Sally
Beach Fanatic
By David Magliano
The Western Walton County Beach Restoration Project will resume soon, and the Tourist Development Council has much more beach it would like to restore. Where the $50 million in needed funding will come from, however, may be a concern.
The TDC expects the Walton County Board of County Commissioners to vote in January on whether to approve 12.9 miles of beach restoration along 30A.
Those beaches became in need of restoration following Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005. The TDC estimates that the cost will be between $50 million and $60 million.
The TDC uses money from bed taxes to pay for beach restoration. The four percent bed tax is collected on hotel rentals, and therefore paid almost entirely by tourists. For a project this large, however, the county will need a new source of income.
?We will look to see how far the bed tax revenue will stretch,? said Brad Pickel, director of beach management for the TDC. ?It will be used as far as it can stretch, and we will look at what other funding sources are available.?
The timing of the project could determine what funds are needed when.
First, the 30A project needs to be approved by the BCC. If approved, the county will begin seeking permits, which can take years to acquire. Once actual construction can begin, restoration of the entire 12.9 miles can be finished in a year.
But to complete construction in one year, the needed $50 million to $60 million will need to be collected and paid during that time. The TDC only collects approximately $2.5 million annually in bed taxes.
Pickel said those funds are not going to be enough.
?Those funds are not sufficient to cover additional projects,? said Pickel.
Bed tax money is further tied up due to the current Western Walton Restoration Project. Walton County needed to take an $8 million loan to raise the needed funds. The loan is against future bed tax revenue, which makes using such a loan again diffi cult.
?It?s going to be hard to reconcile that that funding source alone will be able to secure that bonding,? Pickel said.
While other funding will be needed, Pickel said it is too early to say for sure where the TDC will fi nd it.
One priority, Pickel said, is to still only use money that does not come from Walton County residents. The county will seek state grants, which are being used in the current restoration project.
Another possible option, he said, is the use of a Municipal Service Benefi t Unit. An MSBU is a type of financing where residents fund a public project if they will receive benefi t from its completion.
MSBUs have been used in other parts of Florida. They require the affected property owners to approve their use through a majority vote.
The TDC can only speculate at this point, said Pickel, as it will not specifically decide on funding until the council knows exactly what the project will be, and if it will go forward at all.
He doesn?t want to guess as to what the county commission will decide, but Pickel said the BCC has been supportive of beach restoration efforts.
The erosion from the hurricanes have caused the beaches to become extremely low. One day of heavy rain and wind can cause some of the beaches to become submerged.
Tropical storms will erode the beaches even further, causing structural damage that Pickel said can be prevented through beach restoration.
The TDC plans to hold a public meeting in December to discuss the 30A project and address concerns citizens may have, while forming a specifi c plan to present to the BCC in January.
The Western Walton County Beach Restoration Project will resume soon, and the Tourist Development Council has much more beach it would like to restore. Where the $50 million in needed funding will come from, however, may be a concern.
The TDC expects the Walton County Board of County Commissioners to vote in January on whether to approve 12.9 miles of beach restoration along 30A.
Those beaches became in need of restoration following Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005. The TDC estimates that the cost will be between $50 million and $60 million.
The TDC uses money from bed taxes to pay for beach restoration. The four percent bed tax is collected on hotel rentals, and therefore paid almost entirely by tourists. For a project this large, however, the county will need a new source of income.
?We will look to see how far the bed tax revenue will stretch,? said Brad Pickel, director of beach management for the TDC. ?It will be used as far as it can stretch, and we will look at what other funding sources are available.?
The timing of the project could determine what funds are needed when.
First, the 30A project needs to be approved by the BCC. If approved, the county will begin seeking permits, which can take years to acquire. Once actual construction can begin, restoration of the entire 12.9 miles can be finished in a year.
But to complete construction in one year, the needed $50 million to $60 million will need to be collected and paid during that time. The TDC only collects approximately $2.5 million annually in bed taxes.
Pickel said those funds are not going to be enough.
?Those funds are not sufficient to cover additional projects,? said Pickel.
Bed tax money is further tied up due to the current Western Walton Restoration Project. Walton County needed to take an $8 million loan to raise the needed funds. The loan is against future bed tax revenue, which makes using such a loan again diffi cult.
?It?s going to be hard to reconcile that that funding source alone will be able to secure that bonding,? Pickel said.
While other funding will be needed, Pickel said it is too early to say for sure where the TDC will fi nd it.
One priority, Pickel said, is to still only use money that does not come from Walton County residents. The county will seek state grants, which are being used in the current restoration project.
Another possible option, he said, is the use of a Municipal Service Benefi t Unit. An MSBU is a type of financing where residents fund a public project if they will receive benefi t from its completion.
MSBUs have been used in other parts of Florida. They require the affected property owners to approve their use through a majority vote.
The TDC can only speculate at this point, said Pickel, as it will not specifically decide on funding until the council knows exactly what the project will be, and if it will go forward at all.
He doesn?t want to guess as to what the county commission will decide, but Pickel said the BCC has been supportive of beach restoration efforts.
The erosion from the hurricanes have caused the beaches to become extremely low. One day of heavy rain and wind can cause some of the beaches to become submerged.
Tropical storms will erode the beaches even further, causing structural damage that Pickel said can be prevented through beach restoration.
The TDC plans to hold a public meeting in December to discuss the 30A project and address concerns citizens may have, while forming a specifi c plan to present to the BCC in January.
