Freeport's cheapest project and its most popular park both sit at the end of Hammock Trail East. The park has new pickleball courts and a festival on the calendar. The project is a sidewalk estimated at $4,000 to $6,000 that, as of mid-September, had a finished design and no construction.
That pairing sums up Freeport's fall of 2026. The city keeps adding places to go. The short pieces of pavement between them are taking longer.
The town square is on Hammock Trail East
The Freeport Regional Sports Complex covers 60 acres. The city lists five lighted baseball fields and two lighted multipurpose fields for soccer and football. There are also lighted basketball and tennis courts, beach volleyball, an 18-hole disc golf course, batting cages, a splash pad, a playground and a one-mile walking trail.
The complex kept growing this year. The city's State of the City address covers updates through June 2026. It reports that new pickleball courts opened with a ribbon cutting on March 30, 2026. It also lists new shades for Fields 4 and 5, new spider climbing equipment and netting, and a new parks and recreation sound system.
On Saturday, November 7, the complex becomes Freeport's front yard. The 13th annual Freeport Bayfest runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 563 Hammock Trail East, and entry is free. The event site lists:
- A car show, live entertainment and a cooking contest
- A disc golf tournament on the complex's own course
- A mullet toss
- A children's art contest, bounce house, children's fun zone and chalk art zone
- Food and non-food vendors
The festival uses nearly everything the complex has to offer. The road that leads to it is where things get thinner.
The cheapest line on the city's list is the one that's stuck
The city's latest public infrastructure status sheet, dated September 16, 2026, includes a sidewalk extension from Winner Circle to Hammock Trail East. The design is listed as 100% complete. Construction is listed at 0%. The cost estimate is $4,000 to $6,000.
Money is not the main holdup. The sheet says the project is waiting on adjusted easement language, an easement recording and bids. Staff were also still comparing funding options and quotes.
Compare that with the paved-trails project at Barrier Free Park on the city governmental complex. It carries an estimate of $837,000, paid entirely from general funds with no grant support. Its design was 95% complete and waiting on engineering review, with boardwalk design, permitting and construction still ahead.
The trail costs more than a hundred times as much as the Hammock Trail East sidewalk, and the two are at about the same stage. A connector this small can wait on paperwork that a big park project gets past more easily.
Where the bigger park money is going
Freeport's park pipeline is the busiest it has been in years. Here is where each project stood in the city's September snapshot. The percentages come from that sheet and will change as the work moves.
| Project | Location | Funding noted by the city | Status, September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronnie Brannon Sr. Memorial Park | East side of 331 Business, north of Ashton Park | City funds; $181,000 allocated to start design | Phase 1A under review; contractor bids waiting on council |
| Barrier Free Park paved trails | City governmental complex | $837,000, general funds | Design 95%; boardwalk, permits and construction ahead |
| Freeport Living History Park | Madison Street north of Old City Hall, and Shipyard Road across from the new marina | $86,000 in engineering | 30–60% plans expected by mid-October; late 2026 target |
| Winner Circle to Hammock Trail East sidewalk | Winner Circle to Hammock Trail East | $4,000–$6,000 estimate, funding being explored | Design 100%; construction 0% |
Each of these projects has a neighborhood story behind it.
Ronnie Brannon Sr. Memorial Park started with a land donation, according to the State of the City address. Ronnie Lamar Brannon Sr. was a veteran who retired after more than 20 years at Halliburton, Brown & Root Oil Company. He later owned and operated Freeport Industries with his sons. Residents are already raising money for the park's future. At its August 27, 2026 meeting, the city council considered accepting funds raised by the Skate Park Committee. The committee has met periodically and earmarked the money for designing, permitting and building a skate park inside Ronnie Brannon Park, according to the council agenda packet. The city sheet listed the park at 95% as of September 16, with no opening date.
Barrier Free Park already has a new gathering spot. The William May Pavilion was dedicated on August 20 in honor of Deputy William May and his service to the Walton County community. The park also got extra seasonal lighting and décor for the holidays.
The Living History Park will have two entrances. One is on Madison Street north of Old City Hall. The other is on Shipyard Road, across from the new Shipyard Marina. Planned features include wildlife exhibits, monuments, and historical structures or objects. In September the park was still waiting on stormwater revisions. The 2025 State of the City address paired its approval with "Anchored in Freeport," a public art initiative meant to celebrate and preserve local heritage. Across the road, Shipyard Marina at 116 Shipyard Road lists 480 dry-storage slips across seven acres, plus 2,000 feet of dock.
The sidewalk that did get a contractor
One connector did move this fall, and it is a big one. The 331 Business sidewalk extension runs along the east side of the road from Kylea Laird Drive south to SR 20. It is estimated at $1 million to $1.5 million in city funds. It was awarded for construction on September 24, 2026. The status sheet does not give a start date yet.
That stretch matters because of what sits along 331 Business. The future Ronnie Brannon park is on the same east side of the road, north of Ashton Park. Over time, the corridor could link a new park to the SR 20 crossroads on foot.
Other walking improvements are smaller and easy to miss. The State of the City address lists new lighting and wood treatment on the Four Mile Road pedestrian bridge.
The city is also working on a broader plan. A Pedestrian Masterplan is funded with $206,180 from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, which runs through September 30, 2028. As of September 16, it was 8% to 10% complete and still in data collection. That plan is where Freeport could finally map the gaps between its parks as one network instead of one line item at a time.
The car routes to these places are changing too
Most trips to the sports complex, the marina and the city complex still pass through two intersections. Both are on the list.
The traffic signal at Highway 20 and County Road 83A West went live on May 27, 2026. At SR 20 and Blueberry Road, the city budgeted $750,000 for intersection improvements and expects that to rise to $865,000. Traffic count cameras began collecting data the week of September 16.
The larger change belongs to the state. FDOT's SR 20 resurfacing project covers 10.564 miles, from west of Business 331 to SR 81. It adds a second US 331 left-turn lane and a merge lane at the SR 20 and US 331 junction. FDOT's data, current as of August 4, 2026, shows the project still in design, with construction bids scheduled for late 2026. FDOT notes that project details are preliminary and may change.
What to watch before the year ends
- November 7. Bayfest fills the sports complex from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- The 331 Business sidewalk start date. The contract was awarded September 24, so the next update should show when crews arrive.
- Ronnie Brannon park bids. Phase 1A contractor bids were waiting on council review in September.
- Living History Park plans. The city expected 30–60% plans by mid-October and targeted late 2026.
- The Hammock Trail East easement. Once the easement is recorded and bids come in, the cheapest project on the list can finally get built.
The city's holiday events page still showed 2025 information when this was written, so check there for 2026 dates on the Christmas Parade, tree lighting and Festival of Trees. The 2026 Trunk or Treat page is posted with a registration form.
Questions about how a new park, sidewalk or intersection project could change a street you know? I follow Freeport's city updates closely and am glad to talk them through. Dani Goodson is here whenever you'd like a local perspective. Let's Connect.
