Walton County reinstates Highway 98 scenic-corridor enforcement, grandfathering one business

Walton County commissioners voted to reinstate enforcement of scenic-corridor standards along Highway 98, ending an abatement that had been in place more than a year. The board also agreed to a single grandfathering exception for a storefront identified in the meeting as Heirloom Donuts.

Commissioners said enforcement was initially paused during litigation and while broader code revisions were being prepared. "We abated as it was relative to 30A, and that came up at the exact same time," said Speaker 8, describing why Highway 98 had been included in the earlier abatement. After discussion about consistency and potential for other businesses to seek similar exceptions, Speaker 5 moved to reinstate enforcement while allowing Heirloom Donuts to remain as the lone, grandfathered exception; the motion passed by voice vote.

Members voiced concerns about setting a precedent. Speaker 4 noted that if the board allows one exception it could invite others and emphasized the need for consistency in enforcement; the board discussed whether the permitted exception should be limited only to the existing Heirloom Donuts location. No formal roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

The transcript contains inconsistent spellings for the business name ("Heirloom donuts" and variants). The board's motion as recorded in the meeting approved reinstatement with the stated exception. Implementation will require code-enforcement staff to resume inspections and apply the scenic-corridor standards except where the board explicitly grandfathered the existing location.