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- 220K Residents
- $12B County GDP
- $53,968 GDP per Capita
Okaloosa County
Okaloosa County
Okaloosa County is in Florida's Panhandle on the Emerald Coast, anchored by Crestview (county seat), Fort Walton Beach, and Destin. The economy is dominated by Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field (Special Operations), defense contracting, and Gulf-Coast tourism (Destin, Okaloosa Island). The Clerk (Brad E. Embry) runs custom records and a clerk-operated tax deed system on RealAuction.
Property in Okaloosa
What every owner, heir, and investor should know.
Owning a home in Okaloosa.
Okaloosa is a high-growth Panhandle market with strong demand from military families and second-home buyers.
- Florida Homestead Exemption and Save Our Homes apply.
- Tax bills Nov 1; discounts through February; delinquent April 1.
- Wind, flood, and roof age dominate insurance pricing on Okaloosa Island and Destin Harbor.
- Tax deed redemption to day of sale (Ch. 197, F.S.).
- Foreclosure surplus rights under § 45.032, F.S. (60 days).
Investing in Okaloosa.
Okaloosa offers premium vacation-rental investment in Destin plus active military rental demand around Eglin/Hurlburt.
- Foreclosure auctions on okaloosa.realforeclose.com.
- Tax deed sales on okaloosa.realtaxdeed.com.
- Property Appraiser at okaloosapa.com.
- Court case search at courts.okaloosaclerk.com.
- Watch for STR ordinances in Destin, base-encroachment overlays, and beach-vendor regulations.
After a Okaloosa foreclosure or tax deed sale.
Okaloosa uses Florida's judicial foreclosure process and runs Ch. 197 tax deed sales online via RealAuction.
- Foreclosures filed in the 1st Judicial Circuit.
- Surplus claim window: 60 days under § 45.032, F.S.
- Tax certificates sold yearly; tax deed application after 2 years.
- Notices published in the Northwest Florida Daily News.
Courts and records in Okaloosa.
- Okaloosa County Courthouse — 101 E James Lee Blvd, Crestview
- Okaloosa County Courthouse Annex Extension — 1940 Lewis Turner Blvd, Ft. Walton Beach — 1st Judicial Circuit
- 1st Judicial Circuit (Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton)
- First District Court of Appeal — Tallahassee
- Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller — Brad E. Embry — (850) 651-7200 — okaloosaclerk.com
- Property Appraiser — Mack Busbee — 73 Eglin Pkwy NE — okaloosapa.com
- Tax Collector — Ben Anderson — 73 Eglin Pkwy NE — okaloosatax.com
- Sheriff — Eric Aden — 50 2nd St SW, Shalimar