In the summer of 1974, Betty Haynes and her daughters were spending a day at Grayton Beach when they saw an earthmover on the sand. Her friend Bibba Jones later described their first move in a history of the fight published by GraytonBeach.com. "We lay down in front of the earthmover to prevent the bulldozer from moving," Jones said. "They couldn't do anything then."
More than fifty years later, Walton County put her name on the newest public way onto that sand. The Bets "Beachmama" Haynes Regional Beach Access at 44 Hotz Ave. has a boardwalk and an observation deck, and it has no parking lot. Haynes spent a decade arguing that Grayton's beach should belong to everyone. The access carries her name, and it was built to be reached on foot or by tram. This October, Hurricane Isaias tested both the park she fought for and the access named for her.
Ten Years, a Typewriter and a Roll of Stamps
To her daughters' friends she was "Beachmama." Others called her "Beach" or "Bets." She was born and raised in DeFuniak Springs, and her family had roots in Walton County going back to the early 1800s. When she married Gap Haynes in 1954, her parents gave the couple a small piece of Grayton Beach land, and the family spent every summer there.
After the earthmover, she became creator and coordinator of the Friends of Grayton Beach, a group formed in 1974 to stop overdevelopment and a planned condominium complex. About 140 members joined, all of them year-round or seasonal Grayton residents. Every time developers brought in bulldozers, she complained that they were working without permits. She wrote to every resident of Grayton Beach asking for money and for letters to then-Gov. Bob Graham and the state Cabinet. Her daughter Holly Barber remembered her calling people "asking for $5 or $10," and the same history notes that Haynes had no formal office, "only her telephone, typewriter and a big roll of stamps."
Her letters made the case in terms that sound a lot like the county's 2026 dedication:
"All of Walton County will benefit from this action should it come to pass … we hope to be able to save it so that future generations of Walton Countians, as well as those visitors from out-of-state, may enjoy it and have the privilege of always being able to see a Gulf beach in its natural state."
In 1985 the state bought nearly 900 acres, now protected as Grayton Beach State Park, and the GraytonBeach.com account credits Haynes as a central advocate for that purchase. Her son-in-law Billy Buzzett summed up the goal in the same history: "She wanted to save the beach for generations to come. She did something that would sustain over time."
A Public Front Door With No Parking Lot
The county opened the access in June 2026. Its projects page gives June 9, and SoWal reported a ribbon cutting on June 15. In its dedication announcement, Walton County said the name recognizes Haynes's advocacy for public access, community leadership and beach safety.
The 1,600-square-foot facility includes:
- Restrooms and rinse showers
- A 360-degree observation deck
- A boardwalk to the beach
- A stop on the free Beach Tram
- An information station on how the Grayton Beach community was founded and its history
The access has no parking spaces. Walton County's beach access chart, dated July 15, lists zero spaces at 44 Hotz Ave. Visitors who drive park at the Grayton Beach Park and Ride, 1505 County Highway 283 South, and take the tram. As 30A reported in August, that lot has 204 standard spaces, including four RV spaces, seven LSV spaces, nine ADA-accessible spaces and four EV charging stations, along with an air-conditioned lobby and restrooms.
The Grayton Express runs from that lot straight to the Haynes access. Walton County's current tram schedule took effect Oct. 1 for the off season. It says all trams run daily and that the Grayton Express leaves every 10 minutes from 6 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. The separate tram into Grayton Beach State Park runs only from Memorial Day through Labor Day, so in November and December the Grayton Express is the year-round route.
The tram is free, and parking at the Park and Ride follows the county's seasonal rates. From November through February, nonresidents without a permit pay $5 per day. From March through October, the rate is $5 per hour or $15 for the full day. A nonresident annual permit costs $205, and a weekly permit costs $90. So the parking rate falls on Nov. 1, just as the daily tram service continues. Rates and routes can change, and Park Walton posts the current rules.
October Tested the Beach She Saved
Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin around 9:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, Oct. 9, as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the Governor's office.
WJHG reported that the surge topped the dunes in Grayton and filled Western Lake. The lake normally drains into the Gulf, but Buzzett told the station that during the storm the flow reversed. Water carried a neighbor's dock a quarter mile down the lake and left it on the public dock. "I guess the tide got so high that it picked it up and brought it all the way over here and deposited it on our public dock," he said. A Grayton Beach local told WJHG that the sand had reached the boardwalk the day before, "and now it's gone, you can walk right under it."
The surge also washed out a bridge leading into Grayton Beach State Park, which cut off access to the park. At the Governor's direction, FDOT and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection rebuilt it in 16 hours, finishing by Sunday. WJHG reported that the park opened at 8 a.m. Monday and would close at sunset for the rest of that week. At that time, overnight stays at Florida state parks were still suspended until officials announced otherwise. The repair crews worked through the night to restore a state park the state bought because a group of Grayton neighbors had kept writing letters.
Beach accesses are reopening more slowly. On Oct. 14, WMBB reported that 47 of the county's 57 beach accesses were open. Walton County posts access-by-access status on its recovery updates page, most recently updated Oct. 22. Check that page before heading to Hotz Ave.
December's Gathering in the Village
The next big date on the Grayton calendar is the Grayton Beach Holiday Art Fest, listed for Saturday, Dec. 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Shacks Art Grayton Beach, 14 Clayton Ln. The 30A event listing was posted in September, before the storm, and includes kids' workshops, Santa from 10 a.m. to noon, and The Kennedy's Duo playing from 1 to 4 p.m. The SoWal listing counts more than 100 artists, with extra parking across the street in a shuttle lot. Check with the organizers before you go.
On the same day, the Grayton Express will still be leaving the Park and Ride every 10 minutes for the beach access on Hotz Ave., where the history station tells Grayton's founding story.
At Lynne Andrews, we see stewardship as Bets Haynes did, as long-term care for a place. If you own in Grayton and want to talk about your property after Isaias, or you're weighing a home near Hotz Ave. and Western Lake, we'd be glad to help. Schedule a Personalized Consultation.
