"The complaints that I get fairly regularly when we have events there, the regular parking fills up pretty quickly," City Manager Jason Davis told the Fort Walton Beach City Council in August. "The golf cart parking does not remotely even fill up."
He was talking about The Landing, less than four months after the downtown waterfront park reopened. That night the council made a choice that shapes how the park works now. It voted to wrap up the renovation with car parking and an event loading zone. A splash pad and two new restrooms came off the plan. In the first days of October, the city also sold naming rights to help pay for the park's concerts. Put those two decisions next to this month's calendar and the picture is clear. The Landing is being run first as a place for crowds to gather on a schedule.
A Decade of Permits, Then a Shorter To-Do List
The renovation took a long time. The city started working with the Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on waterfront permits by 2017. The Army Corps permit didn't arrive until May 2022, and construction started in June 2023 with Fort Walton Beach-based GLC Contracting Inc. The project cost roughly $8 million. It was paid for with Natural Resource Damage Assessment grants, RESTORE Act money, county tourist tax and half-cent surtax revenue, and the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, with no impact on the city's general fund. The ribbon was cut April 24.
The finished park is built for events and the water:
- A reinforced 700-foot seawall and a concrete boardwalk along Santa Rosa Sound
- A round performance stage with amphitheater seating
- A fishing pier and a kayak and paddleboard launch
- Terraced seating on the water and new lighting throughout
The city also added 34 spaces to the east-side parking lot and set aside parking just for golf carts.
The last phase was supposed to bring two new restrooms at opposite ends of the park, a splash pad, demolition of the existing restroom, and underground utility work. In August the council voted 6-0 to drop that plan. It asked staff to come back with a smaller package: turn some golf-cart spaces into regular parking, add a loading zone for weekend events, remodel the existing restroom, fix broken concrete, replace damaged trash cans, and move the east-side dumpster enclosure.
Davis said he was concerned about adding new facilities for a parks maintenance crew he described as already stretched thin, since that crew is also handling expansions at the Preston Hood Recreation Complex and Liza Jackson Park. "I'm leery to add more to the complement for the team that maintains the parks," he said. He said any second look at the larger design would likely come around 2028. The August report gave no start or finish date for the smaller package.
So the park is getting what event days need: more spaces for cars, a place for vendors to unload, and a restroom that works.
Friday Nights Now Have a Sponsor
On October 2, the city announced a three-year Gold Sponsorship Agreement with Eglin Federal Credit Union. It includes naming rights, so the park's full name is now "The Landing brought to you by Eglin Federal Credit Union." The city's sponsorship page says the money helps fund the free Concerts at The Landing series. That covers eight fall concerts in September and October, five spring concerts in May, and a Fourth of July concert.
The deal comes from the city's new Corporate Sponsorship Program, which the city says will help cover the cost of concerts, fireworks shows, parades and other city-run events. Davis called The Landing "a gathering place where our community comes together to celebrate, connect, and enjoy the arts."
The fall series began September 4. As of October 4, three Fridays are left.
The October Calendar, Date by Date
Here is everything on the city and downtown calendars for The Landing between now and Thanksgiving weekend.
Friday, Oct. 9. Cat Rhodes & The Truth plays blues, funk and neo soul, 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is free.
Saturday, Oct. 10. This is the busiest day of the month. The schedule is below.
Friday, Oct. 16. Chase Mitchell Band plays country and southern rock, 6 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 17. Dog Daze, presented by Friendship Veterinary Hospital, runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce moved it from Oct. 3 because of weather. It's free and includes contests and local vendors.
Sunday, Oct. 18. The Emerald Coast Hispanic Heritage Festival is listed for noon to 9 p.m. at The Landing.
Friday, Oct. 23. Rockstarfish closes the fall concert series with party rock covers.
Saturday, Oct. 24. The Downtown FWB Saturday Market returns, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 28. Downtown FWB's Holiday Market and the city tree lighting run 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
That's four of the next five weekends with something scheduled at The Landing, plus three Friday concerts. The weekend of Oct. 17 and 18 has events on back-to-back days. This is the kind of turnover Davis had in mind when he asked for a loading zone.
One Saturday, Morning to Thriller
October 10 shows how much a single day at the park can hold now. The Saturday Market is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. A few hours later, the Downtown Fort Walton Beach Board Organization and Sharing & Caring host the Zombie Walk. The city lists this schedule:
- 4 p.m. Drop off canned or nonperishable food for Sharing & Caring at The Landing, and pick up a printed map of participating trick-or-treat stops. Each child is asked to bring at least two items.
- 4 to 6 p.m. Trick-or-treat at participating businesses throughout downtown.
- 6:30 p.m. Gather behind the Fort Walton Beach Library, in front of the mural near Parlor Doughnuts and Burrito Del Sol, for the costume parade through downtown.
- 7 p.m. Follow the parade back to The Landing for the Thriller dance.
The night before, Cat Rhodes & The Truth will be on the same stage. That's a Friday concert, a Saturday market and an evening parade within about 25 hours, all from one park.
The trick-or-treat route also explains why this matters past the park. The Zombie Walk sends families onto downtown blocks and then brings them back to the water. Wood Foot Beer Co. sits across the street from The Landing. Beach Weekend Coffee opened its flagship at 170 Miracle Strip Parkway SE in 2025. Its partners said they started opening their own businesses downtown because recruiting others had been hard. At this spring's Craftathon, the first one after the reopening, Wood Foot co-owner and festival co-founder Warren Bondi called the park's return "huge," as Get the Coast reported. He said past festivals had to change their layouts around construction, and the reopened space would let organizers spread out.
Getting There When the Lot Is Full
The parking issue that drove the August vote hasn't been fixed yet, because the smaller package has no construction date. For now, the expanded east-side lot and the dedicated golf-cart spaces are what you'll find. Davis's description still applies. Car spaces fill first. Golf-cart spaces usually have room, and parking a car in one can get you a fine.
If you live close enough to bring a golf cart, the city has a few rules. Golf carts and low-speed vehicles both need a city permit, but they follow different road rules. Golf carts can use the Downtown Business & Entertainment District only on city roads posted at 25 mph or less, and they can't drive on or cross state roads. Low-speed vehicles have more room. The flyer lets them use roads posted up to 35 mph and cross state roads at signalized intersections, and it lists an exception for Eglin Parkway. If you're coming by golf cart and your route to Brooks Street would cross a state road, plan a different way to get there.
For the Zombie Walk, the 4 p.m. drop-off and the 7 p.m. dance both happen at The Landing, with the parade starting near the library in between. If you park once and walk, you'll be at the park for the start and the finish.
If you've been watching The Landing turn into downtown's main gathering place and you're curious what that means for nearby streets, LJB Signature Homes is happy to talk through what we're seeing around downtown Fort Walton Beach. Schedule a free consultation whenever it suits you. We'll keep it calm, clear and personal.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
