FORT WALTON BEACH – The Fort Walton Beach City Council believes it has taken an important step in combating the homeless and vagrancy problem within city limits.
This solution involves closing the only Greyhound bus stop between Pensacola and Panama City Beach.
On Tuesday, the Fort Walton Beach City Council voted to amend the city’s zoning code, setting an end date for all Greyhound service by September 2025.
Here’s what we know:
Amendments to the Land Development Code
To prevent any plans for future Greyhound stops within city limits, the City Council introduced Ordinance 2152, which gives new definitions to the words “bus stop” and “public transit stop” and eliminates terminals, buses, public transit stops, and truck rest areas as permitted uses in the general business park and business and technology park zoning, which were the only zoning zones that were allowed to use services like Greyhound.
Another zoning code change will end current Greyhound service in Fort Walton Beach. The City Council has introduced Ordinance 2153, which prohibits new commercial bus stops starting September 10 and phases out current bus stops by September 10, 2025.
However, the current business can apply for an extension if it can prove that it needs more time to recoup its investment. According to Damon Patel, the owner of the supermarket near which the current bus stop is located, the investment can be as much as $10,000 per year.
Patel told the council on Tuesday that he could not afford a loss of this magnitude in his business, citing rising expenses and the need to finance his daughter’s studies.
While some council members thanked Patel for his speech, council members Bryce Jeter and David Schmidt said the decision made Tuesday night was not a personal attack, but rather a step toward improving the city.
Patel also noted that while he would like to earn money to support himself, he does not want to damage the image of the city of Fort Walton Beach.
How did we get here?
The dedicated Greyhound bus station that served the community for decades on Perry Avenue closed in 2019.
In 2021, German transportation company FlixBus acquired Greyhound and reoriented its business model to work with local convenience stores to pursue a more cost-effective business strategy.
In the meeting agenda, city staff references several articles from other media that paint a picture of Greyhound customers staying overnight, being dropped off late, or not having access to basic amenities at these convenience stores. The city argues that this puts public health and safety at risk.
The idea was first raised during a public workshop on April 16, when City Attorney Kimberly Kopp presented the City Council with three options to reduce vagrancy at the Shell gas station at 410 Miracle Strip Parkway SW. One of those three options was to amend the zoning code and stop Greyhound bus service within the city.
Some council members have pointed out that other cities, such as Pensacola, give away tickets to homeless people so they can be “shipped” to other communities, such as Fort Walton Beach.
City Councilman Travis Smith cited the Real Change Project Reconnect, which began in Escambia County earlier this year, as a program responsible for the alleged increase in homeless numbers.
While Smith said the program will “send them to other places,” tickets will only be issued to those in need who meet certain criteria, such as having no outstanding arrest warrants, having a valid reason for leaving and having a proven support system at their destination.
Since the April 16 workshop, no official document in any city agenda packet contains data to support Smith’s claims.
Further discussion
Paul Henjes, a representative of Flix North America, the parent company of Greyhound Bus Lines, told the board that Greyhound has been meeting a need in Fort Walton Beach for 61 years by providing a low-cost mode of transportation and now wants to work directly with the city to address safety concerns.
According to Henjes, Greyhound bus services are primarily aimed at lower and middle class citizens. Henjes said that more than 50 percent of customers are over 55 years old, 60 percent of whom are retired and on a fixed income.
Henjes also said that less than 1% of Greyhound riders in Florida are migrants.
To illustrate how cost-effective this service is, a recent review found that a Greyhound ticket to Atlanta costs $109, while the cheapest flight from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport costs $347 one way.
With the upcoming vote to close the Greyhound bus station in Fort Walton Beach, customers will have to travel to Pensacola or Panama City Beach to reach their destination by bus.
What happens next?
The Fort Walton Beach City Council approved both ordinances on first reading and will now vote on adopting both amendments at a council meeting on September 10.
As for future Greyhound service in Okaloosa County, Henjes told the board that Greyhound will consider other locations in the area.
Mollye Barrows of the Pensacola News Journal contributed to this article.
