public comments and recommendations from the Local Planning Agency and the Harbor and Waterways Board. | attachments=8 | reports=1

On April 5, 2021, City Council unanimously approved the scope of work and budget to rewrite the Land Development Code (LDC). Since then, Staff has advanced the project through comprehensive review, public comment 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 Public workshops with City Council, the Local Planning Agency (LPA), and other A draft of Article 2 was presented to the City Council at a workshop on September 23, 2024 and the comments received have been incorporated into the proposed Ordinance, along with public comments and recommendation from the Local Planning Agency. | attachments=7 | reports=1

The Terra Cotta parking lot is located on Scenic Highway 98 and contains 12 standard parking spaces and 1 ADA space. The lot does not serve a public beach access and is primarily used for short-term parking associated with nearby commercial activity. The current rate is $20 for up to 4 hours, which is consistent with other City parking locations. However, that rate structure is more aligned with longer-duration or beach-related parking. The City allows Destin residents with a valid parking pass to park at no cost and does not charge vehicles displaying ADA, handicap placards, or disabled veteran designations. As a result, the primary users paying at this location are non-resident visitors. Based on 2025 data, the lot generated 1,097 paid sessions and $23,120 in gross revenue, with an average of approximately $21 per session. March 2026 activity indicates increased demand, with 243 sessions and $4,960 in revenue for that month alone. | attachments=1

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