Special Magistrate Hayward Dykes orders Walton County properties to register as short‑term rentals or face $500-a-day fines
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Summary
At a Feb. 25, 2026 Walton County code compliance hearing, Special Magistrate Hayward Dykes found three properties in violation of the Walton County Land Development Code for failing to hold short‑term vacation rental certificates and ordered deadlines, daily fines and administrative fees.
Special Magistrate Hayward Dykes ordered three Walton County properties to come into compliance with the county’s short‑term vacation rental certificate requirements or face a $500-a-day fine.
Hayward Dykes, the special magistrate presiding over the Feb. 25 code compliance hearing, said, “Based on the testimony and evidence presented, there is sufficient evidence to find that the property is in violation of 1.13.0.16(a), short term vacation rental certificate requirements,” and signed orders setting compliance deadlines and administrative fees.
Why it matters: Walton County enforces local registration for properties that advertise as short‑term rentals; failure to register can lead to daily fines and added administrative fees. The county presented evidence from online listings and affidavits showing the properties were advertised on platforms such as Airbnb, VRBO and Booking.com.
Justin Sloan, Walton County code compliance officer, told the magistrate, “I am Walton County code compliance officer Justin Sloan. I am presenting final summary reports and testimony for all the cases on today's agenda,” and explained that evidence included certified mail notices, affidavits of verification and screenshots of rental listings captured by county staff.
What the magistrate ordered: - Case CESTR26-00015 (1391 South County Highway 393; owner Thomas Wynn): compliance required by March 27, 2026; $500-per-day fine if not brought into compliance; $83.16 administrative fee. Dykes accepted an affidavit and Airbnb printouts as evidence and entered an order to that effect.
- Case CESTR26-00026 (144 South Wall Street, Inlet Beach; owners Robert and Deborah Hines): compliance required on or before Feb. 27, 2026 (48 hours from the hearing); $500-per-day fine if not complied with; $83.16 administrative fee. The county presented a VRBO posting and affidavit; Dykes found sufficient evidence of a violation.
- Case CESTR26-00036 (20 Seacroft Road; Laird Point Investors LLC): compliance required on or before Feb. 27, 2026; $500-per-day fine if not complied with; $83.16 administrative fee and a 30-day window to pay the administrative fee. The county introduced an Airbnb posting and affidavit into the record.
- Case CESTR26-00044 (8896 East County Highway; Nava Enterprises LLC): compliance required on or before Feb. 27, 2026; $500-per-day fine if not complied with; $95.24 administrative fee and a 30-day payment window. County staff submitted booking.com postings and affidavits as evidence.
Sloan summarized the county’s enforcement standard: evidence was gathered by county staff and included certified notices and online advertising captured by the county’s monitoring program. He stated that compliance may be achieved either by removing rental advertisements or by registering the property with the county’s short‑term rental program.
The magistrate closed the evidence portions of each hearing, made findings of fact and conclusions of law for each file, signed the final order on the record and adjourned the hearing.
Next steps: Each property owner must either register with the county or remove online advertisements by the dates specified in the orders to avoid the daily fines; administrative fees noted in each order also become due and the magistrate’s orders will be entered into the record.
