Plan for Walton 2040 is a vision and an Evaluation and Appraisal Report. It is not the Walton County Comprehensive Plan. The Comp Plan on the books is still the 2011 plan plus later element updates on mywaltonfl.gov. The EAR tells staff what to draft. Those drafts still have to go through Planning Commission, the Board, and the state.
The old guide treated 2040 as already law, printed density caps we cannot cite, and sent Place Types to the 2015 Bay-Walton Sector Plan map. That map is a different St. Joe plan. That is the repair.
SoWal (sowal.co) is a free local guide. Questions: hello@sowal.co.
Two documents, not one
The Comp Plan is the one that counts today. Walton County Comprehensive Plan elements live at mywaltonfl.gov/68/Comprehensive-Plan. Future Land Use last revised April 27, 2021. Transportation / Mobility updated December 19, 2024. Comments: 850-267-1955.
Plan for Walton 2040 is the EAR. It is a BOCC-sponsored vision. Consultant: DPZ CoDESIGN. The official about page says it will create an Evaluation and Appraisal Report, which will guide future amendments to the Walton County Comprehensive Plan. Hub: planforwalton2040.com. Work started January 2024. About 16 months to the report.
Staff packets after late 2025 say the Board approved the EAR. That approval is direction to write text amendments. It is not a new Comp Plan.
The amendments are still in process as of 2026. Planning staff is writing EAR-based text changes to Capital Improvements, Coastal Management, Conservation, Future Land Use, Housing, Infrastructure, Recreation, and Transportation / Mobility. Planning Commission had those on the January 8, 2026 agenda and again as a public workshop April 28, 2026. They still have to transmit to the state, then the Board adopts. Until that ordinance is on the books, your lot is under the current Comp Plan and the Land Development Code. Do not treat 8, 10, 12, or 16 dwelling units per acre as adopted density. Those numbers are not on the county Comp Plan page.
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The three sectors are a recommendation
The EAR proposes three sectors to map later. Protected is conservation, agriculture, and rural, generally north of the bay. Maintained is established neighborhoods, generally south of the bay and 30A. Growth is targeted corridors near existing towns.
Place Types sit under those sectors. They are not your zoning district today. For the district on your parcel, use the Planning FAQ or call 850-267-1955. Do not look it up on bay-waltonsectorplan.com. That is the St. Joe Bay-Walton Sector Plan, adopted 2015, a 50-year master plan on St. Joe land. Different statute, different map.
Who to call, where to go
Walton County Planning and Development Services. 842 State Highway 20 East, Unit 110, Freeport, FL 32439. Phone 850-267-1955. Fax 850-622-9133. Email planning@mywaltonfl.gov. Hours Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Planner-of-the-day questions end at 4:00 p.m. Drop-offs until 4:30.
Applications go through EnerGov, not Citizenserve. waltoncountyfl-energovweb.tylerhost.net. Planning email list: county Notify Me at co.walton.fl.us/list.aspx.
Do not invent a workshop at 31 Coastal Centre. That building is the South Walton annex (Property Appraiser, Code Compliance). Planning’s desk is Freeport.
What this page is not
This is not Walton County approving a 5-year infrastructure work plan. It is not a 24 percent population-growth-by-2025 headline. That window is already closed. It is not TDR advice, land-value advice, or a Gridics how-to. It is not Jim Tucker or Beach Fanatic. It is not inland homes or Zoning Laws.
FAQs
Is the Walton 2040 Plan the Comp Plan? No. It is the EAR / vision. The Comp Plan is still the adopted elements on mywaltonfl.gov/68.
Can I build to a 2040 Place Type today? No. Zone and density follow the current Comp Plan and the LDC until the Board adopts the amendment ordinance.
Where do I comment? planning@mywaltonfl.gov or 850-267-1955. Watch Planning Commission and BOCC agendas on the county calendar. planforwalton2040.com for the EAR itself.
Is this the Bay-Walton Sector Plan? No. That is St. Joe’s 2015 sector plan. Different map.
Who is this guide? SoWal (sowal.co). Free local notes. hello@sowal.co.
