Walton County Commission’s final meeting of 2025

Walton County – 01/06/26 – The Walton County Board of County Commissioners held their second regular meeting of the month on December 18 at the South Walton Courthouse Annex, making it their final meeting of the year.

Under the heading of Citizen Requests, resident Tabitha Howard requested a full review of permitting of the Muskogee Creek Indian archeological preserve, and Mack Bayou Cell Tower.

Following discussion, directions were given by the Board for Planning to conduct a full review of the historical permitting of the specific archeological preserve site where the cell tower is located. That will include the 2005 application before a previous BCC and the Board’s approval. The review will also include any references to this as open space or otherwise in the DRI at any point in time, as well as the 2024 temporary approval. Planning would then brief the Board on their findings on all of these issues before proceeding with the current process.

Walton County Administrator Brian Kellenberger requested approval to appoint members to vacant/expiring seats on volunteer advisory boards and committees. These include the Contractor’s Competency, Coastal Dune Lakes Advisory Board, Design Review Board, Library Advisory Board, Planning Commission, and Zoning Board of Adjustments. The Board approved readvertising and continuing the item to the second meeting in January and approved allowing current appointees to remain in place until that meeting.

Walton County Engineering Director Chance Powell request approval to award Invitation to Bid (ITB) No.: 25-27 for the Driftwood Road and Ellis Road Roadway Improvements project to the lowest, most responsive and responsible bidder, RBM Contracting Services, LLC in an amount not to exceed $3,743,685.62 ($3,550,775.27 for the base bid portion and $192,910.35 for bid

alternate portion) and authorize the Chairman to sign Construction Contract No.: 25-27. This was approved.

Director Powell also requested approval of Task Order No.: ENG 26-01 with Halff & Associates for Professional CEI Services for the Driftwood Road and Ellis Road Roadway Improvements project in an amount not to exceed $447,541.05. This was approved.

Chief Financial Officer Melissa Thomason asked the Board to accept the recommendations of the Walton County Overdose Prevention Task Force review committee and award Fiscal Year 2026 Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Program funding in the amount of $467,840. This was also approved.

County Attorney Clay Adkinson requested the Board to authorize BCC Chairman Brad Drake to sign the closing documents for the purchase of the Bennett properties. Following discussion, the Commissioners voted to send Brian Kellenberger and Adkinson back to negotiate a lower price, amend

the closing documents and bring back the final documents back to the Board for consideration on January 13, 2026.

Attorney Adkinson then requested the Board approve signing the closing documents for the purchase of the Brannan properties, which was approved.

He also requested the Commissioners sign the closing documents for the purchase of parcels 2, 4, 6, 8 from the Clenney Estate and this was approved.

Next, Attorney Adkinson asked the Commissioners to approve signing the closing documents for the purchase of parcels 1, 3, 5, 7 from Schuyler Woods and John Weeks. This was approved.

The next request involved signing the closing documents for the purchase of 115 Sandy Lane from the Belcher Living Trust and this was approved.

Commissioner Donna Johns asked the Commissioners to approve signing the closing documents for the 92-acre purchase of the Alderberry property at a cost of approximately $20 million. Commissioner Johns has long advocated for the purchase of the property as a community hub that might eventually contain a large park, senior center, a voting precinct, sports activities, ballfields, hiking trails, a boating/paddle-board dock and other potential amenities. Commissioner Johns motioned to purchase the property but failed to get a second. Thus, because the motion failed, no action was taken.

Commissioner Dan Curry led discussions regarding policies and procedures for public comment at Board of County Commission meetings and Public Workshops. Since existing policies apply to both, no motion was made or action taken.

Commissioner Curry asked Director of Governmental Coordination Scott Brannon to provide in-person legislative updates at Board of County Commission meetings in relation to any Senate Bill or House Bill legislation which would affect Walton County and its citizens. Scott Brannon noted that the next Legislative session would begin in January. Director Brannon said either he or the lobbyists would provide quarterly regular updates and monthly reports to the board during session, per the terms of the current contracts.

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The following items were approved as one item by general consent of the Board.

Clerk’s Items:

1. Request to approve the Expenditure Approval List (EAL)

2. Request to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the minutes of the November 24, 2025, Special Meeting/Executive Session (ROC vs WC 2025-CA-411) and December 1, 2025, Special Meeting/Executive Session (Alford, et al. v. WC, USCA11, Case No. 21-13999)

Administration – Consent Items:

3. Request to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the travel

authorization forms for Commissioners and their aides for 2026 in accordance with the travel policy

4. Request to approve the purchase of replacement metal detectors and walk-through inspection systems for the DeFuniak Springs Courthouse and South Walton Annex from Point Security, Inc. in the amount of $79,150.

5. Request to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the Exercise of

the 2026-2027 Option to Renew the Lease Agreement with Ken Mitchem for storage space for the Supervisor of Elections’ voting equipment at 726 Highway 331 South, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435 for one (1) additional year effective January 11, 2026, through January 10, 2027; at a cost of $600 per month.

Chief Financial Officer – Consent Items:

6. Request approval to surplus BCC 8331 (2014 Chevrolet Silverado), BCC

10069 (Morbark tub grinder), BCC 3126 (filing system), and BCC 8012 (Sharp copier)

County Attorney – Consent Items:

7. Request to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the Records Management Compliance Statement for Fiscal Year 2024-2025. Request to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the Settlement Agreement with Casa Lara Development/Miramar Holdings, LLC

Planning & Development – Consent Items:

8. Request approval to amend and authorize the Chairman to sign a previously approved Final Order for project number MAJ22-000031, also known as Quiet Lake RV Resort

Tourism Department Beach Operations – Consent Items:

9. Request approval to award Invitation to Bid (ITB) No.: 25-26 – SR 83 (US 331) landscaping improvements to the lowest, most responsive and responsible bidder, C&A Landscape Maintenance, LLC in the amount of $515,000 and authorize the Chairman to sign construction contract No.: 25-26

10. Request to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign Change Order No. 1 to contract No. 25-03 with Custom Home Shop, LLC., decreasing the contract amount to $93,788.75