With the backdrop of Santa Rosa Beach behind him, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that repeals the 2018 statute that restricts the “customary use” of beaches.
Senate Bill 1622 returns decision-making back to local communities, DeSantis said at the press conference Tuesday morning.
“This bill is about restoring local control, cutting legal red tape, and putting our residents first, but it goes even further to strengthen our coastal communities,” the governor added.
In April 2018, the Florida Legislature passed a law that prohibited local governments from “enacting or enforcing ordinances based on customary use.” Customary use refers to the public’s right to access the dry sand areas of privately owned beaches. It’s been a hot-button issue, especially in Walton County, where only 9 of its 26 miles of beach are public. Walton County adopted a customary use ordinance in October 2016, but it was voided under the 2018 law.
“It’s not just a legal issue, it truly is a community issue,” said Panama City Senator Jay Trumbull, who filed the bill. “It impacts jobs, small businesses, and the spirit of the place that we call home. I’ll be extremely proud when the governor signs this bill to finally open up our beaches and give Walton County back what was unfortunately taken away back in 2018.”
The bill also simplifies the process by which the state establishes erosion control lines and allows the state Department of Environmental Protection to proceed with beach restoration projects in areas that are critically eroded, without requiring a public easement. This also affects Walton County, where a majority of the beaches are deemed critically eroded, said Alexis Lambert, Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Walton County resident John Dillard spoke at the press conference, thanking the governor and lawmakers who made the 2025 bill law. Dillard is the founder of the Save Our Beaches group and organized peaceful protests against the 2018 law.
“(Our beaches) have become more of a microscope where people tell you where you can sit and where you can’t sit with security guards who often feel like bouncers,” he said. “Walton County gets a mulligan. We get a do-over. We have to be focusing on next steps.”
Dillard offered an “olive branch” to beachfront property owners and asked for a reduction of security and signs on private beaches.
SB 1622 was unanimously passed in the House and received only two dissenting votes in the Senate. The two votes were from Sen. Kathleen Passidomo of Naples and Sen. Don Gaetz of Crestview.
