Checked October 22, 2026 against the county's emergency page. Counties change these instructions, so read the source before you act on anything below.
Trees down inside your gate? Call Josh at (850) 888-5603 and tell him what you have.
Curbside storm debris pickup for unincorporated Okaloosa County began on October 14, after Hurricane Isaias. If your neighborhood has a gate or a guard shack, the county's trucks do not just drive in. Someone on the HOA side has to sign a form first.
What the county says
The notice is on the Okaloosa County emergency page, posted October 13 at 4:20 p.m. The sentence that matters:
"Gated subdivisions or subdivisions with manned security access will only be serviced if the Homeowner Association has provided a signed Right of Entry Agreement."
The rest of the notice, in plain terms:
- The HOA signs the agreement. Wet signatures are not necessary and electronic signatures are accepted.
- The HOA emails the completed form to mkipp@myokaloosa.com.
- The form is linked from the emergency page, under "ROE Agreement for Gated Communities."
- The notice gives no deadline.
- County pickup runs in two periods. The second date is announced after the first pickup, and as of October 22 there is no date.
What an HOA board or property manager should do
- Get the form. Open the emergency page and find the link for the gated communities agreement.
- Have the right person sign. Check your bylaws or ask your management company who signs for the association. An e-signature is fine.
- Email it to mkipp@myokaloosa.com. Keep a copy of the signed form and the sent message.
- Tell residents how to put debris out. The county wants vegetative debris in lengths of 8 to 10 feet, unbagged and visible, and clear of fire hydrants, mailboxes, power boxes, water meters and parked vehicles. The county's debris hotline is 1-833-495-3664.
- Ask about timing. The notice does not say what happens to an agreement that arrives after the first pickup period. Call the hotline or write to the same email address and ask.
Residents cannot file this for the neighborhood. The notice puts it on the Homeowner Association, so a resident who wants the trucks inside the gate has to ask the board.
If the HOA has not signed
Read the sentence again: gated and manned-security subdivisions are serviced "only if" the agreement is in. With no agreement on file, expect no county trucks inside the gate. The downed trees, hanging limbs and piles are then a private job.
That is where Josh comes in. For a board or a property manager, the usual call is common-area trees: the entrance, the roads, the pond edge, the pool area, a tree on a clubhouse roof. Tell Josh which trees, where they sit, and whether a roof, fence or wire is involved. He quotes the job.
On debris: Josh cuts the tree and moves the debris to the roadside where pickup allows that. Inside a gate with no signed agreement it does not, so haul-off needs its own answer. Haul-off is quoted per job and arranged only on bigger jobs, so ask on the first call and get the answer in writing. For how this plays out town by town, see who removes the debris when a tree service cuts your tree.
Call Josh at (850) 888-5603. Through early November 2026, Reed's insured crew covers Destin, Miramar Beach and nearby Okaloosa towns, and Josh takes calls across Okaloosa and Walton counties.
Walton and Santa Rosa counties
This form is an Okaloosa County rule. It does not carry over.
Walton County. The Walton County Sheriff's Isaias updates page says the debris trucks "will be working in both incorporated and unincorporated and private and gated community areas of Walton County." The page does not mention a Right of Entry or any paperwork, and it does not say what a gated community has to do, if anything. If you manage a gated community in Walton County, ask the county before you assume either way. Pickup there started October 14, with debris sorted and placed within 10 feet of the road, per the sheriff's page.
Santa Rosa County. We found no Isaias rule for gated communities in Santa Rosa County. Ask the county.
Cities. The Okaloosa notice is for residents of unincorporated Okaloosa County. Destin and the other cities run their own pickup under their own rules.
FAQ
Does Okaloosa County pick up storm debris inside a gated subdivision?
Only if the Homeowner Association has provided a signed Right of Entry Agreement, according to the county's emergency page. That covers gated subdivisions and subdivisions with manned security access.
Is an electronic signature accepted on the Right of Entry Agreement?
Yes. The county's notice says wet signatures are not necessary and electronic signatures are acceptable.
Where does the HOA send the signed agreement?
To mkipp@myokaloosa.com. The form itself is linked from the county's emergency page.
Can a resident sign it instead of the HOA?
The notice says the Homeowner Association has to provide it. A resident who wants it filed should ask the board.
What if my HOA never signs?
The notice says the county services gated subdivisions only with the agreement, so plan on a private crew for trees and debris inside the gate. Josh quotes tree work and debris per job. Call (850) 888-5603.
Does Walton County require the same form?
The Walton County Sheriff's page we read does not mention one. It says the trucks work "private and gated community areas." Check with the county for what applies to your community.
HOA board or property manager with trees down inside a gate in Okaloosa or Walton County? Call Josh at (850) 888-5603.