🔹 Okaloosa County’s top legislative ask is $199 million to widen SR 85 between SR 123 and I-10.
🔹 Commissioners highlighted the county’s successful Mental Health Diversion Program, which has served 220 people since 2020.
🔹 Policy debates included gun rights language and homestead exemptions for married couples with separate residences.
SHALIAMR — Okaloosa County commissioners finalized a slate of 2026 legislative priorities Tuesday that blends high-dollar transportation projects with policy stances on gun rights, property taxes, and biosolids regulations.
Deputy County Administrator-Support Shelia Fitzgerald presented the draft agenda, highlighting the widening of State Road 85 from SR 123 to Interstate 10 as a new top priority.
The county is asking the state for $199 million to expand the six-lane corridor, with $20 million already committed locally.
She noted the widening is critical to relieve congestion, support growth in Crestview, and maintain reliable access for military personnel stationed at Eglin Air Force Base.
Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel moved for approval of the plan and singled out the continued inclusion of the Mental Health Diversion Program, which steers individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues away from jail.
“I really want to thank you for your hard work on this,” Ketchel told Fitzgerald. “Especially, I’m pleased to see the mental health diversion program once again in there — that’s been hugely successful for the court system.”
The program, launched in 2020, has served more than 220 participants, achieving a 65 percent completion rate last year and resulting in only seven rearrests.
Commissioner Trey Goodwin raised concerns over how the agenda handled Second Amendment issues.
“One of the policy statements we’ve got is generalized support for the Second Amendment … and then there’s a correction to an inconsistency in Florida Statute 790.065,” Goodwin said. “Why don’t we blend those two? … What about everybody else out there, 18 to 20 years old, that also has Second Amendment rights that currently are trampled on by state law enforcement?”
The written agenda already designates Okaloosa as a “Second Amendment Safe-Haven” and seeks clarification so law enforcement, corrections officers, and service members aged 19–20 can legally purchase service weapons.
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Chairman Paul Mixon added that the Legislature will likely revisit the homestead exemption question, especially for married couples maintaining separate residences.
“We’ve noticed much debate and dispute with the homestead exemption, specifically with married couples living in two different places,” Mixon said.
Mixon confirmed commissioners would review Fitzgerald’s edits at a future meeting before sending the final agenda to the local delegation ahead of the Oct. 30 meeting in Destin.
The 2026 legislative package also seeks:
Fitzgerald said she will work with County Attorney Lynn Hoshihara to refine the language and meet with each commissioner one-on-one before the final draft returns for board approval.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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