Okaloosa County’s Natural Resources Team, backed by the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, began dropping 3 million pounds of recycled concrete culverts into the Gulf of Mexico off Destin‑Fort Walton Beach on mid‑September 2026. The project will deploy about 500 tons of heavy material at three separate sites, following the Coastal Corridor program’s first deployment off Naples in early September.
Contractors are placing the culverts in approved offshore zones roughly four to eight nautical miles from East Pass, at depths of 68 to 74 feet. The hollow pipes are arranged in dense clusters to form tall structures on the seafloor, creating hard surfaces that predators and prey can use.
Once settled, the reefs will provide anchorage for algae, sponges, barnacles, soft corals, and the fish that feed on them, according to Roger Young, Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He said the reefs could help sustain healthy fish populations for generations.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to connect underwater habitats along Florida’s Gulf coast. Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin highlighted the importance of regional collaboration, saying the new reefs will add to an already vibrant artificial reef system.
The program also aims to spread fishing and diving activity across more sites, easing pressure on natural reefs and opening up new eco‑tourism destinations for charter operators, recreational fishermen, and scuba divers.
The Coastal Corridor program plans to finish the Destin project in November 2026 and will continue with mangrove planting, seagrass restoration, and additional offshore reef deployments through the end of the year.