Public hearing set for Feb. 5 to shape Fort Walton Beach vision for safer streets and sidewalks
Fort Walton Beach, Florida – On Thursday night, there will be a public hearing to get feedback from the community on Fort Walton Beach’s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. This plan aims to lower the number of serious injuries and deaths on city roadways. City officials want people to talk about their concerns and experiences as the plan moves forward.
The federal Safe Streets for All grant is paying for the development of the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, or CSAP. The city hired Kimley-Horn, a consulting firm, to design the plan. It uses statistics and past accidents to figure out how people get around Fort Walton Beach. The goal is to find useful changes that can make trails, walkways, and roads safer for everyone.
City officials said the initiative is meant to help everyone who uses the transportation network, including cars, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and those in wheelchairs or other mobility equipment. The main idea behind the endeavor is that no one should die or get seriously hurt on local roads.
People’s opinions are an important aspect of the process. People are being encouraged to tell the city where they feel uncomfortable and where things could be safer with better lighting, clearer crosswalks, or better bike and pedestrian facilities. The city also wants to know about near-miss events, which are instances in which a crash almost happened but was narrowly avoided.
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The in-person meeting will be on Thursday, February 5, 2026, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Fort Walton Beach Public Works and Utility Services Department, locataed at 7 Hollywood Boulevard NW. Attendees will be able to learn more about the initiative and tell the project team what they think directly.
If you can’t make it in person, you may also give comments online using an interactive mapping tool run by Kimley-Horn. People can mark certain places, share comments about safety issues, or give general input on the city’s transportation system. The city has also invited users to report any accessibility issues with the online platform so they can be addressed.
Officials said that getting people involved will help define the final plan and lead future safety improvements as Fort Walton Beach moves toward its long-term Vision Zero goal.
