Prior to his current selection as the county administrator, John Hofstad served as the Okaloosa County Public Works Director for about five years and as the interim county administrator on two occasions. Directing the largest department within the county has prepared him for leading Okaloosa County. In addition to leading the Public Works Department, consisting of Road and Bridge, Parks, Solid Waste, Recycling, Mosquito Control, Artificial Reef and Engineering divisions, he also administered four additional departments: Agricultural Extension Office, Facilities Maintenance, Fleet Operations, and Information Systems.

Mr. Hofstad has been a resident of Okaloosa County most of his life and has nearly 30 years experience in local government service, which includes 10 years with the City of Mary Esther and 14 years with the City of Fort Walton Beach, prior to his employment with Okaloosa County. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management from The University of West Florida and a Graduate Certificate in Florida City and County Management from the Askew School of Public Policy and Administration at Florida State University.

Mr. Hofstad manages the day-to-day operations of all departments under the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners. Okaloosa County government consists of departments and constitutional officers within three categories:

Public Safety: Corrections, Inspections, Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Management, Sheriff

Essential Services: Airports, Constitutional offices, Extension Services, Facilities Maintenance, Growth Management, Information Systems, Judicial, Health Dept., Transit (WAVE bus), Public Works, Water & Sewer

Quality of Life: Museums, Libraries, Parks, Tourist Development Dept., Veterans Services