What’s Up With The Public and Private 30A Beaches?

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If you are planning a trip to 30A for the first time, you may feel overwhelmed by the various public and private 30A beaches. That’s understandable!

The 30A beach situation is unique because most of the beachfront in South Walton County is private. I will structure this post with section headings addressing frequently asked questions. I hope to answer them, help you understand the 30A beaches better, and plan the best trip for your group. 30A is special, and the beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world! 

Most of this advice really pertains to peak season, including Summer as well as Fall and Spring Breaks. In the off-season and shoulder seasons, the beaches as a whole aren’t as busy. So, there isn’t really a need to dwell on finding the perfect beach. If you are wondering when the best time to visit 30A is, make sure to read this blog post!

And if you are new here, I’m Sarah. I am a family travel blogger and also an Airbnb superhost with four Airbnb vacation rentals on 30A.

Why Are Some 30A Beaches Private?

Today’s public vs. private beaches situation that you see throughout 30A (Walton County, Florida) results from House Bill 631, passed by the Florida Legislature in 2018. Effective July 1, 2018, this law essentially voided Walton County’s 2017 customary use ordinance and allowed private property owners to more easily claim the beach in front of their homes as their private property. 

What is Customary Use?  

It’s the idea that the beaches in Walton County, and throughout the world, have historically been open to the public and should remain so regardless of where property lines were drawn. In a 1974 ruling, the Florida Supreme Court backed up customary use as the standard for pretty much all of Florida. In most counties in Florida, the beaches are all available for the public to enjoy. But that is not necessarily the case here on 30A. 

HB 631

This is a heated debate. In the five years since HB 631 was passed, countless appeals, rulings, and new bills have been introduced to address this. The issue has been tied up in the courts for years now. I am not a legal expert, so if you want to learn more about this law and the background of this contentious debate, simply search for HB631 Walton County, Florida, and you will find countless articles to dig through! It is set to be heard again in mid-2023. I would not be surprised if this drags on for years and goes all the way up to the Supreme Court.

Even if this were to be overruled or modified, the beach access points on private property would still exist. For example, the Seaside access would still be gated. The difference could be that once you got down to the beach, you can enjoy any part of it. This means that you would likely be able to go down the stairs at small public access and set up anywhere you want, as far as the eye can see, without encountering No Trespassing signs in both directions.

I would love to go back to customary use for all, like most other places are. It’s embarrassing when people visit 30A and are told they have to sit on one specific portion of white sand while the adjacent area sits empty, except for the No Trespassing signs.  

But this got passed, and I know there are an equal number of people who want the beaches private.

UPDATE APRIL 2024: The Walton County Commissioners have reached some type of settlement with some beachfront owners. I am going to hold off updating this post entirely until some of the issues are ironed out, as much of the info remains the same. But my take is that it makes it even more of a mess, allowing the public to use 10-20 feet of some private beaches between certain hours of the day. However, the property owner can make anyone leave if they choose, and visitors have to be 5 feet apart and can’t use umbrellas. That’s just a brief look.

It is already proving to be mass chaos and inciting a lot of confusion. But this is why I am going to wait to see exactly how this is going to be implemented and enforced. It’s true that in some places, everything has changed, and in others, the situation remains the same as it has been for several years now. You will notice this public vs private issue specifically where those lots meet eachother, which is in a lot of places.

Do Private Beach Owners Own the Entire Beach?

No. Generally, a private beach is only private up to the mean high water mark or wet sand. This means you can walk along all 26 miles of white sand 30A beaches as long as you are on or near where the wet sand is.

Technically, it means you can set up your chair on the wet sand of a private beach. And I do this sometimes. There is a vast, always empty section of beach that is private just to the west of our private beach access in Seacrest Beach. I often walk that way and set up my chair along the water’s edge when no one is there. However, I would never set up my chair in front of another guest’s set up on a private beach. This advice is often given in Facebook groups, which I think is quite rude when others pay for their beach setups or get there early to claim a space.

New in 2024, there is a lot of turmoil around the wet sand. Many private beaches are calling it there own and even putting out empty chairs or cones to prevent the public from using those beaches.

The Differences Between Public and Private Beaches on 30A

Both public and private beaches on 30A have advantages and disadvantages, depending on your priorities and preferences. There is no blanket answer as to which one is better. It all depends on the actual beach access and what type of public or private access it is.

In fact, in some parts of 30A, private beaches are smaller and busier than public beaches and vice versa. In areas like Rosemary Beach, the private beach is very large, running the length of the entire community. On the other hand, you may visit a public beach access in Seagrove that is only about 50 feet wide.  

So, let’s go ahead and talk about the different types of public and private beaches you’ll find on 30A. In this post, I am covering all of Walton County. This means that Inlet Beach, just east of 30A, and the Miramar Beach area to the west will be included in my post.  

I do want to mention that 30A property owners are fiercely loyal to “their beach,” and that should be taken into consideration when someone tells you where the best place to stay on 30A is.

Each part of 30A has something different that makes it special, and most owners bought in that area because they love it. I am not going to sit here and tell you that my beach, Seacrest Beach, is the best beach on 30A. It is small and gets very crowded in peak season, but for us, that is a welcome tradeoff for the fantastic location and walkability that the area offers. Plus, we have a large regional access just under a mile away when we want more room to spread out.

Understanding what type of 30A beach access you will use is important, especially when it comes to your 30A packing list!

Public 30A Beaches

There are various Walton County public beach access points on 30A that offer free or low-cost access to the Gulf of Mexico. These can be broken up into three types: state parks, public neighborhood beach access points, and public regional beach access points. And they are all quite different!

The county generally allows you to choose from various beach vendors for services such as chair rentals and beach bonfires. All of the county-run beach access points have one set of beach rules. For example, tents must be 10 feet wide or smaller and set up on the back half of the beach.

This new interactive map shows public beach access. As you can see, many areas are adjacent to private access (both private homes and private neighborhoods or resorts).

Public 30A State Park Beaches

South Walton County is home to some of the best Florida State Parks. The following have direct beachfront as part of the park: Grayton Beach State Park, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, and Deer Lake State Park.

These are such treasures; if you want a less crowded public beach on 30A, this is where to be. These state parks each have the dune lakes that 30A is known for. These are rare bodies of water formed when freshwater accumulates behind the dunes and mixes with saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. Visitors can kayak or paddleboard on the lakes in most nearby state parks, offering a peaceful and scenic experience.

Here is a photo of my kids at Grayton Beach State Park over Memorial Day weekend a few years ago. We were actually camping there and rode our bikes right up to the beach each day!

However, there are a few drawbacks. In peak season, the parking lots fill up quite early in the morning, and they close the gates. So, you must get there early to get a parking spot.

Also, these tend not to be within walking distance from many accommodations unless you are camping or staying in the cabins there. This makes trips back and forth to your house or condo more difficult. 

Lastly, Florida State Parks prohibit alcoholic beverages in all public areas. So, you’ll have to leave your boat drinks at home. 

Public 30A Neighborhoods Beach Access Points

There are 46 of these in South Walton County. So, if you are staying in an area that is not a “private town/resort” with its own private access, such as Seaside, Alys Beach, Watercolor, Watersound, Seacrest Beach, or Rosemary Beach, you will likely access the beach there at public access points.   

The upside is that many are walkable to your accommodations, making the trek there easy, especially in places like Seagrove Beach. But they do vary quite a bit in size! Some are literally surrounded by private beaches on both sides with very little room to set up your stuff. Most will have stairs down to the beach, over the gorgeous dunes. This means they are generally not handicap accessible, and any wagons or wheeled coolers will need to be carried down an often steep set of stairs. 

These generally have little parking or no parking at all. And remember, LSVs (street-legal golf carts) must park in an actual parking spot. They do ticket and tow often when these are parked illegally at a neighborhood beach access. 

Public 30A Regional Beach Access Points

You will find 10 Regional Beach Accesses on 30A or nearby. Most have parking, lifeguards (seasonal), ADA-accessible restrooms, and boardwalks. However, only one regional access point on 30A has more than 50 parking spots. So again, like anywhere along 30A, the early bird gets the worm in peak season.  

This graphic from 30A.com shows how many parking spots you will find at each of the county accesses (both neighborhood and regional combined) that offer parking.  The below map is very helpful, but I will note that the Van Ness beach between Seaside and Watercolor is no longer public as of March 2024. However, the parking lot remains.

You are in a good spot if you are within a mile or two (walking or biking distance) of these regional access points! They typically offer a decent amount of room for visitors to spread out. However, as I mentioned, everywhere on 30A is busy during peak season! 

You may think you’ll skip the public beaches and look for private ones. Let’s slow down! There is much more to consider, and private beaches aren’t always better.  

Private 30A Beaches

Just as we saw with the public beaches, there are several different types of private beaches along 30A. But, very few of them are what most would consider “private.” I like to refer to many as “deeded beach.” It’s the same thing. I, for one, don’t like calling them private when they are shared with an entire community, so I opt to use the word deeded beach in my Airbnb listings.

Since they are deeded beaches, you can access them when staying in a particular area, but so can everyone else staying there. In peak season, that can mean a lot of people. Typically, these beach access points have their own rules, including no beach tents, and all chair/umbrella rentals have to go through a particular vendor.   In many cases, the community has a relationship with the beach chair vendor that allows them to enforce the rules and maintain the beach on their behalf.

On the new South Walton Beaches map, most of the private beaches are shown in red. In my opinion, that was a bad decision. It makes it seem as if those are entirely off-limits when, in reality, most people staying on 30A have access to those private community / resort beaches when staying in those communities. Orange would have been a much better color choice. Red could have been reserved for the single private beachfront homes.

The three types of private beaches on 30A are beachfront homes, private neighborhood, resort or condo complex access, and private community beaches. 

The new map uses the term resort for the latter two; however, it doesn’t show the various areas by community. So, it’s always best to ask your rental management company or host before booking.

Private Beachfront Homes on 30A

If you are looking for a private beach, something only accessible to your group, you must look for a private beachfront home. But bring your wallet because these are typically quite expensive to rent, like this one on VRBO that runs $28,000 for a week in the summer. The people who own these homes are the ones who fought hardest for HB631, and I can see why. If you can hold that asset, referring to the white sand beaches, it’s a huge selling point.  

Many times, the public access points are adjacent to these homes. This means that on both ends of the public portion, there are typically No Trespassing Signs that indicate where the private property starts.

Private Neighborhood or Condo Access

Most of the time, when renting a non-beachfront home or condo on 30A advertising a private beach, it’s one of these. And they all vary quite a bit! 

For example, High Pointe is a gated beachfront condo complex just west of Rosemary Beach. This means that the beach is private to all staying in that condo complex. They have a nice sized beach for the number of units, making it not uncomfortably crowded during peak season, but units there rent and sell for more than many of the surrounding neighbors across the street in Seacrest Beach because of that.  

Another example is Gulf Place, on the west end of 30A. While the complex isn’t gulf-front, they have a walkover to their beach access that is shared with the whole community, beachfront homes, and the people who (used to) spill over from the adjacent public access point. 

We own four condos in Seacrest Beach, and we have deeded beach access via an easement through Sunset Beach across the street. In our case, we share a small beach area with a few other communities in Seacrest Beach, and it gets very busy in the summer. Luckily, we have Inlet Beach Regional Access, just a mile away. 

These beach accesses are different, and some get busy during peak season. I like to look at these accesses this way… you have access to them but don’t HAVE to use them. So many places on 30A do not have any deeded beach available and must travel to the nearest public access, sometimes miles away. If these are too busy for your taste, you can always try the nearby public access points.  

Private Community Beaches

These are beaches reserved for a specific town on 30A. These include Seaside, Watercolor, Alys Beach, Watersound, Rosemary Beach, and more. In these areas, staying in hotels on 30A or vacation rentals within the limits of that specific community grants you access to one or many access points within that community.

This is usually the sweet spot on 30A, giving you plenty of beach access and walkability to shops and restaurants, which is the top priority for my family. However, staying within these communities is often more expensive than staying in neighboring communities. 

Sometimes Airbnb, VRBO, and other sites list a rental in a particular community. Many times it’s not a host being deceptive, but rather a zip code and location specified by the apps. Please read a rental listing entirely to determine beach access. If you are confused after that, reach out to the host and ask!

This is why you typically see more affordable rentals in Seacrest Beach than in Rosemary Beach. The tradeoff, which I will discuss more later, is the price point.

And while I would happily stay there in a heartbeat, even in communities with large private beaches such as Watercolor, you may find your rental house quite far away from the beach and well north of 30A. This is why you really need to look at each property when determining where to stay.

Are Public or Private 30A Beaches Better?

To answer this, you need to consult your wants and needs. I recently explained it to a friend this way… weigh three priorities and pick two! 

30A: You Have Three Priorities; Pick Two  

What does this mean? There are three things to consider when deciding where to stay on 30A, and you get to pick two. I often see people looking for all three, which will be impossible to find.  By its very nature, an area with a town center and a lot of dining and entertainment areas will have more people in a small area.

• Budget
• Closeby, Quiet Beaches
• Walkability to Shops, Restaurants, and Entertainment

What is important to you?  For us, it is budget and walkability. Remember, when the beaches are busy in peak season, so are the roads and parking. Getting in the car and dealing with that to go out to eat for every meal is a dealbreaker for me. But, if you plan to cook all week, you could sacrifice the walkability and look in places like Dune Allen Beach or Blue Mountain Beach. 

The gated neighborhood Watersound is fantastic for people who want a really quiet vacation with a lot of open beach space. I would love to stay here for the experience, but would really miss not being able to walk to dinner in 3-5 minutes like I can in Seacrest Beach.

For that reason, I think Rosemary Beach is the best place to stay on 30A, and if I could afford to buy my properties there, I would have. But we enjoy being close to all of that at a lower price point.

Alys Beach is where it’s at for someone not working within any budget! It’s upscale, the beaches are vast (and usually pretty empty), and you have the walkability to a variety of shops and restaurants on the east end of 30A.  

Is The Beach Really That Important?

I hate to say this, but the focus on the actual beach is pretty overrated, in my opinion. Most beaches on 30A are going to be crowded mid-day and in peak season. I love visiting the beach in the late afternoons and sometimes even staying through the sunset. The sunsets are magic on 30A! You will find the beaches less busy and the sun much less intense doing it this way.

We often enjoy the pool for the first part of the day, eat out for a mid-day meal with no wait at around 2:30 pm, then head to the beach for the rest of the afternoon / early evening. Once we come home and shower, we head downstairs to Peddler’s Pavillion to listen to live music and eat ice cream. 

The Great Beach Chair Vendor Debate

Something I see discussed so often is the beach chair vendors. 

On the public beaches, the county has regulations and requires the chairs not to be set up until you arrive and check-in. Some don’t allow chair rentals at all. All vendors on public beaches are permitted and overseen by the county.

On the private beaches, there is usually one dedicated vendor who manages the private beach in addition to providing that service. For example, in Rosemary Beach, you would rent these from the Rosemary Beach Property Owner’s Association Beach Service. In fact, at most of the walkovers, there is a small area for people to bring their own chairs and rows of rental chairs to the right and left. Things are done similarly in Seaside and Watercolor. 

Our beach in Seacrest Beach is split 50% bring your own and 50% rentals from La Dolce Vita, one of the prominent vendors in the area. There is also a neighborhood to our east that is 100% rentals managed by La Dolce Vita and available to rent. 

Should You Rent Chairs on 30A?

People have strong feelings on both sides about the chairs. But, here is the truth. In the summer, there are often four or more rows of chairs, and they are sold out. Many people vacationing on 30A enjoy renting chair and umbrella sets and not having to haul a bunch of stuff to the beach. While I provide two chairs in each of my rentals, almost 75% of my guests opt to rent these setups. It’s a treat, and they are on vacation! 

On the other hand, some families are on a budget and want to bring their own chairs and umbrellas, as well as people (like me) who like to go down for short periods during the day or in the evening after the rentals end at 5 pm. Often, big groups prefer to bring their own but have trouble finding adequate space to set up at the small private neighborhood access points. 

We have done both, and there is no right or wrong way. Everyone plans a 30A vacation for a different reason, and finding your perfect emerald coast beach day, all comes down to you and your needs. 

30A Beaches Wrap Up

To summarize, it’s impossible to make a blanket statement saying whether the public or private beaches on 30A are better. You need to consider your priorities and do some research before booking. Everyone will have a different view here. 

When booking vacation rentals, your Airbnb host or the vacation rental management company should be able to answer any questions and let you know what nearby beach options you have. You need to look at the specific property and precisely what neighborhood, community, or beach town it is in.

For reference, 30A has two zip codes that cover the entire area. Probably 2/3s are under Santa Rosa Beach, and the others are on the east end as Inlet Beach. So, a home may say Inlet Beach in the address but may be several miles from the Inlet Beach Regional Access.  And Santa Rosa Beach is literally most of 30A.

My advice; don’t stress.  You could spend all your time and energy finding the perfect 30A beach only to have double red flags and rain during your stay. You could get sunburnt the first day and want to avoid the beach for the rest of your visit. You could forget your chairs at home and be glad rental chairs are available.

And the worst of them all… your young kids can decide they “hate the sand” and refuse to enjoy the beach when they loved it last year. Trust me; I’ve been there!