Okaloosa County, Florida

Okaloosa County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Alabama state line. As of the 2020 census, the population was 211,668. Its county seat is Crestview. Okaloosa County is included in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 211,668 people, 79,235 households, and 51,719 families residing in the county.

As of 2015, there were 198,664 people and 95,494 households. As of the census of 2010,the population density was 194.4 /mi2.


 * White alone=81.5% (July 1, 2015)
 * Black or African American alone=10.2% (July 1, 2015)
 * American Native and Alaskan Native alone=0.7% (July 1, 2015)
 * Asian alone=3.2% (July 1, 2015)
 * Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone=0.3% (July 1, 2015)
 * Two or more races=4.1% (July 1, 2015)
 * Hispanic or Latino=8.6% (July 1, 2015)

As of 2015, there were 95,494 households. 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.

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.

Airports

 * Bob Sikes Airport
 * Destin–Fort Walton Beach

Highways

 * (Interstate 10)
 * (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.

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