Controlled burns of the State Forest are as much of a part of South Walton as the beaches.
The Forestry Department makes a very strong effort to minimize inconvienences and they should be commended. Managing the urban/forest interface is difficult.
It is essential to burn when the weather conditions are appropriate. Otherwise we risk excessive fuel build up in the forest.
If "huge clouds of billowing smoke drifting over the beaches is the last thing we need" flashback earlier in the decade (2001?), there were some very destructive fires in the Forest and north of the Bay.