Walton County has a $706,000 plan to rebuild the stretch of County Road 30A between Hilltop and Allen Loop Drive. On the summary slide Walton County Tourism brought to its October 6, 2026 Tourist Development Council meeting, the plan adds roughly 40 low-speed vehicle spaces and 17 standard vehicle spaces along the road. By that count, the plan adds more than two LSV spaces for every new car space on the western end of 30A, where the Dune Allen and Fort Panic regional beach accesses sit. The county's more detailed site sheets don't add up to the same totals yet.
Construction is expected to start in fall 2027. For now, getting to these beaches looks different. The free tram that serves them dropped to hourly service on October 1, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is closed after Hurricane Isaias, and the plan sheets show a shoulder the county itself calls damaged. Taken together, the county's own documents explain why it is planning around LSVs and walkers.
Where the New Spaces Go
The county posted its public information exhibits for the project on the Walton County Tourism projects page. The sheets name every access along the segment: Dune Allen Regional Beach Access, Fort Panic Regional Beach Access, the Allen Loop Neighborhood Beach Access, and the stretch of Fort Panic Road beside Allen Lake.
| Location on the plan | Standard parallel spaces | Angled LSV spaces | Other changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Panic Regional Beach Access | 12 new | 5 | Accessible parking with an ADA path to the access |
| Fort Panic Road by Allen Lake | 5 new | 5 | Part of the same curb and gutter work |
| Allen Loop Neighborhood Beach Access | 12 new | 5 | Brick paver parking with a sidewalk to the access |
| Dune Allen Regional Beach Access at Hilltop | Existing parallel parking kept | New LSV area, no count given | Two layout options under review |
| Project total, per the October 6 TDC slide | About 17 | About 40 | Estimated cost of $706,000 |
The two sources don't match. Across the three locations that have numbers, the site sheets list 29 new parallel car spaces and 15 angled LSV spaces. That's more car spaces than the slide's total of about 17 and fewer LSV spaces than its total of about 40. Some of the LSV difference could be at Hilltop, where the exhibit shows a new LSV area but gives no number. The car-space gap goes the other way, and neither document explains it. The slide marks both totals as approximate, and the county says the plans are being revised. The final split between car and LSV parking won't be settled until a revised plan is published.
What the County Says Is Wrong With the Road Today
The exhibits start with existing conditions. Here is how county staff described the problems along this stretch:
- Parking damage to the shoulder
- Too many "No Parking" signs
- Old or faded road signs
- Trail damage from vehicles
- A multi-use trail less than 10 feet wide
- Regional beach access parking that is regularly full
- No sidewalk connection heading east along the south side of CR 30A
Each fix in the plan answers one of those problems. Curb and gutter along the edge of the road are meant to stop driving and parking on the shoulder. The plan also adds new stormwater collection and treatment systems. Spots that tend to attract parking where it shouldn't happen get landscaping. The multi-use trail gets widened to 10 feet and repaved with new asphalt. A new sidewalk along the south side of 30A links the properties on that side, and the exhibit says it cuts down on how often pedestrians have to cross the road.
That south-side sidewalk matters most to anyone who walks to the beach from the south side of the road. Today, heading east from Dune Allen Regional Beach Access along that side means walking on the shoulder or crossing 30A. The exhibit also calls for signs highlighting pedestrian safety and crossings. It doesn't say how many marked crosswalks there will be or where they'll go.
The Hilltop End Has Two Drawings
Both options for Dune Allen Regional Beach Access keep the existing parallel parking. They differ in where the trail goes:
- Option 1 puts the new LSV parking behind the multi-use trail, so the trail stays next to the road.
- Option 2 angles the LSV parking and moves the trail behind the new parking area, away from the travel lanes.
The exhibit lists the benefits it expects: a wider, freshly paved trail with more room, and new LSV parking at Hilltop that connects straight to the regional beach access. The plan sheets say the path will be realigned. They don't say which side of 30A it will end up on once the work is done.
Until Then, the Tram Comes Once an Hour
This fall the county is leaning on the tram while the parking question waits for 2027. The tram's schedule has changed three times this year.
In a February 26, 2026 press release, Walton County Tourism announced new routes starting March 1. They ran from the 393 Municipal Parking Facility at 1668 S. County Highway 393 to Ed Walline, Dune Allen and Fort Panic regional beach accesses, with the western route leaving every 15 minutes. Tabatha Bolen, the county transportation manager quoted in the release, said the service was meant to help local residents as well as visitors.
A May 22 announcement expanded the service for the season. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Dune Allen Local ran every 30 minutes and included a stop at Topsail Hill. By then the service was being called Beach Park and Ride.
The current Beach Park and Ride schedule took effect October 1 for the off season:
| Route from the 393 lot | Stops | How often | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Walline Express | Ed Walline RBA | Every 10 minutes | Daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., last departure 6:50 p.m. |
| Dune Allen Local | Dune Allen RBA, Fort Panic RBA, Gulfview Heights RBA, Blue Mountain RBA, Grayton Beach Park and Ride | Every 60 minutes | Daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., last departure 6:30 p.m. |
Both routes leave from the same lot at very different rates. Riders headed for Ed Walline get a tram six times an hour. Riders headed for Dune Allen or Fort Panic get one. Topsail Hill isn't on the off-season route list. Missing the 6:30 p.m. departure means no tram back toward Dune Allen that evening.
Topsail Hill and the Days After Isaias
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park was already partly closed before the storm. According to the Florida State Parks page for Topsail Hill, the main beach access boardwalk has been closed for construction since September 16, 2026, and visitors were sent to a designated beach path beside the tram station. The same page says the park and its overnight accommodations closed October 11 because of Hurricane Isaias. As of October 12 there was no reopening date, and the page gives no completion date for the boardwalk work.
Beyond the park, the latest reports cover all of 30A rather than Dune Allen in particular. WJHG reported on October 10 that South Walton Fire District crews were assessing 26 miles of beach. The county warned that damaged flag poles and boardwalks could leave warning flags missing, that double red flags mean the water is closed, and that nails and debris may be hidden in sand, parking areas and the Gulf. On October 12, WJHG reported erosion of beaches and dunes along 30A. A Grayton Beach resident told the station that sand that had reached the boardwalk was gone. None of the reports we found describe damage at Dune Allen or Fort Panic accesses specifically. Check the state park page and county notices for current conditions before heading out.
Where the Plan Stands
The project's dates so far:
- September 21, 2026: Walton County held a public workshop on the Dune Allen right-of-way project. Public comment was limited to agenda items, three minutes or less per speaker.
- After the workshop: Walton County Tourism says the plans are being revised and will go to the Board of County Commissioners for approval once the revisions are done.
- October 6, 2026: The project appeared in the Tourist Development Council agenda packet with its cost estimate and parking totals.
- Fall 2027: Construction is expected to begin.
The county hasn't published what changed after the workshop, and we found no public record of what was said there. Revisions are still underway, so the Hilltop layout and the final LSV count are both still open. The county takes questions about the project at [email protected]. No date has been set for the Board of County Commissioners to take up the plan. Once it's on a board agenda, that packet will show which Hilltop option the county chose.
If you own along western 30A and want to know how a change in beach access could affect a Dune Allen property's rental appeal or resale value, The Justin Myers Team follows these county projects from the workshop stage on and is glad to go through the plan sheets with you, lot by lot. Find Your Emerald Coast Home.
