Okaloosa County, Florida

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 , of which is land and (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: spanning Okaloosa and neighboring Santa Rosa County. • Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Recreation Area: of sand pine forest along Choctawhatchee Bay. The park provides facilities for camping, hiking, fishing, and canoeing. It is located east of Niceville on State Road 20. • Henderson Beach State Park: 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==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 211,668. The median age was 38.1 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 71.7% White, 9.3% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.8% from some other race, and 11.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.7% of the population. 89.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 10.6% lived in rural areas. There were 83,957 households in the county, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.8% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 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. ==Education==

The Okaloosa County School District is the school district in the county. 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. ==Transportation==

Airports • Bob Sikes Airport • Destin–Fort Walton Beach Highways • (Interstate 10) is the main west-to-east interstate highway in the county, and runs through central Okaloosa County. It contains two interchanges within the county; CR 189 (Exit 45) south of Holt, and later SR (Exit 56), south Crestview. A third interchange for Crestview is currently being built at Exit 53 for the P. J. Adams Parkway. • (U.S. Highway 90) was the main west-to-east highway in central Okaloosa County, until it was surpassed by I-10. • (U.S. Highway 98) remains the main west-to-east highway in southern Okaloosa County. • • • • • • • • Surface transportation Emerald Coast Rider (formerly Okaloosa County Transit) operates bus services in the county. boundary. ==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!" ==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. In 2020, Donald Trump won 68.25% of the vote. ==Communities==

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 ==See also==