City Council Recap: 2026-03-10

Freeport’s city council approved over $90,000 in wastewater improvements, funded pathway lighting for the pedestrian bridge over Four Mile Creek, and set a hard 60-day deadline for Bay Area residents to connect to the new sewer line for free during their March 10 meeting. All votes passed 5-0 with no public comment.

Sewer Upgrades, Bridge Lighting, and Strict Connection Deadlines

Sewer Upgrades and Resident Deadlines The council greenlit over $90,000 for wastewater improvements at the Elementary School lift station, including a $78,578 bypass pump and a $12,500 installation contract. A $3,350 maintenance program for the city’s pump truck was also approved.

For residents in the Bay Area Sewer Expansion zone, the council approved sending certified letters on April 1 offering free septic-to-sewer connections. However, council members emphasized a hard 60-day deadline to respond. If homeowners miss the window, they will lose the chance to hook up for free. The city plans to post online and social media reminders 10 days before the deadline to ensure residents are aware.

Pedestrian Safety and Parks Councilwoman Heather Hurst successfully proposed spending up to $15,000 to stain the wood and install pathway lighting on the newly replaced pedestrian bridge over Four Mile Creek. Hurst noted the area is heavily trafficked by families walking to the sports complex and is dangerously dark at night. The lighting aims to prevent people from accidentally walking on the adjacent vehicle bridge. The project still needs formal approval from the Walton County Commission.

In parks news, the council approved online registration for the 2026 Spring Coed Softball league and scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly completed pickleball courts for March 30 at 4 p.m.

Planning and Administration To meet new state mandates, the council authorized planning staff to update the city’s Comprehensive Plan. Florida Commerce now requires cities to add 10- and 20-year review periods to their plans. Staff has one calendar year to complete the amendment; failure to do so would block the city from approving any future public-sponsored plan amendments.

To improve transparency and accessibility, the City Clerk’s office was granted $1,587.63 for a yearly subscription to Commonlook software. The program will make city documents ADA-compliant faster and keep records in-house rather than sending them out for remediation.