Even though Walton County’s economic outlook revolves around tourism – local tourism leaders on the Tourism Development Council (TDC) accuse the Walton Board of County Commissioners (BCC) of ignoring their input – they say, to their peril.
The issue, tourism leaders say, came to a head over the BCC’s decision to purchase a parcel of land near the Eastern Lake Coastal Dunes for almost $10 million – only to decide against improving it for tourism purposes. The decision to leave the parcel as-is followed a contentious meeting in which the property’s neighbors came out in force to oppose planned improvements, including a parking lot and other amenities, to make the land more accessible to locals and tourists.
The Walton Tourism Development Council is made up of members who are typically experts in tourism and are appointed by various elected officials, including the Board of County Commissioners, for terms concurrent with their appointers.
TDC acting chair Amy Wise-Coble expressed her displeasure with the commission’s decision to use tourism development funds to purchase the land, and then bow to pressure to leave the parcel alone. She added in an interview after the meeting that she believes the county’s decision to skip the part of the decision-making process that involves the TDC meant the BCC has put themselves at risk for more SNAFUs where they decide to buy property with tourism development funds and then don’t use it for tourism.
Wise-Coble added that “I could not [begin to] tell you guys [the BCC] the level of frustration [existing] among your bed tax collectors right now, not just the ones on the TDC, but of course, [with] the short-term rental ordinance…the frustration level just continues to grow. And it might not be whether you have to ask the TDC something, but sometimes maybe you should put on ‘your hat’ that says, ‘Should we ask the TDC something?'”
Walton County reported in 2022 that visitors brought more than $7 Billion in economic activity to the area and generated about $62 million in taxes for purchases such as the Eastern Lake Parcel.
Save Eastern Lake, an advocacy group that wants to stop any sort of development on Eastern Lake, won when the BCC decided not to move forward with the improvement project.
However, Tourism Development Council member Tim Taylor said he believes residents with beachfront houses cynically used the guise of environmentalism to restrict access to ‘their’ beach near their homes.
“Spending that kind of money from the TDC [Bed Tax revenues]…neighbors [residents] are always going to resist when they’ve had a big open parcel that they can claim as their own,” Taylor explained,
“And so, that $9 million [spent on the Eastern Lake parcels means that] the public needs to go there. We need to get them down [to the Eastern Lake beach] on the tram system or [we need to] sell it, and let those adjoining neighbors see.” Taylor continued, “Let them [the Eastern Lake residents] put up their money, but just sell it for what we paid for it. And then let the neighbors work it out…We can’t spend $9 million and not make sure that the visitors don’t have a chance to get down there…”
When Mid Bay News posed the idea that this might be the case on the weekly Paul N Saul show, many members of the Eastern Lake community balked – and rejected the notion outright.
Either way, the commission made the purchase – and the decision not to move forward with construction along with it.
At the heart of the issue, Wise-Coble believes, is the lack of communication – and attendance from Walton County Commissioners at the TDC.
She says her committee is there to provide experts in the field of tourism to help commissioners make informed decisions about the county’s most important industry. Wise-Coble said that the Eastern Lake project didn’t come before the TDC; it went straight to the commission for a vote, and now they’ve spent money they can’t get back.
“[Walton County] needs to have a chain of command that strictly adheres and does things, and sets goals, and puts everything forward for that entity,” Curry said, “There’s no Executive Director, and this is what comes to [and brings focus on] communication…You had the TDC members, including the Chair [Commissioner Drake], say, ‘yes, we need an executive director.’ How many months ago was that?”
The Commission has broached the idea of hiring a new executive director to lead the Tourism Development Department (TDD) of Walton County, but has yet to pull the trigger on a new hire. Director Matt Algarin currently leads the Department.
Mid Bay News reached out to all five county commissioners to request an interview or a statement about the situation between the BCC and the TDC. Only Commissioner Dan Curry (R-Freeport) responded.
In an interview with Mid Bay News, Curry said he had a unique perspective, as he has attended every TDC Meeting since his election. Curry’s attendance record would make him a more frequent attendee than the commissioner appointed to lead the TDC, Brad Drake (R – DeFuniak Springs).
When asked about the apparent breakdown in communication and cooperation between the BCC and the council responsible for advancing the interests of the county’s largest industry, Curry acknowledged a disconnect. “
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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