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County attorneys say new state law won’t change Walton rulings immediately; renourishment remains long-term path to broaden public beach rights
Summary
County officials told the Board of County Commissioners that state legislation changing customary-use law will not undo Walton County’s earlier court rulings but could make beach renourishment a clearer path to broader public access in the future.
A complex legal fight over public beach access and vending returned to the Walton County agenda on May 13 as commissioners and county attorneys discussed state legislation, the county’s prior customary-use litigation, and how beach renourishment relates to public access.
County Attorney Clay Atkinson told the board that Senate Bill 1622 (the recent legislative action) does not retroactively change judgments already entered in Walton County’s customary-use litigation. “Legally nothing changes on the Walton County beaches the day the governor signs this bill,” Atkinson said, explaining that Walton’s customary-use litigation has already produced judgments and that those results remain in force.
Why it matters: Atkinson and other officials said the bill could change how future beach restoration projects are treated by the state and might make it administratively easier for the county to pursue renourishment projects…
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