Over the past several months the Team at A Better South Walton has been working hard gathering information about our community. We’ve hired consultants, talked to legislators, and surveyed the community. Now it’s time to share what we’ve learned with you!

On May 9th, 11th and 12th, ABSW will hold 3 community meetings so please Save the Dates. One meeting will be held in the Rosemary Beach Town Hall, and the other two meetings will be held at Grand Boulevard. More information will be coming soon! The meetings will provide detailed, factual information about the community including a conservative analysis of the financial impact and potential benefits of incorporating South Walton as a municipality.

“As our community has grown, so has the need to explore the most efficient and responsive ways to provide for our governance,” said David Pleat, President of ABSW. “Our efforts are ongoing to complete a Feasibility Study that will provide critical information about our South Walton community to aide in assessing our options.”

“Community input is critical to us as we move forward,” said Vice President Dave Rauschkolb. “We want the people of South Walton to have a voice and be heard.  The complexities of preserving and managing a growing South Walton are evident. I can think of no more urgent issue than our working together to secure a future for our community we can all be proud of, a future to hand off to our children and theirs. I believe finding the best way for the citizens of South Walton to govern South Walton is paramount.”

Stay tuned for more information.

Conversation on the subject of incorporating South Walton is about to get serious.

A group calling itself A Better South Walton expects to get a first glance at a feasibility study critiquing the issue in May. If the findings look positive, members plan soon after to begin holding community meetings to make the case for incorporation.

“Something needs to change. We can’t keep going down the same path we’re going,” said Dave Rauschkolb, the vice president of A Better South Walton’s eight-member board of directors.

Walton County boasts a population of about 55,000, but the 20,000-plus living on the south end of the county are only truly represented by one of five county commissioners, said board member Jacquee Markel.

Read the story and the full video on nwfdailynews.com.

“Community input is critical to us as we move forward,” said A Better South Walton Vice President Dave Rauschkolb. A Better South Walton, Inc. (ABSW), a nonprofit organization founded to seek more effective governance and local representation for South Walton, is a volunteer group of individuals concerned about the future of South Walton. Along with exploring South Walton’s options, ABSW has created a survey to be distributed throughout the community to determine the issues most important to the citizens and what they value. The survey will provide citizens with the opportunity to weigh in on infrastructure, governmental representation, natural resources, public services, the built environment and more.

“We want the people of South Walton to have a voice and be heard,” said Rauschkolb. “The complexities of preserving and managing a growing South Walton are evident. I can think of no more urgent issue than our working together to secure a future for our community we can all be proud of, a future to hand off to our children and theirs. I believe finding the best way for our citizens of South Walton to govern South Walton is paramount.” The survey is available on the ABSW website at www.abettersouthwalton.org/faq/ and the Facebook page, A Better South Walton.

“As our community has grown, so has the need to explore the most efficient and responsive ways to provide for our governance,” said David Pleat, president of ABSW. “Our efforts are ongoing to complete the South Walton Feasibility Study that will provide critical information about our South Walton community to aid in assessing our options.” The South Walton Feasibility Study will include detailed, factual information about the community including a conservative analysis of the financial impact and potential benefits of incorporation as a municipality.

After months of searching for experts to author the study and much careful consideration, ABSW has hired Bill Underwood, of Underwood Management Services Group, Inc. and Jon Moyle of the Moyle Law Firm to complete the study document. More information about the South Walton Feasibility Study team, their backgrounds and areas of expertise can be found by visiting the organization’s new website at www.abettersouthwalton.org/the-team/. “Underwood’s strong economic and fiscal analysis background was key to our decision, and Moyle’s deep North Florida roots combined with his extensive work throughout Florida’s communities made his firm a good choice,” Pleat said. “We are currently finalizing an agreement with the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government at the University of Central Florida to review the study when it is complete. We look forward to bringing a fully vetted and reliable feasibility study to the citizens of South Walton in the coming months.” The study will also be reviewed by the Florida League of Cities, a non-partisan organization that promotes success in local governance.

The board of directors of the newly formed nonprofit organization includes President David Pleat, Dave Rauschkolb, Mike Huggins, David Bailey, Leigh Moore, Jacquee Markel and Jennifer Steele. For more information about A Better South Walton, contact info@abettersouthwalton.org. The website also provides additional information about the initiative and newsletter sign-up along with an opportunity for the community to donate and volunteer.

The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce and the ride-sharing service, Uber, announced a partnership Tuesday that will enable tourists and locals alike to take advantage of the hugely successful service.

With the growth along the 30A corridor, traffic and congestion have reached nearly critical levels throughout most of the tourist season along the two-lane stretch of highway. Without a readily available taxi service that can keep up with demand in real time, the likelihood of DUI and drunk driving-caused accidents skyrocket. Uber provides the unique ability to source local residents as a means to help get drunk drivers off the road and decongest the highway by providing affordable access to a safe method of traversing the area.

“Uber will make our roads safer while cutting costs and improving the consumer experience.” – House Representative Matt Gaetz, District 4.

… continue reading the article on mypanhandle.com.

As the number of tourists coming to South Walton continues to climb, and more and more of them choose to make this their home, South Walton is dealing with infrastructure that most agree is inadequate to deal with the numbers.

In an effort to peel back the layers on the infrastructure topic in South Walton, we asked some local residents for their views on the county’s current infrastructure.

Is it adequate?

Which areas are the worst?

… continue reading the article on the Walton Sun website.

From the Confederate flag and offshore drilling to scenic signage and growth management, Dave Rauschkolb is not afraid to tackle the big issues affecting south Walton County — a community he has loved and strived to protect since he opened Bud & Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant in Seaside in 1986. Today, 30 years later, it remains South Walton’s longest established restaurant.

From the beginning, Rauschkolb knew he was a part of something special on 30A. “To be able to be involved in the pioneer phase of a community is an immense opportunity for a 24-year-old kid,” says Rauschkolb. “When you start to do things at that age that already start to make a difference in a community, it gives you confidence.”

That confidence and Rauschkolb’s creative thinking and problem solving naturally led to his involvement in game-changing community initiatives including the Scenic 30A Business Association, the Scenic Pride Initiative, Hands Across the Sand and his most recent undertaking — A Better South Walton.

… continue reading the article on the Emerald Coast Magazine website.

After much discussion and debate, the Walton County Taxpayers Association (WCTA) is backing an incorporation feasibility study for South Walton.

Talks of incorporation were brought to light after the proposed development of a Hampton Inn along 30A caused much concern for residents in the area.

“It drew people together and we realized we didn’t know how to protect ourselves,” said WCTA President Zuma Banks. “It seems important to us to look at the issues in South Walton, and we would like to have more control over what goes on. Incorporation might be a way to do that.”

… continue reading the article on the Walton Sun website.

South Walton County residents are wondering if they would be better served by incorporating and creating a new city/town in Walton County. No one really knows the answer to this question. But all agree the seriousness of the question requires careful, disciplined and methodical analysis. Walton County Taxpayers Association (WCTA) agrees that a slow, thoughtful approach with all avenues explored is the best course. WCTA recommends that no resident make any decision on incorporation until all questions have been thoroughly researched and factually answered.

Earlier this year the local group ‘A Better South Walton’ held community meetings to begin the conversation of “to incorporate or not to incorporate”. Now they are proposing a next step in the research journey – conducting a feasibility study. The feasibility study would layout an analysis of what would be required for incorporation to take place. Some elements of the study include: baselining the size and cost of South Walton and required services, the total cost of incorporation including the tax structure required to support a standalone municipality and the cost of buying services from Walton County. The feasibility study is being conducted now by BJM Consulting, Inc. They have experience on this topic as they have conducted over 20 of these studies for different communities in Florida including Navarre, the Village of Estero and Bonita Springs.

The WCTA Board of Directors has endorsed the Feasibility Study – as a logical next step. When done properly WCTA believes the study will present factual information for South Walton citizens to analyze in helping determine what is best for this area now and in the future. There is a lot to know, a lot to understand and a lot for all South Walton owners and residents to consider.

WCTA encourages all residents to:
1. Support the study and
2. Analyze the findings for themselves.

Unless a feasibility study is done, WCTA suggests that no one should be deciding the future of South Walton County. With the feasibility study, locals will have more data as they assess their county’s fate.

The WCTA is a non-partisan organization with members from both North and South Walton County, representing the entire county. WCTA believes that it is vitally important to stay involved in how our county spends our money, especially as our county and tax base grow. WCTA’s focus is on limiting the role of government and how much money is necessary to provide basic public services to all taxpayers in Walton County. And, WCTA believes that a unified group of individuals can make a difference.

Click here to view the full press release.