Walton County commissioners recess to executive session over ROC Interest LLC lawsuit

The Walton County Board of County Commissioners recessed into an executive session at 11:30 AM on Nov. 24, 2025, at the South Walton Annex to receive legal advice in the litigation identified in the transcript as ROC Interest LLC v. Walton County (cited in the record as a 2025 circuit court case). An unidentified presiding speaker invoked Florida Statute 286.011(8) to justify the closed session and said the county’s attorney and staff would receive counsel on strategy and anticipated expenses.

The commission named legal staff who would attend the closed session: Clay Atkinson, county attorney; assistant county attorneys Matthew Richardson and Frankie White; and county administrator Brian Kellenberger. Commissioners present who identified themselves for the record were Tony Anderson (District 5), Danny Glindwell (District 2), Dan Curry (District 1) and Donna Johns (District 4).

The presiding speaker told the record the executive session would be recorded by a court reporter and that a transcript would be filed with the county clerk and made available to the public at the conclusion of the litigation discussed. The speaker estimated the executive session would take approximately 30 minutes. A motion to recess the public meeting and convene in executive session was made and seconded; the motion was approved on a voice vote.

The meeting reconvened in public session at 12:04 PM, and a motion to adjourn was subsequently made, seconded and approved. No public action related to the litigation was recorded in the public minutes following the executive session.

Record excerpts show the procedural steps taken to move into and out of closed session and identify the litigation topic and attending legal staff. The commission did not announce any formal decisions or public votes on the litigation during the public reconvening; the transcript indicates the meeting adjourned after the executive session.