COUNTY WORKSHOP ON NRDA Citizens and groups propose use for funds. _____ DEFUNIAK SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL MAY 13 MEETING Votes 3-1 to extend impact fee moratorium for new or expanding   businesses. _____ DFS CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE FORUM Griffith and Work answer questions, state positions. _____ WALTON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MAY 7 MEETING Project funding, budgets [...]

By DOTTY NIST Community members recently got their say on Walton County’s “wish list” of projects proposed for funding through the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) process. This was at a May 7 Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) workshop at the South Walton Courthouse Annex. NRDA is a legal process to determine restoration [...]

By REID TUCKER Extending a moratorium on impact fees sparked a debate among members of the DeFuniak Springs City Council, with new member Mac Carpenter coming out in favor of tabling the issue until June. Councilman Henry Ennis’ motion at the May 13 meeting to extend the suspension of the fees until May 31 of [...]

By REID TUCKER DeFuniak Springs City Council elections are set for next week, and the two Seat 1 candidates got a chance to make a case to the public as to why they should be picked for the job. The candidates, Mac Work and Janie Griffith, met with a sizeable crowd at a DeFuniak Springs [...]

By ALICIA LEONARD The Walton County School Board(WCSB) met for their scheduled session on May 7, 2013 at 5 p.m. During announcements Walton County School Superintendent Carlene Anderson congratulated area school athletes on recent achievements. The South Walton High School girl’s basketball team, along with coaches and supporters, visited the board after their 1A State [...]

By REID TUCKER The Rev. Moses Mbuga does not believe in mere happenstance, especially when it comes to doing the work of ministry. Mbuga, the founder and director of Imani Milele Children, a Ugandan non-profit organization that focuses on taking in orphaned and at-risk young people of the East African country and bringing them up [...]

WORKSHOP ON MORRISON SPRINGS Discussion of possible admission fees. _____ COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DISCUSS FUNDING FIRE PROTECTION Seeking to achieve more equity. _____ UPDATE ON APPLICANTS FOR COUNTY POSITIONS Land use attorney, public works, TDC director. _____ NTECHNICAL REVIEW COMMITTEE MAY 2 MEETING Tables two Sandestin projects. _____ STATE G.O.P. POLITICAL DIRECTOR SPEAKS IN MIRAMAR BEACH [...]

By DOTTY NIST County commissioners recently took on a complicated topic, that of fire protection in Walton County and how those services are funded. This was at an April 29 special meeting at the Walton County Courthouse in DeFuniak Springs. In August 2012, the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) had tasked consultants Government [...]

By DOTTY NIST Walton County received four applications for its newly-created land use attorney position, according to Mark Davis, interim county attorney. The application deadline for the position was April 24. Davis said he, Walton County Planning and Development Services Director Wayne Dyess, and Walton County Planning Manager Mac Carpenter would be reviewing the applications [...]

By REID TUCKER The Walton County Board of Commissioners agreed after a brainstorming session to look at how other state parks are run before it makes a decision whether or not to charge admission to Morrison Springs. The board held an open public workshop on Wednesday, May 1, in which it weighed the pros and [...]