Comprehensive Plan items are scheduled for FINAL ADOPTION on the June 12 Board of County Commissioners Agenda:
Drafts are available here or will be soon: https://www.co.walton.fl.us/1171/Agendas-and-Minutes

Conservation Element (Substantively Revised)
Coastal Management Element (New Element)
Housing Element (Substantively Revised)
Economic Development Element (Deleted)
Recreation, Open Space and Greenways Element (Substantively Revised)

In addition the following implementing Land Development Code Chapter is scheduled for FINAL ADOPTION at the June 12 Board of County Commissioners Meeting:

Chapter 4 – Resource Protection Standards.
Comprehensive Plan changes.

Drafts are available here or will be soon: https://www.co.walton.fl.us/1171/Agendas-and-Minutes

The June 12 meeting will begin at 4:00 PM and will be at the South Walton Annex, 31 Coastal Centre Blvd, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Also please plan on attending one or both of upcoming workshops where we will be discussing Chapter 5 of the Land Development Code, so many good ideas have come from our wonderful community so let’s keep this going! Chapter 5 is where we will address things like design and development standards, compatibility measures, setbacks, parking etc.

These workshops are scheduled for June 19 and June 26 at 6:00 PM -South Walton Annex, 31 Coastal Centre Blvd, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459.

1) Section 4.00.01 amended for consistency with State Statute. The County cannot
require State and Federal permitting prior to development permitting, except in the
case of building permitting.

2) Section 4.01.03 Wetlands: This Section has been amended for consistency with the
Comprehensive Plan, specifically the allowable density in filled wetland areas. In addition some flexibility is provided for better administration of the Secondary Wetland Protection Zone which is the 25 ft wetland buffer area. This flexibility is for
driveways and for a 40% encroachment in cases where strict adherence would result in wetland impact of permitting. Finally, all Secondary Wetland Protection
Zones must be located off-lot in common areas.

3) Section 4.01.04 Creates a density bonus only for large scale PUDs (100 acres +) for the creation, restoration and enhancement of wetlands.

4) Section 4.02.00 Coastal Resource Protection. This section establishes the Coastal Protection Zone, the Coastal Dune Lake Protection Zone, and the Coastal High
Hazard Area. There are no substantive changes to these coastal projection zones, however, the requirements related to the “Coastal Building Zone” have been deleted.
These regulations are not utilized as the Floodplain regulations and Florida Building Code are. Development is prohibited within the Coastal High Hazard Area per
statute.

5) Section 4.02.03 Coastal Dune Lake Protection Zone: Conflicting language related to septic tanks was merged. Septic tanks are prohibited where central sewer is available and in cases where it is not, drain fields must be located at least 100 feet from the ordinary or mean high water line.

6) Old Sections 4.04.05, in part, related to potable water connections are proposed to be relocated to the chapter of the LDC that is related to concurrency.

7) Floodplain protection regulations are relocated to end of Chapter for usability, no change.

8) Section 4.05.01 Natural Community Preservation language has been updated to reflect most recent nomenclature and to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
Significant change is the incentive of only being able to use the buy out option when preservation is provided for in common areas or off-lot (subsection 7, page 62).

9) Section 4.05.03 creates a density bonus for large PUDs (greater than 100 acres)
that restore or create protected natural communities.Land Development Code Chapter 4 – Natural Resource Protection Major Revisions