BEACH OPERATIONS

• 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 twice daily.
• Maintains and services approximately 700 garbage collection stations located on the beach, at the regional/neighborhood beach accesses, and along the multi-use trail. All garbage collection stations are emptied daily.
• Maintains and clears 26 miles of multi-use trail. The entire trail and adjacent right of way are cut, edged, and cleared of litter, sand, and debris weekly.
• Maintains the U.S. Highway 331, U.S. Highway 98, County Route 30A and Scenic Gulf Drive corridors.
• Coordinates and manages architects/engineers/consultants for capital improvement projects and beach re-nourishment projects. 

TDC Advisory Committees

• Destination Improvement Committee - Advises the Walton County Tourism Department 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 Compliance Department. For more information visit co.walton.fl.us/90/Code-Compliance. 

46 Coastal Centre Blvd.
Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
Phone: (850) 622-0000

To report a beach code compliance violation, please complete the Beach Code Compliance Complaint Form, found here.

Beach Access Updates: 

The Grayton Beach Community Center is located at 44 Hotz Avenue in Grayton Beach.  Once completed, the 1,600 square foot building will house a local information station, restrooms, observation deck, a boardwalk to the beach and access to our Beach Tram. The delevopment order has been issued and the final permitting has almost been completed. We expect to have the project ready to be placed out for bid this spring with construction beginning in the fall.

Grayton Beach Municipal Parking Facility is 6.995 acres and is located on the eastern portion of County Road 283 South, across from the Shoppes at Grayton. Construction is underway and will take approximately 11 months to complete. This facility will contain an upper and lower-level parking area consisting of 204 parking spaces with dedicated ADA, electric car, RV, LSV, and bicycle parking areas, restrooms, a 2900 square foot air-conditioned public transportation waiting area, an 1800 square foot maintenance building, and connectivity to the multi-use path. A limited portion of the parking facility will remain available to the public during construction. 

Seagrove RBA, our newest regional beach access, will be located in the heart of Seagrove. The construction contract had been awarded, and construction is expected to begin in April 2024, taking approximately 10 months to complete.  This project includes parking with dedicated spaces for standard vehicles, ADA, and bicycles, a 1,011 square foot restroom facility, handicap-accessible dune walkover, and connectivity to the multi-use path.

Walton Dunes Regional Beach Access is located at 258 Beachfront Trail. Currently under appeal with the Zoning Board of Adjustments, the Walton Dunes project is on hold until a final determination of the validity of the Development Order can be made. Improvements are expected to include 14 parallel ROW parking spaces with dedicated ADA, LSV, and bicycle parking, restrooms and an ADA-accessible boardwalk.

Capital Improvement Updates:

The Walton County Tourism Department 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. 

393 Municipal Parking Facility, This 2.3-acre parcel is located north of the Gulf Place Town Center on the west side of County Road 393. The contract has been awarded and construction is expected to last approximately 6 months, with completion in the fall.  This project will add 83 parking spaces with dedicated parking for ADA, LSV, bicycles, and a 1,300 square foot transit building with a restroom facility.

The Cessna Landing Park Improvements project is located at 1689 County Highway 393 N., in Santa Rosa Beach. The construction contract has been awarded and is expected to begin April 2024, lasting approximately 4 months. Plans are to add two additional docks, replace the existing pavilions, and reconfigure/repave existing driveways and parking areas. Additional work will include hardscape, landscape, site utilities, site grading/drainage, and stormwater systems.

Camp Creek Lake Canoe & Kayak Launch is located at 121 S. Camp Creek Road South just north of 30A. This coastal dune lake access park will include ADA and bicycle parking, landscape, an ADA-accessible pier with canoe/kayak launch, and stormwater systems. The development order has been received and the project is expected to go out for bid March 2024 and be awarded in April 2024. Construction is anticipated to take 6 months to complete.

Updates on Other Capital Improvement Projects:

• The Driftwood Road Municipal Parking is on a 1.119-acre parcel located at 76 Driftwood Road in Miramar Beach.The Technical Review Committee has reviewed the plans, and we expect to receive the development order soon. Plans include a parking lot containing 67 spaces with dedicated parking for ADA, LSV, bicycles, a public transit stop, and a restroom facility.

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:

• Walton County Tourism 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 Office 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 walk all 26 miles of our white sand beaches?

• Yes, 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.