This year Walton County put local names on two new public places in Santa Rosa Beach, and both honor people who worked to give the public a way to the water.
The first is the Bets "Beachmama" Haynes Regional Beach Access at 44 Hotz Avenue in Grayton Beach, which the county lists as opening June 9, 2026. The second is the Kellogg Park Nature Center at 855 E. Nursery Road, on the bay side, built on land a local family gave the county. The county expects it to be finished late this fall. One faces the Gulf and one faces Choctawhatchee Bay. Both are public, and both carry the names of people who wanted them that way.
The Hotz Avenue access settles an argument from 1985
Haynes's place in Grayton history comes before any boardwalk. According to SoWal's history of the fight to save Grayton Beach, "Beachmama" was the nickname her daughters' friends gave her, and she created and coordinated Friends of Grayton Beach, a group formed in 1974 to push back against overdevelopment. The Northwest Florida Daily News reported that Haynes, a Grayton Beach resident, led the grassroots campaign that persuaded the State of Florida to buy nearly 900 acres of coastal land in 1985. That land is now Grayton Beach State Park.
Forty-one years later, the county put her name on its 11th regional beach access. County commissioners and Walton County Tourism held the dedication on June 15. Beach Operations Director Josh Ervin said in a news release quoted by the Northwest Florida Daily News that "she was very much a public access advocate, community leader, beach safety steward, and brought people together."
The facility adds 1,600 square feet of beachfront amenities: restrooms, rinse showers, a 360-degree observation deck, a boardwalk connecting to the Beach Tram, and an information station on the founding and history of Grayton Beach. The project cost $4.3 million. It was built, and will be maintained, with the Tourist Development Tax, the 5 percent bed tax on short-term rentals of six months or less in south Walton County.
So visitors paid for this access through their rental stays, and its information station tells them how the Grayton Beach community was founded and what its history has been.
On the bay, the same idea from a family gift
On Nursery Road the story runs through a family instead of a campaign. The Kellogg family donated 9.75 acres at 855 E. Nursery Road for the nature center. When the project was dedicated in June 2025, WJHG identified the donor as Pat Kellogg, with her daughter Pan Godchaux. Godchaux told WJHG that "in a lot of ways this is their memorial for us," and that hearing how people use the park "warms my heart because it's the kind of stuff my mom wanted to know." The county says it is carrying forward the family's vision of inspiring children and adults alike to explore the natural environment.
The nature center builds on a park that already exists. Kellogg Bayside Park sits at the north end of Nellie Drive off Nursery Road. SoWal's listing describes bay access, a launch for kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, a boat ramp without trailer access, picnic tables, a shower, water and parking. The county's facility page lists boat and canoe access, fishing, parking and picnic areas.
Here is what the county has said the finished project will add, from its projects page and the October 6, 2026 Tourist Development Council agenda:
- An assembly-style building for nature observation, educational programming and community gatherings, described on the council slide as coastal cottage style
- An observation platform with bird displays
- A paved parking lot with dedicated ADA and bicycle spaces
- ADA-accessible sidewalks from the building to a new 16-by-16-foot picnic pavilion at the existing trailhead
- Three 8-by-12-foot pavilions along a trail network that winds through the property and connects to Kellogg Bayside Park
- New benches and educational signs
The council slide lists the project at $1 million and 70 percent complete as of the October 6 meeting, with completion expected in fall 2026. The original target was later. At the 2025 dedication, WJHG reported an expected opening of summer 2026. The county's wording now is "late this fall." In that same 2025 report, WJHG said the county hoped to invite the school system and nature-based organizations to lead interpretive sessions and classes.
November 1 lowers the price of the Gulf-side half
The Grayton access is set up as a tram stop, not a parking lot. The county's Beach Park and Ride page sends drivers to the Grayton Beach Park and Ride at 1505 County Highway 283 South. From there the Grayton Express runs straight to the Haynes access every 10 minutes, daily from 6 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., with the last departure at 9:40 p.m. The tram is free. 30A.com reports that the lot has 204 spaces, including nine ADA spaces, seven LSV spaces, four RV spaces and four EV charging stations, plus an air-conditioned lobby with restrooms.
The parking is paid, and the rate drops sharply on November 1. Park Walton's payment page shows the seasonal schedule:
| Period | Daily parking at county paid lots |
|---|---|
| March through October | $5 per hour or $15 all day |
| November through February | $5 all day |
| Payment hours | 5 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., 365 days a year |
Parking does not become free in winter. A full day at the Grayton lot that cost $15 in October costs a third of that from Sunday, November 1. The lot takes cards only, no cash, and payment is due on arrival. The county adopted this fee schedule in Resolution 2026-07, passed February 26, 2026.
Annual passes take daily payment out of the picture at the designated paid lots. According to Park Walton's parking pass page, a Walton County resident pass costs $5 plus a $3.50 convenience fee per vehicle, with up to four vehicles per household. Applicants need one proof of county residency, such as a valid driver's license, a current voter registration card or a homestead exemption card, along with current registration for each vehicle. Approval can take up to 72 hours, and passes renew annually. Passes are virtual and checked by license plate, so no sticker is issued. Until a pass is approved, the daily fee still applies. Second-home owners whose residency is elsewhere fall under the nonresident annual pass, which the county lists at $205 plus $3.50 per vehicle. These figures come from county pages and can change. This is general information, not legal or financial advice, so confirm your own eligibility with Park Walton before relying on it.
The off-season tram schedule took effect October 1, according to the county. On that schedule the Blue Mountain Local leaves Grayton every 60 minutes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., stopping at the Blue Mountain, Gulfview Heights, Dune Allen and Fort Panic regional accesses and the 393 Beach Park and Ride. 30A.com's August guide listed the same route every 30 minutes, which was the summer pattern. Check the county schedule before planning around it.
One morning, both legacies
- Park at the Grayton Beach Park and Ride on County Highway 283 South for the $5 off-season day rate, or with an annual pass.
- Take the Grayton Express to 44 Hotz Avenue. Trams leave every 10 minutes from 6 a.m.
- Stop at the information station on Grayton's founding, then climb the 360-degree observation deck.
- Drive to the bay side and take Nursery Road to Nellie Drive for Kellogg Bayside Park and its paddle launch.
- Once the nature center opens, start at 855 E. Nursery Road, walk the trail network down to the bay, and finish at the observation platform.
On the Gulf side, a $4.3 million access paid for by the bed tax carries the name of the woman who led the campaign for Grayton Beach State Park. On the bay side, a $1 million project on 9.75 donated acres is built for nature education. The Gulf-side access gets cheaper to reach on November 1, and the bayside center is due to open late this fall.
If you are weighing a Gulf-front or bayside property near Grayton or Nursery Road and want a clear view of how public access shapes that stretch of shoreline, The Blankenship Watkins Advisory Group can help. Request a private consultation.
