Saying it wants to “give residents of South Walton a new, transparent view of a forward-looking vision for our community” a group in favor of making South Walton its own town, says the work is moving forward, albeit delayed.

It had hoped to move forward with a vote on incorporation during the 2017 legislative session, but instead will look to hold a vote in 2018.

In a press release Tuesday, A Better South Walton says it has held more than a dozen public town hall meetings and charter workshops in the last two years, along with more than 25 smaller meetings with various community groups.

The group says “89% of the ad valorem tax revenue that provides financial stability to Walton County is generated in South Walton. Our growing community presents unique challenges that require the community to consider new ideas.”

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The group A Better South Walton held another informational meeting Monday night to present their proposal of incorporation for South Walton and to answer any questions the public might have about the matter, but only a handful of people showed up and even fewer asked questions.

ABSW has now held at least five advertised public town hall-style workshops to inform the public of their reasons and their journey through this process. Some have been well attended, particularly those held on the east end.

“We also had three very productive separate charter workshops that were extremely well attended,” said ABSW President and Attorney David Pleat. “We have also had dozens of meetings with various associations, neighborhoods, service organizations and a large meeting of the Sandestin Owners’ Association Advisory Board Association presidents.”

The group has also individually and sometimes in small groups met with individuals for lunch or meetings to educate and answer questions.

Continue reading at The Walton Sun.

by Julie Cumby for the Rosemary Thymes

The stunning color of the Gulf of Mexico, the pristine white sand beaches, the untouched natural beauty of the state parks and coastal dune lakes, the distinctive character of friendly towns that immediately feel like home – this is South Walton, the community stretching from the Gulf to Choctawhatchee Bay and from Miramar Beach to Inlet Beach. South Walton is a one-of-a-kind destination, more popular now than ever before and experiencing record growth. With this rapid growth that shows no signs of stopping, comes challenges that must be addressed for the long-term preservation and protection of our exceptional community.

A Better South Walton (ABSW) is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to seeking more effective governance and local representation. Focused on preserving and protecting the South Walton community and its unique way of life, ABSW has spent the last 19 months researching incorporation and the impact it would have on South Walton’s residents and visitors.

What would incorporation mean? As a resident of South Walton, it would mean having a stronger say in the decisions that affect our beautiful community and its future growth. As a visitor, it would mean seeing a more active, more local government dedicated to improving an already gorgeous area that ABSW is determined to preserve. Decisions relating to infrastructure, development, long-term planning and traffic alleviation are all pivotal topics that would be addressed by a board of local representatives.

Why is this important? If left on its current course, the growth of South Walton will exceed our ability to control it. Because there has never been a local governing body dedicated solely to South Walton, there are no long-term plans to handle the growth we are experiencing both from visiting guests and an influx of new residents. There has never been a more critical time for change in the community of South Walton.

ABSW has worked closely with an extremely skilled team of consultants to determine the feasibility of incorporating South Walton, define the benefits it would bring to our community and build a strategic action plan to execute this initiative. A feasibility study was conducted and its results concluded that South Walton is a viable candidate for incorporation. The results include a conceptual five-year operational plan for a municipal government based on data collected for the study. The actual plan will be decided by South Walton’s first municipal council, elected by the voting citizens in fall 2017. The feasibility study cited our significant population (over 23,000 estimated residents) and our fiscally strong tax base as strong drivers in this conclusion.

With the feasibility study complete, ABSW set to work drafting a charter summary that would provide the framework for the incorporated municipality of South Walton. Now complete, the charter summary outlines how the governing body will be structured and will include the proposed name for the municipality based on community feedback.

As with every step in this process, community feedback is actively encouraged and elicited. The ABSW initiative is aimed at bringing a stronger voice to the people, so community meetings have been held periodically over the past 19 months to engage residents in this process, answer their questions and gather their feedback. A series of community meetings were held to correspond with the completion of both the feasibility study and the charter summary.

The next step of the incorporation process is the petition. Petition signatures are needed, stating that we, the South Walton community, would like the right to vote on whether or not to incorporate. This is an important classification as this is not a statement of support for incorporation; it is a statement of support for the South Walton community’s opportunity to vote on the issue of incorporation.

ABSW will submit the feasibility study and draft charter to the Florida State Legislature, and petition signatures requesting the right to vote on incorporation in 2017 to our local State Representative. We must show our local State Representative, who will present this request to the legislature on South Walton’s behalf during the 2017 legislative session, that local government and more effective, responsive governance is needed to make South Walton a better community for guests and residents.

Your help is needed to make this happen. Please take a moment to visit www.ABetterSouthWalton.org to learn more about this initiative, research the available documentation and take action by signing the petition, making a donation, or volunteering your time or talent.

Together we can make A Better South Walton.

Local organization hopes for more effective governance and local representation

 
By Julie Kerwin Cumby, printed in theseasidetimes.com

The beauty and enviable lifestyle of Seaside, 30A and South Walton has been attracting residents and visitors to our area for decades. This area continues to grow in popularity. And with it, the need to direct, plan and manage this growth has never been greater.

A Better South Walton (ABSW) is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to seeking more effective governance and local representation. Focused on preserving and protecting the South Walton community and its unique way of life, ABSW has spent the last 19 months researching incorporation and the impact it would have on South Walton’s residents and visitors.

Working closely with a team of consultants, ABSW commissioned a feasibility study that concluded that South Walton is a viable candidate for incorporation. The feasibility study cited our significant population (more than 23,000 estimated residents) and our fiscally strong tax base as strong drivers in this conclusion.

ABSW then drafted a charter summary providing the framework for the incorporated municipality of South Walton. Now complete, the charter summary outlines how the governing body would be structured and includes the proposed name for the municipality based on community feedback.

Once finalized, the charter and feasibility study will be presented to the District 5 state representative in early September 2016.

With every major development in the incorporation process, public meetings are held to inform the South Walton community and engage them in discussions regarding the proposed municipality. The most recent round of town hall meetings presented the key charter provisions and asked for the community’s suggestions for the final version of the charter.

A survey asking South Walton residents for their opinion on a possible name for the proposed municipality was recently conducted online. The survey results and the public’s feedback on the name were considered for inclusion in the final version of the charter.

ABSW encourages everyone to review the completed feasibility study and charter summary and educate themselves on the incorporation process and what it would mean for South Walton.

For more information on ABSW, the incorporation process and how you can get involved by signing the petition, making a donation or volunteering, visit abettersouthwalton.org.

Julie Kerwin Cumby is a marketing communications professional and vice chair of the public relations and marketing committee for A Better South Walton

Rosemary Beach – About 150 people were in attendance at Rosemary Beach Town Hall on Aug. 23 for an update on efforts by the volunteer group A Better South Walton (ABSW) toward providing residents south of the bay with an option for a city government.

Several members of the volunteer group addressed attendees, took input and answered questions.

ABSW President David Pleat encouraged citizens to sign petitions in favor of residents having a vote on the creation of a new municipality in the area south of the bay.

Pleat discussed a charter summary recently completed through the group’s efforts. The document details the structure and other aspects of the government of the incorporated area. As part of the charter summary, a name for the municipality has been selected, the Town of South Walton, Florida.

Pleat revealed that, per the charter summary, the town government would be in the council-manager form with seven council member seats filled by people residing south of the bay. A mayor would be elected at large as the Seat 1 council member.

Three additional council seats would be elected at large, and three would be elected from within the town’s three districts. Districts would include Miramar Beach and Santa Rosa Beach, with the third district being a combination of Point Washington and Rosemary Beach minus Bunker Island.

Continue reading at the Defuniak Herald website.

The group A Better South Walton continues to march forward in its quest to bring incorporation to the southern part of the county.

Roughly 150 people attended Tuesday night’s informational town hall meeting at Rosemary Beach Town Hall that saw a full house and standing room-only crowd.

“Why are we doing this?” ABSW President David Pleat asked rhetorically. “We are passionate about where we live. And if left on its current course, we will lose what makes it special.”

The group made the point that the population of South Walton has doubled in the last 20 years, going from a very rural community to more urban.

“As such, all the communities deserve a municipal form of government to solve their problems,” said ABSW vice president Dave Rauschkolb. “We are one of the largest counties in the state with a population of 63,000.”

The proposed municipality will have 75 square miles and a population of 24,000 from county line to county line.

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