30A and the future
As a Florida native, having seen the cyclical ups and the downs that come with a tourist based economy, having lived with complete and utter traffic disasters that happen as a result of poor or no planning, having watched natural beauty being quickly mowed down and paved also as a result of poor planning, I sincerely hope our community leaders, being swayed by the voices of their constituents, will look around the rest of the state and do whatever we can to make sure that we don't just become another overcrowded, paved, stripmalled, honky tonk. I really don't think that is in the 30A DNA but we have to be careful. Once a special place is "discovered" it is easy to succumb to marketing madness with everyone grabbing until there is nothing left but ugly.
The locals are restless for accountability and action. I hope our county commissioners listen to the folks that call South Walton home. They have in the past. That is why we have a 50" height limit and that height limit has made all the difference in the world here. It is one of the reasons people call our 30A special; why they want to be a part of it. The decisions our county commissioners make right now affect the quality of life for the whole county, forever. The 30A corridor,Walton County's golden goose, is under a lot of pressure these days. If we continue to invite everyone to visit then we should not be unhappy that everyone does. But we don't have the infrastructure to handle the pressure and unless we want to blend into our neighbors in Destin and PCB, we really have to get a grip on our future. Unbridled growth has ruined so many beautiful places in Florida. I've seen it, we all have. Let's make sure we take care of Scenic Highway 30A, and everything surrounding it, so the poor little road doesn't simply collapse from the weight of the strain. Our economy is based on tourism and we should continue to embrace that with gratitude and our unique southern coastal hospitality. However our first priority should be the care of our community and the things that make it special, i.e. the dune lakes, the forest, the bike path, the beaches and all the living things that reside here. That is why visitors come here and maybe more importantly, why so many return. If that is our priority, we will have no trouble attracting the right kind of visitors to our community; and it won't cost a lot of money to keep them.
I hope the next TDC Director will understand the very valuable concept of "rare and special". We should take care that we do not lose that, managing our resources properly now to make sure 30A is welcoming and desirable for ourselves and for our guests, well into the future.
The locals are restless for accountability and action. I hope our county commissioners listen to the folks that call South Walton home. They have in the past. That is why we have a 50" height limit and that height limit has made all the difference in the world here. It is one of the reasons people call our 30A special; why they want to be a part of it. The decisions our county commissioners make right now affect the quality of life for the whole county, forever. The 30A corridor,Walton County's golden goose, is under a lot of pressure these days. If we continue to invite everyone to visit then we should not be unhappy that everyone does. But we don't have the infrastructure to handle the pressure and unless we want to blend into our neighbors in Destin and PCB, we really have to get a grip on our future. Unbridled growth has ruined so many beautiful places in Florida. I've seen it, we all have. Let's make sure we take care of Scenic Highway 30A, and everything surrounding it, so the poor little road doesn't simply collapse from the weight of the strain. Our economy is based on tourism and we should continue to embrace that with gratitude and our unique southern coastal hospitality. However our first priority should be the care of our community and the things that make it special, i.e. the dune lakes, the forest, the bike path, the beaches and all the living things that reside here. That is why visitors come here and maybe more importantly, why so many return. If that is our priority, we will have no trouble attracting the right kind of visitors to our community; and it won't cost a lot of money to keep them.
I hope the next TDC Director will understand the very valuable concept of "rare and special". We should take care that we do not lose that, managing our resources properly now to make sure 30A is welcoming and desirable for ourselves and for our guests, well into the future.
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