FORT WALTON BEACH FIRE FEE

Some residents of Fort Walton Beach are objecting to the city’s proposed fire fee. The anticipated fees would be $160 per residential unit, 17 cents per square foot for commercial properties and 4 cents per square foot for industrial/ warehouse properties. The fee would be included on property owners’ monthly utility bills, with each residential property owner being billed $13.33 per month for the potential $160 charge. Schools, churches, nonprofits and other institutional properties would be exempt from the fee. The fees would generate about $2.5 million annually for Fire Department expenses.