DeFuniak Springs council reopens South 13th Street to ease 331 South congestion

Councilman Glenn Harrison of DeFuniak Springs announced that South 13th Street has been reopened to vehicular traffic, saying the change took place "just a few two or three months back." Harrison said the City Council voted to reopen the street to improve local access and to reduce traffic on State Road 331 South.

Harrison traced the closure to the 1990s, when he said Marvin's Building Supply and Home Center fenced a portion of the plaza and effectively blocked South 13th Street. He said most fencing was removed after the business closed, "except here along 13th Street across behind Pizza Hut, which left the street closed." Harrison said reopening the roadway gives residents who live east of 331 easier access to the plaza, Walgreens and a new small plaza facing 331, and that it also improves access for emergency responders.

"We're here today to explain and remind people that South 13th Street has been reopened," Harrison said. He characterized the council's decision as intended to make travel safer and more convenient for local residents.

The transcript records Harrison saying the council voted to reopen the street, but it does not provide the exact motion language, the names of the mover and seconder, or a vote tally. No other council members or staff spoke on the record in the provided transcript excerpt, and no implementation timeline or follow-up actions were specified.