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Spend time in South Walton on the Emerald Coast and you’re sure to travel on County Road 30-A. You may have traveled this road without actually knowing its name. This is the 19-mile road that runs along the coast, sprinkled with rare coastal dune lakes, state parks, and new and old towns with great shopping and fabulous restaurants. Most locals already call the road “Scenic 30-A,” and there’s even a civic association with that name. But as picturesque as the road is, it still is formally named “County Road 30-A.” Many believe that the road needs a new name, one that’s more appropriate for its beauty and appeal. There’s a new group on the case: the “Scenic 30-A Corridor Advocacy Group”, a grassroots volunteer committee with a mission of getting official Scenic Highways designation for County Road 30-A from the State of Florida. The Florida Scenic Highways Program’s purpose as stated in their literature is to “showcase outstanding cultural, historical, archeological, recreational, natural and scenic resources along Florida’s highways…. The primary intent of the Florida Scenic Highways Program is to designate roadway corridors where we can preserve, maintain, protect and enhance intrinsic resources for the traveling public’s enjoyment.” “Intrinsic resources” are plentiful along County Road 30-A: four state parks, 11 pristine coastal dune lakes, beautiful “new” towns with traditional neighborhood designs and charming old towns with the feel of old Florida, and a rare “Blue Wave” designation for having super-clean beaches, to name a few. But why go through all this work to just change the name? First, the designation is an automatic guide to travelers about the best places to visit in Florida. Secondly, it provides the businesses along the scenic corridor with added economic opportunities from increased tourism. The program is divided into three phases: eligibility, designation and implementation. The beginning of the eligibility phase is the formation of a Corridor Advocacy Group (CAG) to prepare the application. The next phase involves the committee in developing a Corridor Management Plan (CMP). This document describes “the operational procedures, protection techniques and standards/regulations by which the corridor will be managed and enhanced. Once a road is in the Scenic Highways Program, the community must maintain its intrinsic qualities for continued participation. The actions specified in the Management Plan must be followed in the final phase. There is monitoring by the state as well as required annual reports and updates. The 30-A CAG group is in the first phase of the process, the application for eligibility. 30-A.com will be a part of this effort and will be keeping our readers up to date on the latest happenings. Copyright 2000 - 2004. Emerald Coast Media, Inc. | For more information, please visit our online travel guide at:www.discover30a.com |
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