CRESTVIEW — First Judicial Circuit Court Judge Michael Flowers was unequivocal in his remarks before the City Council. The Okaloosa County courthouse may be coming down and will be replaced, but the county seat isn't going anywhere.
Monday evening, Flowers laid to rest rumors that with the planned demolition of the current 1955 county courthouse at the north end of Main Street, Crestview will also lose its historic status as the seat of Okaloosa County.
"There's a couple things that won't happen: The courthouse won't be anywhere that it isn't right now. It's going to happen," Flowers said. And, "This is and always will be the county seat."
COURAGEOUS STEP
Last week the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners took "a courageous step in voting to fund and rebuild the county courthouse," Flowers said.
The discovery of rampant mold throughout the courthouse, coupled with a failing heating and air conditioning system, leaky roof and inefficient, segregation-era floor plan led the commissioners to abandon original plans to renovate and expand the building and simply start from scratch.
In less than a week, rumors started flying that a plot was afoot to move the county seat to Fort Walton Beach, a notion at which Flowers scoffed, saying it would take an act of the Legislature to change a county seat.
Instead, he said, county and court staff are scrambling to create and implement plans to vacate the courthouse within months, relocate services, and design a replacement building that will reflect Crestview's historic 1910s origins.
"There are many things happening very quickly that should be exciting to the citizens of Crestview and the north end of the county," Flowers said. "I can't tell you how great it is to be the circuit judge in the city of Crestview."
SERVICES IN CRESTVIEW
Flowers said he and Mayor David Cadle have been in discussion about how to maintain a judicial presence in the county's largest city to assure court services are relatively available to north county residents.
Councilmen were pleased with Flowers' message.
"We want to say 'Thank you' for being open to us and giving us some facts," newly appointed council vice president Joe Blocker said.
Cadle said Flowers' remarks will also temper local resentment that county money is perceived to flow to communities south of the Shoal River.
"We've known about the north-south resentments and I think this may go a long way to putting this to rest," Cadle said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Flowers: Crestview 'is and always will be the county seat'