Destin Mayor Gary Jarvis and City Manager Lance Johnson declared a state of emergency in Destin this morning, a measure that authorizes the City to take immediate action to ensure the East Pass is appropriately dredged and that sand is placed on critically eroded beaches.
“East Pass’s severely deteriorated condition as well as some of our critically eroded beaches threatens the economic vitality of Destin,” said Mayor Gary Jarvis. “Immediate action to dredge East Pass will ensure safe passage of our maritime traffic as well as protect upland structures from storm surge events.”
The state of emergency declared in Destin this morning grants the City Manager authority in making emergency purchases and using city resources as needed to minimize the threat to the health and safety of city residents. The action will also allow the City to work with Okaloosa County on a dredging project that could start in early March of 2019. At a December 20th meeting, the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council approved $3.5 million in county bed tax funding to dredge East Pass and place that sand on the most critically eroded beaches.
State of Emergency Declaration for East Pass