As Scenic Walton carries out its mission of maintaining and improving the quality of life for our citizens in Walton County, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit continually experiences challenges
in pursuing infrastructure projects due to a lack of available funding. The organization has come to understand how limited the funding currently available is to the county and municipalities to address transportation needs in a large-scale way and in a timely fashion. The group strongly believes there is a significant backlog of projects needed to address existing congestion, safety and access needs that are considerably overdue as well as a long list of projects necessary to address the current and future growth of the county.
The Scenic Walton board of directors recently voted to support the proposed one-cent surtax for transportation infrastructure projects on the ballot in November 2022. The board supports the much-needed improvements to, as well as the addition of, transportation facilities throughout Walton County that are currently considered shovel-ready projects identified by the Walton County Transportation Committee. “Our understanding is the implementation of the sales tax will generate funding that can be used for not only badly needed roadway projects throughout the entire County, but also for pedestrian and cyclist facilities and roadway landscaping,” said Executive Director, Leigh Moore. “Not only are these critical tenets of our mission at Scenic Walton, but they are also important projects to promote safety, better health outcomes, quality of place and the general welfare of our communities.”
Scenic Walton led the community effort to make the pedestrian/cyclist underpass project in Inlet Beach at the busy intersection of US 98 and CR 30A happen, and construction is progressing! With a great deal of effort on the part of the citizens and nonprofits involved, the Walton County Board of
County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council, the Florida Department of Transportation and our state representatives, this life-saving piece of infrastructure is scheduled for completion during summer of 2023. The organization wants to see many more great transportation projects like this one built throughout the county as quickly as possible, and they believe the transportation infrastructure referendum is the best way to get there.
Although no one wants more taxes in general, the organization feels the proposed sales tax will impact the average citizen’s wallet the least and spread the burden among residents, visitors and businesses the most equitably. Tackling congestion, safety and access issues is critical to maintaining and improving the quality of life of Walton County’s residents and the strength of the local economy, and Scenic Walton believes the proposed sales tax is the best way to address our current and future needs.
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ABOUT SCENIC WALTON
Scenic Walton is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that pursues safety and beautification projects and programs in Walton County, Florida in the areas of landscaping roadway medians, undergrounding utilities, building well connected pedestrian and cyclist facilities, reducing litter, and promoting excellent standards of development design. Through the pursuit of these activities, the organization’s goals are to bring about a better quality of life, a more robust business environment and higher property values for Walton County citizens while preserving the beauty of the natural environment of the county. For more information, visit www.scenicwalton.org.
Author: South Walton Life Staff
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