Walton County magistrate waives fine for Miramar Beach property; three other properties given deadlines or fines

Special Magistrate Hayward Dykes on March 12 presided over Walton County’s monthly code compliance hearing and resolved four cases: he waived a large accrued fine for a Miramar Beach property, and ordered three other properties to obtain permits or face daily fines and administrative fees.

The magistrate’s ruling matters because it ends an accrual of daily fines tied to a post-development order dispute, and it sets explicit compliance deadlines and fines for three separate properties in unincorporated Walton County.

In the first and most contested case, the magistrate granted a full waiver of accrued fines for property listed to Jeffrey Stuckey at 1039 Foreshore Drive, Miramar Beach. Greg Forhand, a code compliance officer, submitted a final summary reporting that a violation under the Walton County Land Development Code (referenced in the record as a post-development order violation) was found on Nov. 15, 2023, and that a $150-per-day fine had been accruing after a compliance deadline in February 2024. Forhand’s summary calculated a 127‑day accrual at $150 per day totaling $19,050. Forhand recommended a 90% reduction to $1,905 and said administrative costs appeared paid.

Attorney Shipman, representing the property owner and noting he also serves as…