Since September, an hour of parking at Norriego Point costs $5, and the money goes to one place. The City of Destin's Parking Special Revenue Fund is now reserved for Norriego Point and the roughly 4 acres of state-owned Holiday Isle land beside it. It holds about $4 million. The city estimates capital improvements on that state land at $3 million to $4 million. The balance is meant for both properties, not the new parcel alone, but it is about the size of the build-out estimate, and parking at the point now adds to it.
The part still open is the 53 boat slips on that land. They were built for condominiums that were never built.
What the Meter Pays For Now
The 14-acre Norriego Point Recreation Area opened to the public on March 5, 2026. Get The Coast reported about $15 million in project costs, mostly from Natural Resource Damage Assessment money tied to the Gulf oil spill, with a partial cost share from the city. The park has dune walkovers, a boardwalk that loops around the property, a pavilion, restrooms and showers, designated parking and ADA access. At the April ribbon cutting, Mayor Bobby Wagner said fishermen had been sending him photos of families with wheelchairs at the end of the point. One man who had fished from the docks for 30 years told him he had never seen a wheelchair out there before.
Parking started as a flat $20 for four hours. In September the council switched to $5 an hour because visitors had asked for an hourly option when they stayed less than four hours, according to WEAR. At the same meeting, the council voted to send all parking revenue to the Norriego Point project. Destin residents with a city parking decal still park free.
The rate change made a short visit cheaper. The earmark tied every paid hour to the point and the land next door.
Four Acres That Were Built for Condos
The state bought approximately 3.99 acres on Holiday Isle on Dec. 11, 2025, from Pointe Mezzanine, LLC and Pointe Resort, LLC, for $83.3 million. The sellers had planned luxury condominiums there. By the time of the sale, the 53-slip marina, seawalls, roads and utility connections were already in place.
The planning question starts with those docks. City Attorney Kim Kopp told county commissioners in March that the docks were approved under a development order for the condo project. That order ruled out commercial use, non-residential use and slip rentals, Get The Coast reported. She also said the city was not asking for the docks to be torn down. The slips were permitted for private residents, and they now sit on public land.
How the Lease Came to the City
Okaloosa County was not originally meant to be a bystander here. The county pledged at least $3 million in direct investment, with an overall contribution of more than $5 million. County Commissioner Drew Palmer said the Florida Cabinet had approved the purchase expecting the marina to run as a public recreational marina. He named two things he would not give up: free, sufficient parking for county residents and a working public marina. Commission Chairman Trey Goodwin said he did not want the site to become "a land-based Crab Island," Get The Coast reported. He could picture transient day-use slips and a small sundries store, but not fuel sales, long-term slip rentals or overnight living aboard boats.
The city and county drafted competing interlocal agreements, and for months neither was adopted. Then the Florida Department of Environmental Protection told Destin it would lease the property to the city directly, WEAR reported in September. Kopp described the city's aim at that point as "conservation and nothing commercial."
On Nov. 2, the Destin City Council voted 6-0 to approve a 50-year lease for the upland portion of the property. The county commission had voted unanimously on Sept. 16 to support the city's request. The lease does not cover the docks. Those require a separate state lease for submerged lands. The lease takes effect once it is fully executed. As of the Get The Coast report on Nov. 3, the mayor was set to sign it, and the final signature still had to come from Brad Richardson, who signs for the state as chief of DEP's Bureau of Public Land Administration.
The City's Sketch for the Point
The city sent its preliminary ideas to the state in a Sept. 24 letter. The list includes:
- An extension of the Norriego Point boardwalk around the perimeter of the state land
- Shade structures and gazebos
- Beach volleyball
- A kayak launch and a fishing pier
- A water taxi stop and dinghy docks
- Vertical oyster gardens
- Retrofitted docks with fee-based slips for daytime visits
The letter also proposes about 54 new parking spaces on the state land. With the 49 existing spaces on city property, that would bring the total to more than 100. The city expects to pave about one acre and leave about three acres unpaved. Even in the city's version, the docks stay. Visiting boaters would pay for daytime slips, and no one would rent a slip long term.
The letter puts these figures on the project.
| Item | Figure in the city's Sept. 24 letter |
|---|---|
| Estimated capital improvements | $3 million to $4 million |
| Parking Special Revenue Fund balance | About $4 million |
| Projected annual net revenue from parking and daytime slips | About $820,000 |
| Proposed rate for daytime slips | $5 per hour |
The lease adds a $300 annual administrative fee that the city pays the state.
The projected revenue comes from parking and dock fees, and the city covers essentially all costs of operating and managing the property under the lease. The $5 rate shows up twice: once for an hour in a parking space and once, as proposed, for an hour at a slip.
The Rules That Set the Pace
Nothing on the four acres can be built or physically changed, apart from security and maintenance, until the state approves a management plan. The city has 10 months from the date the lease is fully executed to submit a draft, and DEP gets the chance to take part in every phase. After that, the plan goes to the state's Acquisition and Restoration Council. Kopp told the council that board meets only a certain number of times a year.
Kopp described where the decisions will be made, as Get The Coast reported:
"Going back really quickly to the management plan, that's where all of the details, of course, with respect to the future use of the property will be contained."
The plan must also emphasize the management concept the state approved when it bought the land. The state can end the lease at will, for any reason, with six months' notice. Mayor Wagner was careful about calling anything final. "This is step one," he said, according to Get The Coast.
The public gets its say before the plan is written. The council directed staff to come back on Nov. 16 with a schedule for public input, which Wagner called "a plan for the plan" in the same Get The Coast report. Councilman Kevin Schmidt suggested that schedule cover the next six to seven months of meetings. Agendas and meeting materials are posted on the city's Agenda Center.
Before the Holidays
None of the new amenities will be in place this winter, but the point is open as it is. The Destin Boat Parade on Destin Harbor is on Sunday, Dec. 13, with fireworks, according to Destin-Fort Walton Beach's event listing.
Residents within city limits who don't have a decal can get a free one at City Hall or the Destin Community Center, or register online. The city's parking notice asks for a driver's license and vehicle registration and allows two passes per household. Paid parking in the city starts with a QR code scan or a text, and no app is needed. For everyone else, each hour at the point goes into the fund reserved for the point and the four acres next door.
Want to know how changes like this one shape Destin's waterfront, from the harbor to the bayou? 850 Properties follows the Emerald Coast block by block and can walk you through it. Explore Communities with us.
