Tech park CRA eyed

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – Setting up a Community Redevelopment Agency or business improvement district at the Fort Walton Beach Commerce and Technology Park could generate money to help pay for improvements, including more buildings, said City Manager Michael Beedie. The park is home to about 70 businesses, ranging from Fortune 100 companies such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin to local-based businesses like Props Craft Brewery and Fort Walton Machining. “When you have an aging asset and you’re not tuned into competitive realities, a great jewel can pass you by if you don’t try to chart a new path,” said Nathan Sparks, executive director of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County. Beedie and Sparks said much of the park’s long-term future will be guided by its ongoing master plan, a draft version of which will be presented to the City Council on Nov. 13. Beedie anticipates the plan will be finalized by the end of this calendar year. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 10/28/18)