Walton County, Jan. 25, 2024 – Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson and Walton School Superintendent Russell Hughes jointly addressed the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) this week. The conversation centered around the extraordinary growth throughout the county over the last few years and the need to work together to meet the demands of such growth. Sheriff Michael Adkinson pointed out that the county has already experienced a 6.6 percent increase in growth from 2010 to 2020. Last year, the year-over-year increase was approximately 2.3 percent. “One thing I realized during my time is that we cannot work in a silo as we determine what needs to happen infrastructure-wise in the county,” he said. Sheriff Adkinson also noted that his office, like the School District and the BCC all have master building plans or strategic plans. The problem, he said, is that his office does not necessarily know what the school district is planning or the plans of the BCC and other constitutional officers. Sheriff Adkinson said, “I think when you experience the rate of growth that we have experienced, it would behoove us to get together, to be together, and to discuss what we foresee as being the strategic infrastructure needs over the next 10 to 20 years, understanding the growth we’re dealing with.” According to Adkinson, the average daily population in Walton County during the peak season is pushing nearly 300,000 people and just under 200,000 people during the winter season. “That works out to be about 5.3 million visitors last year and 85,000 permanent residents - that we are aware of, not counting part-time residents,” said Adkinson. The sheriff noted that, as of 2020, of 4,000+ counties in the United States, Walton County was No. 7 for growth for the 10-year consecutive period. “This is a great place to live and work, but we have to plan for it,” said Adkinson. “The infrastructure here is crucial and to try to spin up later is phenomenally more expensive. So, we either plan now or we spend a lot more money in the long run, and it impacts our ability to deliver those services, too.” School Superintendent Russell Hughes agreed, saying he often talks with the sheriff about school safety, transportation, and other issues. “We are seeing these growth measures, and we want to make sure that we stay in lock-step with you all, the sheriff and every other entity in our county, to make sure we don’t have the kind of tension we have when it comes to population,” he said. By way of example, Superintendent Hughes said that in north Walton County, from 2018 to present date, there has been a 7.6 percent increase in student population. In the Freeport area, Hughes said there has been a 38 percent increase since 2018. In south Walton, there has been a 19.5 percent increase. That brings its own challenges when it comes to preparation. “Now listen to this…just this year, since May graduation, north Walton experienced 1.9 percent increase. Central, which is Freeport, 6.4 percent. The largest school in Walton County right now is Freeport Elementary School – over 1,100 students,” said Superintendent Hughes. “South Walton has seen a decrease of .56 of a percent.” Hughes noted that Mossy Head has had the largest per capita increase in student population this year. “So, we see these things that we’re trying to really toggle, to make sure we stay in front of, and to make sure when they bring children to Walton County, they have a great school that they can attend and we have a school that is comfortable and comparable to the amenities we have in Walton County,” said Hughes. Hughes said he wants to open up an avenue so that all the governmental bodies can work together all the time. Sheriff Adkinson requested a joint meeting between the Walton County Commission, the School Board and the Sheriff’s Office to discuss the anticipated growth, with public engagement. Commission Chairman William McCormick suggested forming an executive board or committee that includes both elected officials and their top executive staff to make up the county-wide planning effort. Sheriff Adkinson and Superintendent Hughes agreed that would be a great start which should culminate in a plan of action for all three. The first step will be to select a professional moderator to lead the meetings and, once that is accomplished, a date certain can be set for the planning sessions to begin.
