Parker Destin gathers more than 1,400 signatures to qualify for ballot

Dewey “Parker” Destin, Republican candidate for Okaloosa County Commissioner District 5, has announced he has surpassed the number of completed candidate petitions needed to qualify for the August 18 primary election ballot and has submitted them to the Supervisor of Elections Office for verification. District 5 includes a large portion of Niceville and all of the Bluewater Bay area.

SHALIMAR, Fla — Dewey “Parker” Destin, Republican candidate for Okaloosa County Commissioner District 5, has announced he has surpassed the number of completed candidate petitions needed to qualify for the August 18 primary election ballot and has submitted them to the Supervisor of Elections Office for verification.

District 5 includes a large portion of Niceville and all of the Bluewater Bay area.

“I am grateful to voters from throughout the county for joining with me and helping to put my name on the ballot,” said Destin. “I’m not a politician. I’m simply a businessman with a deep affection for our community and a desire to raise a family in an Okaloosa that’ll be better than we received it.”

Destin said 1,416 registered voters have completed and signed a candidate petition for him. A total of 1355 verified petitions are required to qualify for the ballot.

Destin was the first candidate to enter the race for the District 5 seat being vacated by Commissioner Kelly Windes.

Destin is a businessman, attorney, and restaurateur who lives in Destin with his wife, Tarra. He currently owns and operates Dewey Destin’s Seafood Restaurant in Navarre, as well as a food truck.

A current member of the Destin City Council, Destin has been a leader in blocking irresponsible development and protecting the integrity of neighborhoods.

He successfully fought to lower the bridge toll for daily commuters using the Mid-Bay Bridge and led a grassroots initiative to keep curbside recycling — and to stop the county from dumping recyclables in a landfill.

Destin is a gubernatorial appointee to the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority, and member of the Northwest Florida Regional Transportation Planning Organization, among other things.  Also, he is active in local environmental organizations as a member of the Emerald Coast Reef Association.

More information is available at Destin’s website, www.ParkerDestin.com.