Shoal River Timberlands Project: Will Okaloosa Taxpayers Foot the Bill? Staff Reports February 18, 2026 3:31 pm Emerald Coast, Okaloosa County In Brief: Commissioners voted 4–0 to submit a management prospectus for 1,323 acres along the Shoal River. The State would handle the land purchase, but the County could assume long-term management responsibilities. Future costs for staffing, maintenance, and operations remain undefined and may require local funding. Okaloosa County commissioners voted 4–0 this week to submit a county role prospectus for a proposed Shoal River Preserve partnership under the State’s Florida Forever land acquisition program. The vote does not authorize the County to purchase land. Instead, it signals to the State that Okaloosa County is willing to serve as a long-term management partner if Florida Forever acquires 1,323 acres along the Shoal River in northeast Okaloosa County. Florida Forever requested the prospectus by Feb. 25th, as the legislative session — which ends March 13th — will determine whether funding moves forward. If the State completes the purchase, the County would enter into a long-term lease agreement and be required to produce a full management plan under the Florida Administrative Code. That process would include forming a steering committee and complying with state land management standards. County Administrator Craig Coffey framed the proposal as both a conservation opportunity and a strategic move. “It’s a way to expand their dollars… It’s a way for us to come forward and say, hey, we aren’t just asking you to do something in our backyard....
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