Welcome to OILA

According to OILA’s Bylaws, Section 3 explains: “The general nature of the corporation shall be: to coordinate affairs between leaseholder members and the Board of County Commissioners in their role as heirs to the obligations and privileges of the Okaloosa Island Authority, to preserve the public lands on Santa Rosa Island, Okaloosa County, to advise and assist the county in the application of the protective covenants that affect leasehold members, and to advise leaseholders and the public in general in their rights and obligations under said leases.”

In short, OILA exists to:

1. Coordinate the affairs between leaseholder members and the Board of County Commissioners (BCC).

2. To preserve the public lands on Santa Rosa Island.

3. To advise and assist the county in the application of the protective covenants that affect leasehold members.

4. To advise leaseholders and the public of their rights and obligations under said leases. Interestingly, Okaloosa Island’s Protective Covenants and Restrictions (PC&R’s), which Okaloosa County is charged with implementing and enforcing recognizes OILA’s purpose as outlined in the PC&R’s as follows:

Part G: Subsection 8. “Rights to Prescribe Other Restrictions, Zoning, etc.” provides additional areas where the County is formally required to coordinate with OILA as well. In fact, the PC&R’s applies equally to everyone who lives or operates a business on Okaloosa Island and OILA’s role is to ensure those PC&R’s are honored and enforced as written. Moreover, protective covenants enforce a standard of uniformity across a development or in our case, zoning boundaries listed as follows:

Zone B-1 – Private Residential Areas
Zone B-2 – Apartment, Hotel Court and Hotel Areas
Zone B-3 – Light Commercial & Concession Areas
Zone B-4 – Parks, Beaches and Freeway Areas

Most importantly, PC&R’s give buyers peace of mind when they purchase a home by allocating restrictions that would otherwise undermine both property values and the character of the community they chose to live or invest in. In many ways restrictive covenants obligates the property owner to refrain from some specific activity or use on their property.

Equally important, they also require the County to refrain from some specific activity or use on their property that would otherwise undermine the property values of the homes impacted by such activities.

Okaloosa Islanders have the right to expect the protections provided them in the PC&R”s.

Yet, understanding why OILA exists leaves the question of why the original architects who developed Okaloosa Island chose not to create a mandatory Leaseholder’s Association? No, I am not clamoring for a Homeowner’s Association that forces membership, rather I find this unanswered question perplexing given the formal nature of OILA’s purpose.

What I do know is that the voluntary nature of OILA makes it most challenging to communicate and acquire consensus in matters most important to the diverse interests of OI residents.

Indeed, the uniqueness of Okaloosa Island can be seen in the contrast of building type, purpose, and lifestyle between South and Northside of Santa Rosa Blvd (SRB). The 2-mile stretch on the Southside of SRB is dedicated to Condos and Hotels that accommodate vacation business interests while 1.5 miles of the Northside was dedicated to single-family residential neighborhoods where vacation rentals are prohibited.

The Okaloosa Island Authority established the PC&R’s to protect their vision of a true mixed-use community. That was the design, that was the intent, and that is what our PC&R’s say.

Accordingly, the legitimate power of OILA’s voice rests solely upon its membership. The Board of Directors has virtually no authority to act beyond or outside the will of its membership. But our membership rolls have hovered around 300 for the last several years. While condo owners may not share the unique interests of single-family residents and vice-versa, the power of our collective voice increases our leverage among the BCC. For example, many Okaloosa Islanders on both sides of SRB have shared their disappointment that Commissioner Ketchel reversed her promise not to make changes to SRB that the majority of Island residents did not support.

In November 2021, the BCC unanimously tasked County Attorneys to look for ways to dissolve the formal relationship with OILA. The question then becomes, can the County be trusted with honoring, protecting, and enforcing our PC&R’s on their own and as they are written? In a word, No! That is like a fox being trusted to watch the chicken coup! In fact, Commissioner Boyles explained during this same meeting that he senses the proverbial blood of disunity among Islanders, and he seeks to exploit this disunity for the BCC’s insatiable desire to develop every square inch of land to promote destination tourism. Bottom line is that our BCC’s enduring agenda places their goal of increasing tourism revenues at any cost over the interests of their own tax paying citizens. Whether it is the endless sea of Beach Vender chairs and umbrellas or putting public parking lots right behind our residential homes, we all have a vested interest in protecting our unique lifestyle and quality of life. Said differently, who do you trust more, the BCC’s agenda or OILA’s goal of looking out for you?

The saying “united we stand, but divided we fall” couldn’t be truer! Regardless of whether you own a condo or a house, if you call Okaloosa Island home, I strongly encourage you to become a member of OILA and increase our collective voice that seeks to safeguard our unique lifestyle, property values, and quality of life.

-Brick Bradford