Local Services · The Emerald Coast
Who to call to turn on the lights
Electric, water, gas, trash and internet for Walton, Okaloosa and Bay counties, with the phone number and website for each, taken from the provider’s own pages.
Before you start
Your street decides who serves you, not your town
In Okaloosa and Bay counties two electric companies can work in the same county, and in Walton several water systems share one stretch of coast. Which one serves a home depends on the street address. If a number below is not the right company for your address, they will tell you who is. A recent electric or water bill from the seller also names the provider.
Have your address, your closing date and a photo ID ready. If you are renting, have the lease. Some providers ask for a deposit.
We checked each phone number and website below on the provider’s or county’s own pages on October 27, 2026. Where a page did not say who serves which streets, we did not guess. Nobody pays to be on this page.
Walton County
30A, Santa Rosa Beach, Freeport, DeFuniak Springs.
- CHELCO (Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative)Electric for Walton County. CHELCO also serves Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Holmes counties. Offices in Santa Rosa Beach, Freeport and DeFuniak Springs. Apply to start service here.
- Regional Utilities of South WaltonWater and sewer, from just east of the Sandestin Resort to Inlet Beach, as the company describes its area. That stretch includes Seaside, Seagrove, Watersound, Grayton and Blue Mountain Beach. To start or stop service, use their request form or call the office.
- Inlet Beach Water Utility AuthorityWater, listed by the county.
- South Walton UtilitiesWater and sewer, listed by the county.
- City of Freeport Water & SewerWater and sewer.
- City of DeFuniak Springs Water & SewerWater and sewer.
- City of Paxton Water & SewerWater and sewer.
- Mossy Head Water WorksWater.
- Argyle Water System, Inc.Water.
- Okaloosa Gas DistrictNatural gas, not propane. The district says it serves southern Walton County and lists Freeport, Miramar Beach, Paxton, Rosemary Beach and Santa Rosa Beach. Gas is not on every street, so check an address on their availability form or call.
- Curbside trash and recycling (WM)WM collects under a contract with Walton County, and trash collection in Walton County is paid through your property taxes, so there is no separate trash bill. Area A (Districts 1, 4 and 5 and the City of Freeport) gets garbage twice a week. Area B (Districts 2 and 3 and the City of Paxton) gets it once a week. Along 30A and Scenic Gulf Drive there is a third pickup, on Sundays, from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The county’s page has a lookup for your collection day. Call the county Solid Waste office with questions.
The county lists the water providers above as the ones working in Walton County, but its page does not say which streets each one serves. Ask the utility, or ask us.
Okaloosa County
Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Crestview and the unincorporated areas.
- CHELCO (Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative)Electric. Offices in Niceville (Bluewater Bay), Crestview and Baker.
- FPL Northwest FloridaElectric. The former Gulf Power, now part of Florida Power & Light. On its start-service page, choose “FPL Northwest FL.”
- Okaloosa County Water & SewerWater and sewer for county customers. Its site has a service map to check an address. New service can be started at the office, by mail, by email or by fax, with a photo ID and a lease if you rent.
- Destin Water Users, Inc.Water and sewer for most of the City of Destin and parts of unincorporated Okaloosa County. Office at 218 Main Street, Destin, open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- City of Fort Walton Beach Utility ServicesWater and sewer. Call to start new water service.
- City of Niceville Utility BillingUtility services for addresses inside the city limits only.
- City of Crestview Utility Service OfficeWater, wastewater and garbage for city and non-city residents. Billing questions.
- Okaloosa Gas DistrictNatural gas, not propane. Lists Baker, Crestview, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Holt, Laurel Hill, Mary Esther, Milligan, Niceville, Shalimar and Valparaiso among the Okaloosa County communities it serves. Gas is not on every street, so check an address on their availability form or call.
- City of Fort Walton Beach SanitationCity garbage, recycling and yard waste pickup, once a week. From the week of October 5, 2026, the Monday route gets garbage on Monday and Thursday, and the Tuesday route on Tuesday and Friday. Call for bulky item pickup and for lost, damaged or stolen containers.
- City of Niceville SanitationGarbage and recycling are provided through a contract with Waste Management and are billed on your city water bill. For billing and service questions, call City Utility Billing. For yard waste and bulky items, call the Sanitation Department. Pickup schedules are on Waste Management’s site.
- City of Mary Esther Garbage ServiceGarbage and recycling are provided by Waste Management under contract with the city. Waste Management bills directly, with quarterly invoices. Call Waste Management for service or billing questions, or call City Hall with other questions.
- Trash and recycling (Waste Management)Waste Management collects household trash, recycling and yard waste at the curb in the unincorporated areas under a county franchise agreement. The City of Destin also contracts with Waste Management, and Destin recycling is picked up every Tuesday.
Bay County
Panama City, the county utility service area and the cities around it.
- Bay County Utility ServicesWater and sewer. Office at 3410 Transmitter Road, Panama City, open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Apply online through the Bay County Portal or in person, with a photo ID and a lease or proof of sale.
- City of Panama City Utility BillingWater and sewer. City Hall, 501 Harrison Avenue, open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Apply online or in person. For a connection that has never been served, call the new-connections line, (850) 691-4553.
- Peoples GasNatural gas. Start, transfer or stop service online, and check whether gas is available at an address.
- FPL Northwest FloridaElectric for Panama City, Panama City Beach, Lynn Haven, Callaway, Springfield and Parker. The former Gulf Power, now part of Florida Power & Light. On its start-service page, choose “FPL Northwest FL.”
- City of Panama City Beach Utility BillingWater, from the city’s own water department. Start service through the city’s website.
- City of Lynn Haven UtilitiesWater, sewer and garbage pickup. New accounts can be requested online or at the Customer Service Center. Call and ask for extension 0.
- City of CallawayWater, from the city’s own water department. The city lists one main number.
- City of Parker UtilitiesWater, from the city’s own water department. City Hall is open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- City of Springfield Public WorksWater and sewer. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. The city lists an on-call line for water and another for sewer.
- Trash and recycling outside city limitsIn unincorporated Bay County, residents hire a private licensed hauler for curbside pickup. The county does not provide pickup. The county’s list of licensed haulers, updated November 2025: Coastal Waste & Recycling (850) 769-4304, Coqui Disposal (850) 257-5939, K.C. Disposal (850) 819-0575, Trash Rolloff of Bay County (850) 277-1001, Waste Management (850) 874-1019, Waste Pro (850) 872-1800. Ask which one serves your street. Panama City and Lynn Haven list their own garbage service, and Panama City Beach, Callaway and Parker use private haulers. Disposal is at the Steelfield Road Landfill.
- City of Mexico Beach Water & SewerBilled through City Hall, 201 Paradise Path. The city has its own water and sewer department, and it receives its water and wastewater services from Bay County. Call City Hall to start service.
Internet and cable
No one company covers every street.
- MediacomCable internet for most of 30A. Use their availability checker with your address.
- SpectrumCable internet in Freeport.
- Xfinity (Comcast)Cable internet in most of the Bay County cities. Both Xfinity and WOW are available there.
- WOW!Cable internet in most of the Bay County cities. Both WOW and Xfinity are available there. Billing and general questions: 1-866-496-9669, 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET. Connection problems: the same number, 24 hours.
The Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Map shows every provider that says it reaches an address, including fiber and wireless options not listed above. Look up the address before you pick a plan, and ask the neighbors what they use.
Before you dig
Florida law requires one free call first.
You must contact Sunshine 811 by calling 811 (or 800-432-4770) or visiting Sunshine 811 Online at least two full business days before starting any digging project, such as a fence or a garden. The two days do not count the day you call, weekends or holidays. It is a free service, and it is what keeps a shovel or an auger away from buried electric, gas, water and phone lines. Sunshine 811’s member utilities mark the lines in public areas, not private lines on your own property. If a contractor does the digging, they file their own request.
Details last checked October 27, 2026. Phone numbers and websites change — tell us if you find one that does not work.
Still Stuck?
Tell us the address. We will point you the right way.
Between us we have helped a lot of people turn on the lights on this coast. If a company you need is not here, or you are not sure who serves your street, call or write and ask, whether or not you buy a home through us.
Team Turner has not evaluated these providers and receives no payment for listing them. This page is provided as a convenience and is not a recommendation or a guarantee of service. The provider for a home is set by its street address, so confirm with the provider before you rely on a listing here.