Publix Breaks Ground

Local stores have no choice in the music played. It is piped in from the home office and if you worked there you would get tired of the same stuff everyday.

I'll let the crazy people that are my offspring come and dance for you, while I belt out songs in my off-key, tone deaf voice. And right now, I'm hoarse, so it's even better. That'll get you laughing.

Article in today's paper.


Publix breaks ground

South Walton to get third location

By THOMAS J. MONIGAN and WENDY VICTORA
Daily News Staff Writers



SANTA ROSA BEACH ? A new Publix is under construction in South Walton County, with crews working to clear a 10-acre parcel on the north side of U.S. Highway 98.
The new location will bring the number of Publix stores in South Walton to three, including the one at Grand Boulevard and the one at WaterColor.
?They have apparently done their numbers,? said Jason Bryant, senior planner with Walton County. ?They feel safe about putting this in. They?re kind of planning for the future.?
Bryant said the plans call for 56,000 square feet of commercial space, with two outparcels.
The target date for the store opening is August. It will be located about 3/4 of a mile east of State Road 393.
?They?re putting full press on because they?re really working on it,? Bryant said.
Dawn Moliterno, executive director for the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce, said she was enthused.
?We do know Publix is very astute about where they put their locations,? she said. ?And even in light of a challenged economy, they decided to proceed with this one.?
She said new businesses create jobs. The Publix that just opened in Fort Walton Beach in a former Albertsons location has about 120 employees.
?In a time when everybody?s stepping back to examine their plans, it?s good to see they?re pushing dirt and going ahead,? Moliterno said.
Sonny Mares with the Beaches of South Walton agreed.
?We have more condominiums and cottages than hotel rooms in Walton County,? Mares said. ?And this time of year we have a lot of snowbirds. For them cooking is very important.
?Even in the high season ? people are not always going out to g

Local stores have no choice in the music played. It is piped in from the home office and if you worked there you would get tired of the same stuff everyday.

Not always! I asked the Customer Service Manager at WC Publix about it, and she said that the store manager can program the music in each store. She said that at this particular store, the manager was not that interested and so assigned the duty to the assistant manager.

So, I made a point of stopping him one day and telling him how much I enjoy the music!

And if anyone gets tired of the music, I can bring over some of that screeching, pig-squealing, f-bomb in every lyric, all-about-death alternative crap my kid keeps exposing me to.

Come to think of it, the bagboys would probably like that.

Please! Freeport needs a decent grocery store of any kind. We have been hearing the Publix rumor for years. Winn Dixie, Bruno's, Piggly Wiggly-- I am not that picky about the name as long as the produce is not rotten and the freezers work.

Maybe you're in luck. Publix is negotiating for some land in Freeport. Don't know if you would call this a rumor but the person who owns the property told me this.

While we are on the Publix subject, let me revive an old rumor..... A Publix in Freeport--any ideas on what might be happening on that one (if anything)?

Sorry, Santiago....just read your post. I'm wondering if we're hearing the same rumors--I had heard (third hand, or so....) the same story...... Publix is getting closer to doing the "Freeport thing". (Of course, "closer" is a relative term....)

And if anyone gets tired of the music, I can bring over some of that screeching, pig-squealing, f-bomb in every lyric, all-about-death alternative crap my kid keeps exposing me to.

Come to think of it, the bagboys would probably like that.

Just remember when your parents had to listen to the new fangled "hippie crap". Of course you'll still look normal at 80 listening to Fleetwood Mac, shallowsquirt is gonna look funny at 80 trying to bang his head along to Fallout Boy. :funn:

Maybe you're in luck. Publix is negotiating for some land in Freeport. Don't know if you would call this a rumor but the person who owns the property told me this.

While we are on the Publix subject, let me revive an old rumor..... A Publix in Freeport--any ideas on what might be happening on that one (if anything)?

Sorry, Santiago....just read your post. I'm wondering if we're hearing the same rumors--I had heard (third hand, or so....) the same story...... Publix is getting closer to doing the "Freeport thing". (Of course, "closer" is a relative term....)

Santiago, where might this property be? (Honest question, not meant to be read any other way than inquisitive)

I had always heard it was going at the intersection of 331 and 3280.

anyone know about an estimated completion time...

anyone know about an estimated completion time...

Supposedly Sept 2009...

I had always heard it was going at the intersection of 331 and 3280. [/quote]



Can you give me a street name, for 3280? I don't have a map with references to County, etc, route numbers.

Here's the Notice of Commencement for the Publix on 98 in Santa Rosa Beach.

I had always heard it was going at the intersection of 331 and 3280.

Can you give me a street name, for 3280? I don't have a map with references to County, etc, route numbers.[/quote]

Listed as River Rd. and SR 394 and SR 81.

3280 goes by many names. We historically called it Black Creek, because that's where it went. However, since it has been paved all the way through (which has been many years now), I think it's officially River Road now.

With SoWal having three Publix stores, I think 331/3280 would be pretty far south. But you would pick up all the folks who cut off on 3280 to go home.

If a Publix is built in Freeport, it would likely be on the new stretch of 331. Freeport is in the process of relocating the Post Office to a site just north of hwy 20, on the new 331 section, and if you look closely, you will see more land cleared just to the north of the new Post Office. I expect much growth in that area. 331/3280 is highly unlikely for Publix, because ppl in South Walton will hit one of the other stores, and a large biz like Publix would rather be closer to the center where the number of roof tops is focused in a 5 mile radius. Not many roofs from which to draw ppl south of 3280, and north of the Bay. The Plantation at Freeport would be very close to their 4000 acre developement, and adjacent to Owl's Head, a similar size project, only 5.5 miles to Windswept Estates, about 5 miles to Hammock Bay, and about 5 miles to the Bay, picking up all of that traffic, too.