The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners recently approved an amendment to increase the budget for its SS United States project by $1.242 million.

According to official documents, the budget increase was voted on during the Board’s monthly meeting, which took place on September 15, 2026.

Acquired by the county in August 2024, the former ocean liner will be sunk off Destin-Fort Walton Beach to become an artificial reef.

As part of the multi-million-dollar project, Okaloosa hired Coleen Marine to prepare the ship for its deployment in Mobile, Alabama. The additional funds were added to the county’s original agreement with the contractor via an amendment.

Okaloosa County’s documents state that the amount will be used to secure a berth for the 1952-built vessel in Mobile through December 31, 2026.

“All activities associated with the remediation of the SS United States for deployment as an artificial reef have been completed, and the vessel has been awaiting final approval by the Army Corps of Engineers for months,” the county explained.

“This idle time still results in dockage fees being incurred that are outside the county’s control and beyond what was reasonably expected for this project,” it added.

The increased budget will also secure “regulatory compliance essential to mitigating environmental risk during preparation and tow and ensuring safe vessel deployment,” the county said.

With approval still pending, Coleen Marine and the County are not currently able to schedule a deployment date.

The document emphasized that all remediation activities are being conducted in full compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)/Maritime Administration (MARAD) Best Management Practices for Preparing Vessels Intended to Create Artificial Reefs.

“Coleen Marine has demonstrated exceptional performance, maintaining cost and schedule discipline within its contracted scope,” the County said.

“There is no precedent for a project of this magnitude, and while best efforts were made to budget accordingly and core contracted tasks remain within approximately ten percent of the original budget, a series of external factors beyond the control of both the County and the contractor led to unavoidable cost increases.”

The document added that these costs could not have been reasonably anticipated during project planning but are essential to maintaining compliance with federal and state regulations, ensuring vessel safety, and mitigating environmental risk during preparation and tow.

With this recent amendment, Okaloosa County’s contract with Coleen Marine is now worth $11,420,000.