On the Move

Walton’s mobility plan anticipates growth

In September 2023, the Walton County Commission adopted a Mobility Plan & Mobility Fee Technical Report prepared by Nue Urban Concepts, a Destin consulting firm. That plan served as the basis in December of last year for the passage by the commission of a mobility fee ordinance. Fees are assessed against development activity and are calculated to pay for mobility projects planned to meet needs arising from population growth and increased traffic volumes. In Walton County, that growth figures to be robust. Walton is currently the fourth fastest-growing county (percentage population growth) in Florida, according to the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida. Its population grew by 36.8% between 2010 and 2020. Another Panhandle county, Santa Rosa, is 10th (24.2%). Following are excerpts from the consultant’s report. — Steve Bornhoft

In 2013, the Legislature encouraged local governments to adopt alternative mobility funding systems. Mobility fees, based on a plan of improvements (mobility plan), are an alternative funding system that allows development to equitably mitigate its transportation impact through a streamlined and transparent one-time payment to local governments. In 2019, the Legislature required that mobility fees follow the same statutory process requirements as impact fees.

Walton County’s 2045 Mobility Plan is a vision over the next 21 years to further develop an efficient, safe and connected transportation system that provides travel choices for all users. The Mobility Plan features a mixture of mobility projects such as sidewalks, paths, trails, bicycle lanes, road widenings and new complete streets to meet the needs of a growing community.

The Mobility Fee features four Assessment Areas and four Benefit Districts based on the county’s existing Planning Areas.

Benefit Districts ensure that Mobility Fees are spent on mobility projects to the benefit of the development activity that paid the Mobility Fee. The bases for Walton County’s Mobility Fee are the projects identified in the 2045 Mobility Plan.

The Walton County 2045 Mobility Plan is a vision for how the county’s transportation system will transition from one focused primarily on moving cars toward a multimodal system focused on providing safe and convenient mobility and accessibility for people of all ages and abilities. The Mobility Plan will serve as a guide to proactively plan for and prioritize multimodal projects. It also seeks to facilitate the development of park-once environments along 30A and Scenic 98 to encourage visitors to the county’s beach communities to park once and use other forms of transportation to explore their destinations.

The county desires to enhance safety, convenience and connectivity for all users of the transportation system. The multimodal projects in the Mobility Plan lay the foundation for the county to consider the development of a program to move toward Safer Streets for All.

There are two primary components in moving toward Safer Streets for All: mobility projects and speed. The first component is achieved through the 2045 Mobility Plan. The second component is achieved through lowering the speeds at which motor vehicles can travel. As speeds increase, so does the probability that a crash involving people walking, bicycling or driving will result in one or more fatalities.

Projected Growth

2015
Population: 60,687
Dwelling Units: 46,918
Employment: 25,323

2023
Population: 81,948
Dwelling Units: 62,663
Employment: 33,008

2045
Population: 115,700
Dwelling Units: 95,308
Employment: 57,044

Increase
Population: 33,752
Dwelling Units: 32,645
Employment: 24,036

Editor’s Note: The North Assessment Area includes Paxton and extends to the Alabama line. The North Central Assessment Area encompasses an area that includes DeFuniak Springs. The South Central Assessment Area includes Freeport. The South Assessment Area runs along the Gulf Coast and includes Santa Rosa Beach. One-time mobility fees vary based on land use categories and classifications, units of measure and assessment areas. For example, the mobility fee for a detached, single-family residence is $1,362 per 1,000 square feet in the South Walton Assessment Area. That fee per 1,000 square feet in the North, North Central and South Central assessment areas is $356, $629 and $735, respectively. Municipalities may opt in to the Walton County Mobility Fee system but are not required to do so.