Destin approves new warning signs, buoys near East Pass after Trinity Eslinger disappearance

In Brief:

🚩 Destin will install warning signs near East Pass after 10-year-old Trinity Eslinger’s disappearance last month.
⚠️ The city also plans to repurpose buoys from Crab Island to mark the area as a “Caution: Swift Current” zone.
🚨 Officials hope the signs and buoys will raise awareness of dangerous tides that can reach speeds comparable to the Mississippi River.

DESTIN — The Destin City Council voted unanimously on July 7 to install warning signs near the East Pass, where 10-year-old Trinity Eslinger went missing last month, to warn beachgoers and boaters about the area’s dangerous tidal currents.

The signs will be placed in the channel between O’Steen and Norriego Point, where Trinity was last seen in the water around 7:30 p.m. on June 12—the motion, introduced by Councilman Dewey Destin and seconded by Councilwoman Teresa Hebert.

“At full, outgoing tide, it’s making almost four miles an hour out there, which is as fast as the Mississippi River,” Destin said. “We need to have some signs in that area. More than one.”

This past June, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, along with other entities, including the Cajun Navy, conducted a six-day search that spanned 250 square miles and involved more than 40 dives before concluding active search operations on June 18.

Former Councilman John Stephens, speaking during public comment, raised the idea of using buoys, once used by Okaloosa County as part of the Crab Island safety corridor, to be converted into “Caution: Swift Current” buoys.

“People access that area not only by beach, but also by boat,” Stephens said, recommending the buoys be converted for use near the East Pass.

Parks & Recreation Director Lisa Firth confirmed that the city is working with the county to obtain safety corridor buoys recently removed from Crab Island, which will be repurposed as “Caution: Swift Current” buoys and picked up within the next two weeks.