Amid ‘unanswered questions,' beach driving ordinance tabled (UPDATED)
SANTA ROSA BEACH — Walton County commissioners again have delayed an ordinance that would regulate driving on the beach.
Residents packed Tuesday’s commission meeting to ask officials everything from why grand-fathering permits was allowed to whether a weekday and weekend permit could be issued.
“I am hearing concerns and unanswered questions,” said Commissioner Ken Pridgen. “I think it would be appropriate for us to continue this … there’s just a lot of questions we don’t have the answers to.”
The new ordinance would cut off beach permits at 150. They would be issued to any county resident or registered voter on a first-come, first-serve basis.
An additional 15 permits could be issued to charter boat captains. Military members and disabled residents also could apply for temporary permits along with those who are grandfathered in because of past permits.
The 150 permits would expire each year and would require residents to apply again.
“Ya’ll are going to create civil disorder,” Robert Bobbitt told commissioners when they sug-gested opening the tax collector’s office Jan. 3 for the 150 permits. “It’ll be like Black Friday — camping out to get a permit. Ya’ll probably didn’t mean to do this, but you messed up a system that was working.”
Commissioners say the intent of the law is to decrease the number of cars on the beach over time. They told the large crowd that their concern was for the safety of beachgoers and the condition of the beach.
A.F. Bullard, who said his family has lived in Walton County for nearly 100 years, told commis-sioners the proposed changes would step on residents’ toes.
“We’re losing our freedom in a lot of places in this country,” Bullard said. “Don’t think it doesn’t happen right here in our back yard. It looks like the government is taking good things from us more and more.”
Bullard said he has health problems and the only way he can get to the beach is by using his Jeep. He said he has a permit, but questioned how long it will be accessible to him.
“I think we need to back off of how long until we get rid of the whole process and we need to protect some of our personal freedoms.”
Commissioners voted unanimously to table the issue until their Feb. 8 meeting in Santa Rosa Beach.
“We will continue this until we can come up with an ordinance that works,” Pridgen said.
In other business:
• A request was approved for the emergency response division to trade-in or sell a rescue truck to reduce the financing cost to purchase a new ambulance, which was budgeted in last year’s budget.
• A request was approved to amend the budget to roll forward $671,000 of revenues and expenditures for the Chat Holley Intersection Project.
• Commissioners Kenneth Pridgen was appointed to the Tri-County Community Council Board of Directors and Mike Goodchild was appointed to the position of County Extension Director.
• A request to place approximately 6.75 acres of the county’s bunker parcel into a Conservation Easement was approved.
• Violet Lane and Troup Road improvement projects were awarded to Redfish Marine for $392,621.50.
• Paxton Water System ugrades were awarded to Marshall Brothers for $566,694.90.
• A public hearing has been set for Jan. 11 to discuss the Habitat Conservation Plan Workshops and to submit the HCP document to State and Federal Agencies.
• Commissioners canceled the Dec. 28 meeting due to the Christmas holidays and will hold a special meeting on Dec. 20 at 9 a.m. in the DeFuniak Springs boardroom.
• A request from the Tourist Development Council to amend the contract with LKM Advertising Agency to develop and provide a strategic content plan was approved with a $250,000 contract with the agency.
