I grew up in DeFuniak and we were down on the beaches all summer during those years. My family still lives in DeFuniak and my brother is a County elected official. We bought our Grayton home three years ago, after ten years of contemplation. It takes about 30 minutes to feel "local" again when we go down there from our home in CA. While we're very involved in our local community, a small town in the Napa Valley, we sometimes feel like relative newcomers after 17 years of living here. Go figure.
South Walton has changed so much since my childhood, but what appeals to us most about Grayton Beach (and DeFuniak) is that both have retained their character (and yes, characters!) to a large extent. We always knew the beaches of South Walton would someday be discovered by developers, but the type of development there is so much better than it could have been. Evidence the earlier years' high rise condos near Destin and Blue Mountain and east of Seagrove, and no coastal or wildlife refuge protections in earlier years. Our experience in CA is that when local officials hold a hard line on environmental protection, quality of life is protected and property values continue to increase in relationship to this. Yet overbuilding and lax stewardship do not necessarily translate into the provision of necessary affordable/workforce housing for locals. Keep fighting the the good fight, Walton County locals!! Unbridled growth, inadequate infracstructure, and eroded quality of life can so easily kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Since we don't get to vote, we're counting on you while we're writing those big checks each year. :clap_1: