Walton County COVID-19 Information – March 24, 2020

Walton County

Ten confirmed cases of COVID-19
Walton County Beaches are closed to the public.
All beach vending on Walton County beaches has been suspended.

County Departments

Administration Office – Open
Building Department – Limiting public to the
lobbies. Practicing social distancing. No reduction
in services.
GIS Department – Closed to walk-ins..
Human Resources Deparment – Closed to walkins. No interviews or orientations are being
conducted.
HUD – Closed to walk-ins. All eviction activities
are on hold but situations relative to extreme
violations of a lease, such as criminal activity, or
illegal drug use is monitored. HUD required home
inspections have been halted until further notice.
OMB/Purchasing Department – Closed to the
Public.
Office of the County Attorney – Closed to the
Public
Parks & Recreation Department – Closed
Planning Department – Closed to walk-ins. All
Planning Department Building Permit Reviews
continue to be reviewed and issued as
appropriate.
Public Works Department – Closed to walk-ins.

County Facilities

County recreation parks are open.
Eagle Springs Golf – Open to public. Social
Distancing by giving every individual their own
golf cart.
Walton County public libraries are closed.
The Senior Center in DeFuniak Springs is closed.
Landfill – Open for service. Closed to walk-ins.

Walton County Tax Collector

Tax Collectors are in discussion with the Department of Revenue regarding the extension of property tax deadlines.
This would be announced by an Executive Order from Governor DeSantis, hopefully this week.

Pursuant to Executive Order 20-52, issued March 15, 2020, by Governor Ron DeSantis, please observe the following:

• Extend the effective period of driver licenses and identification cards with expiration dates of March 16,
2020, to April 15, 2020, for thirty (30) days.
• Waive the delinquent renewal fees during the extension period for these driver licenses and identification
cards.
• We are available to assist our CDL holders, 850-892-8121
Tax Collectors across the State of Florida are partnering with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor
Vehicles in extending expiring commercial driver licenses (CDL) and waiving commercial truck hours-of-service
regulations and other related regulations so emergency supplies, equipment, commodities and resources for the
state’s response to COVID-19 can continue deliveries throughout the state.
• Please call 850-892-8121 for any questions you may have concerning your Commercial Driver License (CDL)
• Visit us on-line at: www.waltontaxcollector.com
• Learn more at: https://www.flhsmv.gov/florida-highway-patrol/commercial-vehicleenforcement/emergency-declarations/
Lobbies are closed – telephone hours of operation 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – On-Line Service www.waltontaxcollector.com:
• Replace or renew a Florida driver license or ID
card
• Replace or renew registration for a motor vehicle,
vessel or mobile home
• Obtain a paper title
• Pay property taxes
• Tag Express Same Day Pickup- renew your
registration online by Express then come to the
office and we will bring it out to you
• Working on implementing an online chat for
customers Thank you all for your patience and
understanding during this time.

Walton County Supervisor of Elections
South Walton Annex Branch Office is closed. The DeFuniak Springs Office in the Walton County Courthouse will
remain open to the public with limited staff.

Walton County Clerk of Courts
To provide protection to our personnel and community, while continuing to provide critical functions and court
services, the following temporary limitations to services are required. All court related counter customer service will
be limited to mission critical functions as required by Administrative Order No. 2020-08, COVID-19 Pandemic
Emergency Procedures and Supreme Court of Florida AOSC 20-15, COVID-19 Essential and Critical Trial Court
Proceedings.

The following emergency services shall continue to be offered to walk-ins:

• Petitions for Dating Violence, Domestic Violence,
Repeat Violence, Sexual Violence or Stalking
Injunctions (Also available online utilizing
TurboCourt and Portal eFiling)
• Baker Act and Marchman Act Petitions
• Vulnerable Adult Petitions
• Adult Protective Services Petitions
• Emergency Guardianship Actions
• Request for Shelter and Detention Orders
• Petitions for Judicial Waiver of Parental Notice
(Judicial By-Pass)
• Extraordinary Writs

To make payments and access other services, please visit our website at http://clerkofcourts.co.walton.fl.us/walton.
You may also utilize one of our convenient drop off boxes found at the front of both courthouse locations, mail or
phone: (850) 892-8115 or (850) 267-3066.

Recording Official Records:

• Mail-in recording can be addressed to PO Box 1260, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435 or 31 Coastal Centre
Boulevard, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. Please include a contact number and a self-addressed stamped
envelope for returned documents.

The following services are suspended until at least March 30th:

• Marriage License Applications
• Passport Applications

Additional Cancellations:

• First Judicial Circuit Administrative Order No. 2020-08 ordered by Chief Judge, John L. Miller, dated March
19, 2020, suspended all grand jury proceedings and jury selection proceedings until April 20, 2020. If you are
unsure if your summons is impacted by this Order, please call 850-892-8115 to speak to a Deputy Clerk.
• Traffic Infraction hearings scheduled for April 1, 2020 and April 15, 2020 have been cancelled. They will be
rescheduled for a future date, and announced at a later time.
• Child Support cases scheduled to be heard by Hearing Officer Mark Rubin on April 7, 2020 have been
cancelled.

Additionally, many Clerk services can be accomplished online and on the phone. The following services are offered
online: E-Notify, Online Court Record Access, TurboCourt DIY Services, Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, Self Service
Forms and Instructions, Pay Walton County traffic citations online and E-Recording.
For a complete listing of changes and cancellations, please visit the website at: https://clerkofcourts.co.walton.fl.us.
For information regarding the courts, go to www.FirstJudicialCircuit.org.

Walton County Property Appraiser’s Office

Office lobbies closed to the public until further notice. The offices will continue to provide online services through
our website at www.waltonpa.com for tax exemption applications and forms, address changes, and tangible
personal property. Please contact the office at 850-892-8123 for the DeFuniak Springs Office and 850-267-4500 for
South Walton Annex; or email to waltonpa@co.walton.fl.us for assistance.

Walton County Sheriff’s Office
In an attempt to keep our residents and staff safe from potential exposure to COVID-19, all Walton County Sheriff’s
Office lobbies , including the Walton County Animal Shelter are CLOSED to the general public. Walton County Fire
Rescue stations are CLOSED to the general public UNLESS you are experiencing an emergency.
For those individuals who are statutorily obligated, registration and fingerprinting services will be permitted to enter
the jail facility, after screening, located at 796 Triple G Road in DeFuniak Springs.
Due to the ongoing public health emergency in responding to COVID-19, visitation to nursing homes, assisted living
facilities and other residential care facilities is currently restricted. Should your facility have a disturbance and need
local law enforcement to respond please call the local law enforcement non-emergency line. If it is an emergency,
then please call 911.

South Walton Fire Department
All SWFD offices, including all fire stations, service centers and our fire district headquarters in Santa Rosa Beach, are
now closed to the public until further notice in order to preserve critical Fire/EMS services. The public is discouraged
from visiting any of the district’s five (5) fire stations unless you have a fire or medical emergency.

Walton County School District
The Walton County School District does have an online system to answer any of your COVID-19/School Closure
related questions. Please click on the “Contact Us” tab on the right side of the website,
https://www.walton.k12.fl.us/, to submit a question or concern.