Learn About Our Beach Ambassadors

If you’ve been to one of Walton County’s beach accesses along its 26 miles of sugar-white sand and turquoise water, you’ve more than likely crossed paths with a beach ambassador. They are the men and women traversing the beaches and boardwalks, wearing bright blue shirts, and greeting you along the way.

What do beach ambassadors do?

When we say a little bit of everything, we’re not kidding. Our beach ambassadors, who strive to improve local beach culture one greeting at a time, are here to ensure you not only have a great experience along our beaches but also to offer useful suggestions and information for beachgoers. Walton County’s beach ambassador team, which works hand-in-hand with the county's code compliance team, is comprised of both full-time and seasonal employees, as well as a volunteer team with more than 200 members. 

As part of their efforts to educate and inform, our beach ambassadors also help keep our natural environments clean and pristine. They help protect our beaches, shore, and marine life through awareness and education. You’ll routinely see them picking up trash, filling in holes (to help protect our local sea turtles), and flattening sand art to ensure the beaches are easy to navigate.

Education is key for our team. Beach ambassadors strive to make sure beachgoers are aware of our beach flag system (which indicates current Gulf conditions), rip current awareness/undertows, existing beach codes (rules about glass bottles, metal blade shovels, dogs on the beach, where tents can be located, and customary use – where guests can set up along the beach), as well as information about local marine life. May 1 through October 31 is sea turtle nesting season, so it’s important that we all help keep our beaches clean, so nesting turtles can safely lay their eggs and return to the Gulf. Walton County is home to an abundance of marine life and shorebirds, so if you’d like to know more, be sure to check in with a beach ambassador who can tell you all about these loveable locals.

Are you looking for information about what you can do beyond the beach? Our beach ambassadors are also our local experts. Whether you’re looking for a great place to grab a bite to eat or the hottest local boutique, they’ve got you covered. But their expertise doesn’t stop there. They can offer up suggestions on everything from hair/nail salons and movie theaters to fishing charters, bike and stand-up paddleboard rentals, and a variety of other questions.

Community Partnerships

Our beach ambassadors want to make sure you enjoy the beach and create lifelong memories with your family and friends, which is why they also work in partnership with other county agencies. Ambassadors act as an extra set of eyes and ears for the South Walton Fire District (beach safety lifeguards), the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and Walton County Code Compliance. While they leave the initial response to the professionals, beach ambassadors are always willing to assist our partners in any way possible.

As part of their safety mission, our beach ambassadors have enacted a “Double Red Whistle Brigade.” Each ambassador wears a blue whistle on their nametag and if they encounter a swimmer in the water on a double red flag day (meaning the water is closed), they use their whistles to alert the swimmer that they need to exit the water and educate them on the water closed/dry sand policy. A code complaint form is submitted when a beachgoer does not abide by the closed water policy. Remember, our beach ambassadors want you to enjoy your time at the beach, but to do so safely.

Where can you find us?

Our paid team can be seen at our regional and neighborhood beach accesses, while our volunteers spread out a bit more. They not only traverse our regional and neighborhood beach accesses, but they can be seen along the shoreline/wet sand areas, private beach properties (if they are a resident), scenic pedestrian areas/bike paths, and wherever our visitors may go, from grocery stores to our local restaurants and boutiques.

Our beach ambassadors, whether full-time, seasonal, or volunteer work various schedules, but you can plan to see them interacting with our beachgoers throughout the day between March and October.