Okaloosa County, FL Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Ordinance No. 2024-11, adopted June 18, 2024, replaced the county's prior airport rules and now governs conduct at both of the county's general-aviation airports, Destin Executive Airport (DTS) and Bob Sikes Airport (CEW). Section 3-83, "Personal conduct," covers pedestrian access to the airport, and subsection (2)(b) specifically bars loitering: no person may remain on the airport or inside any airport building longer than is reasonably necessary to transact the lawful business that brought them there, unless the tenant of that building invites them to stay longer.

The rule sits alongside a broader trespass provision in the same subsection: anyone who enters the airport operations area (AOA) without authorization and is asked to leave but refuses has committed trespass, on top of any other penalty. Authorized persons are defined as those with an operational need to be on the AOA, such as pilots, passengers and tenants, or anyone under escort by airport staff or an authorized tenant.

Enforcement runs through the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office airport security unit, which is authorized to cite, detain and remove people for violating the rules and regulations. Under Section 3-87(c), a conviction for violating the rules and regulations, including the loitering provision, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.00, up to 60 days in jail, or both, in addition to any administrative penalties the board of county commissioners imposes, such as suspension of airport access privileges.