A $1 million makeover has resulted in a new prime location for boaters and paddlers to hit Destin and Fort Walton Beach beaches.
In September, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners held the grand opening of the Okaloosa Island Boat Basin and ADA Accessible Kayak Launch. The boat basin is located at Soundside Access Two on Santa Rosa Blvd. between Bluefish Dr. and Caviar Dr.
Roughly five years ago, Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel learned about the boat basin and that it needed to be refurbished. Okaloosa County tourism and a $150,000 boating improvement grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) helped fund the new ADA-compliant water access point on the Santa Rosa Sound area on Okaloosa Island.
Once considered rundown and unsafe, the boat basin now has plenty of parking, sidewalks, new landscaping, kayak/paddleboard mount, a fishing pier and docs, living shoreline installed and green space, as well as amenities such as huge beach bikes. It also features a boardwalk that accommodates up to eight, 25-foot boats and is the only ADA-accessible kayak launch in Okaloosa County.
