Inside the new building on Hotz Avenue, just west of the Red Bar, there is a glass case with an old photograph, a few shells and a paper sign. The sign reads "SAVE GRAYTON DUNES." Framed newspaper clippings about the dunes' dedication hang nearby. Most people who come through are carrying chairs and coolers to the boardwalk. The display tells them why that boardwalk leads to open dunes and not a row of condominiums.
Walton County opened the Bets "Beachmama" Haynes Regional Beach Access this June. It is the county's 11th regional access, and it sits at 44 Hotz Avenue. Its information station tells the history of the Grayton Beach community. That history is less tidy than the name on the building suggests. Keeping the land east of Grayton undeveloped took a decade of local pressure and a reluctant landowner who changed his mind. It also took one procedural decision by a federal agency that had nothing to do with beaches.
What opened on Hotz Avenue in June
SoWal reported that the county cut the ribbon on June 15 for what locals had followed as the Grayton Beach Community Center. That's a new building, a tram stop and boardwalks in what SoWal called "downtown" Grayton Beach. The county's own project page lists the opening as June 9, 2026. The June 15 date is the public ribbon cutting.
The facility includes:
- 1,600 square feet of beachfront amenities
- Restrooms and rinse showers
- A 360-degree observation deck
- A boardwalk and a Beach Tram stop
- A local information station on the founding and history of the Grayton Beach community
The county paid for it with the Tourist Development Tax, the 5 percent bed tax on short-term rentals of six months or less in south Walton County. Per Walton County Tourism, the same tax will cover its upkeep. In practice, short-term renters in south Walton paid for a building that honors the woman who fought to keep this stretch of coast from being built over.
A decade of pressure, from the bulldozer to the Cabinet
Bets Haynes lived in Grayton Beach for many years. She and her husband raised four daughters in the village. The story of the campaign she led is told in "Saving Grayton Beach," which SoWal runs courtesy of Emerald Coast Magazine. It is a long, slow fight, and the dates show how long:
- 1974. Residents saw earthmoving on the beach and formed the Friends of Grayton Beach. Haynes chaired the group, which grew to about 140 residents and seasonal homeowners. They opposed overdevelopment and a proposed condominium complex.
- The standoff. Haynes and Bibba Jones physically blocked a bulldozer. Haynes gathered support from residents and wrote to Governor Bob Graham and the state Cabinet asking the state to buy the land.
- 1979. The Legislature created the Conservation and Recreation Lands program, known as CARL. The Grayton Dunes proposal was on the first list with 100 other proposals and stayed on when the list was cut to 40.
- 1982. Haynes and the Friends pledged $25,000 toward the state's purchase.
- September 11, 1984. Haynes wrote to Graham thanking him and the Cabinet "for standing up for the average citizen of Florida who loves its beautiful white beaches and emerald waters."
- March 25, 1985. Graham and state Senator Dempsey Barron dedicated the land as the Grayton Dunes State Recreation Area.
In 1983 Haynes told a reporter that Walton County would see "tremendous growth in the next 20 years." She said every citizen had a responsibility to help local officials manage it so the beach, bayou and bay "will not be overbuilt and overdeveloped in a hasty and hodge-podge manner." She was speaking more than four decades before a county building would carry her name.
The family who owned the land changed course
The same account gives the landowners' side. In the 1920s the Butler family bought land at Grayton. Their general store is today's Red Bar, and the "Butler General" sign still hangs outside. The architectural firm Blondheim Williams and Chancey offered to buy part of the homestead land from Van Ness Butler Sr. The firm planned to build homes and create artificial dunes and lakes on what is now public beach.
Van Ness Butler Jr. recalled that the firm "offered my dad a lot of money," and that the family considered selling. The Friends of Grayton Beach pushed back. In the end, Butler said, he and his father decided the land should stay natural. He credited Haynes's group with "keeping us from making a bad mistake." From then on, Butler and Haynes worked together to get the state to buy it.
People involved remember the credit differently. Butler said that at the dedication, Governor Graham called him "the father of the project." In his telling, Haynes rallied local support while he did the committee-level groundwork in Tallahassee. Graham described them as a team. He credited Haynes with getting the community involved and keeping pressure on the Cabinet's advisory group. The new building carries one name, but the record describes a partnership between the activist and the landowners. Jerry W. Gerde served as the Friends' attorney. Graham had his own tie to the place. He spent much of his childhood at an uncle and aunt's beach house in Grayton and remembered rolling down the dunes as a boy.
The decision that mattered most was about the bid
The land's fate came down to how it would be sold. The property belonged to a failed New Orleans bank, so the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was handling the sale. Several private buyers wanted it. Graham knew the state could not outbid private money in an open auction. "The (FDIC) finally agreed to let us make an individual offer," he said. He credited Haynes and Butler with getting the FDIC to accept a single state bid, which he called the most important decision of the whole effort.
According to SoWal's account, the state paid $18.5 million. The acreage depends on the source. The state's 2013 management plan for Grayton Beach State Park records that the Board of Trustees bought about 872 acres from the FDIC on January 7, 1985, using Save Our Coast and CARL funds. The county's 2026 announcement and the SoWal history both round it to "nearly 900 acres."
Without the single bid, the 1974 campaign, the $25,000 pledge and the Butlers' change of heart would all have ended at an open auction the state did not expect to win.
What the 1985 purchase put within reach of the village
The land bought that January is the core of today's Grayton Beach State Park. For anyone living in the village, it is the backyard. Florida State Parks lists these routes through it:
| Route | Length | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Grayton Beach Nature Trail | 1 mile | Dunes, salt marsh and pine flatwoods |
| Hiking and biking trail | 4.5 miles one way, about 9 miles round trip | Forest and the backwaters of Western Lake |
| Western Lake by paddle | 100-acre coastal dune lake | Personal canoes and kayaks allowed; rentals through the park's Friends group |
| Timpoochee Trail | 19 miles, paved | Shared-use path through Grayton Beach and neighboring 30A communities, passing through the park |
Day-use admission is $5 per vehicle for two to eight people and $4 for a single-occupant vehicle. Pedestrians and bicyclists pay $2. The park is listed as open 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year.
Getting there this fall
Check the park's status before heading out this week. As of October 7, 2026, the Grayton Beach State Park page shows the park and its overnight accommodations closed because of Tropical Storm Isaias. Even on normal days, a notice in place since June 2024 says the park often reaches capacity and may close to day visitors for several hours. That includes people arriving on foot or by bike.
The tram schedule has also changed for the season. Walton County Tourism renamed its beach tram program Beach Park and Ride this year. The paid lot on County Highway 283 is now the Grayton Beach Park and Ride. According to 30A's August 2026 guide, the lot at 1505 County Highway 283 South has 204 spaces, including four RV spaces, seven LSV spaces, nine ADA-accessible spaces and four EV charging stations. It also has an air-conditioned lobby and restrooms. The guide lists these routes from the lot:
- Grayton Express: runs straight to the Bets Haynes access every 10 minutes, 6 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. daily
- Blue Mountain Local: every 30 minutes, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., stopping at Blue Mountain, Gulfview Heights and the 393 Beach Park and Ride
- Grayton Beach State Park Express: ran every 30 minutes from Memorial Day through Labor Day, so it ended for the year in early September
The guide notes that routes and hours can change, and recommends checking current schedules. Until the seasonal park shuttle returns, the Grayton Express to Hotz Avenue is the tram's direct link to the village. Walton County Beach Operations can answer project questions at (850) 267-4578.
The history of the land around Grayton shapes what owning here means, from the open dunes beside the village to the trails beyond them. If you'd like to talk through how that history affects a home or homesite you own or are considering, Found Real Estate is glad to help. Contact Us.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
