Miramar Beach Live Cam

• Dock Tennis Villa Deck

Advertisement

Panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico

Artists and poets have struggled and failed to capture on canvas or paper the crystal white ribbon that rests on the southern most edge of Florida's Northwest Gulf Coast. Almost 100 miles of indescribable beach. The most talented writer gets lost in adjectives that never measure up. To say it is White doesn't do it justice. Pure white falls far short of the mark. Sugar white, stark white, Chlorox white, none compare. And soft? Oh, how soft. Baby powder soft, it hums under your feet with a musical cadence as you walk. And you have to walk. The sand stretches out before you to the east and to the west. You must walk it, you need to feel it sift between your toes. The irresistible desire to be kissed by sea spray is too strong. The horizon seems reachable, just a few more steps away. Variegated hues of turquoise, emerald and azure urge you on and their music serenades you.

This is The Beach. Centuries ago, by some geological miracle, Quartz crystal washed down from the Appalachian Mountains and deposited itself, millions upon billions of grains of it, on this shore. Pulverized by nature, ground smooth and polished, the sand is so pure it looks bleached. This beach is so white it doesn't get hot, even when baked by the sun at 95 degrees. Feet stay cool - so you walk further, you walk more. The mineral content is mostly calcite (calcium carbonate), a white mineral used to make white pigment for ceramic glazes and paint. How much more white can you get?

Whether you like the action-packed flatness of Panama City Beach, with its bustling population of tourists year-round, or the neighborhood atmosphere of the Beaches of South Walton, with candy-colored houses doting the shore, this is The Beach. At Miramar Beach perch yourself in an oceanfront restaurant and pretend you are a pelican gazing southward and poised for your next catch. This is The Beach. Walk the grand expanses of Okaloosa Island, flanked by sea oat capped dunes, and see nothing for miles. This is The Beach. Fort Walton Beach hosts amusements and entertainment that no tourist should miss, but this remains The Beach. You'll find no other beach like it; no other beach can compare. Walk on it, build castles with it, doze off on it, bury yourself in it, most importantly - enjoy it, because this is The Beach.

To the beachcomber, names have no meaning - Panama City Beach, Inlet Beach, Grayton Beach, Miramar, Holiday Isle, Okaloosa Island, Fort Walton - it is simply, The Beach. This beach is ranked "Best" by everyone who sets foot on it. It has been praised by travel publications, but its visitors' opinions are the opinions that count. Your opinion counts. This beach wants you to love it, and to return to it. When you leave this place, the beach will call you back - because this is The Beach.

On the Emerald Coast

Walton County is divided into nine divisions and is governed by a county administrator system. The County Administrator and Legal Services Director report directly to the Walton County Board of County Commissioners.

Walton County’s lobbyist and the Tourist Development Council’s Executive Director also report directly to the Board of County Commissioners. Economic Development, represented by the Economic Development Council and its Executive Director, is also a function under the direct cognizance of the Board of County Commissioners.

The other divisions: Financial and Administrative Services, Human Resources, Growth Management, Citizen Services, Public Works and Transportation, and Emergency Response report to the County Administrator. The county’s Public Information Officer also reports to the County Administrator.

County Government was reorganized in early 2001 as a means to streamline Walton County Government functions and as a means to free up the commissioners to develop strategies for the betterment of the county.