Meet Your Volunteer Beach Ambassadors

You can always identify them by their bright, cheerful “uniform.” The proud members of Walton County’s Volunteer Beach Ambassadors (VBA) program are easy to spot in their light blue collared golf shirts. You may see them at beach accesses, on the beach, along scenic bike paths or even out in the community.

Their mission is to continually improve the overall beach culture in these 16 beach neighborhoods one friendly greeting at a time. Each of these new introductions presents another opportunity for them to make an impact through shared information and advice – plus old-fashioned kindness and hospitality. Their knowledge of the area is seemingly endless, and it applies to everything from entertainment to ecology.

“The team is here to help with such a wide range of topics,” said Laurie Reichenbach, who served as the program’s director for years before recently transitioning to a new role. “We like to think of ourselves as sort of a mini-Chamber of Commerce.”

Looking for a recommendation on great local restaurants, shops or salons to check out? Need an insider tip on fun activities or helpful services such as equipment rentals and beach bonfire set-ups? The beach ambassadors can advise you on everything from fishing charters to where to dine on some fresh local catch.

When it comes to fun on the sugar-white sand, the ambassadors work hard to educate visitors on beach etiquette and ordinances. They may clarify policies about dogs, or even provide you a plastic cup if they notice that you have glass containers.

Maintaining the pristine beach environment is another major role of the ambassadors. This particularly involves protecting shore and marine life, such as the sea turtles who come to nest in the dunes. The ambassadors’ message is an extension of the bigger goal we should all strive for when it comes to these incredible beaches: “leave no trace.” And they certainly practice what they preach – helping to fill in holes, flatten sand art at the end of the day, and pick up trash along the way. These tasks all stay true to their educational mantra, #CleanDarkFlat, which speaks to the ideal conditions for those nesting turtles.

Since these ambassadors are everywhere, they also serve as a valuable set of extra eyes for essential organizations such as the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the South Walton Fire District Lifeguards and Code Enforcement. They are often educating people about the beach safety flags, and on days when a double red flag is indicating highly hazardous surf, the VBA team wears blue whistles to call out any distress.

The program that started in 2016 with just 30 volunteers has now grown to 231 volunteers (up from 214 in 2020). Also involved in the effort are Junior Beach Volunteers – 9 trained and countless non-trained. Altogether, their hard work amounted to more than 8,000 hours served March 1 – October 31, 2021.

The goal is to grow to more than 300 in 2022. To become an ambassador, you must be a Walton County resident for at least three months out of the year, and of course you need to have a strong passion for preserving the beaches that make this county so unique. If you’re interested in learning more or joining the program, contact Beach Ambassador Manager Donna DonFrancesco at [email protected] or (850) 333-0298.