This morning the Walton County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that will temporarily close all 26 miles of beach in Walton County to the public in order to slow or stop the spread of COVID-19. Board members struggled with this decision and acknowledged the devastating effects this will have for our local economy and jobs, but voted to pass the measure in hopes of saving lives of locals and visitors.
The action goes into effect immediately, and although owners of private beach still have legal access to their own property, board members are urging them to abide by the spirit of safety and caution they are putting forth county-wide.
The Walton County TDC will begin spreading this message immediately, and physically closing all beach accesses early tomorrow morning. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office has stated that they will be pushing for voluntary compliance, and pursuing an education-first response strategy.
These are unprecedented actions, and unprecedented times. We must stand together, and prepare to once again welcome visitors and the lifeblood that tourism brings to our economy as soon as conditions allow us to do so.
We are all in this together, and we are committed to help partner in any way that we can.
Best Regards,
Jay Tusa, CDME, CTIS, TMP
Executive Director
Walton County TDC
(850) 267-1216
Jay@VisitSouthWalton.com