🗳️ Walker is pushing back hard against the Charter Review Committee’s efforts to repeal voter-backed limits on city spending and council compensation.
⚖️ The proposed repeals could go to a special election, potentially undoing measures approved by over 6,000 voters during a high-turnout general election.
🔥 A grassroots movement led by Walker originally passed the amendments after public outrage over a controversial fire fee.
FORT WALTON BEACH — Councilman Payne Walker is sounding the alarm over the city’s Charter Review Committee, calling its recent moves to potentially repeal voter-approved amendments an attempt to override the will of thousands of Fort Walton Beach residents.
In a rare interview, Walker detailed his deep frustrations with the committee’s July meeting, during which members swiftly passed 36 motions, including recommendations to repeal three charter amendments that voters overwhelmingly approved in November 2024.
Those measures included limiting city spending increases to 3% annually, requiring voter approval for assessments, and barring council compensation without voter consent.
“This is an absolutely assault against the will of the people,” Walker said. “You’ve got five insiders trying to undo the work of over 6,000 voters. It’s rigged.”
Walker, who was elected to the council in March 2023, helped lead a grassroots “watch group” push that spearheaded the passage of the charter amendments and says that the Charter Review Committee appears to be stacked with insiders and former city officials, leaving taxpayers with minimal representation
He warned that the committee’s efforts could culminate in a low-turnout special election, effectively nullifying the results of a high-turnout general election.
“Are you telling me, dear council member, that you are in favor of this Charter Review Committee and 800 voters overruling 6,200 voters?” Walker said. “If you are, then say it publicly, because it’s going to be known publicly.”
Walker expressed particular concern with the process by which the Charter Review Committee was formed and operated. He criticized the July meeting, where former council member Mike Minich was appointed chairman and led the rapid-fire passage of dozens of motions.
“Anybody who’s experienced in such things would say that was all pre-planned,” Walker said. “It was just rubber-stamped, and it included a recommendation to repeal what the voters just passed.”
The three charter amendments, passed with more than 60% approval, stemmed from a multiyear grassroots petition effort led by the watch group, which formed in opposition to the city’s controversial fire assessment fee. Walker recounted how more than 150 people showed up to City Hall to oppose the fee, with only two speaking in favor.
“One of the council ladies told us, ‘I, too, was once an ignorant citizen,'” Walker recalled. “Another said, ‘Trust me, you’ll like it in the future.’ That fired us up.”
The watch group then collected the required 1,400 certified signatures to put the measures on the ballot. The city, Walker said, attempted to block the amendments, prompting a costly legal battle involving multiple judges before the case was resolved in Escambia County.
Now, with the amendments enshrined in the city charter, Walker warned that the Charter Review Committee is maneuvering to reverse them — without undergoing the same public petition process that brought them into law.
“If that group wants to get those amendments removed, go out, collect 1,400 signatures, and bring them back,” Walker said. “Do it the right way. I’ll vote to put it on the ballot. But don’t use a rigged inside game to undo what the people voted for.”
Walker also criticized the city’s handling of the 3% budget cap, claiming city leaders have delayed implementation by repeatedly adjusting the baseline year — from 2023 actuals to 2025 projections — in violation of the amendment’s clear language.
“There’s no problem implementing that. It’s not complex. It just says, ‘Don’t go up more than 3%,'” Walker said. “And yet they keep kicking it down the road.”
He added that he plans to request a legal opinion from the Florida Attorney General on the city’s implementation timeline, which he believes contradicts both the amendment’s text and intent.
While other council members have not spoken publicly about the Charter Review Committee’s recommendations, Walker said he hopes the council will reject any proposals to undo the voter-approved amendments.
“I want it to die,” Walker said bluntly. “I hope those who support this pay the price at the ballot box.”
Walker also suggested that if council members proceed with placing the repeal measures on a special election ballot, citizens might consider pursuing a recall.
“It’s a remedy,” Walker said. “If they’re not following the will of the people, the people have that option.”
“All I want is for the people to be heard and respected,” he said. “This isn’t about me. This is about the voters. And I will fight for them.”
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