"Slices of 30A"

The Florida Department of Transportation just announced that construction on the The Inlet Beach Pedestrian Underpass project at the intersection of Hwy 98 and the entrance of Scenic Hwy 30A is set to begin at the end of February. The underpass project is anticipated to be complete by the end 2022. The Pedestrian underpass design includes constructing an 8-feet tall, 12-feet wide and 136-feet long underpass beneath U.S. 98 with safe-way lighting.

Other improvements include:

• Installing lighted access points at the northeast and southeast corners of the U.S. 98/C.R. 30A intersections. *Construction will include stairs and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant ramps.
• Enhanced pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalks.
• Adding a new U.S.…

Read the full issue here ----->    IN•REVIEW - Winter 2021

The Winter Edition of  IN•REVIEW is out and  it's overflowing with interesting, informative details about the 2020 real estate market, including Market Trends for each of our 30A Beach Towns.  In this issue you'll also find our top 3 picks for most interesting properties in Seagrove Beach.  We also show you the 5 properties we selected as "Best Values" sales in Seagrove during the year  and round out the issue with an update on South Walton Beaches Accesses and parking projects.  

Anytime you have questions or curiosities about living at the beach, home trends, market trends or would just like to get an authentic locals' insight, reach out - we're here for you.  

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Beginning in 2021  Managed Vendor Program will now be in effect at all regional beach access points, as well as neighborhood beach accesses greater than 100 feet in South Walton. 

The Managed Vendor Program was first initiated in 2019 as a pilot program to address and eliminate “ghost sets” (unoccupied/unused beach chairs and umbrella rental sets) placed on the beach by local beach equipment rental companies. The program has now been refined and improved and is overseen by the South Walton Beach Service Association.

So how does this new program work?

All local Beach Vendors have equal opportunity to participate, in the program and must be a permitted vendor in Walton County. Through participation in the program Beach Vendor Rental companies…

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA), South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) and Visit South Walton celebrated the successful deployment of eight new sculptures in the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) on Wednesday, February 3, 2021. 

The Underwater Museum of Art is the first permanent underwater sculpture garden in the U.S. Located in the Gulf of Mexico, off of Walton County, Florida, the museum lies at a depth of 58-feet and at a distance of .93-miles from the shore of Grayton Beach State Park. Each year, a juried selection of sculptural works, drawn from artists throughout the world, is installed in the underwater garden. The sculptures quickly attract a wide variety of marine life and, over time, metamorphize into a living…

 

Photo Credit: J Conley Images

Our popular beaches along 30A here in Northwest Florida just earned the 13th spot as “One of the 25 Best Spots to Retire in Florida in 2021”, in a newly published blog article by Florida for Boomers. For those of us who are lucky enough to work, play AND get to call 30A our home, this news comes as no surprise. But rather just another in a growing list of recognitions for our beautifully unique area of the Panhandle.

Also referred to as SOWAL, The Beaches of South Walton and 30A is one of the fastest growing areas in the state, a long-time favorite vacation destination and an ideal place for retirement. Home to mild year- round temperatures, beautiful white sand beaches, golfing, biking, hiking and watersport…

The proposed Seagrove Beach Regional Beach Access, located across the street from Café Thirty-A, has now reached 85% completion within the design and permitting phase. Construction is expected to begin sometime in the spring.

Efforts are underway to enhance the Walton Dunes (258 Beachfront Trail) beach access. Design and permitting has reached 30% completion and construction is also expected to begin this spring.  Improvements will include 16 parallel ROW parking spaces, restrooms and an ADA-accessible boardwalk.

Work is underway at the Santa Clara Regional Beach Access located in Seagrove Beach. Boardwalk and dune walkover renovations are expected to take 90-120 days to complete. The boardwalk and dune walkover are closed while repairs are made.

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Cheers, one and all. As we close out 2020, we raise our glasses filled to overflowing with gratitude. It’s undeniable that 2020 was not like any other! Instead of focusing on the unexpected challenges, we look to the good, to the positives and to the opportunities that came our way this year. During the year, we did our best to cast out some pebbles of “good” along the way in the hopes that those ripples would somehow grow and make a difference for those around us.

We are grateful to our amazing clients who chose us over and over again to assist with their needs. But more importantly, during the process we also gained new and cherished friendships.

We count our blessings for the amazing and beautiful beach community where we’re lucky enough to…

In closing out the year, we’ll offer the following general market over-view.

During almost all of 2020, real estate activity, here in Northwest Florida and specifically along Scenic 30A and South Walton has been unexpectedly high with considerable market appreciation, continued buyer interest, and record sales levels. As a result, the current availability of properties to purchase is extremely limited and well-priced properties are continuing to move quickly.

If you’re a property owner along 30A, current market conditions are certainly in your favor. Please reach out if you’d like an up-to-date report and evaluation for your specific area. We  gladly provide this as a no obligation, complimentary service to property owners. 

If you are buying…

For the previous twelve years, the Walton Cultural Arts Alliance has held the hugely popular 30A Songwriters Festival over Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. The 2021 Festival was slated to be held January 15th - 18th; however in an email newsletter sent to  CAA supporters and members on 12-8-2020 made the announcement that the decision has been made to cancel the in-person event. The announcement went on to state that:

Due to the overwhelming increase in COVID-19 cases this month, and the announcement from health experts that this increase will continue through the first quarter of 2021, we have reluctantly decided to postpone an in-person January 2021 Festival. All of us at the CAA and RCAM are as disappointed as you that we cannot celebrate…

 

Walton CAA will be airing another Art on Demand event Wednesday, December 9th @ Noon (Central Time)  The Art on Demand series is brought to you by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County in partnership with Alys Beach, 30A.com and Florida Division of State, Department of Cultural Affairs. This event will be viewable on the 30A and Cultural Arts Alliance’s Facebook pages as well as available on the CAA website following the broadcast.
Recently celebrating their ten year anniversary, The Blue Giraffe has become a fixture in the Walton County Arts scene. In this episode, meet Debbie Taylor and Christi Sheffield, the dynamic mother-daughter duo behind The Blue Giraffe. Enjoy a glimpse into their colorful, happy gallery while learning more about…