All City Council meetings may be viewed at www.youtube.com/cityofdestin.
April 4th Council Meeting Recap
U.S. Coast Guard Presentation - Lt Steve Browning, US Coast Guard - Lt. Steve Browning of the US Coast Guard discussed:
• Commercial vessel compliance
• Uninspected and inspected passenger vessels
• Bareboat charters
• Illegal charter vessels
Parks & Recreation Annual Report & Work Plan Presentation - Motion passed 7-0, to approve the Parks and Recreation Committee’s Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report and Workplans.
City Manager Report:
Parks and Recreation Software and Customer Portal - IT Director Matthew Pace and Parks/Recreation Director Lisa Firth provided an overview of the new cloud-based Parks and Recreation Software (RecOnline) and online customer portal.
Tyler Technologies SaaS (Cloud) Migration - Motion passed 7-0, to allow the City Manager to engage in contract acceptance with Tyler Technologies to migrate platforms to a cloud solution with a not to exceed amount of $429,535.
Announcements:
• Thank you, Matthew Pace, for excellent service to the city. Matthew’s last day is Friday, April 8th. Deputy City Manager Webb Warren will serve as Interim IT Director until a new director is hired
• Community Development Director Louis Zunguze is away on vacation until April 20th. Building Official Noelle Bell will serve as Acting Director during his absence
• Code Compliance Director Joey Forgione’s last day of service to the city was April 1st. City Manager Lance Johnson will serve as Interim Code Compliance Director until a new director is hired
• Ms. Sandy Trammell has volunteered to assist in providing training to the city’s standing committees
• Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Destin Library is scheduled for Wednesday, April 13th, at 10:30 AM
• Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Morgan Sport’s Center is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th , at 9:00 AM
• Sad note: Ms. Cheryl Wyren, a long-time city employee, recently passed away
• Okaloosa County School District has cancelled school for Tuesday, April 5th due to possible inclement weather conditions
Captain Matthew Abbott of the Sheriff’s Office laid out the plan of action for potential “popup parties.”
Council Comments:
Councilman Destin - Motion passed 7-0, to direct the Land Use Attorney to come up with reasonable percentage to assign to mixed use projects in the non-residential portion of mixed used zoning area and bring back some recommendations for council to consider.
Councilwoman Hebert - TDC Update
• Average daily rate continues to soar ahead of last year while occupancy was slightly lower than last year.
• Tourist development tax revenues year to date were up 18%.
• Organic traffic to the www.destinfortwaltonbeach.com website is up 85%.
• Visit Florida has invited the Destin/Fort Walton Beach TDC to join them for 2 spring media missions in New York and in the United Kingdom.
• Coast Resource Team was recently featured on the Discovery Channel and will soon be featured on PBS Nova.
• Second Annual Virtual Media Event will be on April 28th from all over the destination.
• The Emerald Coast Open, the Lionfish Tournament, is scheduled for May 13th thru May 15th.
Councilman Schmidt - Requests a list of local vendors or businesses TDC is hiring in support of each of their current initiatives. Councilmember Hebert will take for action and request TDC Director Jennifer Adams include this information in her report to council on April 18th. Councilmember Schmidt requests the TDC report to also include TDC’s plans for the Crystal Beach parking lot this year.
April 18th Council Meeting Recap
Destin Elementary Archery Team Places First in The National Archery Competition, Sponsored by The Fish and Wildlife Commission of Florida - Mayor Gary Jarvis awarded a plaque to Destin Elementary and Destin Middle School Archery Teams honoring their accomplishment.
City Manager Report:
Quarterly Investment Report - The Finance Director discussed the quarterly investment report, and the current status of the city investment accounts with Raymond James.
FY23 Budget Calendar - Motion passed 6-0, to approve the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Calendar and to set Budget and Millage Adoption Public Hearing #1 for September 8, 2022, at 5:30 PM in the City Hall Annex Council Chambers at 4100 Indian Bayou Trail.
Facilities Condition Assessment for Capital Improvement Planning, authorization to execute a contract - Motion passed 6-0, to authorize the mayor to execute the Standard Agreement for Professional Services with Matrix Design Group, Inc. The council would like to add the following to the list of city facilities to be assessed:
• Dalton Threadgill Park
• Public parking lots
• Capt. Royal Melvin Heritage Park
Announcements:
• Coastal cleanup at Joe’s Bayou and Norriego Point Park on Saturday, April 23rd, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM.
• Deadline for completion of Capt. Royal Melvin Heritage Park construction extended from April 11th to May 11th.
• Arbor Day Celebration scheduled for April 29th at 10:00 AM at the Kell-Aire North Park.
• Blue Star Memorial to be installed at the Destin Library on April 19th at 11:00 AM.
Council Comments:
Councilman Braden - Braden inquired as to the status of the abandoned property located at the foot of the Destin Bridge that was supposed to be demolished.
• Staff will obtain quotes for the demolition of the property and will bring quotes back to council for approval, if necessary.
• The mayor asked staff and Land Use Attorney to update the code and bring back to council a more proficient way for the city to utilize the abatement process following the standard Special Magistrate process.
• Councilmember Bagby suggests developing a matrix similar to the one they have previously created for the derelict vessels. Identify each of the steps involved in the process, put it on a tracking chart, and execute it.
Councilman Wagner - Motion passed 6-0, to appoint Wagner as the primary council member representative for the Emerald Coast Regional Council (ECRC).
Councilman Bagby - Councilmember Bagby recommends members of the council take advantage of the opportunity to attend the Institute of Elected Municipal Officials (IEMO) Level One training on June 10th – 12th in Jacksonville, FL.
Councilman King - The City Manager and City Attorney to investigate the feasibility and the liability involved in extending the hours of operations at Joe’s Bayou to launch boats after dark.
Councilman Schmidt - Towing Resolution, asked for this item to be placed on the May 2nd council meeting agenda. Beach Boardwalk Safety Boards, motion passed 6-0, for staff to bring back some pricing to replace some boards on the boardwalk.
Mayor Gary Jarvis - Motion passed 6-0, for staff to look into instituting a Community Pride Week or Month, taking steps to assist residents, and encouraging different entities to get involved in cleaning up the community.