Property Managers working for fair regulation
Walton County, FL, has seen exponential growth over the past few years – both in residential and in business sectors. Short term rentals, also referred to as vacation rentals, are one of the hottest trends along Florida’s Emerald Coast.
This thread is meant to keep folks updated on the efforts of local property managers who are working diligently to ensure our voices are heard – we want fair and enforceable regulation. We also live, eat, and play in these same communities as our visitors and other concerned locals.

QUICK LINKS
County Website link for STR Updates: https://www.co.walton.fl.us/1318/Short-Term-Rental-Issues
Walton County STR Playbook for Property Managers and Owners (still under construction): tinyurl.com/
Walton County STR Website for Property Managers and Owners (still under construction): https://waltoncountystr.godaddysites.com/
1/17/23 UPDATE
The STR Ordinance is up next week in front of the BCC for a final hearing. If approved, this will go in effect this year. Please, please, please get involved. Share this meeting. Be present and please speak (if you feel comfortable) for the public comment section. This is our last chance, my friends. Let’s be kind, factual, and bold – we need to protect the very thing we love: our short term rental industry.
- The Florida Residential Code (this is a building code that the County uses for construction permitting and inspections) governs single family units and duplexes up to three stories.
- The Florida Building Code (again used by the County for construction permitting and inspections) governs ANYTHING over four stories AND sprinkler systems are required. This includes single family and would include STRs.
- Any triplex building (3 unit) or multifamily building over three units is governed by the Florida Building Code. If such units are 3 stories or more, a sprinkler system is required. This would include STRs.
https://walton.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=1523
1/5/23 UPDATE
10/27/22 UPDATE
10/20/22 UPDATE
WHERE: 842 FL-20 Unit 110, Freeport, FL 32439
9/8/22 UPDATE
We have action – please be aware:
WHEN: WED 9/14/22 4pm CT
WHERE: Freeport Board Room – 842 FL-20 Unit 110, Freeport, FL 32439
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Kristen’s update 9/8/22:
The revised proposed Short Term Vacation Rental Ordinance is scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission on September 14 (Wednesday), 2022. Please note the revised schedule for this meeting. I have attached the draft as well as the proposed ordinance related to single family residential stormwater. These two ordinances should be considered together and will travel together to the upcoming Planning Commission meeting as well as to the Board of County Commissioners meetings, potentially in October. This is a revised version from the one I sent out previously with some typo corrections etc, however, no substantive changes.
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We’ve definitely given time for neighbors to tune in. Your continued participation to ensure fair regulation is provided is crucial to our future success with government regulation. I recently spoke to some CO PM’s who also said, “they’ll never regulate us”, and the things they are facing right now are business-threatening. Let’s continue to work as a united front… because this is only the beginning of a long journey, my friends!
8/17/22 UPDATE
I received the email below from Kristen in Planning this week:
Good afternoon, please find the latest revision to the proposed Short Term Vacation Rental ordinance. The following is a summary of the changes included in this draft:
- Removes the 4,800 sq ft review process for Residential Preservation and Conservation Residential zoning districts, all projects are as is today at the Building Plans Review level
- Amends the required parking ratio for both permanent residences and short term rentals (same ratio for both) in South Walton only – standard is increased to one space per 900 square feet for both in south Walton only and parking is prohibited in the side setback yards for the entire County
- Keeps the parking ratio the same for north Walton for permanent residences (we have less short term rentals and maintaining the cost of housing delivery is desirable), new STRs in north Walton have to meet the 1 space per 900 sq ft ratio
- Permanent resident conversions to STRs will have to reduce occupancy based on available parking, reduce the number of vehicles to the rental based on available parking (on street parking is prohibited), or add more parking- these option are important as some units will not be able to add more parking due to DO, site, stormwater or other constraints. In order to maintain statutory compliance where STRs are not outright prohibited, the options are necessary
- All life safety, advertising, responsible party, unit postings (internal and external) ,and certificate requirements remain the same
- Revisions to the single family residential stormwaterordinance are also in motion that look at different stormwater requirements by ISR
I do not currently have a meeting schedule but will send an update when this has been determined.
8/5/22 UPDATE
7/26/22 UPDATE
My heart was happy, happy, happy this morning <3 When I don’t have a place to sit, I’m literally full of excitement.
7/21/22 UPDATE
Attached is the most recent draft ordinance the Planning Department is working off of that will go in front of the BCC on July 26th.
What happens next?
- The first hearing was held on June 27, 2022. There was one public comment made regarding the STR ordinance.
- On July 26, 2022, at 9a in South Walton Annex, the BCC will host the second hearing. If approved, my understanding is that the ordinance will be taken for a final vote in August for implementation.
- If you have any public comment to make, it needs to be made at the beginning of the meeting. The meeting schedule will be released sometime today on the County website (and typically on their FB page).
- If someone speaks during public comment, and you agree with what they say, please still pop up to the box, say your name, and simply confirm that you agree with XYZ person. Do not feel the need to repeat what was just said, however showing your (1) support and (2) respecting the County Commissioner’s time is highly respected >> this was advice given to me directly from a CC this week.
I have been able to speak with a couple of the Commissioners. I don’t want to put words in someone’s mouth, but from my interactions with them, I can tell you they are willing to listen. We need everyone to speak their concerns, and possibly, just quite possibly, we’ll get backing. Commissioners aren’t going to fight this for us, however with proper education and fact-sharing, I believe we can promote some adjustments to this ordinance that you all would like to see, even beyond what we discussed in our meetings.
We can make movement, but it is going to require us all working together as a team.
I look forward to seeing each and every one of you next week on the 26th. I know the concerned neighbors will be there. Please don’t leave me alone in the room with all of them 🙂
7/8/22 UPDATE
6/24/22 UPDATE
Where: South Walton Annex Board Room – 31 Coastal Centre Blvd, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
Game Plan: BCC meeting. If this ordinance is approved at this BCC meeting, it will go for final vote in July and be enacted. Time. Is. Now.
6/23/22 UPDATE
I just received the email below from Kristen – also, see attachments. I have not had a moment to look at this. I’ll review in the next 24 hours and reply with anything I see concerning as well as the notes from our meeting back on 6/15/22 in Seascape. We are last on the BCC schedule on 6/27/22:
There are some changes in this version that are new, specifically exempting rental units in which the owner lives in full time and clarifications to the inspections language. This draft also includes the changes recommended by the Planning Commission and changes recommended after legal review. Additional changes to the ordinance may or may not result from Monday’s meeting.”
6/10/22 UPDATE
I have scheduled a space in Seascape for us to meet next week. I need everyone to RSVP if you will be there or need to cancel so we can ensure the correct number of chairs are placed.
Where: Seascape Conference Room – 556 Seascape Dr, Miramar Beach, FL 32550 (Directions: when pulling into the Resort from Highway 98, let the guard gate know you are coming for the meeting at the Conference Room. Drive forward. You’ll pass by the golf course and go through the stop sign. There is a medium-sized parking lot on the corner, across from Ariel Dunes 1 & 2. . . normally bikes are out there as well. Park in that lot and walk into the small building.)
Game Plan: Review newest draft & changes. Gather a cohesive stance before the June 27 BCC meeting.
5/26/22 UPDATE
I have 2 corrections for everyone:
#1, from Kristen at Planning:
The draft ordinance is tentatively scheduled to have a first reading before the Board of County Commissioners on MONDAY June 27, 2022 (not June 28) at the regularly scheduled meeting held in the South Walton Annex. This is a first reading; it will be advertised correctly and heard again at a second advertised meeting potentially in July, pending the outcome of the June 27, 2022 meeting. Both meetings will be held in South Walton.
5/20/22 UPDATE
We have some updates! As you all are all aware, on 4/14/22, the Planning Commission approved the ordinance with the following (2) suggestions to be changed:
- Requiring an on-premise sign with the emergency contact phone number
- Reducing the required response time for the locally available responsible party from two hours to one hour (will be presented to the BCC as a recommendation from the Planning Commission) >>This means you now have 1 hour to get to your Vacation Rental (instead of 2) otherwise, you could face TBD penalties!
Attached is a release of the newest draft ordinance the Planning Department is working off of. Please review and make your notes for our next meeting. What do you like? Not like? Can’t live with?
What happens next?
- The above draft is tentatively scheduled to have a first reading before the Board of County Commissioners on June 28, 2022 at the regularly scheduled meeting held in the South Walton Annex >> If this is approved, it will go to a second reading before voting to pass
- Planning Department is continuing to work through implementation and is preparing a financial analysis of this program that will be presented to the BCC along with the proposed ordinance.
THE TIME IS NOW. In case you haven’t heard me preaching from the rooftop lately, THE TIME IS NOW (not later…)
What I need from you: If you are willing to publicly share any community involvement your business has in Walton County, please respond (DO NOT REPLY ALL!) with details. We need stories. Does your team sponsor a school baseball team? Do you donate to a local non-profit (money or food)? Anything. Everything. Give me your good PR that I can wrap into a package to show our positive footprint.
4/20/22 UPDATE
I wanted to catch you all up to speed on our continued advocacy for fair regulation in Walton County. Please keep in mind these are my personal opinions/suggestions only:
4/14/22 UPDATE
During the 4/14/22 meeting, the Planning Commission approved the ordinance with the following proposed changes:
- Requiring and on premise sign with the emergency contact phone number (included in this draft)
- Reducing the required response time for the locally available responsible party from two hours to one hour (will be presented to the BCC as a recommendation from the Planning Commission)
4/5/22 UPDATE
I have a few updates:
3/29/22 UPDATE
We had a productive meeting today. I’m so thankful for those of you who could join us and surely missed others who had prior obligations. The momentum is forward-moving and positive.
- Sergeant Mark Wendel from WCSO spoke to us about the PCB incidents and Destin take-overs. Please report any suspicious activity to WCSO/OCSO and feel free to reach out with any concerns you may have as an operator. They are here to help. We’ll hopefully see Sgt. Wendel at future meetings as this is a very important relationship to have, and he shared some invaluable insight with us. He also has some postcard-size fliers available regarding safety as well as golf cart stickers. We need to do our part and help with guest-education. This is step 1.
- Brian Kellenberger, Dir. of Beach Operations and interim TDC Director, also joined us. He had great advice and words of encouragement to our group in continuing to advocate for fair regulation.
- The group of property managers and a self-operator Owner had a great walk through of the 2nd Draft Ordinance. We took each section item-by-item (similar to our last meeting) and discussed advantages and concerns. From here, I will be populating all of our comments to each section. We are waiting to hear back from the Planning Dept on their next steps so we can plan how we need to move forward, but the idea will be that we will formulate a response letter and have it signed by as many Property Managers/Owners/Operators as we can. We need to come together as a unified voice.
2/24/22 UPDATE
Happy Thursday, Everyone! The 2nd draft to the ordinance has been posted: https://www.co.walton.
1/28/22 UPDATE
1/14/22 UPDATE
4 points to catch you up below…keeping it short and simple!
1) I wanted to make sure you all were aware of a meeting open to the public on January 28th. Please send someone from your team, or heck, send the entire gang! We need our representation here before this ordinance goes too far:
WHAT? TDC Workshop Scheduled
WHEN? January 28, 2022 at 1:30 PM
WHERE? South Walton Annex Board Room (31 Coastal Centre Boulevard, SRB)
2) There is also a survey the County is asking us all to fill out. This survey should not just be filled out by one person – please share with your ENTIRE team. It does not ask for your name/business.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WaltonCountySTR
3) If you aren’t paying attention to what’s happening at the state level in regards to short term rental regulation, you should be. Email me back and we can catch you up to speed. Is it fun stuff to talk about and read through? No. Will it affect your business if its passes? 100%
4) In other news, I met with Sammy from the South Walton Fire District and Jeff from Emergency Management in late December. I think it’s wise that we try to set up a meeting with these gentlemen in February. They both have concerns about short term rentals, and very valid ones. No one wants to see STR go, but they have some great feedback of things we can do to help them (which in turn saves ourselves). I’ll see what I can get coordinated and keep you all posted.
In regards to this ordinance, it seems many of us agree we don’t need it. It won’t help us solve the problems that truly exist. On the other side of the spectrum, a whole budget would need to occur for not only the registration back-end process, but also the compliance side of things – code compliance and for the SW Fire District to perform inspections. Currently, there is no budgeting for the influx of work and inspections they will have, and they, too, are plagued with short staffing issues already. We need to use this thought process to our advantage. “Can the county even manage an ordinance?”
That’s all for now – if any of you have been hard at work with other efforts, I’d love it if you shared. We’re only going to be successful if we work together!
12/7/21 UPDATE
* EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION
* Fair Regulation