🏖️ $320,000 grant awarded to Okaloosa County for planning the next phase of East Pass dredging
⚙️ Engineering and permitting work will be completed in coordination with state and federal agencies
💡 Expanded dredging could triple sand recovery, benefiting beaches, boaters, and military operations
CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County is moving forward with the next phase of a major dredging project in East Pass after securing state grant funds to support design and permitting work.
Coastal Resource Manager Alex Fogg told county commissioners Tuesday that a $320,000 grant, awarded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, will allow the county to continue a multi-year effort to supplement sediment excavation in the federal navigation channel.
The project is expected to provide long-term benefits to both navigation and beach restoration efforts.
“As you recall, back in 2020, there was a feasibility study completed in collaboration with Taylor Engineering to look at expanding the federal channel coming into East Pass,” Fogg said. “About every five years or so, we dredge the pass and remove about 200,000 cubic yards of sand that’s then placed on adjacent beaches. The feasibility study looked at actually expanding that to 600,000 cubic yards and over a million cubic yards, and that sand could be placed to the east or the west.”
The study, completed in January 2022, found that supplemental excavation could extend the life of area beach restoration projects, while also reducing maintenance dredging costs and mitigating hazards in the navigation channel.
It also noted potential positive impacts for Eglin Air Force Base and U.S. Coast Guard operations by addressing shoaling concerns.
Fogg said the newly awarded grant—totaling $320,000 with a required 1:1 match—will fund refined numerical modeling, engineering design, and regulatory permitting from the FDEP and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“We were awarded those funds about a month ago, a little less than a month ago,” Fogg said. “Today, we’re bringing the agreement to you for review and signature to move into that phase. Keep in mind the construction phase of the project wouldn’t happen until 2027 or 2028.”
The Board had previously approved the matching funds during the July 2024 application process. County staff are now preparing a separate application to fund the construction phase.
Commission Chairman Paul Mixon praised the Natural Resources team and Fogg’s leadership in pursuing environmentally responsible projects.
“The Natural Resources team is doing things in our county that really, I believe we’re setting the stage for the other 66 counties in the state of how we can be good stewards for water and land,” Mixon said. “It’s great to see.”
A separate agenda item will be presented at a future board meeting to request funding for the project’s construction phase.
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