WALTON COUNTY Fla. (WMBB)– The Grayton Beach Shuttle pilot program wrapped up for the season and the Tourist Development Council said it was a success. Executive Director Jay Tusa said they estimated over 18,000 riders over the summer.
After sending out a survey, many think it would be beneficial for the TDC to add additional amenities such as restrooms.
Tusa said parking and transportation are very important to both residents and visitors so they look forward to expanding what they already offered by adding four gasoline engine shuttles. The same that is used at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as paving the parking lot.
“This past summer we did a pilot program for the Grayton Shuttle and we were able to determine through the riders what we needed for next season, and so the vehicles we found really accommodate the ridership for what we need,” said Tusa.
The TDC has been working on a system to help beachgoers find more parking for a couple of years now, and they will be purchasing these additional vehicles with the TDC bed tax dollars collected.
“People need to get to the beach and be able to park and take a transit system whether that is a bus or a little shuttle of some sort and so we are working towards that,” said Tusa. “We’ve been working on that for a couple of years now. We purchased this property in Grayton back in 2016, and the thought process behind that was that we were going to do some type of shuttle to the beach, and we are doing that.”
