🚢 Okaloosa County approved a $2.95 million contract amendment to complete the SS United States artificial reef project, raising the total budget to just over $10 million.
🌊 Officials say more than $4 million in outside funding means no property tax impact as the nearly 1,000-foot vessel undergoes final remediation in Mobile.
🐠 Once deployed off Destin–Fort Walton Beach, the ship will become the world’s largest artificial reef, expected to bring major ecological and economic benefits.
CRESTVIEW — Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $2.95 million contract amendment to complete remediation, preparation and deployment of the SS United States as the world’s largest artificial reef, following a detailed project update from Coastal Resources Manager Alex Fogg.
The amendment to the Coleen Marine, Inc. contract raises the total project budget to $10.178 million. It is needed to cover regulatory, insurance and maritime cost increases that county staff say could not have been foreseen when planning began.
No property tax dollars will be required, commissioners emphasized, thanks to more than $4 million in outside funding already secured.
Commissioner Sherri Cox underscored that point, telling Fogg, “the funds raised exceed the ask… So the impact on our citizens will be zero, except for the benefit of the continued project moving forward.”
Fogg confirmed, “We’ve raised more than $4 million in funds for this project.”
Fogg recounted the ship’s tow from Philadelphia to Mobile and the extensive federal requirements imposed before departure, including a 2024 captain-of-the-port order requiring structural analyses, additional tugs and hazardous-materials mitigation.
Winter weather, tide-dependent bridge clearances and communications constraints further delayed the move.
Once in Mobile, significant remediation began. Fogg reported that “the 120 fuel tanks… have all been emptied and cleaned,” and “99% of the PCB-containing materials… have been removed and remediated.”
EPA officials, he said, “are very satisfied with all of our work so far.”
Ship components—including its funnels and radar masts—have been removed for future display at a planned land-based museum in Fort Walton Beach.
Exfoliating paint has been fully stripped and disposed of in accordance with federal guidelines. Fogg estimated that “well over 90%“ of the ship is now ready for final inspections.
According to the county’s background documents, Coleen Marine has remained within roughly 10% of its original task-based budget. The additional $2.95 million arises from:
County staff noted there is “no precedent for a project of this magnitude,” and cost increases are mainly attributable to external requirements beyond the contractor’s control.
Fogg reiterated this during the meeting. When Commissioner Trey Goodwin asked what would happen if the amendment were not approved, Fogg answered plainly: “If we did not approve this and we abandoned the artificial reef project, the really only option would be to be scrapped.”
He added that the ship is now dismantled to a point where a museum conversion elsewhere is no longer feasible.
Goodwin noted that some members of the public still believe the county sought to destroy the ship, saying he wished to dispel the misconception “that somehow Okaloosa County went out and said, hey… we want to destroy it,” calling the truth “180 degrees opposite.”
Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey added that the SS United States Conservancy had received higher dollar offers to scrap the vessel but chose Okaloosa County because “they thought it was a better legacy for the ship.”
The SS United States Artificial Reef Project, as described by the county, is the most ambitious marine habitat enhancement initiative in its history. Upon deployment offshore Destin–Fort Walton Beach, the 990-foot vessel will be the largest artificial reef ever created, providing expansive habitat for reef fish and other species..
Economic projections indicate substantial tourism growth, particularly among divers; similar large-vessel reefs have produced roughly $150 in return for every $1 invested, Fogg told commissioners.
The county expects new jobs and expanded charter and diving operations to follow.
Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Louisiana State University, and others plan long-term monitoring. Media interest has been significant, with Fogg reporting “$184 million in earned media… and about 20 billion in reach,” and IMAX preparing to film the vessel for an upcoming documentary.
The project team continues working toward a potential late February deployment, though Fogg cautioned that weather and safety logistics could push the schedule in 30-day increments.
The deployment site—selected with military and regional coordination—lies roughly 21 miles southwest of Destin Pass.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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