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SoWal Staff

Serving the Community!
Staff member
Apr 14, 2006
3,835
511
South Walon, FL
SoWal.com
Press Release from Gulf Coast Go:

In an effort to solve the traffic and parking issues on the Emerald Coast, Walton County locals Steve Burnett and Curtis Spagnola are launching Gulf Coast Go – a fleet of double decker buses and smaller trolleys that will travel along Highway 98 between Okaloosa Island and South Walton and along Scenic 30A. The official launch date will be during Spring Break of 2018.

In 2016 South Walton and Okaloosa counties were visited by over seven million people. The opportunity for these visitors to take advantage of what both destinations have to offer has been hindered by a lack of transportation options. With the influx of this many people, the need for a viable transportation alternative is critical. Gulf Coast Go is here to help resolve this ongoing and frustrating problem.

Gulf Coast Go is a “hop-on-hop-off” transportation fleet that will connect South Walton visitors with the many attractions and businesses that Destin and Miramar Beach have to offer. On that same note, Destin tourists will now have the opportunity to enjoy a bit of the unique lifestyle that is found in South Walton. Double decker buses will be used along Highway 98 and trolleys will be used along Scenic 30A. The ultimate goal is to offer more variety to tourists and garner repeated travelers to Destin and South Walton while helping alleviate an ever-growing traffic problem. There isn’t a travel option like this available for locals or tourists in South Walton or Destin which will reduce the number of vehicles traveling between these destinations.

Gulf Coast Go will also help with the ever-increasing parking issues in Destin and South Walton. Our service will allow tourists to gain access to attractions, restaurants, retail and activities without the struggle of parking. Gulf Coast Go believes parking concerns will be alleviated and traffic patterns will be influenced on Hwy 98 and Scenic 30-A.

Our initial routes will have multiple stops from Scenic Highway 30-A to Okaloosa island. We have already secured ten locations or “stops” along Hwy 98 and Scenic 30-A and additional locations will be added in the future as the need arises. It will now be easy for riders to explore shopping, dining, watersports and attractions through Gulf Coast Go. We will also have the capability to book local activities for riders, such as dolphin tours, paddle boarding, fishing charters, parasailing, watercraft rentals, water parks and more. We already have over 30 vendors on board! Riders can purchase a 1,3,5 or 7-day bus pass at a very reasonable rate and can “hop-on-hop-off” anytime. During the peak season the operating hours will be from 6am - 11pm on weekdays and 6am - 1am on the weekends. Locals will be able to buy a Local Pass at a discounted rate to travel with ease whether for work or play. It’s a win/win for everyone - tourists and locals.

Our buses are of extremely high quality, safe and comfortable and can accommodate up to 100 people. We will be employing one licensed bus driver and one customer relations tour guide for each bus, which will ensure the passengers enjoy a safe and relaxing commute between destinations.

To launch Gulf Coast Go, we will be providing free transportation during the 2018 30A Songwriters Festival. Using our new trolleys, we will provide all-day transportation from the major venue, Grand Boulevard, and nightly transportation from venues along Scenic 30A. We want to make sure people are traveling between venues safely and not driving impaired. So, take a ride with us down music highway.

Our community service won’t stop there. Each month we will choose a local non-profit to give back to. Whether we are providing direct assistance for local charities or giving a portion of sales, one charity will greatly benefit each month from the efforts of Gulf Coast Go.

Gulf Coast Go intends to offer the service and knowledge a discerning traveler seeks while in the Destin/30-A area whether here on leisure or business. The fleet of buses will be very well maintained and designed with the highest levels of customer standards and expectations. With our fleet of double decker buses and our smaller trolleys we will be able to greatly impact the traffic and parking problems in both Walton and Okaloosa counties which will make our communities safer.


About Steve Burnett:

The Burnett and Maleszewski families (Steve's family) have been in Destin since the 1950s and have seen the growth of the area first hand as Destin natives. They owned and operated one of the most famous beach front hotels – The Spy Glass Inn - until 1983 when Sundestin was built on that property. Steve grew up on the Emerald Coast and currently resides in Walton County. He has seen the need for transportation grow and grow and believes he has found a solution that can truly make a difference.


About Curtis Spagnola:

Curtis, his wife Heather and their two children moved from Chicago nine years ago after falling in love with the Emerald Coast. Curtis grew up coming to the area and saw it grow year after year. With a background in sales and marketing, Curtis opened a watersports company in Walton County which he ran successfully until he decided to sell in 2015 to focus on Gulf Coast Go. Curtis and Heather are a big part of the South Walton community. They are dedicated to the Gulf South Soccer Club as are their children. They have been searching for ways to improve the community by easing traffic and they believe Gulf Coast Go is the way to do it.



For more information visit www.GulfCoastGoFL.com.
 

SoWal Staff

Serving the Community!
Staff member
Apr 14, 2006
3,835
511
South Walon, FL
SoWal.com
From the website:

Our initial routes will have multiple stops from Scenic Highway 30-A to Okaloosa island. We have already secured ten locations or “stops” along Hwy 98 and Scenic 30-A and additional locations will be added in the future as the need arises.

.....

Our “hop-on-hop-off” Gulf Coast Go line, we will be able to connect South Walton visitors with the many attractions and businesses that Destin and Miramar Beach have to offer. On that same note, Destin tourists will now have the opportunity to enjoy a bit of the unique lifestyle that is found in South Walton. We will accomplish this by using a fleet of double decker buses along Hwy. 98 and Scenic 98 and using trolleys along Scenic 30-A.
 

30A Skunkape

Skunky
Jan 18, 2006
10,286
2,312
53
Backatown Seagrove
One of the few post where I really don't know how I feel. 100 person double decker busses? :doh: Just what we need...

If I am reading correctly, the busses are for HWY 98 only.

I hope it works, but I am concerned that they are overestimating the amount of people who come to 30-A who actually have any intention of doing anything other than remaining on 30-A. I think the fear people have of not having their own transportation is also going to be a thorn in their side. Time will tell.
 

Teresa

SoWal Guide
Staff member
Nov 15, 2004
30,240
9,277
South Walton, FL
sowal.com
Look for Gulf Coast Go on the music highway this weekend as they launch a new way of traveling between our beach towns. FREE rides during 30A Songwriters Festival with double deckers on Hwy 98 and trolleys along Scenic Hwy 30A.

The shuttle buses will be running back and forth on 30A from Vue to Rosemary Beach from 5:30pm until 12:00am, Friday through Sunday. Buses will also be at the public lot on CR 283 in Grayton Beach (across from 30A Local Real Estate/Hurricane Oyster Bar) and at the Silver Sands Premium Outlets parking lot on Saturday and Sunday mornings beginning at 10:30am and continuing until 12:30pm to take people to the headline shows at Grand Boulevard. They will be at Grand Boulevard to take folks back to the same two spots at the end of the afternoon shows. All shuttle stops will be listed on the map, on the website, and in the program. Please take advantage of this service.

2018%20SWF%20Venue%20Map%20946%20x%20600.jpg
 

BeachArkie

Beach Lover
Jun 27, 2008
156
85
44
Seagrove
Do you have to have a Songwriter's wristband to ride, or are they free to the general public?
 

steel1man

Beach Fanatic
Jan 10, 2013
2,291
659
They work great is ALL major European cities with multi language head sets which are synchronized with where you are in the route,basically tour buses..
However, that's all we use over there...not much to see on 98 in July sitting on top( 75% of seats are on top,very few inside).. good luck...
 
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