Oakland Park
Florida
City of Mary Esther
About Us:
City of Mary Esther is noted as one of the first areas settled in this part of Northwest Florida. The first settler of Mary Esther came in 1842 when Jesse Rogers and his family drove a large cattle herd from Louisiana to the shores of Santa Rosa Sound and settled here.
During the mid-1850's John Newton, a minister and teacher, settled in the area west of Fort Walton Beach known as the Narrows, today known as Mary Esther. Reverend Newton founded the first school, which also doubled as a church during the Civil War.
There are three stories about how Mary Esther got its name. One says it was the name of Newton's wife, the second says it was a combination of his two daughter's names and the third says it was a combination of his wife's and daughter's names. No one knows the true story. John Newton established the first post office in the Mary Esther community October 10, 1871 and old-timers say that may have been when he honored his daughters, because the community had to have a mailing name. The location was probably in the home of John Newton who became Mary Esther's first postmaster.
Mary Esther was incorporated in 1946 with E. Roger Pryor as the first Mayor. Page Bacon was the second Mayor, and Tom Pryor, the third Mayor, served for 28 years.
The opening of Santa Rosa Mall in 1976 sparked a commercial building boom along Mary Esther Cutoff (later renamed Mary Esther Blvd. within the City limits) that no one had ever envisioned.
The 2 1/2 square mile city now boasts an estimated population of 4,400 residents.
Recent News
City of Mary Esther News : Councilmember Vacancy
Councilmember Vacancy -The City of Mary Esther has a vacancy on the Council caused by the resignation of Councilmember Aaron Bacchi. -The city will be accepting “Letters of Interest” for the position of Councilmember. -Interested…
Read More »City of Mary Esther News- Outstanding Citizen Award for Mary
Click Here To View On Outstanding Citizen Award December 12, 2022, Mayor Stein and the Mary Esther City Council presented resident Jesse Santos with the Outstanding Citizen Award for his leadership and…
Read More »City Of Mary Esther News : Donation Information For Corporal Ray Hamilton's Family
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is kindly requesting a donation to Corporal Ray Hamilton’s Family. Cpl. Hamilton lost his life in the line of duty on December 24, 2022. If anyone feels compelled to donate to the family, they may do so…
Read More »City of Mary Esther News - Congratulations Are in Order!
Congratulations are in order! Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to City of Mary Esther for its annual comprehensive…
Read More »City of Mary Esther News 2022 Santa Run
The Ocean City-Wright Fire Department will be helping Santa visit everyone in Mary Esther to see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. If you’ve been good, be sure to watch for Santa as he visits your neighborhood to double-check…
Read More »City of Mary Esther News - New Utility Billing System and Bill Format
New Utility Billing System and Bill Format City of Mary Esther Utility customers will notice a new and improved Utility Billing System. This will allow accounts to be easily accessed and managed, enhancing the customer experience. Changes…
Read More »City of Mary Esther News - In Memory of Chief Ron McArtor
In Memory of Chief Ron McArtor Ron J. McArtor, age 66 of Fort Walton Beach, Florida passed away on August 10, 2022 in Omaha, Nebraska. Ron was born May 1, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois to Howard and Edith (Barrett) McArtor. Ron grew up in Chicago. Ron…
Read More »City of Mary Esther News : Bear Resistant Carts
Waste Management offers carts designed to resist bears and other wildlife, but none are "bear-proof." As we all know, there is no true bear proof curbside garbage collection cart on the market. All carts, even IGBC certified ones, are only…
Read More »City Of Mary Esther News : Utilities Handbook Adopted
On Tuesday, July 5, the City Council adopted a Utilities Handbook. The intent of the Handbook is to provide the utility customer and the employees of the City a helpful guide with uniform procedures for providing utility service. This policy is not…
Read More »City of Mary Esther News - Oleander Parkway Sewer Line Replacement
The City of Mary Esther in collaboration with Constantine Constructors Inc., has started working on replacing the sewer line on Oleander Parkway. During Hurricane Sally, the sewer line adjacent to Oleander Parkway failed. We are happy to break…
Read More »City Of Mary Esther Receives $324,000 In Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding
The City of Mary Esther was awarded $324,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding from state and federal sources for pandemic relief and hurricane recovery. The Community Services Block Grant Program is administered by the Florida…
Read More »City of Mary EstherNews - 2021 Water Quality Report
Click here to Read More About City of Mary EstherNews - 2021 Water Quality Report
Read More »City of Mary Esther News : Azalea Park Neighborhood Infrastructure Improvements- $3,359,057
We are happy to announce that on Thursday, June 2nd, 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the FY 2023 Budget which comprised the City of Mary Esther’s $1M request for the Azalea Park Neighborhood Infrastructure Improvement Project. The funding…
Read More »