Debi Riley

Position

Council Member

Term

April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2029

Biography

Debra "Debi" Riley-Broadnax, MSW, is a native of Fort Walton Beach and a proud product of the local public school system. She attended Wright Elementary and Pryor Middle School before graduating from Fort Walton Beach High School. Debi went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science with minors in Political Science and Business from Troy University, followed by a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of West Florida. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers.

Debi began her professional career with the Fort Walton Beach Public Housing Authority under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), serving as a social worker for the National United Tenant Association (NAUTA). She later worked in behavioral health at Bridgeway Center, Inc. She went on to retire from the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County, where she served as the Director of Healthy Start, where she worked to provide resources and support to expectant mothers and their babies. Debi also served as Executive Director of Okaloosa County Head Start, where she led efforts to provide early childhood education services to infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children from low-income families. She currently serves as CARES Program Manager for the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC), a program created to expand ECCAC’s community child abuse prevention education initiatives in Okaloosa and Walton Counties. In addition, she is one of the founding members of the Emerald Coast Local Black Social Workers Chapter.

Throughout her career, Debi has been deeply engaged in community service, assisting families with issues related to education, social services, economic stability, health and welfare, and affordable/workforce housing. She played a key role in the Sylvania Heights–Combs New Heights communities, helping secure designation as a Florida Front Porch Community, an initiative of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. She is also a founding member of the Burnette Harmon Wood Community Resource Center, Inc.

Debi has three children and six grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys watching college and professional sports and spending time at the beach with family and friends.

Board and Committee Appointments

Okaloosa County Head Start Advisory Committee (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026)

Okaloosa County Library Cooperative (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2027)

Okaloosa-Walton Homeless and Housing Alliance (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2027)

You can email all City Council Members using council@fwb.org.