Airport lease with AF extended

CRESTVIEW, Fla. – Okaloosa County’s lease of 130 acres of Eglin Air Force Base land that contains the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) will be extended by 25 years and expire on July 30, 2063. The extension was part of a lease amendment the County Commission unanimously approved on Tuesday. The revised agreement includes a new payment structure that eventually might lead to an estimated overall savings of more than $7 million for the county. The county-Air Force partnership at VPS dates to 1957. The fast-growing airport set a new passenger count record for fiscal 2017 with a total of 1,134,209 passengers. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 03/08/18)