Fort Walton Beach, city (1990 pop. 21,471), Okaloosa co., NW Fla., on the Gulf of Mexico; inc. 1941. It is a year-round beach and fishing resort east of Pensacola. Electronic equipment and small boats are made, and military aircraft are modified here. Nearby Eglin Air Force Base contributes significantly to the economy. The city grew around a fort built during the Seminole War (1835-42), and expanded during World War II. A national historic landmark here includes a museum of Native American culture.