Miramar Beach's Driftwood Road Lot Is Running on a Longer Clock Than Promised

The lot at 76 Driftwood Road was public parking before anyone drew a site plan for it. The 1.25-acre parcel sits a quarter mile north of Miramar Regional Beach Access, and for years it had no designated spaces and no amenities. Walton County officials broke ground there on June 17, 2025, and said the new facility would take 11 months. That pointed to roughly May 2026.

The Tourist Development Council's October 6, 2026 agenda now lists the project as 35% complete, with completion expected in "Winter 2026." The same packet shows the bayside Legion Park makeover still waiting on final permit approval.

Miramar Beach is getting two upgrades its locals will actually use, one on the Gulf side and one on the bay. Neither is moving at the pace first announced, and the beach side will finish well ahead of the bay side.

What Is Being Built Under the Driftwood Lot

At the groundbreaking, Brian Kellenberger, then the county's director of beach operations and interim county administrator, said the site was "the lowest spot in this immediate area."

In Walton County Tourism's groundbreaking release, he explained that the lot would collect stormwater from the site itself and "a lot of stormwater offsite," and that "underneath this whole parking lot ... is a very large exfiltration system." Beach Operations and Public Works are running the project together because of that drainage work.

So the parking lot is also a drainage project with parking spaces on top. Kellenberger's own estimate that day was looser than the 11-month figure: "Moving here in the next year, year-and-a-half, we're going to solve a lot of problems in this area." Eighteen months from June 2025 is December 2026. That fits the current winter target better than the original forecast does.

Here is what the October 2026 TDC update lists for the facility once it is complete:

• 82 parking spaces
• Four electric vehicle charging stations
• An 800-square-foot restroom building
• Dedicated ADA, LSV and bicycle parking
• Drainage improvements
• A hub for the South Walton Beach Tram
• A project figure of $2.2 million

The county awarded the construction contract to Elite Building Group for $2,210,719.12 on its April 22, 2025 Board of County Commissioners agenda. The contract allows 300 days to substantial completion after notice to proceed. The project is paid for by the Tourist Development Tax, the 5% tax on short-term rentals in south Walton County. The county's release notes that residents don't pay it unless they book a local rental for a staycation.

District Four Commissioner Donna Johns gave the case for it at the groundbreaking in plain terms: "There will be an opportunity for sidewalks so people don't have to walk through the street and try to dodge cars all the time."

The Tram Route Miramar Beach Doesn't Have Yet

The Driftwood lot is more than overflow parking for Miramar Regional Beach Access. Walton County Tourism's transportation page says that once construction is finished, Driftwood will join the free Beach Tram. It will get a direct route to Miramar RBA, plus service to "other RBAs along Scenic Gulf Drive." The page adds that "final routes" are "coming soon."

That would be the first tram route west of the current system. The 2026 expansion launched March 1 from the 393 and Grayton Beach lots, and the county said then that Driftwood would join only after construction. The off-season schedule that began October 1 shows what the existing routes look like:

Each lot pairs a frequent express to one large regional access with an hourly local that stops at several smaller ones. That pattern suggests what a Driftwood route might look like, but the county hasn't published one. Until it does, any schedule for Scenic Gulf Drive stops is a guess.

Parking fees are also unsettled. As WJHG reported in March, the county's 2026 paid-parking program covers three lots: Van Ness Butler, 393 Municipal and Grayton Beach. Other municipal lots stayed free, and the tram stayed free. Driftwood isn't on that list. No county source has said whether it will be free when it opens. The tram page does describe the service as connecting "pay parking facilities" with regional beach accesses. The fee question is open until the county answers it.

The Lot Is One of Several Driftwood Road Projects

The parking facility is the most visible project on Driftwood Road, but it isn't the only one. Walton County's FY 26 to FY 30 five-year work plan, published in September 2025, scheduled three more pieces of work nearby:

1. The final Driftwood and Ellis roadway and drainage phase, in FY 26
2. A traffic signal at Driftwood Road and US-98, in FY 27
3. Signal design at Holiday Road and Scenic Gulf Drive, also known as CR 2378, in FY 27, with construction in FY 30

Taken together, the county is turning Driftwood Road into a way in from US-98, with a park-and-ride, a tram hub, sidewalks to Miramar RBA and eventually a signal at the highway. The work plan uses fiscal years, not calendar dates, and the county sources reviewed for this post don't say whether the FY 26 Driftwood and Ellis phase has wrapped up or carried over. The US-98 signal is the later-stage step, scheduled for FY 27.

Legion Park Is Waiting on Paper

On the bay side, Legion Park at 119 Crest Drive works today the way it always has. Walton County's facility listing shows free admission, boat and canoe access, pickleball, basketball, picnic areas, a playground, parking and restrooms. SoWal's access guide describes the boat launch onto Choctawhatchee Bay and also lists a volleyball court and shelters.

The planned overhaul is detailed. At the March 4, 2026 Technical Review Committee meeting, staff described a splash pad, two pickleball courts, a replacement playground, two shaded pavilions, a replacement basketball court, paved and expanded parking, sidewalks, two piers by the boat ramp, and irrigation and landscaping. The October TDC slides add a few specifics. The splash pad will be 20 feet across, the original pickleball court will be relocated with a second one added, and the basketball court will be resurfaced.

The committee approved the development order with conditions. Approval depends on a historical and archaeological review and on a written narrative addressing what appear to be deed restrictions on the property. The committee chair also said any future vendor operations at the park would need Board of County Commissioners approval at a public hearing.

Seven months later, the October 6 TDC update still lists Legion Park under "Projects Under Design," pending final permit approval. The county's projects page gives the same status. The TDC financial report in the same packet includes a $1.675 million line labeled "Legion Park Repairs." That line is a budget entry, not a construction contract. No contractor or start date has been published.

The Two Projects Side by Side

Those dates set the order for the next year. The Gulf-side lot and its tram connection are scheduled to open first, in the off-season, when the tram is already on its shorter hours. The Driftwood and US-98 signal follows in FY 27. Legion Park's splash pad and piers come after the permit, on a date the county hasn't set. Until then, the boat ramp, courts and playground stay as they are. The county's projects page and the monthly TDC agendas are where any new dates will show up first. Beach Operations takes questions at (850) 267-4578.

We follow these county agendas because they shape how Miramar Beach feels from one block to the next. If you live near Driftwood Road or Scenic Gulf Drive and wonder how a new tram hub or a future signal fits into your home's story, The Babe Group can go through it with you and put together a free home valuation whenever you're ready.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.