About The Emerald Coast, Florida Area 

BUSINESS & LABOR 

The Fort Walton Beach area is a great place to work! Okaloosa County has been named to Forbes Business Institute’s Top 10 list of Best Places for Business and Careers.  

Helping to support the economy is the Eglin Air Force Base complex; manufacturing and technology companies, many of them defense contractors; and tourism.  

EMPLOYMENT FIGURES 

• Civilian Labor Force in County (2004) 88,067 

• Unemployment Rate in County (2004) 3.7%
Source: Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation 

INDUSTRIAL PARKS 

• The City of Fort Walton Beach Commerce and Technology Park: 

360-acre park located one mile north of U.S.98. Close to Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field. 

*The Destin Industrial Airpark 

5.5- acre park in downtown Destin off U.S. 98 at the Destin Airport.  

• The Okaloosa County Industrial Airpark 

360-acre park near I-10 with access to an 8,000 foot runway at Bob Sikes Airport. Rail access less than one mile away.  

• The Holt Industrial Park 

117- acre park at Route 189 and I-10. Includes 20,000-square-foot flexible manufacturing facility.  

• The Laurel Hill Industrial Park 

35- acre park near the Florida-Alabama line, 15 miles north of I-10.  

• Shoal River Ranch Properties 

11,000 acres on U.S. 90, six miles east of Crestview. Includes 250-acre site certified to meet the site criteria of the semi-conductor industry.  

TOURISM IMPACT 

• Annual Economic Impact in Okaloosa County $700,000,000.00 

• Jobs provided by tourism 32,000 

SINESS LICENSES 

• Okaloosa County Occupational Licenses – Tax collectors office 

Fort Walton Beach (850) 651-7180 

Crestview (850) 689-5700 

• Municipalities 

Cinco Bayou (850) 833-3405  

Crestview (850) 682-1560 

Destin (850) 654-1119 

Fort Walton Beach (850) 833-9518  

Laurel Hill (850) 652-4441 

Mary Esther (850) 243-3566  

Niceville (850) 729-4056 

Shalimar (850) 651-5723 

Valparaiso (850) 729-5404 

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER (850) 833-6400 

• 922 Mar Walton Drive, Ste. 203, Fort Walton Beach, FL  

Source: Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce 

The famous sugar-white sands and emerald green waters of Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island received the 2006 coveted ranking of “Best Beach Destination” ranked by Nashville Parent magazine’s Best of Parenting Readers’ Poll. 

Competing against other popular Florida beach towns such as Panama City Beach and Seaside, the Emerald Coast has earned the number one spot in this category for three consecutive years.  

The destination will be featured as the winner in three middle Tennessee Parent issues including Nashville, Williamson and Rutherford reaching more than 230,000 readers. 

“To have a premier Tennessee publication such as Nashville Parent acknowledge the Emerald Coast for three consecutive years is one of the best recognitions any family destination could receive,” says Darrel C. Jones, president & CEO of the Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc.

“This acclaim for the Favorite Beach Destination goes far beyond our quartz sand and encompasses the dedication of our Tourist Development Council and all of our tourism industry partners to provide the best family experience possible.” 

With a variety of attractions from museums to water parks, nearly 400 seaside eateries, family-style condominium accommodations and more than 60 percent of the beaches being preserved forever, visitors are ensured the area will continue to live up to the acclaim. 

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