Where would we put a conference center?
by Fred Bergmann - August 18 1999
There is still considerable doubt about whether we need a conference center at
all, but let’s just focus for now on where we would put one if we spent the $15
million (or more) to build it.
The LMI study, which was used to convince
most of our commissioners to back this project, doesn’t mention any specific
location, but talk mentions property on Okaloosa Island north of highway 98 as the planned
location. This location presents several problems, one of which is the low elevation above
the level of the bay. Specifically, most of the area north of 98 near the Brooks Bridge is
in the 100-year flood plain as shown in official FEMA documents (see above). Supporters
may point out that there are many other structures such as big motels and marinas already
in that area. Those also run the risk of coastal flooding, but they are privately owned
and the risks are borne by the owners and their insurance companies not by the county.
We need to ask those pushing for this center exactly where it would go and who
will pay the price if we have another Opal or, even worse, a Camille. We also need to
remind our commissioners that the area planned for the conference center was once planned
for the county fairgrounds in the 1960s but the idea was abandoned because of the high
risk from storms. We also need to remind them that the Fort Walton Beach government is
trying to move their city hall to higher ground from where it is now, which is also in the
flood plain but may be even higher than where the center is planned.
Another problem presented by locating a conference center on Okaloosa Island is
access, but that is an issue big enough for a separate discussion.
