By DOTTY NIST
The Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) has voted in favor of expenditures from its bed tax revenue for new water rescue equipment and for deployment of artificial reef structures off Grayton Beach.
The decisions took place at the TDC’s June 2 bimonthly meeting at the TDC office meeting room.
Capt. Audie Rowell of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) brought forward the request for funding of two jet skis and trailers, life vests, flotation devices, and training equipment for the use of deputies for water rescue in the gulf.
Rowell explained that deputies are not lifeguards and are not required to enter the water—but that at times they do so to rescue people in trouble when there is no lifeguard available.
The TDC currently funds lifeguard services as part of a beach safety program, with lifeguards manning towers at nine regional public beach accesses from spring through late September.
Rowell said that two jet skis and trailers at a cost of $12,000 each had been requested in the WCSO budget but had been cut from the budget. He said plans had been for one jet ski and trailer to be positioned at the Whale’s Tail in Miramar Beach and the other one at Rosemary Beach.
TDC Vice Chair/District 5 Commissioner Cindy Meadows motioned for approval to recommend a $13,393.50 expenditure of TDC funds to the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), whose final approval would be required. The motion included outfitting of WCSO deputies with water rescue life vests, rescue boards, and other water rescue and water rescue training equipment but did not include the jet skis and trailers that had been discussed. The motion was conditioned on a legislative finding, if needed, that this would be an allowable expenditure of bed tax funds per state law.
Also garnering a favorable recommendation from the council members was a request by Andy McAlexander of South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) for up to $150,000 in TDC funding for deployment of artificial reef structures within a permitted snorkel reef site off Grayton Beach.
Plans are for 15 to 18 of the structures to be deployed on July 1 within the 200′ x 800′ site, which is located about 350 feet south of Grayton Beach State Park.
There was discussion of $1.5 million that has been promised for artificial reef deployment in Walton County through the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) process and whether it would be advisable to wait for these funds to be provided.
McAlexander commented that the NRDA funds had been promised months ago and that there is no guarantee when they will be available. He also explained that these funds will provide for just 16 percent of SWARA’s near-shore reef plan.
TDC member Art Miller said he did not see a problem with the deployment of a limited number of reefs but advised that it would make sense to undertake the reef program “in small pieces” to gauge its impact and possibly make adjustments to the plan based on results. He cautioned that lack of parking for people accessing the reefs could possibly present a problem.
Meadows urged for the TDC not to be the agency that holds up a good project. She motioned to recommend the $150,000 expenditure for deployment of reefs to the BCC.
Meadows’ motion carried in a 5-2 vote, with Miller and TDC Chair Tim Norris voting no and TDC member Jim Richard, who sits on the SWARA board, abstaining.
Information on SWARA and its artificial reef plan is available on the organization’s web site, www.waltonreefs.org.
Among other action at the June 2 meeting, a recommendation was approved for the third and final renewal of Zehnder Communications’ contract for advertising/media services to the TDC. There was a recommendation, as well, to amend the contract with ValleyCrest Landscaping funded by the TDC for maintenance of the multi-use paths in south Walton County. The amendment was to include the parallel parking area adjacent to the Whale’s Tail and that adjacent to Embassy Suites/the Amalfi condominium, both located along Scenic Gulf Drive, at an additional annual cost of $14,100.
Approval was recommended for event sponsorship grant funding, focusing on the shoulder season, including $500,000 for south Walton County events plus a $25,000 contingency fund and $27,000 for north Walton County events plus a $2,500 contingency fund.
There was a recommendation to request permission from the BCC to advertise for bids for the beach safety (lifeguard) contract funded by the TDC due to the date for renewal of the contract approaching.
A recommendation to the BCC of a coastal management contract negotiated with Taylor Engineering at an annual cost of approximately $180,000 was also approved.
As part of an update on beach operations, TDC Beach Operations Director Brian Kellenberger reported on bike racks to be placed at regional and neighborhood public beach accesses. To display the Visit South Walton logo, these metal racks, he explained, will be expandable and capable of being grouped together to provide the appropriate area for bike parking at each access. Installation of the racks in planned for mid-July to early August.
Among other updates, Kellenberger also announced plans to install four new interpretive signs along the multi-use path at four coastal lakes, including Deer Lake, Eastern Lake, Alligator Lake, and Stallworth Lake.
TDC action items are subject to final consideration by the BCC in public session.
