Election Results: One Amendment Passes, The Other Fails in Niceville

Mid Bay News is calling a win and a loss for city hall in their two referenda to change the city charter.

Voters decided by a ten-point margin to deny a city clerk the ability to live outside city limits. Previous City Clerk Dan Doucet retired at the end of 2024 – leaving Deputy Clerk Wendy Farmer the heir apparent to the job. Farmer, a thirty-year employee of the city and graduate of Niceville High School, would have to move into the city limits of Niceville to take the job she has on an interim basis permanently.

City Hall did get a victory on their request to end the practice of using a game of chance to break a tie if the city council comes to an impasse about who should replace a resigned city council member.

Residents cast 740 ballots to win the first measure – 738 were cast for the second measure.

The Supervisor’s website counted an eight percent turnout among the about 22,000 voters who were able to cast a ballot in Niceville, Laurel Hill, and Fort Walton Beach.

As of 7:51 on March 11, The Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections had eight vote-by-mail ballots and 25 that they had not counted due to issues at the polling place reported Tuesday morning.