South Walton residents react to customary use bill heading to governor’s desk

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - The public and private use of beaches is a contentious topic in Walton County. Now, a bill filed by Florida Senator Jay Trumbull aims to repeal a 2018 customary use statute, and it has made it to the governor’s desk. (RELATED: Bill repealing 2018 customary use statute passes in House & Senate).

This new legislation could repeal the 2018 statute, which gave more authority to property owners to keep the shore in front of their beachfront homes private. It would also give more control to Walton County and could pave the way to open up those restricted areas to the public.

Walton County residents have varying opinions on this topic. Some believe there should be more public beach access, like Jacob Sullivan, a Walton County resident and local real estate agent.

“These are God’s beaches, they belong to no man, they’re for everybody, the residents that live here and the tourists that visit here, they visit here for our beautiful beaches,” said Sullivan

Others think there should be a compromise, and property owners’ rights should be protected.

“I think there needs some happy medium, I think there needs to be some regulation,” said Nathan Abbott, Walton County native and local real estate agent. “I can see where some of the hardships may be for homeowners, cause I try to look at it with an open mind. There has to be better synergy that creates more beach accessibility for the public, but also I do believe in property rights of the people that paid that amount of money,” he said.

Senate Bill 1622 aims to reform customary use laws and expand beach access, and it is now a step closer to the finish line. Senator Jay Trumbull, who introduced the legislation, calls this a major victory for protecting public beach access.

Out of 26 miles of beach in Walton County, currently only 9 miles are open to the public. The other 17 miles are restricted to use by the people who own beachfront properties.

“We’re in the Mountain Beach area and there’s a lot of people that do live here that are not on the beach, but close to the beach, that should have, they moved here for that, so they should be able to access the beaches, they’re not harming the beaches, they’re just hanging out at the beaches,” said Levi and Jenny McClendon, Walton County residents.

Walton County commissioners have said that customary use issues have cost them millions of dollars over the years and lengthy lawsuits. They say they’re grateful Senator Trumbull is stepping up with a policy that will give them more control of local beaches if the governor signs it.

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