Pre-season meetings have been scheduled for our beach vendor program in the month of January. On
Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 9 a.m., staff plans to host the Pre-Season Vendor meeting for all participating and potential beach vendors in South Walton.
On Thursday, Jan. 16 at 5 p.m., there will be a Pre-Season Vendor meeting, specifically for public comment. Both meetings are open to the public and are encouraged to attend.
Location Updates for Managed Vendor Program
At the Jan. 14 BCC meeting, TDC staff plans to present recommendations for future locations for the 2020 Managed Vendor Program. Currently, the program exists within some of South Walton’s public access points, including Ed Walline RBA, Inlet Beach, RBA and Grayton Beach RBA. The board will review and decide on future locations for the program, based off of feedback from community members, partners and staff.
Program Overview
The managed vendor program, overseen by the South Walton Beach Service Association, is in effect at three of South Walton's public beaches: Ed Walline Regional Beach Access, Inlet Beach Regional Beach Access, and Grayton Dunes Public Beach Access. So far, this program has drastically reduced the amount of “ghost chairs” and has been well received by the public. With 18 participating vendors, the program is expected to expand to more access points in the future and has proven to be effective. As mentioned above, the Code Enforcement department hosted two public workshops for industry partners and citizens to discuss improvements for the upcoming 2020 season.
So how does this new program work? Beach Vendors all have equal opportunity to participate in the managed vendor program. They have to be, of course, a permitted vendor in Walton County; sign the Association’s Agreement; drop off/pick up equipment as needed or store their equipment in the association’s storage boxes on the beach; are not allowed to set up/tear down equipment on their own; and pay a fee based on how many beach sets rented out.
A beach attendant, who is on site daily, works directly with guests to set up their beach equipment, whether it be chairs, an umbrella or watersports equipment. When the guest is done with their equipment, the attendant removes the equipment from the beach. This will alleviate the issue of "ghost sets" or empty chairs on the beach.
The program regulates Walton County beach vendors for beach chairs/umbrellas and watersports equipment (such as kayaks, paddleboards etc.). The program does not regulate or have any association to Special Event Permits/vendors, (including photographers, officiants), sand castle lesson vendors, bonfire vendors or the like.
For more information about the program, contact Phillip Poundstone at
info@swbsa.org or call (850) 832-8715.
