There’s a new way to get to Walton County’s sugar-white sand, and it’s located in a spot well-known for its beautifully panoramic views.
On the morning of October 13, a ceremony was held to commemorate the grand opening of the Scenic Gulf Drive Regional Beach Access (RBA) in Miramar Beach. The ribbon-cutting was jointly held by the Walton County Board of County Commissioners, Beach Operations and the Tourism Department.
“It is not just for the tourist, but for everyone that lives in Walton County who wants to come to our beaches and enjoy them,” said Brian Kellenberger, director of beach operations in Walton County.
The recently built beach access covers around 400 feet of local beachfront along the Gulf of Mexico. Located at 907 Scenic Gulf Drive, it is the 10th RBA for the county.
This latest addition features a large deck plaza and a picnic pavilion with coastal cottage styling that matches the county’s other beach accesses. The restrooms, boardwalks and dune walkover are all ADA accessible. Parking options include space for 18 full-sized vehicles and nine golf carts, along with a designated area for bicycles.
Overall, the project lasted nearly four and a half years, between the design work and permitting process and completion of construction. Progress first began when the county purchased the 2.1-acre property for $5.75 million in 2017. Additional costs were estimated at approximately $3.4 million, for a total cost of $9.15 million. All expenses related to the project were covered by a 5-percent tourist development tax (TDT), which is applied to all short-term rentals of six months or less in Walton County.
“There is a lot of hard work that goes into completing something like this, and to see it come to fruition is a great feeling,” said Matt Algarin, Walton County’s tourism director. “Anytime we can open a new beach access and provide the opportunity for our residents and visitors to enjoy the sugar-white sands is a good day. The beach is a gathering place. It is where people can come to make lifelong memories.”
To add to the good news, there will be even more beach accesses coming to our area in the near future. Work is already underway on Seagrove Beach RBA in the heart of Seagrove and Walton Dunes RBA in the Eastern Lake community. In addition to the aforementioned amenities, each RBA includes considerations such as beach flag condition information and a seasonally tended lifeguard station. This helps ensure that visitors and locals alike cannot only get to our beautiful beaches easily but remain safe while they are there.