Walton County is asking residents to help rewrite the rules that shape how land is developed, where businesses can locate, and how natural resources are protected — and a new community survey opened this week gives Freeport residents a direct voice in the process.
A Walton County judge has denied bond for Isabelle Johnson and prosecutors have upgraded her charge to first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of Jason Coulthart, whose remains were found buried under concrete at a Freeport property.
The Walton County Design Review Board will hold its next regular meeting on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 4:00 PM at the South Walton Annex Boardroom, 31 Coastal Centre Boulevard, Santa Rosa Beach — just off U.S. Highway 331 in South Walton.
The Freeport City Council approved a series of infrastructure and land use decisions at its August 27 regular meeting, including a $3,250 survey for Jackson Street intersection improvements, a rezoning request on US 331 South, and a $75,000 state grant for comprehensive plan updates — while also confronting the growing problem of political signs littering public rights-of-way.
Murder suspect Isabelle Johnson appeared before a Walton County judge Wednesday afternoon for a pretrial detention hearing that revealed chilling text messages, a confession to a key witness, and gruesome new details about how Jason Coulthart’s body was found at a Freeport property.
The Walton County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously at its August 25 meeting to designate the US 331 and SR 20 intersection in Freeport as the county’s top state and federal infrastructure priority, directing the county’s lobbying team to pursue funding for safety and congestion improvements at the increasingly busy crossroads.
The Walton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on August 26 to remove all Flock license plate reader cameras from county rights-of-way, effectively ending the use of the automated surveillance technology on county-controlled roads across Walton County — including the Highway 20 and US 331 corridors that Freeport residents travel daily.
The Walton County Zoning Board of Adjustments meets Thursday, August 27 at 5:00 PM at the Freeport Board Room to review nine variance requests and one appeal spanning Districts 2, 4, and 5.
A 75-pound sulcata tortoise named Leland has been on the lam for a week after slipping out of his yard on Oakcrest Drive in Freeport, and the Walton County Sheriff’s Office is asking residents to keep an eye out.
Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO) is opening its new Freeport office and operations center, relocating from its current satellite office in Freeport City Hall. The new facility at 359 Co. Hwy. 83A West will feature dedicated operations staff and reduced outage response times.
