Beach Permit Committee Update

A Driving on the Beach Committee was formed when it was announced the the County Commissioners were going to be looking at this issue at their September Meeting. This committee was formed by concerned citizens to come up with some suggestions to present to the Commissioners. It was NOT a GBNA committee. Billy Buzzett and Grant Blackwell presented the committee's suggestions at the meeting. After the presentation the Commissioners voted to table the issued until October 13th for further review:

Summary: Proposed Beach Vehicle Ordinance

Currently, any property owner in Walton County may obtain a beach driving permit for their 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Why does this need to be changed?

There are too many vehicles on the beach from Spring Break to Labor Day. The beach is too congested and poses a critical safety issue, and the number of vehicles allowed on the beach needs to be reduced.

The proposed ordinance requires that the permit applicant must:

.....own property in Walton County
.....be a registered voter in Walton County

The proposed ordinance also requires that the 4-wheel drive vehicle being permitted be:

....registered in Walton County in the name of the real property owner.

There is an exception for people who own property in Grayton Beach:
If a person owns property in Grayton Beach, then property ownership alone will qualify them for a beach driving permit. The boundaries of Grayton Beach are Hwy. 30-A to the north, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Grayton Beach State Park to the west, and the western shore of Western Lake to the east, which includes those properties platted as being part of Grayton Trail. (i.e., not Lakeplace, not Gulf Trace, nothing north of 30A)