SANTA ROSA BEACH Walton County will be hosting three public meetings this week on its proposed mobility plan, focused on proposals for the southern end of the county.
The meetings are set for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday and 6 p.m. Thursday in the boardroom of the South Walton Courthouse Annex at 31 Coastal Centre Blvd., off U.S. Highway 331 South near U.S. Highway 98.
Both meetings can be accessed digitally via the Zoom teleconferencing tool by people who cannot, or choose not, to attend in person.
The Tuesday meetings, both of which will cover the same information, will address plans for the Walton County Road 30A corridor, which gets jammed with tourists during vacation season.
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS Walton County Commissioner William Boots McCormick will ask his commission colleagues Tuesday to consider a resolution on former president Donald Trump s extension of a federal moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to the year 2032.
McCormick has placed the issue on the agenda for the commission s meeting, set for 9 a.m. at the courthouse annex on Coastal Centre Boulevard off U.S. Highway 331 in Santa Rosa Beach. The meeting also will be available for public participation online via the Zoom teleconferencing tool at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89735026838.
Information attached to McCormick s request, posted on the county government s website at https://rb.gy/lxino6, includes a resolution apparently previously submitted by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who represents Northwest Florida in Congress.
SANTA ROSA BEACH A Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) committee has approved a proposed pilot public transit program along parts of the county s beaches for two months of this summer.
The proposal, given the go-ahead Thursday by the TDC s Destination Improvement Committee, is aimed at reducing parking and congestion problems on County Road 30A and Scenic Gulf Drive. The proposal is set to be heard by the full council next month, and if approved there, would head to the Walton County Board of County Commissioners for a final decision.
The service, using six trolley-style vehicles three on each route would operate in June and July, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 9 a.m. until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. There would be no cost to trolley riders, and wait times are projected to be no more than 15 to 20 minutes.
FREEPORT A proposed mixed-use development comprising 256 apartments and 33,500 square feet of commercial space on U.S. Highway 98 has been forwarded to Walton County s Design Review Board for consideration.
The proposal for the Saltaire development, planned for a 24.5-acre tract on the south side of U.S. 98 at Moll Drive near County Road 393, was forwarded Wednesday to the Design Review Board by the county s Technical Review Committee, the first step in the development review process.
The Design Review Board meeting is set for 5 p.m. Jan. 7 at the Walton County Courthouse Annex at 31 Coastal Centre Blvd. in Santa Rosa Beach. Like the Technical Review Committee meeting, it includes an opportunity for public comments on the proposal, either in person or via the Zoom teleconferencing tool.