Walton County – 08/21/25 – The Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) met in regular session and presided over a lengthy, but consequential agenda on Tuesday, August 12, in the Walton County Courthouse in DeFuniak Springs.

County Administrator Brian Kellenberger gave the Board an update regarding beach renourishment.

Kellenberger reminded the Commissioners that many years ago, the county launched the Hurricane Storm Damage Reduction project, which is a federally-sponsored project and ‘encumbered’ so that the funds cannot be spent elsewhere.

The initial project engineering design phase was completed in 2014 but the BCC could not gain the needed cooperation from property owners to secure a construction easement, so the project was shelved. Because of the 10-year project window, in 2022 the Army Corps of Engineers asked if Walton County was still interested in doing the project.

In 2023, the BCC directed Beach Operations, the Environmental Department and the county Legal Department to resume work on the project, which will also utilize some Tourist Development Tax funds.

The Army Corps of Engineers have begun hiring consulting engineers and surveyors to revise the previous construction plans. Once those plans have been completed, the county will launch an informational campaign to help residents understand the benefits this project represents and the detriments of not doing the project.

Attorney Clay Adkinson also clarified that the Legislature has declared that beach restoration projects are in the public interest and that any additions to property seaward of the Erosion Control Line that result from the restoration project would remain state sovereignty lands.

Further, he said, beach restoration projects do not require a public easement.

In the meantime, the county will continue to work with the Corps on a daily basis to move the project forward.

Commission Vice-Chair Dan Curry asked for monthly or quarterly updates and the chance to attend some of the meetings with the Corps. Adkinson said the Corps would welcome additional BCC participation and he encouraged the commissioners to engage with the engineers.

Uriah Matthews, director of the Economic Development Alliance, gave his agency’s quarterly report. Matthews updated the BCC on his efforts over the last quarter. DeFuniak Springs Mayor Bob Campbell spoke in support of the EDA and Matthews’ efforts.

Later in the meeting, D-1 Commissioner Curry discussed the Economic Development Alliance activities and performance over many years and recommended defunding the EDA and tasking staff with presenting options for how to continue with economic development. The motion failed for lack of a second. Commissioner Tony Anderson said that he believes that under the new board leadership, the EDA has been growing and is much more dynamic. He suggested staff meet with the EDA board to discuss possible options for improving the agency. No other action was taken.

Area attorney Michelle Blankenship Jordan offered her services for the position of County Attorney, but the BCC took no action.

Dan Scupin, a resident of Miramar Beach, spoke in opposition to “over-development” in Legion Park. “We have a quiet, peaceful old-Florida type park that we want to not be turned into a Disneyland type park,” he said. Scupin said that the people in his neighborhood were not in favor of the planned upgrades. He

asked the Commissioners to keep that in mind when the Legion Park issue comes before them again.

In other news, the BCC appointed citizen Mark Walker to serve in the Citizen Appointee seat on the Value Adjustment Board (VAB).

Commissioners approved a contract with Southeast Construction Co., in an amount not to exceed $2,650,557 for the construction of the CR 1883 Improvements, Phase 1 Project, which covers 4.9 miles of roadway.

Melinda Gates, Environmental Services, announced the Florida Panhandle Landowner Assistance Exposition, hosted by Florida Fish and Wildlife, which will be held at the Walton County Fairgrounds on Hwy. 83 on Saturday, August 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ms. Gates said the purpose is to assist people who want their property to be more in-line with nature.

Kelli Carter, Walton County Tourism Department, again appeared before the BCC to ask for approval of grant funding for planned current events. Ms. Carter will bring back additional events for funding consideration after the next TDC meeting.

Chief Financial Officer Melissa Thomason asked for direction regarding the Planning Department Operational Audit. The BCC approved for Melissa Thomason to begin negotiations with MGT in an amount between $85,000 and $99,000 for the audit. Brian Kellenberger and Interim Planning Director Stephen Schoen will come back in two weeks with a plan of action for BCC review.

After discussion and public comment, the Walton County Commission approved the proposed County Attorney Agreement with Adkinson Law Firm, making Clay Adkinson the attorney of record for the county after serving four years as the interim county attorney.

Commissioners also approved the County Administrator Agreement with former Beach Operations Director Brian Kellenberger, who will now serve as county administrator.

Attorney Adkinson requested Commissioners to approve the Amended and Restated Franchise Agreement and First Supplement to Amended and Restated Franchise Agreement between Florida Community Services Corp. of Walton County and Walton County.

The Commissioners also approved an ordinance of Walton County, Florida amending the franchise granted to Florida Community Services Corp D/B/A Regional Utilities, to incorporate the service area previously assigned to Inlet Beach Water System into the territorial area of Regional Utilities.

Vice-Chair Dan Curry suggested setting the millage rate at 3.5375 ($2,766,523), splitting the difference from the requested rate of 3.5 ($4,426,436) as requested by Commissioner Drake and 3.575 ($1,106,609) as requested by Commissioner Glidewell. However, he said after speaking with Public Works and Engineering staff regarding the cost of infrastructure improvements, he had decided to withdraw his request and leave it at 3.575 as recommended by Commissioner Glidewell. No further action was taken.

Commissioner Curry spoke in favor of purchasing and installing ADA-compliant, sensory-friendly playground equipment at County parks, with specific locations to be determined, utilizing available ADA funding. Commissioners approved having staff develop and bring back an allocation plan for the $250,000 ADA funds and to look into private donations for any additional needs.

D-2 Commissioner Danny Glidewell introduced Troop 30 Eagle Scout Tank Palmer, who requested approval to build a Orienteering Course at Lakewood Park, which is Florida’s highest point.

Palmer said he would also be cleaning up the walking trails at the park, re-marking fallen signs and building a map box with a step-by-step video on how to orienteer, along with a compass lending box. Orienteering is going out into woodlands with a map, compass and coordinates and, using those tools, finding specific locations to get checkpoint marks.

Palmer said there would be no cost to the county for the project and it was approved by the commissioners.

D-5 Commissioner Tony Anderson requested approval to allocate funding and move forward with the South Walton Senior Center. Commissioner Anderson is seeking approximately $4 million, having already allocated $500,000 from his District 5 Recreational Plat Fee fund.

He noted that area seniors have been using part of his office for their activities, but they have outgrown the space. Anderson stated that Chief Financial Officer Melissa Thomason has reviewed the budget and said the money would be available in the FY 2026 budget.

The location for the new Center is near in the South Walton Courthouse Annex parcel and is directly across from the Chamber of Commerce Parking Lot.

Commission Chair Donna Johns led discussion regarding electric bicycles (e-bikes), which have become a safety hazard in many areas where there is dense population. It was agreed that Commissioner Johns would meet with the Superintendent of Schools and Sheriff and bring back a resolution at a future meeting. The Office of the County Attorney will also craft a proposed ordinance for Board consideration.

Chair Johns led discussion on funding improvements for Helen McCall Park. The BCC approved utilizing $500,000 in Managed Beach Vendor funds to fund the improvements, including ADA-friendly equipment.

Johns also inquired about the county’s progress relating to paid parking. County Administrator Brian Kellenberger said the bid for the work had been awarded and he would return in 30 days with a contract for board approval, after which work on those facilities can commence.

Citizen Margaret Landry discussed the upcoming quasi-judicial hearing before a magistrate, which is scheduled for September 4. She talked about the difficulty in finding experts in Walton County for every legal point. She recommended allowing out-of-county, and even out-of-state experts to testify via Zoom telephonic appearances. County Attorney Adkinson asked the Commissioners to approve a motion to allow that action, in accordance with the magistrate’s approval. The motion passed unanimously.

The next regular meeting of the Walton County Commission will be Tuesday, August 26, at 1 p.m. at the South Walton Courthouse Annex on US 331S. The public is invited to attend.

CONSENT AGENDA – All of the items below were approved by general consent of the Board:

Request to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign a contract with

International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation for a Mobile Device

Manager (MDM) to manage County cell phones in the amount of

$21,600.00 annually

Request approval to advertise a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for State Lobbying Services

Chief Financial Officer – Request to ratify the Chair’s signature on the revised distribution approval letter for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant.

Request to approve and authorize the Chair to sign a Resolution to

amend the Fiscal Year 2025 Law Enforcement Trust Fund budget in the

amount of $45,000.00 to recognize unanticipated Crime Prevention

revenues

Request to approve and authorize the Chair to sign a Resolution

amending the Fiscal Year 2025 General Fund budget in the amount of

$1,530,000 to recognize unanticipated revenues from the Managed

Vendor Program

County Attorney – Request to approve and authorize the Chair to execute a Satisfaction of Judgment for Probation Fees

Environmental Services – Request to ratify the Chair’s signature on a letter of support for land conservation efforts in Walton County by Trust for Public Lands

Planning & Development – Request to accept the resignation of Fred Tricker from the District 1 Planning Commission seat and approve to advertise to fill the vacancy

Public Works – Request to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the Second Option to renew Contract No. 24-1842 with Emerald Coast Striping, LLC for Thermoplastic and Pavement Marking Services extending the agreement one additional year and approve to advertise future solicitations before the final one-year renewal expires

Tourism Department Administration – Request to award Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 25-17 Public Relations Services to the highest ranked firm Turner Public Relations, Inc. and request approval to begin contract negotiations.