- Operates 7 days a week from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Maintains and cleans 60+ beach, lake and bay accesses. All regional beach access restrooms and pavilions are cleaned and restocked daily.
- Maintains and services 600 garbage collection stations located on the beach, at the regional/neighborhood accesses and along the multiuse trail. All garbage collections stations are emptied daily.
- Maintains and cleans 26 miles of multi-use trail. The entire trail and adjacent right of way is cut, edged, and cleaned of litter, sand and debris every seven days.
- Coordinates and manages architects/engineers/consultants for capital improvement projects and beach re-nourishment projects.
- Destination Improvement committee - Advises the Walton County TDC on destination improvements in the areas of capital projects, visitor center renovations, signage, safety, parks and paths.
Beach Code Compliance
Beach Code Compliance is now under the jurisdiction of the Walton County Code Enforcement Office. For more information visit co.walton.fl.us/90/Code-Compliance.
824 State Highway 20 East
Freeport, FL 32439
(850) 622-7895
To report a beach code compliance violation, please complete the Beach Code Compliance Complaint Form, found here.
Beach Access Updates:
Blue Mountain Beach Regional Beach Access is open to the public.
Scenic Gulf Drive Regional Beach Access, the newest of our Regional Beach Accesses, is located at 907 Scenic Gulf Drive in Miramar Beach. This facility opened October 2022 and has 18 parking spaces, including dedicated parking for ADA, low speed vehicles and bicycles, restrooms, picnic pavilion, water fountain, outdoor showers and ADA beach access.
The proposed Seagrove Regional Beach Access, located across the street from Café Thirty-A, is approximately 95% complete through the design/permit phase. The development order has been approved and construction is expected to begin this fall with anticipated completion by Summer 2023.
Efforts are underway to enhance the Walton Dunes (258 Beachfront Trail) beach access and the project is working its way through the design and permitting phase, with plans to begin construction this winter. Improvements will include 14 parallel ROW parking spaces - with dedicated ADA low speed vehicle and bicycle parking, restrooms and an ADA-accessible boardwalk. Construction is expected to be completed by Summer 2023.
Headland Avenue Neighborhood Beach Access is currently in the design/permit stage. Located along the South Headland Avenue Right-of-Way, this access will have bicycle parking and conectivity to the multi-use path along 30A. This project will include resurfacing a portion of Headway Avenue and adding a boardwalk to extend from Montgomery Avenue over the dunes. We anticipate construction to begin in Spring 2024 and be complete by Summer 2024.
The design and permitting phase continues on the Kellogg Park project. The proposed community/nature center will be an 1,200-1,600 square foot assembly style building for nature watching and community gatherings. It will be constructed on the existing building pad. Visitors of the park will still have access to the kayak launch and other county-maintained facilities throughout this process.
In 2008, the county formalized the bayside park, added a seawall, benches, water fountains and a parking area. The TDC is currently responsible for maintaining the trails and existing facilities in the park. This 10-acre property was donated by the Kellogg family and is located on the Choctawhatchee Bay.
Capital Improvement Updates:
The Walton County Tourist Development Council continues to take an active approach to improve parking and transportation throughout the county. Here's a look at some projects currently undergoing or preparing for improvements.
Grayton Beach Municipal Parking Facility, formerly referred to as the “Grayton Central” parking lot, is 6.995-acres and is located on the eastern portion of County Road 283 South, across from the Shoppes at Grayton. Currently in the final design and permitting stage, plans call for the facility to have 118 +/- parking spaces, dedicated ADA, electric car, low speed vehicle and bicycle parking areas, restroom, public transportantion facilities and connectivity to the multi-use path. Construction is expected to begin early Winter 2022 and be completed by Summer 2023.
The Driftwood Road parking project is on a 1.119-acre parcel located at 76 Driftwood Road in Miramar Beach. This project is in the design and permitting phase, and plans include a parking lot containing 67 spaces with dedicated parking for ADA, low speed vehicles, bicycles, a public transit stop and a restroom facility. Design and permitting is expected to be completed by early Fall 2022 and will be completed in conjunction with a Regional Stormwater Initiative project.
The 393 Municipal Parking Facility is on 2.3-acres and is located north of the Gulf Place Town Center on the west side of County Road 393. Currently in the permitting stage, this project will add 83 +/- parking spaces with dedicated parking for ADA, low speed vehicles, bicycles, electric cars and a 1300 square foot transit building with restroom facility. Construction is expected to begin in Winter 2022 and completed by Summer 2023.
The Eastern Lake Road parking project consists of two neighboring parcels, located at 392 and 406 Eastern Lake Road in the Seagrove neighborhood. A development order has been obtained and the project is in the bidding stages. Plans include 15 parking spaces with dedicated ADA, low speed vehicle, and bicycle parking. Construction is expected to begin in late Fall 2022 and completed by Summer 2023.
The Cessna Landing Park Improvements project is located at 1689 County Highway 393 in Santa Rosa Beach and is in the final stages of the design and permit stage. Plans are to add two additional pavilions and reconfigure existing driveways and parking areas. Additional work will include hardscape, landscape, site utilities, site grading/drainage and stormwater systems. Work is expected to begin Winter 2022 and be completed by Spring 2023.
Camp Creek Canoe and Kayak Launch is located off Camp Creek Road South just north of 30A. Plans include parking, landscape, an ADA accessible pier with canoe/kayak launch and stormwater systems. The design is at 60% and construction is expected to begin in Winter 2022 and be completed by Summer 2023.
The Grayton Beach Community Center is located at the junction of Hotz Avenue and DeFuniak Street. It is in the design stage and once completed, the 1600 +/- square foot building will house a local information station, restrooms, observation deck, and access to our transit shuttle. Work is anticipated to being Spring 2023 and be completed by Spring 2024.
The TDC Visitor Center and Administrative Office Building will be located at 24604 U.S. Highway 331 in Santa Rosa Beach. The 20,000 square foot building will house a museum, public assembly room, retail space, and offices. Currently in the bidding stages, work is anticipated to begin in Spring 2023 and be completed by Spring 2025.
Beach Access & Customary Use Reminder:
While there have been changes for customary use of private beachfront property, much is still evolving currently. If guests have concerns, we hope the below information will be helpful.
Things to keep in mind:
- Visit South Walton currently maintains 58 public beach access points, including nine Regional Public Beach Accesses complete with parking, restroom facilities, and lifeguards. South Walton also enjoys additional miles of public beach thanks to our State Parks. The customary use changes do not affect our public beaches, only privately-owned beachfront property.
- A user-friendly interactive map of public beach access points can be found here: visitsouthwalton.com/beach-and-bay-access-locations
- Many beach neighborhoods and resorts already have dedicated beach areas available for guests staying with them.
What is customary use?
- Customary use is a common-law term referring to the public access of the privately-owned beachfront property. Some Gulf-front properties in Florida have a property line that extends to the mean high-water line.
What is changing?
- Essentially, some beachfront homeowners are restricting access to the dry sandy areas behind their homes. All wet sand areas remain undisputed public property and beachgoers cannot be excluded from these areas. The Walton County Sheriff’s Department will be the governing force for any conflicts or complications that may arise on the space in front of properties now considered private property.
Does that mean I can't walk all 26 miles of our white sand beaches?
- No, you can absolutely still walk our beautiful beaches for as far as you wish. There will still be plenty of space in the wet sand area for beach-walkers to enjoy, and plenty of public beach where access is in no way under dispute.