Search results for query: Mean high water line

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  1. J

    Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

    You’re dumb. It wouldn’t make public beaches disappear. The mean high tide water line would still exist… it would just be further away. Anything under that line is public whether you like it or not. Public beaches and sea access have a strong historical precedent in common law. It’s not gonna...
  2. miznotebook

    Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

    The "public easement" requirement removed by the repeal bill does not appear to be the same as the construction easement requirement. Also the removal of the public easement requirement does not seem to affect public recreational use being allowed seaward of the ECL in beach renourishment...
  3. S

    For Sale 3BR/2BA in Santa Rosa Beach, FL! 42 Conner Cir is officially on the market!

    JUST LISTED in Santa Rosa Beach, FL! 42 Conner Cir is officially on the market! ✨ This charming coastal home is perfectly located near the beaches of 30A — close to shopping, dining, and all the fun the Emerald Coast has to offer. ✅ 3 Bedrooms ✅ 2 Bathrooms ✅ Bright, open layout ✅ Peaceful...
  4. B

    Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

    ...not clear on the beaches or in state law where the public is or is not allowed. The Florida Constitution says beaches below the mean high water line are public land. That’s a relatively narrow strip of land on most beaches. The Florida Supreme Court in 1974 expanded public access to the...
  5. J

    Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

    Thanks for answering the question of when the house will vote. I assume we'll get a day soon. Isn't there 2 hurdles? - house passage AND signature from the Governor?
  6. Ron

    Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

    ...existing statutory procedures for establishing the erosion control line (ECL) on critically eroded beaches and declare the mean high water line to be the ECL. Direct the Board of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to prepare and record, in the official and platting records of the...
  7. L

    Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

    The Florida Senate voted 35-2 Thursday to repeal a controversial 2018 law that restricted public access to beaches in Walton County. SB 1622, sponsored by Sen. Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, would eliminate the law that nullified Walton County’s customary use ordinance. Senators Don Gaetz and...
  8. J

    Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

    Some good stuff here: https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/state/2025/03/31/florida-lawmakers-wade-into-war-at-the-shore-with-beach-access-fight/82710508007/ Florida lawmakers are stepping again into the troubled sands of a Panhandle county where beach access has been restricted for years...
  9. Jim Tucker

    Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

    https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1622/ https://housedocs.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=82353 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/state/2025/02/28/walton-county-beach-access-bill-seeks-to-repeal-2018-restriction/80863194007/ The Florida...
  10. Jim Tucker

    Private Beaches in South Walton - Customary Use Updates & SB1622

    A bill to repeal a controversial 2018 law that limited public access to beaches in Walton County cleared its first legislative hurdle last Tuesday in the Florida Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 9-2 to advance SB1622, sponsored by District 2 Senator Jay Trumbull, which would...
  11. Mike Jones

    Customary use wins in Federal Court!

    The statute cited: 163.035 Establishment of recreational customary use.— (1) DEFINITION.—The term “governmental entity” includes an agency of the state, a regional or a local government created by the State Constitution or by general or special act, any county or municipality, or any other...
  12. Kurt

    SoWal Fun, Facts & Fiction From A.I.

    ChatGPT 4o Prompt: How to surf fish the Gulf of Mexico Surf fishing in the Gulf of Mexico can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Here are some steps and tips to help you get started: Gear and Equipment Fishing Rod and Reel: Use a medium to heavy spinning rod that is 9 to 12 feet long. A...
  13. Dawn

    "You’re degrading the quality of life,” Clark told the commissioners

    BCC keeps increasing density to remove trees and build monster houses on every square inch of land...planning commission DENIED, BCC said "meh, hold my beer." By DOTTY NIST The Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) has approved the rezoning of two Residential Preservation lots on...
  14. Dawn

    Beachfront Owners Suing to remove County Public Beach Access at Sugar Dunes

    ...is owned by CBHIV, L.L.C., (CBHIV), owner of Azzurro Homes to the west. Both the Sugar Dunes and CBHIV properties extend to the mean high water line (MHWL). In December 2020, the homeowners’ association and CBHIV had filed suit against Walton County in Walton County Circuit Court seeking to...
  15. Teresa

    Walton County Customary Use in the News

    Thank you. So sad for our beautiful community.
  16. miznotebook

    Walton County Customary Use in the News

    ...for the various sections and including a QR code linking to the interactive map. In all sections, beach areas seaward of the mean high water line—essentially the wet sand portions—are held in trust for the public based on the state constitution, as are beach areas seaward of the erosion...
  17. Jen

    Beach Access Updates For February 2024

    https://www.visitsouthwalton.com/vsw-resource-center/beach-operations/beach-maintenance/ https://sowal.com/beach-accesses The Grayton Beach Community Center is located at 44 Hotz Avenue in Grayton Beach. The design has been completed and the application for the Development Order has been...
  18. J

    Dune Allen Property Owners Trying New Way To Steal Beach

    ...court judgments that their lots in the south Walton County subdivision include “accreted lands” extending all the way to the mean high water line (MHWL) of the gulf. Pending in Walton County Circuit Court are two separate but almost identical lawsuits alleging ownership of these lands by...
  19. Jen

    South Walton Beach Access Updates January 2024

    The Grayton Beach Community Center is located at 44 Hotz Avenue in Grayton Beach. The design has been completed and the application for the Development Order has been submitted. Once completed, the 1,600 +/- square foot building will house a local information station, restrooms, observation...
  20. Kurt

    High Wind Warning 1/8/24 - Schools Closed 1/9/24

    According to the Florida State Watch Office, their meteorological summary indicates severe weather events possible overnight and Tuesday. Additionally, • A squall line of strong to severe thunderstorms will move into the Florida Panhandle early Tuesday morning and continue eastward...
  21. B

    Trespassing on the Beach

    TLDR
  22. BlueMtnBeachVagrant

    Trespassing on the Beach

    ...established in connection with a Beach Nourishment, the boundary between state owned and privately held beachfront is fixed. Mean High Water Line (MHWL) – means the intersection of the tidal plane of mean high water with the shore. Number: 2.1.1 Page 1 of 6 Effective Date: 10/01/23 IV...
  23. Jen

    South Walton Beach Access Updates December 2023

    Beach Access Updates: The Grayton Beach Community Center is located at 44 Hotz Avenue in Grayton Beach. The design has been completed and the application for the Development Order has been submitted. Once completed, the 1600 +/- square foot building will house a local information station...
  24. Laser Shark

    Walton County Customary Use in the News

    ...on those parcels by legal default. 95 CUs and a few public use agreements and over $8,000,000 of our tax payer money. Leaving law enforcement about 100 piano board of parcels to enforce to the Mean High Water Line (legally not wet sand) for high percentage of parcels east of Topsail State Park.
  25. PoppaJ

    Beachfront Owners Suing to remove County Public Beach Access at Sugar Dunes

    Since they impede your right of way as you traverse the wet sand toss the cones onto dry sand
  26. J

    Beachfront Owners Suing to remove County Public Beach Access at Sugar Dunes

    Once again, Sugar Dunes Owners show the world they are the worst kind of people SoWal has ever seen. Keywords: Never rent at Sugar Dunes. Sugar Dunes is the worst. Sugar Dunes is terrible. Sugar Dunes in Seagrove is awful. Sugar Dunes in South Walton gets zero stars. Sugar Dunes is the worst...
  27. Ken

    Possible New Beach Access in Dune Allen Beach

    ...of the public. Between the outfall property and the Fort Panic Regional Beach Access, the parcel is the only one deeded to the mean high water line. Walton County had acquired the 0.91-acre outfall property on Sept. 1 for $8.5 million. The purchase was in line with a Walton County...
  28. Jen

    South Walton Beach Access Updates October 2023

    Grayton Beach Municipal Parking Facility, formerly referred to as the “Grayton Central” parking lot, is 6.995 acres and is located on the eastern portion of County Road 283 South, across from the Shoppes at Grayton. The project has been placed out for bid and the bid opening will be held Monday...
  29. Jimmy T

    Blue Mountain Beach Beach Grab

    Ridiculous!
  30. J

    Blue Mountain Beach Beach Grab

    ...involving the owners of three Blue Mountain Beach parcels have provided for beach property south of their lots, extending to the mean high water line (MHWL), to become the property of those owners. The beach property is located in Blue Mountain Beach Subdivision No. 1 south of Lot 5, Block...
  31. J

    Walton County Customary Use in the News

    This is the beach seaward of the mean high water line (MHWL) where the wet sand is commonly used as a rule of thumb identifier for this area held in trust for the public per the state constitution. Adkinson noted that as part of the settlement, the county agreed to survey the entire beachfront...
  32. Jen

    South Walton Beach Access Updates September 2023

    The Grayton Beach Community Center is located at 44 Hotz Avenue in Grayton Beach. It is currently in the design/permitting stage and once completed, the 1,600 +/- square foot building will house a local information station, restrooms, observation deck, a boardwalk to the beach, and access to our...
  33. Jen

    South Walton Beach Access Updates July 2023

    Beach Access Updates: The Grayton Beach Community Center is located at the junction of 44 Hotz Avenue and DeFuniak Street. It is currently in the design/permitting stage and once completed, the 1,600 +/- square foot building will house a local information station, restrooms, observation deck...
  34. Jen

    Beach Access Updates July 2023

    The Grayton Beach Community Center is located at the junction of 44 Hotz Avenue and DeFuniak Street. It is currently in the design/permitting stage and once completed, the 1,600 +/- square foot building will house a local information station, restrooms, observation deck, a boardwalk to the beach...
  35. Teresa

    New York Times: 36 hours in the Florida Panhandle (30A area)

    By Shannon SimsPhotographs by Robert Rausch Jul. 6, 2023 Shannon Sims is a regular contributor to New York Times Travel. She spent her childhood summers vacationing along State Road 30A and has previously reported from the Florida Panhandle region for The New York Times. Running 24 miles...
  36. Teresa

    Red White & Blues Week Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show Jul 5-8

    VISIT PENSACOLA BEACH 2023 Pensacola Beach Air Show Featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Full Schedule is Officially Announced!!! Pensacola’s hometown heroes will be front and center at the 2023 Pensacola Beach Air Show, hosted by the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA), July 5-8, 2023. The...
  37. Jim Tucker

    Walton County Customary Use in the News

    ...The TZ uses are to be allowed per the agreement regardless of whether all or any portion of the TZ is landward or seaward of the Mean High Water Line (MHWL). Except for the uses specified, the agreement prohibits all other uses of the TZ—except for parcel owners, their renters and guests...
  38. Jen

    South Walton Beach Access Updates 2023

    The Grayton Beach Community Center is located at the junction of 44 Hotz Avenue and DeFuniak Street. It is currently in the design/permitting stage and once completed, the 1,600 +/- square foot building will house a local information station, restrooms, observation deck, a boardwalk to the beach...
  39. miznotebook

    Walton County Customary Use in the News

    https://defuniakherald.com/news/walton-county-officials-vote-again-for-settlement-in-beach-customary-use-case/ For the third time since Feb. 23, the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) has voted to approve a settlement agreement in connection with the county’s customary use...
  40. Teresa

    Emerald Coast Boat & Lifestyle Mar 3-5

    Emerald Coast Boat and Lifestyle Show March 3-5 Aaron Bessant Park 600 Pier Park Drive Panama City Beach, FL 32413 Tickets: Today is the LAST day to secure your discounted tickets! Skip the line + purchase online for just $12. Tickets EmeraldCoastBoatShow.com More than Just a Boat Show...
  41. Jen

    Beach Access Updates June 2022

    https://sowal.com/beach-accesses Beach Access Updates: Scenic Gulf Drive Regional Beach Access in Miramar Beach (907 Scenic Gulf Drive). The BCC approved the construction bid and awarded the contract to RBM Construction, Inc. Work on the site began in September and is...
  42. B

    Watercolor sues Walton county to take back beach easements, close Van Ness Butler Jr. Access

    ...there would be a requirement for the recording of a permanent 75-foot-wide public access easement running laterally above the mean high water line (MHWL) for pedestrian foot traffic. In 1997, St. Joe also granted to Walton County a 20-foot-wide access easement to the beach from another of...
  43. Jen

    Beach Access & Customary Use Reminder

    Beach Access & Customary Use Reminder: While there have been changes for customary use of private beachfront property, much is still evolving currently. If guests have concerns, we hope the below information will be helpful. Things to keep in mind: Visit South Walton currently maintains...
  44. Abby Prentiss

    Thousands of Walton Beachfront Owners Suing Over Customary Use

    ...customary use case was initiated on Dec. 18, 2018. ... Thousands of beachfront property owners holding deeds that extend to the mean high water line opposed the original ordinance and have filed suit to thwart the county's efforts. Walton County, Florida fight for beach rights case filings...
  45. Abby Prentiss

    Walton County Regulation of Development Along U.S. 331

    Walton County commissioners have taken a first look at a set of proposals that could reshape the economic potential of the U.S. Highway 331 corridor. At a Nov. 24 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved the first reading of proposed amendments to the county's land development code aimed at...
  46. Teresa

    Emeril's Coastal Italian: Olive Oil Cake

    Emeril's Coastal Italian Our fan favorite Olive Oil Cake recipe is here for your home cooking pleasure Olive Oil Cake with Salted Caramel and Olive Oil Mousse INGREDIENTS For Cake: ½ cup plus 2 tbsp good olive oil 1 cup plus 3 tsp sugar 2 large eggs plus 1 egg white 1 cup plus 2 ½ tbsp AP...
  47. L

    Beachfront Owners Sue Sheriff and County for Closing Beaches

    More dirty dealing by Huckabee and friends to bankrupt our county. Property owners challenge Walton beach closure Arguing that they are being prevented from using their “backyards,” oceanfront property owners are asking a federal judge to block a Walton County ordinance that has closed...
  48. South Walton Community Council

    Septic to Sewer

    On the agenda for the BCC meeting today: Request to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Grant Agreement Number NS056 for the Coastal Dune Lake Septic to Sewer Conversion project In November 2018, BCC authorized staff to apply for a...
  49. J

    "A Wildly Unpopular Law" Against Customary Use

    ...Gov. Rick Scott, shredded Walton County’s customary use ordinance and afforded private owners, many of whom hold deeds to the mean high water line, the right to call out beachgoers for trespassing on the dry sand behind their homes. Chaos ensued as beachgoers were frustrated by fences, signs...
  50. Jen

    Customary Use in Walton County & Florida - Questions

    ...of the privately-owned beachfront property. Some Gulf-front properties in Florida have a property line that extends to the mean high water line. What is changing? Essentially, some beachfront homeowners are restricting access to the dry sandy areas behind their homes. All wet sand areas...
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