Beach Restoration Complete for Western Walton County

March 5, 2007- After seven years, the Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) announces the completion of the Western Walton County Beach Nourishment Project. The project restored 26,200 feet of beach over five miles in Western Walton County, adding 75-100 feet of beach in these areas. The initiative was vital in providing upland protection from future storm surge and for ensuring the economic vitality of the county through tourism.

“This project is a result of the foresight of a small group of tourism leaders and the Walton County Commission to enact an additional one cent of tourist occupancy tax in 1999 earmarked for beach nourishment activities, eliminating any financial burden on the county,” said Kriss Titus, executive director of the Walton County TDC.

Walton County invested $19,136,045 of the total $27,733,399 cost of the project, a joint effort with the City of Destin. That expenditure was funded by tax collections, state grants, and a loan that is pledged against future bed tax revenue. (Bed tax is paid by visitors on short term rentals.)

The process began in 2000 after Hurricane Opal and Hurricane Georges when the beaches in Western Walton County were deemed “critically eroded” by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), thus qualifying for state funding for a large scale beach restoration project. In the same year, the TDC hired a full-time coastal scientist, Brad Pickel, to lead the county through the scientific process.

After the completion of a sand source investigation in 2002, which identified quality sand of the same color, size and composition at Destin’s East Pass, the TDC partnered with the county to engage Taylor Engineering to create a plan for the nourishment of Western Walton County beaches.

The project mobilized in January 2006, though delayed in May after two turtle takes. The permit was reinstated in August and remobilized in November 2006.

“The community has been wonderful to work with throughout the permitting process and we are happy that the project is complete. Numerous individuals worked to bring the project to fruition, and I am proud to have been part of such an excellent team,” said Brad Pickel, director of beach management with the Walton County TDC.

The economic vitality to the region is heavily dependant on the area’s beaches; surveys consistently illustrate that the beaches are the number one reason people visit the area. Last year, Walton County’s beaches attracted 2.5 million visitors, who spent approximately $684.9 million in Walton County. Tourism supports more than 10,275 jobs and generates approximately $257 million in local income annually. A recent study by the Center for Urban & Environmental Solutions at Florida Atlantic University revealed that beach nourishment also protects the value of upland properties. Single family properties upland of nourished beaches increased more than 30 percent, twice the increase in properties upland of beaches that had not been nourished.

SOURCE Walton County TDC