Jacob Ogles
The beaches of Walton County will soon be open to the public again.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a repeal (SB 1622) of a law limiting public access and barring local governments from passing ordinances regarding customary use. That reverses legislation signed by former Gov. Rick Scott.
“By repealing the law, we return the authority back to local communities,” DeSantis said.
“Cities and counties can now adopt ordinances recognizing recreational customary use — walking, fishing, sunbathing, swimming — without having to obtain a judicial declaration, parcel by parcel. This bill is about restoring local control, cutting legal red tape, and putting our residents first. But it goes even further, to strengthen our coastal communities.”
Sen. Jay Trumbull, a Panama City Republican, argued the 2018 measure unfairly singled out Walton County.
“Overnight, people who had walked the same stretch of dry beach for generations were being told that they were trespassing,” Trumbull said.
“That’s not the Walton County I know, and it’s not the Florida I believe in. The people here weren’t asking for anything unreasonable. They just wanted to keep doing what they’ve always done — walk the beach, toss a football, build a sandcastle with their families — and instead, they got confused, conflict and courtroom battles all to protect a simple, time-honored way of life.”
Officials also said the bill would aid in combating beach erosion.
“We’re taking an important step to better protect and restore these beaches,” said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis Lambert. “The bill clarifies how local governments can set beach use rules without unnecessary red tape. It also simplifies how we can set erosion control lines, allowing vital beach nourishment projects to move forward more efficiently.”
Rep. Shane Abbott, a DeFuniak Springs Republican who carried the bill in the House, said the environmental aspect was important to remember.
“Renourishment will increase the public beach space that the tourists can and the locals get to enjoy,” Abbott said. “We didn’t run this bill just so Sen. Trumbull and I as families can enjoy the beach. We ran this bill for the thousands of locals and residents here that have spent time on those beaches and should enjoy those beaches and have enjoyed them for generations.”
The House unanimously voted in support of the legislation, but it had dissenters in the Senate. Two former Senate Presidents, Don Gaetz and Kathleen Passidomo, voted against the legislation. Passidomo sponsored the 2018 law in the Senate, and Gaetz’s son, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, carried it in the House.
When the law was passed, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee lived in Walton County and heavily lobbied the Florida Legislature to restrict governments from enforcing customary use ordinances. But Huckabee sold his Blue Mountain Beach home in 2021.
