Okaloosa County, Florida

History

Okaloosa County was created by an act passed on September 7, 1915, formed from the eastern ranges of Santa Rosa County and the western ranges of Walton County.

Okaloosa means "black water" (oka means "water" and lusa means "black") in the Choctaw language. The name may have come from the related language spoken by the Chatot and other peoples of the Florida Panhandle.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1082 sqmi, of which 930 sqmi is land and 152 sqmi (14.0%) is water. Fort Walton Beach and three United States Air Force bases, (Duke Field in the North and Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field are in the south).

Adjacent counties

• Covington County, Alabama - north
• Walton County - east
• Santa Rosa County - west
• Escambia County, Alabama - northwest

National protected areas

• Choctawhatchee National Forest (part)
• Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)

State Parks and Forests

• Blackwater River State Forest: 189,594 acre spanning Okaloosa and neighboring Santa Rosa County.
• Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Recreation Area: 357 acre of sand pine forest along Choctawhatchee Bay. The park provides facilities for camping, hiking, fishing, and canoeing. It is located 5 mi east of Niceville on State Road 20.
• Henderson Beach State Park: 1.3 mi of sugar sand beach along the Gulf of Mexico. The park provides facilities for camping, RV-ing, and picnicking, as well as a pavilion and boardwalk. It is located just east of downtown Destin on U.S. 98.

Demographics

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 211,668. The median age was 38.1 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 71.7% White, 9.3% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.8% from some other race, and 11.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.7% of the population.

89.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 10.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 83,957 households in the county, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.8% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 101,197 housing units, of which 17.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.6% were owner-occupied and 35.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.8%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, the population density was 194.4 /mi2.

Within the 2010 census, 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.94.

According to the 2010 census, the population was spread out, with 24.70% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.50 males.

2015 estimates

In 2015, the median income for a household in the county was $55,880. The per capita income for the county was $28,902. 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

Education

The county's public schools come under the Okaloosa County School District.

Northwest Florida State College serves over 10,000 residents of Okaloosa County annually for bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and certificates. The college maintains four campuses in Okaloosa County: Niceville, Crestview, Ft. Walton Beach, and Hurlburt Field, and one campus in Walton County, FL.

Libraries

Okaloosa County is served by the Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative. Formed in October 1997, the Cooperative originally included the county and the cities of Crestview, Mary Esther, and Niceville. The cities of Fort Walton Beach, Valparaiso, and Destin all joined the Cooperative by the year 2000. The Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative is governed by an independent, inter-governmental agency with seven members.

Transportation

Airports

• Bob Sikes Airport
• Destin–Fort Walton Beach

Highways

• (Interstate 10) is the main west-to-east interstate highway in the county, and runs through central Okaloosa County. It contains two interchanges within the county; CR 189 (Exit 45) south of Holt, and later SR (Exit 56), south Crestview. A third interchange for Crestview is currently being built at Exit 53 for the P. J. Adams Parkway.
• (U.S. Highway 90)
• (U.S. Highway 98)

Surface transportation

Emerald Coast Rider (formerly Okaloosa County Transit) operates bus services in the county.

Law enforcement

In November 2023 in Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputy Jesse Hernandez and sergeant Beth Roberts shot multiple times at Hernandez's police car, where a handcuffed and unarmed black suspect had been placed there by police, according to investigators. The suspect was not injured by the shootings. Hernandez in December 2023 resigned from the department. In February 2024, it was announced that an internal investigation by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's office concluded that Hernandez began shooting after hearing the sound of an acorn bouncing off his police car, then Roberts began shooting after hearing Hernandez shooting and screaming, with Hernandez at one point shouting: "I'm hit! I'm hit!". Hernandez had told investigators that he thought he heard a gunshot from a "suppressed weapon" and believed that he had been shot: "I felt an impact on my right side, like upper torso area … I feel the impact. My legs just give out." The Sheriff's Office's stated that while Roberts' shooting was reasonable, Hernandez's shooting was "not objectively reasonable", but "we do believe [Hernandez] felt his life was in immediate peril".

In May 2024, an Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputy fatally shot Roger Fortson, a United States Air Force member, in Fortson's home in Fort Walton Beach. According to body camera footage, when the deputy visited an apartment, Fortson opened the apartment door holding a gun in his right hand, with the gun held by his side and pointed downwards. As the door opened, the deputy told Fortson to "step back" and immediately shot Fortson. Fortson falls to the floor, and it is only then that the deputy tells Fortson: "Drop the gun!"

Later in May 2024, a Florida woman sued the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, claiming that on two occasions, once in August 2019 and once in May 2020, they forced her to leave her home while she remained naked during the execution of search warrants, exposing her to law enforcement officers and the public.

Politics

Okaloosa County is one of the most conservative counties in Florida. Incumbent George W. Bush won the county in 2004 with 78% of the popular vote and in 2008 the Republican candidate John McCain polled 72%. Mitt Romney won the county in 2012 with 73.80% (70,168) of the popular vote, and Donald Trump won 70.42% (71,893) in 2016. In 2020, Donald Trump won 68.25% of the vote.

Communities

Cities

• Crestview
• Destin
• Fort Walton Beach
• Laurel Hill
• Mary Esther
• Niceville
• Valparaiso

Towns

• Cinco Bayou
• Shalimar

Census-designated places

• Eglin AFB
• Hurlburt Field
• Lake Lorraine
• Ocean City
• Wright

Other unincorporated communities

• Baker
• Blackman
• Bluewater Bay
• Campton
• Deerland
• Dorcas
• Escambia Farms
• Florosa
• Garden City
• Holt
• Milligan
• Okaloosa Island
• Seminole
• Svea
• Timpoochee
• WynneHaven Beach

Notes

References

References

1. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
2. Hutchinson, Leonard Patrick, "History of the Playground Area of Northwest Florida", Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, Florida, 1st ed., 1961, no Library of Congress card number, no ISBN, page 41.
3. Simpson, J. Clarence. (1952). "Florida Place-Names of Indian Derivation". Florida Geological Survey.
4. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
5. "Florida State Parks".
6. McGovern, Bernie. (2011). "Florida Almanac 2012". Pelican Publishing Company.
7. (September 27, 2025). "Florida State Parks".
8. McGovern, Bernie. (2011). "Florida Almanac 2012". Pelican Publishing Company.
9. (September 20, 2025). "Florida State Parks".
10. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau.
11. "2020 Census Data".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. https://www.census.gov/ {{nonspecific. (August 2022)
16. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin".
17. "Explore Census Data".
18. "Explore Census Data".
19. "2010 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP-1)".
20. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
21. Okaloosa County Library Cooperative. (2011). Introduction to the Okaloosa County Library Cooperative. Retrieved from https://www.cityofdestin.com/DocumentCenter/View/602/Introduction-to-Okaloosa-County-Public-Library-Cooperative{{Dead link. (January 2022)
22. (January 2022)
23. (2015). "Welcome to Emerald Coast Rider".
24. "Ride The Wave! - EC Rider".
25. (February 17, 2024). "Florida deputy mistakes falling acorn for gunshot, fires into patrol car with Black man inside". [[Associated Press]].
26. (February 14, 2024). "Deputy scared by an acorn hitting his cruiser opens fire in street". [[The Washington Post]].
27. (February 15, 2024). "Video shows Florida deputy repeatedly shoot at man after thinking falling acorn was gunfire". [[NBC News]].
28. (May 9, 2024). "Florida Airman Was Shot by Deputy Within Seconds of Opening Apartment Door, Body Cam Footage Shows". [[military.com]].
29. (May 9, 2024). "Sheriff Releases Body Camera Footage in Police Killing of Airman in His Home". [[The New York Times]].
30. (May 9, 2024). "US airman shot and killed by police in Florida". BBC News.
31. (May 29, 2024). "Woman sues Florida sheriff alleging she was twice forced out of her home naked as deputies executed warrants". [[NBC News]].
32. (November 10, 2008). "2008 US Presidential Election Results by County - USATODAY.com". Content.usatoday.com.
33. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
34. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
35. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".