• Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
New posts

SoWalSally

Beach Fanatic
Feb 19, 2005
649
49
From Walton Sun - this is the group that was formed by local developers in response to citizens' groups such as Beach To Bay Connection and the South Walton Community Council.

Area property owners association hires executive director

The Walton County Property Owners Association has announced the hiring of Ken Shannon as their first full-time executive director.
A former planning manager for Walton County from 2000 to 2004, Shannon will direct the day-today activities of the Association through the guidance of its board.
Formed in 2001 by a small group of local property owners with a strong interest in responsible growth and quality of life issues, the Association has grown to nearly 700 members, ranging from small homeowners to local developers. Its goals include balancing the rights of property ownership in Walton County with responsible growth and the tremendous importance of safeguarding the area?s unique environmental beauty.
?We?ve got a lot of work to do, and I?m excited to be on board,? said Shannon. ?Property owners and developers get a pretty bad rap from some local organizations, but I know from working with many of them in other capacities over the years that they really don?t have horns and most are genuinely concerned with growth issues like density and the environment. For every person that moved here in the last 10 years, there was somebody who moved a day before that thought the place would be much quieter without them. We can?t close the door on Walton County and hang a ?do not disturb sign? on the knob hoping that everyone who isn?t here now will just forget we have the world?s most beautiful beaches, forests and bays and go away. Instead, we can recognize that growth and change is a frustrating but certain part of life and work very hard to ensure it?s positive and healthy.?
According to Flynn Morris, a home builder and a member of the Association?s board of directors, the group reached a point in size that it was time to hire someone who could take the organization?s objectives and goals and more effectively communicate them to citizens of Walton County.
?There?s been a void of information on growth in Walton County that?s been filled by individuals or groups who don?t necessarily have the right information, experience or motive to be the ultimate source,? said Morris. ?Ken has the education, experience and professionalism to help us provide accurate information to our fellow neighbors as well as ensure that as developers, we?re being reverent and responsible to the important quality of life that makes us all so proud to call Walton County home.?
Shannon is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, American Planning Association and the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and is a Colonel in the United States Army Reserve.
 
New posts


Sign Up for SoWal Newsletter