📣 Now open: applications for the 2026 Rural Infrastructure Fund access-road project at Mossy Head Industrial Park. Learn more →
Regular meetings: first Thursday monthly at noon · DeFuniak Springs, FL
(850) 635-6745
Available Sites & Buildings Economic Data & Dashboard Incentives & Rural Designations For Business For Talent Agendas, Minutes & Bylaws Start a Project

Walton County, Florida

Your Business. Our Community. A Wonderful Future.

A strategically located, fast-growing county on Florida's Emerald Coast — with sites ready for industry, a skilled workforce, and one of the lowest tax burdens in the state.

The Crystal Ball

A county on its way up

2010 · 55K2025 · 91K2030 · 103K

Walton County today mirrors where neighboring Okaloosa stood in the early 1970s — roughly 55 years earlier on the same curve. The trajectory is the pitch.

90,547
Residents (2025 est.)
+74% since 2010
38,991
Jobs countywide
across all sectors
$6.83B
County GDP
gross domestic product
2nd
Lowest millage rate in FL
FL TaxWatch

Start here

Whatever brings you to Walton, there's a path.

The site serves three audiences at once. Choose yours and go straight to what you need.

Site Selectors

Screening Walton for a location or expansion? Everything you need for due diligence, in one place.

  • Searchable sites & buildings
  • Workforce & market data
  • Infrastructure & logistics
  • Incentives & rural designations
Available Sites

Existing Business

Already here? We help you stay, grow, and hire — the majority of new jobs come from businesses like yours.

  • Retention & expansion support
  • Start-a-business guide
  • Resource directory & SBDC
  • Talent pipeline
Grow Here

Talent & Residents

Thinking about a move? A rising job market, top-rated schools, and the Emerald Coast out your door.

  • Live & work overview
  • Cost of living
  • Careers & training
  • Community & schools
Live in Walton

Product · gap-analysis Tier 1

Available sites & buildings

Filter by acreage, zoning, utilities, and access — then download a one-page due-diligence brief for any property. (Full searchable database to be wired in the next build phase.)

Woodlawn Industrial Park

30°38'50"N 86°06'59"W · Central Walton
IndustrialUS-331Shovel-ready

Freeport 331 Industrial Park

30°29'57"N 86°05'58"W · Freeport
IndustrialSR-20 / US-331Rail-adjacent

DeFuniak Springs Airport

30°43'49"N 86°09'35"W · DeFuniak Springs
AviationI-1054J

US HWY 90 Property

30°44'42"N 86°13'39"W · North Walton
Mixed-useUS-90Rail

Emerald Coast Logistics Center

Mossy Head · I-10 Corridor
LogisticsI-10Rail crossing

Paxton Property

30°58'00"N 86°18'09"W · Paxton
CommercialUS-331Rural ROO

Interactive tools

Two tools already built — now part of the site

Both open full-screen and are self-contained. They carry the Wonderful Walton brand and require no login.

Gap-analysis Tier 1

Incentives, rural designations & infrastructure

The competitive levers a selector screens for — laid out plainly, with a downloadable summary.

01

Rural Area of Opportunity

State rural designation unlocking enhanced incentives and flexibility — a key Walton advantage.

02

State & Local Incentives

Florida programs, local ad valorem exemption, and expedited permitting.

03

Opportunity Zones & FTZ

Federal Opportunity Zones and Foreign-Trade Zone access.

04

Triumph Gulf Coast

Regional recovery funding for qualifying projects in the eight-county region.

05

Utilities & Broadband

Provider capacity, electric, gas, water/sewer, and broadband to the site.

06

Rail & Ports

Rail-served parcels and access to Port Panama City and Pensacola.

07

Interstate & Air

I-10 corridor frontage, US-331 to the beaches, and three regional airports.

08

Drive-Time Markets

Reach from Walton to the Southeast's metros — for logistics planning.

Where we compete

Target industries

Four sectors where Walton's assets, corridors, and workforce line up. Each gets its own page with the sites that fit.

Advanced Manufacturing

Composites, polymers, and power-equipment manufacturing along the I-10 corridor.

Defense & Aerospace

Weapons T&E, the AFRL Munitions Directorate, and special operations next to Eglin AFB.

Logistics & Distribution

I-10, rail, and port access built for regional distribution.

Agribusiness

A cooperative farm economy and value-added food production.

Why Wonderful Walton

The case, in the county's own numbers

A live, sourced record of what makes Walton competitive — for business and for the families who move here.

#1Education ranking for Child Well-Being — Florida Policy Institute
#2Graduation rate — Florida Department of Education
2ndLowest average millage rate in Florida — FL TaxWatch
2ndFastest-growing county in FL, 2020–2023 — Newsweek
ARated school district, 8th consecutive year — FLDOE
#1NWF State College safety ranking in Florida — Niche

Transparency · editable library

Agendas, minutes & bylaws

Board documents, published as PDFs. In Staff Login mode, office staff can add or remove documents in seconds — no code, no developer.

Governance at a glance

A 501(c)(6) public-private alliance governed by an elected executive committee.

Board meetings1st Thu · Noon
Fiscal transparencyPublished
Executive committee13 members
Contact(850) 635-6745

Join the investors

Build the future of Wonderful Walton with us.

Public and private investors fund the work of recruiting industry, supporting local business, and growing the talent pipeline. See what membership includes.

Invest Now
✏️ Staff Edit Mode — click highlighted text to edit