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Walton County board approves routine contracts, a housing confirmation and a 30-day extension on Bennett property closing
Summary
The Walton County Board approved multiple routine and project items on Nov. 12, including asbestos removal for the old Thriftway building (up to $75,000), the 2025 county-maintained road index, a Walton County Housing confirmation letter, the Bennett property closing extension for 30 days and several park and boat-ramp repair allocations.
At its Nov. 12 meeting in DeFuniak Springs, the Walton County Board of County Commissioners approved a slate of consent and regular-agenda items spanning public-works, housing and parks.
Key approvals and directions:
- Asbestos-removal and disposal services for the old Thriftway building were authorized not to exceed $75,000 to allow demolition to slab, and staff were authorized to sign required notices of commencement.
- The county's 2025 maintained-road index, including additions, deletions and corrections, was approved.
- The board authorized the chair to sign the Walton County Housing confirmation-of-entity letter, a step to establish the county housing department.
- The board approved a 30-day extension to the Bennett property contract (approx. $12 million, ~600 acres) after title/description issues were found so underwriting and the county surveyor can resolve the defect.
- Parks and public-works projects: the board accepted a low bid to repair the Four Mile Creek/Portland Boat Ramp structure (approximate bid ~$35,000-$40,000) using boat-registration funds; it approved $50,000 from recreation-plat fees for Pitts Bay shore access repairs; and it reallocated $100,000 in rec-plat allocations back into District 1 for immediate park projects.
Why this matters: These votes advance scheduled maintenance, safety and capital projects, and preserve the county's ability to complete property transactions while staff resolve title and underwriting questions.
Next steps: Public-works and parks staff will execute contracts and return with timelines and permitting milestones where required; county administration will follow up on Bennett property title clearance and bring a full closing packet to the board if resolved within the 30-day extension.
